Long Time, No See!
There’s a path near my home that my dog and I have walked a thousand times at least.
As he’s aged, we visit it together far less frequently. But he’s a sucker for that Florida spring weather and took me on an unexpected jaunt this morning.
As we were walking through the park, we came across a gentleman that I used to see there almost daily. It had been months since we’d crossed paths, but I recognized him instantly as he walked toward us.
As he walked by, he gave me the biggest grin and, with excitement in voice, said:
“Oh, hello mama, long time no see!”
Friends, when I tell you my insides just immediately melted into a gooey puddle of warmth! So much so that my eyes welled up in tears.
Why did it affect me so deeply?
First, it felt lovely to see him. You know how you can just FEEL a person’s goodheartedness sometimes? How certain people move through the world emitting positivity, peace, presence, gratitude?
This man embodies that.
Second, it felt lovely to be seen.
A person- a STRANGER- not only noticed my absence but also expressed genuine happiness at my return. And to experience that in a third space, outside of work or obligation, gave me a sense of connection to community that I think many of us are missing these days, and deeply need.
And third, it illuminated something I’ve been experiencing in this season of my life that I had not yet fully named:
The re-emergence of a part of myself that had been dormant for the past few years.
A part that I feared I had lost. . .
but that it turns out had actually just been hibernating. Healing. Metamorphosing.
When he said the words, “Oh hello mama, long time no see,” it felt like I was hearing those words reflected back to me, as if I were saying it to myself.
After moving through a proverbial dark night of the soul that at times felt never-ending and untraversable, the gratitude I have for this feeling- the feeling of seeing my ‘Self’ in myself again- is indescribable.
To recognize that this personal winter of mine is thawing, that spring is finally here, and that I am once again feeling at home in myself. . .feels like a triumph that I wasn’t always sure I’d reach.
Coming home to our selves- seeing our selves, making space for the liberation of our capital “S” Selves- is a core component of the practice of yoga.
But while that can feel beautiful in concept, the path often feels messy, uncomfortable, and murky in practice.
So when a moment of integration comes, it feels GOOD.
We are always in a process of coming home to ourselves, and I am sure I will go through many more personal winters as I continue this journey we call life.
Which makes it all the more important to pause and celebrate moments of arrival. Moments of peace, clarity, connection.
Now, how much more beautiful (to me, astrology nerd that I am), to be having this experience on the day of the Libra Full Moon.
I’ve seen many interpretations of this full moon focused on relationships- breakups and makeups and all that jazz- but in my opinion, that is an extremely reductionist take.
Libra is the sign of relationships, yes, but not just romantic ones. It is the sign of the process of relating itself.
It’s about outreach. Connection. Finding harmony and common ground.
Libra is also the sign that speaks to how beauty- and the aesthetics of our environment- shape our lived experience and influence our wellbeing.
How are we interacting with and recognizing the beauty around us?
In our environment, in our relationships?
How are we contributing to a more beautiful world for ourselves and others?
The Sun in Aries
It is also important here to note that this is a full moon, which means that the sun is sitting in the opposite sign of Aries.
With the sun in the sign of Aries, the Self becomes significant, and the ‘mirroring’ qualities of Libra become highlighted.
Because Libra also represents the place where
we seek in others the qualities that we feel are lacking in ourselves or in our lives,
we project qualities onto others that we want to reject in ourselves, and
the parts of ourselves that we are unaware of, denying, ignoring, or resisting are reflected back to us through our relationships.
With this full moon, we have the opportunity to see more clearly see what is being reflected back to us.
To notice:
how our light is mirrored in positive interactions
how we’re impacted by the light of others
how beauty and love expand through reflection.
And also, where are own internal struggles and rejected qualities may be surfacing through the mirror of another person.
Ultimately, the symbolism of this full moon highlights our interconnectedness.
Who is “I” without the other?
What parts of me reflect my deeper ‘Self,’ and which parts exist as reactions to, or reflections of, the environment around me?
Is it even possible to truly separate the two?
Who am I? Who do you see in me?
It’s a beautiful moment to explore who we are being now- and who we WANT to be moving forward- by considering two questions:
What do we want to reflect to others?
What do we want them to see, experience, and receive from interacting with us?
and
What do we want reflected back to us?
What do we want to experience in, and receive from, the world around us?
Wishing you a magical, loving, and connected start to this month,
Alyana