Give me an opportunity and I will romanticize anything. It’s naturally how I see the world when I am fully present; as a lilting dance between all forms and colors. The way wood grain matches the concentric lines in our fingers and how the traffic slowed my commute just enough for me to finish the new song I’ve been obsessing over. The older I get, the more I realize how indulging this perspective for myself is absolutely necessary to my enjoyment of life. The times when I have tried to contain my whimsy create a painful clenching in my jaw and all too easily lead me into a spiral of debilitating cynicism. 

 

Just like the change of pace into Virgo season at the end of August, the shift into mid-autumn and Libra season welcomes us with a different rhythm. There’s less rapping on the snare and more of a soft brush, more bass. As if overnight, the leaves are haloed in gold and blushing in orangey-reds, courting the death that awaits with flirtatious flourish. The breeze is cool and damp, perfuming the corners of the day with the richness of wood and salt and water, and the sweetness of wet sugars ahead of decomposition.

 

I had the honor and privilege last weekend of attending and working the Rituals of Release Retreat hosted by Make and Mary in St. Helens, OR. I stayed in a canvas yurt tent each night, falling asleep to the yip of coyotes over the ridge and waking in the deep blanket of dark to prepare for the first session of the day. Working alongside a team of incredible and diverse medicine practitioners, I had the pleasure of sharing community with a group of over twenty open, courageous, and inspiring women. For myself, the weekend was an affirmation—like the repeated and memorizable chorus of a familiar song—of sublime wholeness and personal sanctity. I experience a deep connection to universal energy and the security of Cosmic truth when I am embodying my unique gifts. And to share that within such a container was so special. 

 

Self-help would love to teach you how to step into your power, but what’s seldom talked about is how “stepping into” is a continuous dance; each step leading to yet another. We can arrive and arrive again in new and more authentic expressions as we integrate new lessons and release the old, no longer supportive scaffolding or training wheels that got us to the last mark. 

Autumn is a season of arrival at the threshold. 

 

 

 

The Full SuperMoon in Aries peaks on Friday September 29 at 2:57am PDT, but her illumination has been visible for several nights as she reaches her fullest, and will be visible into the weekend. She is the last supermoon of 2023 and her message is bright and clear. During a full moon, the energy of the lunation is at its highest; the pot has come to a boil and will induce a transformation of everything within, as well as the water itself. The digestion from the last two weeks since the New Moon in Virgo has generated a fuel to serve our next step, specifically when it comes to our individuation—our sense of self and self worth. A full moon in the sign of Aries, can build a pressure to move quickly and independently. We want to wrap up projects and make a leap to the finish line. But as a full moon, we are only halfway through the cycle. Allow yourself the opportunity to sit with the fullness of this energy before release. 

 

In Somatic Coaching, one of the most difficult steps for folks in becoming aware of their body and somatic connections is to sit with the energy that comes up. We easily become agitated and “need to move.” But there is valuable and vital information in the capacity to sit with that pressure. To observe where and how it builds, and to actively focus and direct the energy instead of reacting to it or letting it direct us emotionally. Think about when a mechanism doesn't work—a cabinet door doesn’t shut or we can’t get something unlocked for example, we immediately respond with more force against the thing. We express the frustration by throwing our hands up, or whacking the jar on the counter, or jamming the key in further. And while it is healthy to move energy through our body, somatic practice asks us to do so with attention and intention. 

 

When we consider the very recent shifts and transformations of the last few months, personally and collectively, we may see that we are becoming more adept at riding emotional terrain than in seasons past. We have more grace and a deeper sense of responsibility to our expression. This summer brought with it the sometimes piercing Uranus quick-changes that had us playing emotional hopscotch. And since the tempo shift into autumn around the end of August, we’ve had time to revisit our communication strategies as well as integrate this information into a new perspective. For some of us, this may feel more like a breaking open in places previously locked down because we are being asked to move forward without certain pieces of baggage.     “I’m sorry, ma’am, but the old hat box is going to have to go.”     And others may experience this as a clicking together of parts that create a whole new current or channel of understanding.

 

 

This Full Moon in Aries encourages you to take those first embodied steps in the new direction you’ve been building toward for the last six months. 
 

Think of it as a trial run. A boat may be beautiful in form, but does it float? Now is the time to assess how your new boundaries and avenues of expression work for you. Or how it feels to move without the burdensome weight of old narratives, outside of the ruts of past patterns. Since releasing what no longer served you during the New Moon in Virgo, and perhaps again over the autumnal equinox, what is left is precious and potent. This season is leading us to enrich our personal definition of self, and along with the lunar nodes in Aries and Libra, navigate our individuation and relationships.

 

Venus square Uranus could create some tension over the next couple of days in relationships that are more conservative, restrictive, or lack a strong foundation of communication. Now that you know yourself a little better, and you’re practicing the new walk to match your talk, t’s time to take the steps to clarify your needs to your self and to others within relationships. Moving forward, there won’t be room for ambiguity. Uranus brings a progressive, independent and sometimes rebellious energy to the table, which could mean that you’re just looking for a little more excitement in a romantic partnership, or to refresh your look. If you get the sudden urge to cut your bangs, may I advise you against it. However, if a chop has been on your mind for a while now, perhaps since the beginning of the season, you could take this transit as your permission. 

 

 

The Harvest Moon is the full moon closest to the Autumnal Equinox, closing the season of harvest that started with Lughnasadh. These next few days are a beautiful time to celebrate the gains you made over the last six months and to gather the resources that will provide for you throughout the winter. Traditional celebrations of the Harvest Moon include the usual fare of bonfires, feasts of bread with seasonal fruits and veggies, and rituals of cutting cords and releasing. It's an opportunity to turn over your garden beds—literally or metaphorically—and prepare for the winter ahead.

 

The celebration of the Harvest Moon was also a signifier that the pace of life was slowing down. As the hours of daylight subside to the hours of darkness, we welcome the deep periods of introspection that come with the colder months. The veil between realms is thinner during this time of year, allowing us to gain insight from our ancestors and guiding spirits. We honor those who have come before us with our altars and with remembrance, through sharing stories and including their presence in our gratitude practices.