Musings Under the Penumbral Moon

Are you feeling the light or the shadow? This full moon is affecting me for some reason.

The full moons often illuminate something for us, within us. This full moon is a penumbral one, meaning that the Earth’s shadow is cast upon the moon for a time. Did you see it? Did you sense a shadow being cast over your moon, over your light?

For the past two nights, I have seen the spectacular moon at 4 a.m. amplified by the recent ice storm with all the ice-laden branches and shimmering fields looking like they were filled with broken glass.

It was easy to feel a bit fragmented, some pieces in shadow, some shining like precious crystal. There was a definite sense that I needed to let go of some things in my life once and for all to make way for what will be new.

For three days now, ice has been pruning tree limbs in the woods all around the house. None were spared—hemlock, pine, oak, beech, maple, ash—all had to release some of their limbs and branches, ice shattering and tinkling. It has given me pause to think about how we hold onto things that need to be pruned and released. Sometimes, we hold on for far too long. Maybe it’s a job, a relationship, or a habit that is not serving us. Perhaps we feel we have no choice, or we prefer what is safe and known to us. As humans, we fear the unknown. If we let go, will we regret it? What will life be like? Will we be different?

Nature does its pruning so naturally. The storm was really beautiful, though scary at times. With snaps and cracks, the weak and dying limbs and branches were laid to rest. The trees and forest will ultimately be healthier.

This was the first full moon after the spring equinox. It is a time for renewal, rebirth, for rising up.

Sometimes the releasing happens all at once, and you just know, “Okay, I’m ready.” And you let go of a whole limb, a crutch you’ve been holding onto. Maybe you perform some miracle and rise like Jesus. More often, letting go so something can be reborn in you is gradual, like a spring thaw.

Either way, every day we have a chance to be reborn. With every breath, we have a chance to begin anew. This I have grasped from mediation and mindfulness practices.

So I ask you to contemplate, is something casting a penumbra on your light right now? Is this something you need or want to release to the light of the moon?

What new are you rebirthing or simply birthing this spring? What new story or creation is more in alignment with your true self, your higher self, your God self—whatever you want to call it?