Thursday is the Sturgeon Supermoon. This simply means, it’s a full moon that will be as close to earth as it will be all year making it appear, super. The Sturgeon moon on the other hand means something a little bit more.
Throughout history Native Americans and other indigenous people named the moons based on what was happening at that time of year. It became their own lunar clock. In the northern part of the United States, near the great lakes, the tribes that lived there saw that the population of fish was at its peak this time of year and therefore named the moon, the Sturgeon moon.
In other parts of the United States, the August full moon was named the blueberry moon, when blueberries become ripe and ready to eat, The flying up moon when baby birds start to learn to fly, the Corn Moon, the Rising Moon, for the first harvest of crops, and the Black cherries moon. Today we might call this moon the back to school moon, as many kids prepare to return to classes at the end of the month (at least in Colorado), others might call it the sunflower moon, as we watch all the sunflowers open up all month long.
I bring up the topic of the moon because the moon is a reminder to not only slow down but to live in rhythms and I’m in great need of this.
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I find myself living by the clock.
I look at my watch or my phone on average, 2,000x a day* (*This is an estimate but most likely to be very accurate). I’m rushing from one task to another, making sure I get all the things in. At any given moment I’m breaking down time in my mind to see if I have enough of it to get in a hike, come home and rest for a little bit, then shower, and get ready to go hang out with friends and still have time somewhere to clean the house. (Does anyone ever have time for this? I mean really, we have to clean how often?)
The list of to-dos is irrelevant, it’s always there and could always be longer. Checking my watch to see how productive I’m being is only taking me further and further away from the slow I crave.
And that’s where the moon comes in.
What if we tracked time based on the moon? To know seasons not because so many hours have gone by since New Years but because we know this is the 8th full moon of the year. What if each month we based our energy on where the cycle of the moon is–Needing to go slow and tune in during the new moon, building up energy as we get to the full moon, and start to wind down as we head back to the new moon?
The moon gives us a calming energy. She allows us to slow down. She lights a path for us in the dark and comforts us in her consistent rhythms. You might say she moves like clockwork but nothing about her is on a 24-hour system and I would prefer to say I move like moon-work.
Living in moon energy is an invitation to find your own rhythm. Notice when your energy peaks and when you need to restore and nourish, and then, most importantly, go do just that. It’s different for everyone. I know that working on more analytical things is better for me in the morning, while creative things work best in the afternoon. that’s my best rhythm.
It won’t always work out the way you want, after all, we aren’t perfect. But we can strive to be in rhythm with our inner moon. When it falls apart (and it will) come back to your breath, notice your surroundings, maybe go for a walk so you can get back on beat.
As you watch the moon rise this Thursday (around 8:20 PM if you’re on Mountain Time) use it as a reminder to go slow, to find your rhythm, and to know that rest and nourishment are always available to you. That’s the reminder the moon gives us in all her phases.
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