Welcome,
Friend I'm really glad you're here.
Because.
Tonight?
We are harnessing the energy of the Buck Moon.
Every summer.
A buck.
Grows a new set of antlers.
Not because the buck is trying harder.
Not because it proves that it is worthy.
This is simply part of becoming.
Strength doesn't arrive all at once.
It grows quietly.
Steadily.
Almost.
Unnoticed.
Until one day you realize.
You've become someone you couldn't have imagined before.
Harnessing the energy of the Buck Moon isn't about trying to become somebody new.
It's about reconnecting.
With the version of yourself.
That is already emerging.
So find a comfortable position.
Allow your hands to rest easily.
If it feels comfortable to do so.
Gently close your eyes.
Take a slow breath in through your nose.
And then exhale completely through your mouth.
Again.
Breathing in… and breathing out.
With each breath.
Allow your shoulders to soften.
Breathing in and exhaling with our shoulders relaxed.
Let your jaw relax.
Along with the muscles around your eyes.
Your forehead.
Easy enough.
There is nothing to fix right now.
Nothing to achieve Nowhere else you need to be.
Only here.
In this perfect moment.
Imagine yourself standing at the edge of a quiet forest,
Just after sunset.
The air is warm.
And the scent of pine and earth fills the air.
Somewhere in the distance.
You hear the gentle chorus of cicadas and other summer insects.
Above you.
Beautifully hanging in the sky is the Buck Moon.
Brilliant and Silber.
Letting its light spill across the forest floor in front of you.
Illuminating your path.
Take your first step.
The path is easy beneath your feet.
As you're walking,
You're not rushing.
There's no destination.
Just walking.
Breathing easily as you journey down the path.
You're listening and hearing the sound of your own footsteps.
In addition to all the night time insects singing their beautiful chorus.
There is a lovely cool breeze you feel against your skin.
The moonlight filters through the branches overhead.
You are safe here.
Completely.
Safe.
The forest around you is alive.
And somehow.
It feels like it already knows you.
And how you fit into its world.
As you continue walking.
You sense.
Some movement ahead.
You pause.
And see standing quietly between the trees is a magnificent buck.
Strong.
Daddy.
Completely at ease in the surroundings.
The buck is not startled by your presence.
He simply turns.
And looks at you.
You are both calm.
And aware.
Of each other's presence.
Without urgency.
He turns and begins walking farther into the forest.
He never asks you to follow.
But something inside you knows.
This is the way.
You start walking again.
Following Him.
You aren't trying to keep up.
Not trying to catch him.
Simply trusting the path that you are both on.
As you walk.
You notice something changing.
With each step,
You feel.
.
.
Lighter.
Thoughts that you've been carrying begin to grow.
Quiet.
The pressure to figure everything out begins to soften.
And relax.
The need to prove yourself.
Slowly dissolves.
Eventually,
You are simply gone.
Walking.
Breathing.
Being.
You come upon a clearing as the trees begin to open.
The buck steps into the clearing and is bathed entirely in moonlight.
He takes another few steps.
And quietly disappears among the light and shadows of the forest.
You find yourself alone.
Or so you think.
Off to the side beneath a large ancient oak tree.
Someone is sitting peacefully.
Relaxed.
Completely at ease.
You slowly walk closer.
There is something strangely familiar about them.
Not because they look exactly like you.
But because they feel like home.
As you draw nearer.
You realize.
It is you.
Not an older version of you.
Not a younger version of you.
Simply a version of you that has stopped trying to prove anything and everything.
A version of you that trusts yourself.
You join yourself and you sit together beneath the tree.
Neither of you says a word.
There is nothing to explain.
Nothing to defend.
Nothing to earn.
You simply notice.
Notice the way this version of you breathes.
Slowly.
Deeply.
Notice how relaxed.
Their shoulders are.
How relaxed their face is.
How relaxed their posture is.
Notice how comfortable they are with the silence.
With simply being.
Watch how they smile.
Not because everything is perfect.
But because they no longer believed.
Life has to be perfect before they can enjoy it.
Take your time.
Simply observe.
How do they carry themselves?
How do they move through the world?
Without asking questions,
You begin to understand.
This version of you didn't become stronger by doing more.
They became stronger by carrying less.
Less beer.
Less Proving.
Less pressure.
Less pretending.
They didn't discover confidence.
They uncovered it.
As you continue sitting together,
Your attention is drawn to their hands.
They've been holding something all along.
Without speaking,
They stand and walk towards you.
And gently place it in your hands.
Take a moment to notice what it is.
Perhaps a smooth stone.
A compass.
Of feather.
A seed.
Or perhaps something entirely unexpected.
Whatever appears.
Trust it.
There is no need to understand it tonight.
Simply receive.
Notice how it feels in your hands It's weight.
Its texture.
Its quiet significance.
This is yours now.
A reminder of what you are growing into.
As they step back,
They look at you with complete kindness,
Complete trust.
And finally,
They speak.
Just one sentence,
One simple truth.
Allow whatever words arise to come to you naturally.
There is nothing to force.
Simply listen.
.
.
Take a long,
Slow breath.
And notice how those words settle inside you.
Not as something new.
But as something you have always known.
The forest begins to call you back.
You stand and thank this version of yourself with a quiet smile.
No goodbye is necessary.
Because they have never been separate from you.
They have been here all along,
Waiting patiently.
The buck appears once more at the edge of the clearing.
You begin walking back through the forest,
The two of you.
You are seeing the same trees.
The same moonlight.
The same gentle breeze.
But something.
.
.
Is different.
It's not the forest.
It's you.
You notice your steps feel steadier.
Your breath feels deeper.
Your body feels lighter.
You realize you aren't leaving the forest with more.
You are leaving with less.
Doubt.
Less urgency.
Less need to prove.
This feels like strength.
As you're walking,
The forest begins to fade.
The moonlight softens.
And awareness gently returns to your breath and your body.
You are in the room around you.
Taking a slow,
Deep breath.
Wiggle your fingers and toes.
And before you open your eyes.
Remember.
You are not leaving as someone new.
You are remembering someone you have been becoming all along.
When you're ready.
Gently open your eyes.
Welcome back.
Welcome back.
To who you are becoming.
