I confess...I love acorns.
Tiny, ordinary seeds that contain the blueprint of a magnificent oak, holding within them the potential for something far greater than what we can see in their small, humble form.
Acorn Mama was a title I claimed for myself when I became a mom, a reminder that what our children most needed was for me to nourish and tend the magnificent spirit inside each of them.
I also love the word tend. It feels softer than striving, more about presence, nurture and creating the conditions for something to grow.
Maybe that's why the language of seeds feels especially meaningful as we enter the final quarter of the year.
Unlike a goal, a seed isn't something to achieve. It is something to tend.
A goal asks...What will you accomplish?
A seed asks...What are you willing to nurture?
This is exactly what we were exploring together at The Harvest, our Fall Equinox gathering.
Sitting in a circle of women, reflecting on what has begun to grow, what has ripened and what we want to tend for the rest of the year, I felt the power of shifting the question from What else do I need to do? to...
What is actually worth my energy?
That, to me, is the heart of intentional living.
It isn't about adding more goals, practices or accomplishments to our lives.
It is about becoming more conscious of what we choose, where we place our energy and what we want to cultivate with care.
The Harvest was joyful and deeply nourishing. We laughed, reflected, shared and created, giving ourselves the space to slow down enough to choose with intention.
Each woman left with three focuses for the season ahead, represented by an acorn from our altar.
Then we created a personal touchstone for the season, a word, painted on stone, that represented the energy we want to embody as we tend those seeds.
I loved that we weren't only asking, What do I want to create?
We asked something deeper: Who do I want to be as I create it?
And that question has stayed with me this week.
In fact, I had planned to send this Moonletter yesterday, on the Full Moon. Instead, I was celebrating another kind of harvest: 28 years of marriage!
Twenty-eight years of growing, changing, weathering seasons, beginning again, and choosing each other.
It felt fitting to pause and celebrate rather than rush to the next thing. And it was so fun to go on the surprise getaway that my husband had planned!
Maybe that is part of the wisdom of a harvest, too.
Before we turn toward what comes next, we get to notice what has already been cultivated, and wholeheartedly celebrate our blessings.
The Medicine Of The Moon - Listen Within Before You Take Action
The Aries Full Moon brings a spark of fire into the beginning of this season. Aries wants to move. It wants to begin, choose, initiate and act on what it knows.
After the reflective energy of the Equinox, you may feel a sudden urge to do something with all those realizations you've been having.
You may feel pulled to make the decision, start the thing, have the conversation, or take the leap.
There is wisdom in that impulse, yet this Full Moon carries another message, too.
The Moon is closely connected with Neptune, bringing intuition, imagination, emotion and a certain softness into this fiery lunar moment. Supportive connections with Pluto and Uranus add an undercurrent of transformation and awakening.
So before you rush toward action, give yourself a moment to listen.
What is actually calling you?
What deserves your energy?
What has enough life in it to be tended?
This is where the wisdom of the acorn comes in.
An acorn doesn't become an oak because someone forces it to grow faster.
It becomes an oak because it is given the conditions to become what it already carries within itself.
Where This May Land In Your Life
You don't have to tend everything.
This may be one of the hardest parts of intentional living.
There are so many things we could care about, so many possibilities, ideas, responsibilities and dreams asking for our attention.
Yet our energy is finite...Choosing what to tend also means choosing what can wait, what can be released and what belongs to another season.
The Aries Full Moon can illuminate where your energy wants to go, while the Libra Sun across the sky invites you to consider how those choices fit within your relationships, your commitments and the larger life you are creating.
This isn't about choosing between yourself and everyone else.
It's about becoming more conscious of the choices that allow you to stay connected to yourself while participating fully in the life around you.
The season of autumn offers its own wisdom too...
The natural world doesn't try to preserve everything.
Some things are gathered and some are released.
Some are allowed to lie dormant, while other seeds continue to grow.
You are not required to harvest everything at once.
A Place To Dive Deeper - Create Your Own Three Harvests
You can recreate a little of our Harvest ritual wherever you are. Simply find a quiet place, grab your journal and light a candle if you'd like.
Give yourself a few quiet minutes to reflect on the season behind you and the one you're entering.
ACKNOWLEDGE - What has begun to grow?
What progress, change or new beginning deserves to be seen and honored this year?
Write down one thing.
CELEBRATE - What has ripened?
What are you proud of? What has brought you joy? What deserves to be savored before you turn toward what's next?
Write down one thing.
TEND - What is worth your energy this season?
Choose three things/seeds/acorns you want to consciously tend for the final quarter of the year.
They can be areas of your life, relationships, dreams, practices or anything else that feels meaningful.
Write them down.
Once you've decided on these three things, you know WHAT you want to tend. Now, it's time to decide HOW you want to move through the season...
CHOOSE YOUR GUIDING WORD - What energy do you want to embody as you tend what matters?
Let the word come to you intuitively as you reflect on your chosen acorns.
Write it somewhere you'll see it, or paint it onto a stone and let it become your personal touchstone for the season.
Then walk through the season with Aries focus as you tend your three seeds, and with discernment as you listen and embody your chosen energy along the way.
A simple wayfinding practice to bring more intention to the season ahead.
A Blessing for the Aries Full Moon
May you recognize what is growing, celebrate what has ripened, and choose what's worth tending.
May you trust the small beginnings that hold magnificent potential.
And may you remember that your life is shaped not only by what you accomplish, but by what you choose to give your energy to.
With love and harvest blessings,
Aurora
ings,