It Takes a Village
BRIGHT BLESSINGS of the FULL PINK moon to you
APRIL 12, 2025
Rebirth
To celebrate the newness of spring, our practice for this full moon is noticing and sharing about the things that inspire us and the people who support us.
As I write this in April 2025, things are supremely heavy in the world. For those of us who live in the US, we’re experiencing not only the heartache of social and environmental protections and jobs being stripped away, but the economic downturn and the intense whiplash of the ever-churning news cycle and policy changes.
We often say “it takes a village,” and in trying times, it’s so important to not just say it, but live it. Who are the people that make up your village? Who supports you and inspires you? Who can you call on for help, and who can call on you for help? Who are you making yourself available to, and who do you want to make yourself more available to?
Gather
Take some time to reflect on what gives you hope or inspiration right now. That could be the lengthening days, going for hikes, limiting your screen time, nurturing a new friendship, or revisiting a beloved book.
Once you have some things in mind, find an item that represents each one. That could be a flower, leaf, or rock to represent spending time outside; a ticket stub to represent the arts or the friend you attended the event with; or a candle to represent rest, reflection, or the person who gave it to you.
And now reflect on your village. Who is part of your network of support? And who do you think might claim you as a part of their network of support? This could be people you have direct relationships with, gurus and guides you know from their memoirs and other platforms, or ancestors who have passed on. Once you’ve identified who is a part of your village, gather items that represent each person. This could be a book, a card, or a photo. Even their name written on a piece of paper will suffice.
Doing this reflecting can bring up a variety of emotions. It could fill you with joy, happiness, and warm fuzzy feelings. But I also want to acknowledge that feelings of sadness, disconnection, and grief may also come up. All emotions are welcome here.
Every once in a while, we look up and wonder where our people are. If that is the case for you in this season, just know that I too have felt the shades of grief and heartache there. I encourage you to respond to these feelings with kindness. That can be a hard place to reach out to others from, but in reality, reaching out tends to be the antidote to isolation. See if there’s an item that can represent whatever you’re feeling, and add that to your altar too. And then consider who you may want to reach out to this spring.
Build an Altar
I encourage you to do this practice with one or more other people. If you’re not in the habit of inviting your people to intentionally reflect with you, it might feel awkward to extend the invitation, but I think it’s a risk worth taking. Hopefully, if they’re your people, even if they decline, they won’t make you feel weird about it. And who knows, it may open up a new level of closeness for your group!
If you do end up doing this on your own, no worries at all. Building an altar can always be done individually or collectively.
In either case, once you’ve gathered all your items representing inspiration and your village, intentionally create a space to display them and keep it up throughout the spring season—ideally somewhere you’ll see it each day. If you’re doing this with friends, you can share stories and experiences and then take your own items home and display them on your own altar. (You can also swap items to have a bit of each other represented on your altars.)
Visit with your altar daily, weekly, or whenever feels right. Add to it. Light the candles that are on it. Pick up the items and enjoy how they feel. Speak to the people who are represented there. Listen for what they have to say back.
Reflect and Share
Who is someone you want to invite into this process with you, either by inviting them to make an altar with you, or by letting them know what you’re up to this spring and sharing your reflections with them?
Now that you have a visual and physical reminder of what and who are supporting you in this season, how do you want to engage with them this spring? For example, if you’re feeling inspired by being outside, will you go for walks? Grow a plant? Visit the beach? Put it on your calendar and protect that time.
Who is someone that considers you to be part of their support system? Are you willing to reach out and check in on them?
How do you feel about asking for connection or help? Are you willing to practice doing that this spring as a way of strengthening your bonds with your village?
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Photo by Max Ravier on Pexels.