No, I have nothing profound to say and certainly nothing that can pass as original thinking. But I have been thinking. A lot. Especially as I walk through the woods with scattered attention looking ahead and in the trees (yes in the trees) for a bear sighting (as that’s where they go when they hear my Sophie) and trying not to trip on the tennis ball that my Lizzie continually drops just as I am about to step.
Recently I have been somewhat grounded – the flood, car trouble and this weekend a fun time dogsitting my grandpup (3 Labs!) – so I have had more time to spend doing what, something? nothing? thinking in spirals or rhymes? meandering mentally and on foot? TBH it’s been nice.
Which brings me to a reset. What follows are a few notes I have gathered to support my claim.
Supermoons. For those of us who cannot help but love a full moon, August is OUR month! How can it not be? There will be TWO full moons and both will be SUPERMOONS. The first is the Sturgeon Moon because, well, the sturgeons (according to Native American lore) are particularly active and happy at this time of year. The second will be a Blue Moon as it is to be the second full moon in the same month. Now, all we need is to be able to see them (please, no rain and no gifted smoke from our northern neighbors).
What is a supermoon? I share this from https://www.space.com/38940-supermoon-facts.html# “Because of its closeness, a supermoon can appear up to 14% larger and 30% brighter compared to a full moon….” And this pic they share of a supermoon rising over Vancouver. Wow, eh?! (as Canadians would say)
From other sources I have learned that pausing to spend some time with a rising full moon can be a lovely practice. As some of you have heard before, my brother and I have a long-standing connection as we step outdoors to give each other a shout out at each and every full moon. This for many decades! Furthermore, I have also learned that, for those who are in touch with even a tiny bit of astrology, it is significant in which sign a full moon rises. On the night of August 1st, when the supermoon rises, it will be in the sign of Aquarius. Perhaps you might want to take a few minutes to reflect on what has happened in your year so far and to rewrite your to-do list, the list of goals and dreams you may have identified for this year. You may be able to check some off, or you may want to eliminate, alter or add. In any event, oh so many of us welcome this opportunity for a reset.
Life happens. (Please feel free to substitute another four-letter word.) It’s been a challenging 6 months for absolutely everyone I know. I won’t go into detail but, yes, I know you and you have had it as well! To give a nod to the glass half full, perhaps the challenges are also helping foster growth. We may need to think about this or smother a groan but if we look at the world around us, we might plug in for a little personal growth as well.
Here in Vermont we are not suffering from the heat. Yes, we’ve had tragic flooding and far more dangerous storms and rain than we’d like. Please let me say now that my heart goes out to those who have lost homes, businesses, and well-being during these weeks. So, to look at pretty pictures of flowers, means little within that context. Yet, it still means something.
Growth is apparent everywhere in nature as plants, bees, mushrooms, ferns, trees, slugs and of course the wicked woods flies all flourish and thrive! But it is all growth. May we grow as well.
For me, watching the posts and actions of many friends as they worked and gifted to help those in need was humbling and inspiring. When one can be motivated by generosity to act, growth is certainly at work. And once we taste of the meaningful joy that it brings to reach out, we will never go back. Could this be the growth or the silent benefit of disaster – humanity needing help and humanity needing TO help?*
Without sounding morbid or dramatic or maybe even a little crazed, I do suggest that for many and in many ways the first half of 2023 has been chaotic, problematic and uncomfortable. The synchronicity of a Supermoon in Aquarius, suggesting the gifted opportunity to at least symbolically turn inward to the very center of our being and declare a reset, is timely, necessary and profound. Will you join me in doing so? When I shout out to my brother may I shout out to all of you as well? And will I hear your shout back?
*At this point in my writing, I reached back in my memory for something I had read by Rabbi Harold Kushner along the lines of answering the age-old question how could tragedy happen and where was God? His answer was that God was seen in the human response to tragedy, the love and generosity of those reaching out to help. As I searched for the exact quote I stumbled upon Rabbi Kushner’s obituary. I was stunned to learn that he had passed on April 28, 2023. Since reading “Living a Life That Matters,” (Anchor Books, A Division of Random House, Inc, 2001,2002) a book of his that I treasure, I have been a devoted fan. When a friend gave me a signed copy of one of his books, she proclaimed that I had found “my Rabbi!” May I suggest that you find a book title of his that peaks your interest and spend some reading time with this wonderful man? I share here from Ralph Waldo Emerson: “To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that even one life has breathed easier because you lived – that is to have succeeded.” Oh, Rabbi Kushner, you have succeeded.