You have noticed everything an Indian does is in a circle, and that is because the power of the world always works in circles…even the seasons form a great circle in their changing and always come back again to where they were…~Black Elk

The other night my husband and I hiked up to one of our favorite spots in the foothills of Boulder we affectionately call the Moon Rock. Our neighbors joined us on the 45-minute trek up the hill with picnic dinners and headlamps in tow. It just so happened that this evening was a blue moon, the rare occurrence of a second full moon in the same month. As we sat peering across the horizon, a soft glow began to appear, the precursor to the arrival of the moon. We sat mesmerized as the golden globe began to rise into the evening sky. The sight took me back to our time on the boat when our every move was tightly linked to the cycles of the earth. I have missed the profound calm that accompanies being so in sync with nature.

Tides and currents are deeply connected to the cycles of the moon and its gravitational pull. Water ebbs and flows depending on whether the moon is moving towards fullness or fading away. Spring tides (the greatest flow of water) happen on a full moon with water levels changing by as much as twelve feet. Navigating to our chosen destination was closely timed with the ebb and flow of the tides, always striving to have the currents run with us and not against us. Slack tides also played into our decisions when going through narrow passages requiring us to adapt to the ocean’s timing.   Falling into this rhythm felt natural, almost like coming home to a place I’ve always known but had forgotten where life is constantly expanding and contracting, growing into fullness then releasing into something new.

I am reminded that my life is cyclical as well, constantly moving and changing as I navigate the seasons of my life. Like being on a boat, when I go with the current instead of resisting or trying to swim up stream my life goes a lot smoother. But I forget, I avoid changes I don’t like or cling to relationships or things that no longer work just because they feel safe and familiar. Curiously, when I am in the flow it is often in hindsight that I realize I’ve moved into a new place. Choosing to buy a boat has catapulted me into a new world. What I didn’t realize at the time was my choice also meant saying goodbye to other things I hold dear. Owning a mountain cabin no longer makes sense nor does holding onto my beloved horse. The moon helps me to trust that letting go is just a part of the circle and power of life as it comes into fullness then fades away then returns once again full circle.

Suggestion: Try cleaning out a drawer or closet as a symbolic gesture of letting go and making space for something new.