Aligning with the Tides: Why I’m Watching the Moon

The moon has always held my attention. For a long time I focused exclusively on the Full Moon because that was when everything felt most illuminated and exposed. But I have come to realize that the phases between the peaks are just as significant. To me the moon does not just sit in the sky. It exerts a gravitational pull that moves our oceans creating a tidal bulge that ebbs and flows in a strict and predictable rhythm.

Spiritually I interpret the moon as a mirror and a symbol of the subconscious, the divine feminine and the cycles of life that reflect the light of the sun back to us. It is a powerful tool for my own introspection and intuition. When I learned that the lunar cycle lasts roughly 29.5 days which is nearly identical to the human menstrual cycle it felt like the universe was confirming that our biology is a direct reflection of celestial mechanics.

The Internal Tide

We are roughly 60 percent water and just as the moon pulls the tides of the earth I believe it influences the emotional tides and fluids within us. When I look at the moon and the menstrual cycle and the ocean I see the same underlying pattern of buildup and peak and release. The ocean retreats and returns and the moon waxes and wanes and the body builds and sheds.

I used to view my cycle as an inconvenience. Now I see it as an internal tide which is a biological mechanism that helps me filter and pull resources in and release what no longer serves me.

A Fascinating Contrast

The connection between the moon and human biology feels deeper to me than we often acknowledge. I was recently reading about research that tracked how lunar cycles correlate with human sleep and I was struck by one particular finding. The data suggested that men’s sleep might be more powerfully disrupted by the moon than women’s. It is fascinating to think that while I am navigating my own internal tide there might be a completely different lunar sensitive rhythm playing out in the men that I know. It is compelling to realize that we are all moving through unseen emotional patterns even when we do not realize it.

Circadian vs. Infradian

This is where I had to drastically shift my own perspective. I spent a long time struggling to keep up with a 24 hour clock that felt like it was working against my biology. I came to realize a fundamental difference in how we function.

Men generally operate on a 24 hour circadian rhythm and they reset their main hormonal clock every single day. Women live on both a 24 hour circadian rhythm and a 28 day Infradian rhythm.

When I realized that I experience monthly shifts in brain chemistry, metabolism and energy it changed my perscpective. I stopped labeling my need for rest as depression or laziness. Instead I recognized it as a biological necessity. I began to drastically slow down my urgency while honoring the fact that my body is designed to move in cycles rather than straight lines.

Your Point of Reference

I encourage you to notice the moon regardless of how you identify. You do not need to be an expert to benefit from it. When you feel that urge to curl up and tune the world out or when you feel the surge of energy to build and create for hours, look to the moon. It is a cozy and reliable point of reference for your internal weather.

Aligning with these natural rhythms has allowed me to stop fighting against my own nature. In my next entry I will break down the moon phases historically and spiritually and how to utilize each one to create the results you want in your own life.