The Spring after a three year Winter

Life tends to go in cycles.  Sometimes things are all falling into place. All your ducks are lined up and everything just effortlessly falls into place.   

Other times in life, you can be knocked out for the count, you're running on empty and just feel like a bear hibernating in your little cave all winter. 

I feel like I'm finally coming out of a three year winter. 

It's been a long time coming.  I've seen glimpses of my old self at times but nothing like the shift and permanancy I'm feeling now.  I think what's been happening over these past three years has been a long process of: pessimism, plateauing and then perseverance.  I think maybe I had to fall apart completely to be able to put myself together from the ground up, with better foundations this time. 

Everyone has their own foundations, grounding or towers of strength they can lean on.  We are the sum of these parts.  Have a think... what has formed your foundations in life? What do you do to help ground and support you?  And who are the people that have got your back or that you can turn to for help?

I had to rebuild and reassess a lot of what I thought I knew, and I also had to remember a lot of tools and practices that I had forgotten. 

My foundation is now firmly dug into the earth with the knowledge and awareness that I can create my own state of positive health and mood. I have to actively participate and take responsibility for the contribution I can make to enhance, or deter my mood.   My foundation also relies on the friends and supports that have stuck with me during this winter and who I now know will always be there for me.   And my habits, my grounding comes from my intention to work everyday, doing small actions that become daily practises.  I've reduced so much processed food, drinking, smoking ciggies, inactivity and cocooning habits from my life these days.  I take walks out in nature at least 4-5 times a week if not more.  I find I need this reprieve and quiet solitude to reset all the chatter and noise in the background. That moment in stillness where the insects, birds or frogs are all crescendoing in chorus, is a magnificent reset for me.  

So I think it's worth noting and reflecting that yeah it's been a pretty hectic and horrible time these past three years.  But it is only when we can see where we've come from, that we can appreciate how far we've come. 

Moon Moods

I think part of the process towards integration is recognising triggers. It’s been a noticeable while since there has been a full moon that has interrupted my mood.

It honestly took a while to recognise that it can been heightened time. I could have been going along in a pretty good space only to seemingly out of the blue have a few flat days that knocked the wind out of me. It would only be afterwards that I would track back and realise that it had been on during that time. After a few separate times of this happening I started to follow and track the phases of the moon. So that when the full moon was approaching I could be mindful of it.

This year seems to have also had in conjunction a number of special moons: super moons, blood moons and eclipses that have had people flocking in droves when the observatory telescopes have been available overnight. So the publicity around these also helped to highlight when the full moon was approaching.

It is well known that our public services like hospitals and police will attest that ‘more’ things and incidents occur during the full moon. For me and I guess many people with sensitivity it has become a time to recognise that I need to enhance my self care around the 3-5 days around the full moon. I recognise that I need to avoid dense heavy or heated situations in this time. I can find it harder to have a full nights sleep. It’s not a great time for major things to be happening at work or at home. It’s not a good time for big conversations or confrontations. It is also a time when I need to be outside in nature more, particularly for an evening walk to soak up the light from the full moon.

I find that anticipating and then going out into the rays of the full moon allow me to take stock of the rhythm and cycles of nature. By doing so, I work with the moon, rather than let the moon sway my mood. And if I do become more sensitive during this time that’s also ok.  It’s a sign that I’m more connected with nature and that is ok with me.