The Full Moon will grace the sky between August 3rd - 4th. Named the Sturgeon Moon after the largest fish in North America, this moon is in the sign of Aquarius. Full Moons appear every month as a way to illuminate our path, offer us the light of truth, and to aide in each of us remembering our own luminosity. Full Moons also stoke or heighten energy, meaning your emotions may intensify and physical sensations may be more readily experienced. This means that we will be served by prioritizing self-care. We are invited to offer ourselves and the people around us even more love and compassion as we ride the waves of physical, emotional and subtle body experiences.
Experts say that the Aquarius energy of this full moon is asking us to check in with where we are going, where we are putting our energy, and what is happening right now. More than ever it is easy to get caught up in the anxiety of the future - what none of us can predict. The moon is asking us to be fully present and to take time to reflect on our own personal reality. We must continue to discern between our truth and the stories that we are receiving from media, our peers, our community or any other external source. This is a good time to turn off the news, get still and ask ourselves:
How am I feeling? How am I experiencing my reality? What is it that I truly want?
If you do not already have a morning or evening journaling practice, this is a beautiful time to incorporate one as a way to process all you are moving through during this incredible time on the planet.
The Sun and Moon are squaring Uranus, which according to experts means this moon will be clarifying for many of us. We will be presented with truth, and this may come in the form of what we hear, what we see, or sensations and feelings. This is not a time to conform, but rather to bravely stand in what is true for each of us.
This moon is asking us to ask WHAT NOW? Which direction do we want to go in? It wants to remind us that we have the power to innovate, change direction, or make whatever changes we need to make. This means that we can approach everything in our lives with the knowing that we are in constant choice. We have a powerful co-creative capacity in our lives.
Simultaneously, we are also reminded that there is so much that is not in our control. The age-old Serenity Prayer appears in various versions across cultures, and for good reason. We must practice our capacity to discern between that which we have a say in, and that which we don't. If we keep trying to satiate the gnawing need to know what is going to happen, to know that we're going to be okay, we will continue to experience suffering. Instead, we are being asked to choose how we want to respond to each moment. How do we want to show up to what is present for us right now? When we step into the choice of how we want to relate to the moment, we acknowledge that which we can control and exert our agency over it.
To let go of what we believe "should" happen or "needs to" happen is one of the hardest things to do as a human. There is an actual part of our brain designed to identify if we are safe and to construct whatever thoughts and stories will help us to feel safe. We are designed to try to predict and create a future that we know. However, there is a wiser part of us that knows that no matter what happens, we will be okay. Deep inside of our being, there is a part that can't be touched by our external reality. We can drop the need to know what is going to happen, and take the ride of being alive right now.
Experts also say that the feeling of instability, rapid shifting and changing is spoken about in the arrangement of the planets and the stars. We are reminded that there is a lot going on around us that is so mysterious. The only way to start to have a dialogue with our rapidly shifting reality, is through the imagination. Lean into art, writing, painting, music, or any other artistic expression. Our thinking mind - that which is responsible for analysis and survival - is not the piece of us that can comprehend or speak to the great mystery of what is happening for us right now.
The shaking that is happening in our lives (thanks to Uranus, experts say) is also meant to break away those things in our lives that need to break off in order for us to grow. What we need to do is to stay present, lean into practices that nurture and caretake our being, as continue to allow what needs to leave, do so freely without our resistance. Reminder, you do not need to have everything together or have any of this figured out. Now is the time to make sure you know how to take care of yourself. You are the ground inside of the groundlessness.
We are also being called to expand our personal perspective. This is a time that the celestial entities are asking us to remember how vast we are. There is a soul awakening that is happening across the planet. Those of us who are willing to stay in the process, no matter how uncomfortable or unfamiliar it might be, will emerge having expanded and grown in the ways that serve ourselves and the planet.
The process of growth of is never comfortable, but we can take solace in the knowing that so many of us are experiencing it at the same time. There is a solidarity between seekers, and the sky is telling us to keep going. Keep looking at the sky, the ocean, the mountains, and remember how vast and mighty you are as you transition from where you have been to where you are going.
Full Moon Ritual :: Deep Rest Practice
For many of us, when our reality seems to be in a constant shake, our capacity to rest and fall into nourishing sleep is challenged. Sleep is one of the most important medicines that we have access to. Each night we get the chance to turn off, to go unconscious, to dream, and to heal. Not sleeping well for even just a few nights can have a tremendous impact on our mood, outlook, physical body, and capacity to show up for ourselves and the world.
Try this practice each night before you go to sleep as a way usher you into deep rest and restoration.
1. Take 10-15 minutes before bed to go outside and look at the sky. You can choose to lay down if you have the space. Simply take in what you see. Perhaps you are in an area where you can see the stars and the moon, or maybe not. Either way, give yourself this space to be in relationship with the vastness above you.
2. As you are falling asleep, begin to count backwards from 108. Each breath is assigned a number. If you lose track and the mind wanders, simply begin again. There is no need to shape or control the length of your breath. When you feel yourself drifting to sleep, follow it.
You are not trying to get all the way to zero, and there is no reward if you do. You are watching as you move into the transition of sleep, and the liminal place that exists between waking and sleeping. Allow the body to soften as you count.
3. When you wake up, take a pause before you get out of bed to be with yourself during the transition from sleeping to waking. You are accompanying yourself into deeper awareness and peace.
