Where IS the Full Moon? I know it’s there! I can see a bit of its bright, white light shining through the high branches of a tall neighboring tree. But no matter where I stand, it won’t reveal itself to me in all of its glory….
But it wasn’t the moon that drew me to the window last night. It was a desire to see beyond the confines of my current home. It was my intuitive self leading me to look out at the ever-changing evening sky so that I would be reminded of the expansiveness of the world in which I live. For quite a while now, my imagination has been overshadowed by a practical-mindedness born of…concerns that have kept my focus too narrow. But with just a small step outside of my comfort zone—in this case, a literal step outdoors—I was able to open to a new perspective. As I looked up into the late-night darkness, the beauty of the cloud formations illuminated by its then-hidden light reminded me that the Full Moon was out there, too, even though it wasn’t currently visible to my eyes. And as my heart was touched by that beauty—one of the ever-present gifts in this world of form—my imagination again took priority. Hope returned, as did creative longings, and the Full Moon magically made a brief and partial appearance so that I would remember the truths that had been hidden by concern, anxiety, and fear.
All of us on planet Earth have lives that consist of cycles; within each of those cycles, change is the one constant on which we can depend. But how we perceive our lives is up to us; which point of view we take when presented with change determines our outlook. Do we see only one way of proceeding, or do we see multiple roads from which to choose? Do we limit the possible outcomes from making (what might appear to be) a simple choice, or do we allow our hearts and minds to recognize that what we believe is the most logical outcome might not occur? Isn’t is possible that something completely unexpected might happen instead, and it might even be something delightful? And isn’t it true that what appears to be a dead end is sometimes an illusion due to our particular perspective in that moment? Think about those times when just one step in a different direction or a slight tilt of your head allowed you to see something that you couldn’t see before—something that…changed everything. How many times have you or someone you know stated that “it was a blessing in disguise” when that which appeared unfortunate ended up bringing about something quite positive? Oftentimes, the people, things, or situations that appear to be unimportant or powerless are actually the opposite, and vice versa. Because these experiences are common to human beings across the globe, every culture, society, and system of belief have tales illustrating them.
When about to take a quantum leap forward, it is not unusual to backtrack for a while or, in some cases, a very long while. I remember several times in my life when that was definitely the case. And I keep reminding myself that it FEELS really uncomfortable when you’re getting ready to leap, probably because you often can’t even fathom where you’ll land. Embrace it, because that uncomfortable feeling signals that change is imminent.
It is said that life changes on a dime. It does, yet we don’t need to assume that those changes are going to be negative; sometimes they are and sometimes they’re not. But even then, what might appear at first to be a major setback can take you down a road—possibly one you didn’t even know existed—that is far more interesting and fruitful than your imagination can contain. Remember, just because you only get a peek at the light doesn’t mean that there isn’t a whole lot of brightness up ahead!