Strawberry Full Moon Vibes

I recently moved out to the east coast to care for a sweet little peanut for the summer. Anyone who knows me knows I adore children, and babies especially. Being an herbalist, massage therapist, and a doula, it makes sense to me to put women and children in the center of our society-to protect them, honor them, nurture them. Because women are the foundation of our world, all life springs forth from the wombs of women, and we were all children once. And being around little ones, caring for them, has been a huge piece of my own personal healing. Children demand presence. They offer their caregivers the opportunity to set aside all that came before, and all that may come, to be here and now with what is.

And with the Strawberry full moon in full swing, I’ve been thinking a lot about the wisdom of children. Because full moons make me feel ALL THE FEELS. And I find myself getting frustrated with my own process. Frustrated with myself, with my needs, with the never ending stream of friggen FEELINGS that just keep coming whether I want them to or not.

And then I hold the little life that I have been blessed to be invited to help care for in my arms, and I pause, and think “wow, her feelings are just as intense, and just as full on as mine are and I’m not telling her to get it together”. Do I get frustrated sometimes when she cries? Yes of course I do, I am human. But do I ever look at the sweet baby girl and say “Oh come on, get it together peanut, no one has a right to feel QUITE that intensely.” Not once. And this realization, which I’ve had many times over the years, has come to be a key tenant that I lean into for my self care.

Can I treat myself, and my process, with the same loving tenderness as I would the needs of a child? When I feel down, instead of saying unkind words to myself about bucking up and not being such a baby can I instead give myself a hug, and do whatever my body needs to help me process my feelings? Can I take care of myself with the same kindness and patience that I would reserve for the babies I have been blessed to care for? Can I say to myself “that’s alright, my love, you feel as deeply and for as long as you need. I will be right here supporting you through it all”?

Because it’s not always true that we can only meet others as deeply as we are willing to meet ourselves. In fact, as a woman, I find it is quite often that I am willing to meet others with more compassion and kindness than I am willing to offer to myself. That I am more willing to meet the needs of others than I am to meet my own. However, it is also true that the deeper I am willing to meet myself, the more c o n s i s t e n t l y and the less r e s e n t f u l l y, I am able to meet the needs of others.

So for this Strawberry full moon I invite you to care for yourself with a tenderness usually reserved for small children. Be lavish and decadent with the praise you give yourself for your progress, and gently wipe away the tears from your defeats, and above all else, say to yourself “I am here for you.”

❤️Blessed be dear hearts ❤️