Why I am waking up at 5 am 🌕
It totally could be the energy of the full moon and the fact that the sun rises earlier every day.
Hello, friend.
Happy full moon to you! This month we’re going through some big changes, I think. Me and the moon. And maybe even you too. You know how I can tell that change is in the air? For the past week, I’ve woken at 5am every single day. And I’ve felt rested. So rested, that I literally feel like my body is pulsing with energy, eager to get out of the bed, make some coffee, watch the sunrise, and spend a long period of quiet with myself.
Turns out, this weekend, getting up early would give me a few magical mornings with not only the sunrise, but also the moonset. And it was in these very cold + early moments on the balcony, with the frigid early March air, the blustery wind, and the almost full moon on the horizon, that I felt the change that is in the air. The change that this full moon is ushering in.
The basics
Once a month, the full moon comes around to brighten our skies, to illuminate our nights, and to remind us of the need for regular, monthly release. I think of it as a cyclical, rhythmic ebb and flow that keeps me moving forward and evolving. Honestly, though, I have always connected more with the new moon phase, with her moody sense of darkness and mystical possibility. But, this month, I am totally feeling this full moon. It’s giving me a sense of completion, of fullness, and, as I said before, change. Full moons are wild, crazy, emotional, and sometimes feel like too much. They can be too intense, I think. But, this month, under this moon, filled with a sense of completion and satisfaction, all I seem to feel is that something is done, finished. And, for once, the full moon feels totally right.
The meaning
March’s full moon is known in folk wisdom, farmer’s almanacs, and indigenous and religious cultures as the worm moon, the sap moon, or the Lenten moon. The worm and sap names reference the waking of nature at the time of year. Earthworms begin to wake + wiggle in the thawing earth. Sap slowly begins flowing in the trees and people tap the trunks in the hopes of gathering enough later in the spring to make maple syrup. In other words, under this full moon the earth is waking. Coming to life. The Lenten moon is a recognition of this new life through the contemplative Christian season of reflecting on how to bring balance into everyday life. For me, it is way of asking the tough questions that just may guide me to find a new, more aligned, more authentic way of living this year.
No matter what name is used, though, I know that this is the moon that changes everything. Before the next full moon, spring will have officially begun - even if the weather is still wacky and wild. The season of life and rebirth is upon us now. And it’s easy to see and hear and notice the changes each and every day, I believe. Birds singing in the mornings. The sun returning and warming my face. The night arriving hours after I am home from work. Tiny hints of green. The fierce March wind. The energy is palpable.
Winter is now over. And with this full moon, it is time to release the dark, cold, quiet, stagnant season. Now, it is time to welcome spring.
The deeper meaning
The upcoming equinox falls during this full moon phase. In just a few weeks, we will cross that threshold and enter the light half of the year, the 6 months of the year where there are more daylight hours than darkness. And that feels freking amazing to me - which is a bit unlike me, I must confess (I’m a lover of the cozy, moody, dark months of autumn and winter. In the southern hemisphere, our sisters and brothers are greeting that cozy, moody dark half of the year.
Here at home, it’s time to say farewell to the extreme darkness of winter and make my way to the extreme light of summer. But, for just a moment, on the vernal (spring) equinox on March 20th, as I celebrate the ancient festival of Ostara, before going all in and turning toward the light, I will be suspended in a moment of balance. Equinox literally means equal night. It is the 24 hours when day and night are of equal length. Marking the shift from the dark months to the light months. More about all of the this in my upcoming Spring Equinox note.
For now, I just want to focus on the energy of balance that this full moon brings. With all of this extra energy I am feeling, I want to be sure to stay grounded through the changes of this month. I find myself being invited to turn inward and ask myself a few deep questions about how I want to live. Gone is the extreme cold and dark of winter and it’s not quite time for the extreme heat and light of summer. So, as I feel the shifts in the seasons, as I align myself with the rhythms of earth and awaken to my own aliveness, I find myself being inspired to see where I feel both balanced and unbalanced in my life.
Am I happy? How do I feel emotionally, physically, spiritually? Do I desire more alone time, more space, or community and gatherings? Am I drawn inward or outward? What feels like too much? What feels like not enough? Where am I out of balance? How can I regain my balance? What new grounding practices do I need? What is ready to be born from me? How can I use this feeling of aliveness and energy?
Since the new moon on February 20th a lot has happened. So much that I can barely believe it’s only been 2 weeks. Work has been intense. I celebrated a weekend away in Stockholm with my love. An old soulmate suddenly passed away leaving an emptiness in a piece of my heart. There have ben social evenings and quiet nights. Challenges, dreams, rest, grief, and inspiration. But, through it all, a new phase has begun.
The new moon opened up the portal into spring and I began to wiggle my fingers and toes. I began to greet the dawn of a new season. With today’s full moon, I find myself fully awake. Ready to release the winter and rise to spring. Seeking a deeper sense of balance. Filled with energy and hope and light.
Blessed early spring full moon, love.
xoxo. liz.