I See the Moon: Wild Advent

 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars that you have established; what are humans that you are mindful of them,

    mortals that you care for them?

~~Psalm 8:3-4💛

The night before our final (cold) full moon of 2025, I could not sleep. I had gone to bed early. But around midnight, found myself wide awake. This was not my first time. I have experienced this before. It's well documented that in the days leading up to the full moon, our sleep can be affected.

In yoga class yesterday, I broached the subject of the full moon. My students were familiar with this phenomenon. A full moon is a time of, well, fullness. This fullness can be experienced in myriad ways. Babies tend to be born during full moons. Medical professionals often report that mental health issues can be exacerbated during full moons. In class, we practiced balance poses to help mitigate some of these potential challenges. Tree pose and half-moon or ardha chandrasana.

And of course, savasana. 

As I gazed at the rising moon later that evening, I was on the phone with my daughter, Caroline. She was walking her dog in New York City, looking at the moon as her own busy day was drawing to a close. 

That we can connect with loved ones far away while appreciating a gorgeous full moon is something I pray I will never take for granted. What a gift! Later that evening, we Facetimed with our grandson as he opened our birthday gifts that had arrived in the mail that day. Once again, I feel such gratitude that we can stay connected through technology.

There is a wildness, a wilderness to make a biblical association, that extends beyond our immediate perception. In the vastness of the cosmos, we are connected in ways we can (sort of) comprehend and again in ways that remain mysteries. The gorgeous moon reminds me of the fullness of God’s love for all of us. It reminds me that we are not alone. No surprise that such infinite, unconditional affection could overwhelm our fragile and finite neural circuitry. 

With other wild creatures, I awaken before a full moon. I ponder the amazing goodness and provision of God, and I am grateful to the Creator of the Universe, who literally wakes us up with such glorious, brilliant light that is simply impossible to miss.

Spiritual Practice: Watch this film featuring Ilia Delio. Reflect on your experience of some of the great mysteries of the cosmos.

God in the Field: Wild Advent

The ancient Celtic people saw the Holy Spirit not as a hovering white dove but as a wild goose. With their tendency to disrupt and surprise, the Celts revered the goose as a sign of God's active presence.

Trifolium incarnatum, crimson clover or Italian clover, is a species of clover in the family Fabaceae, native to most of Europe. It has also been introduced to other areas, including the United States and Japan. The species name, incarnatum, means "blood red.” The plant is widely grown as a protein-rich forage crop for cattle and other livestock, and is made into hay. It is commonly grazed by domestic and wild ruminants. It is often used for roadside erosion control and beautification; however, it is invasive and tends to overcome and overtake other native vegetation species wherever it is planted.

 

Crimson clover is commercially cultivated for human consumption. Its flowers are edible and similar to alfalfa sprouts; they are, in fact, quite nutritious. They can be added as an ingredient in salads, sandwiches, and other dishes, made into tisanes, and dried and ground into flour. 100 grams of crimson clover sprouts contain 23 calories, 4g of protein, 2g of fiber, and provide 38 percent of the RDI of vitamin K, as well as 14 percent of the RDI of vitamin C. It has extremely small amounts of calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, selenium, and magnesium. Like all raw sprouts, they pose a risk of contamination with Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Listeria, and Bacillus cereus. Many reputable facilities in the United States attempt to regulate and test these crops for such bacteria.

 

Clover, blood red, incarnation, God Geese… 

God is in the field. In the pain and suffering and in the beauty. And where am I? I seem to be observing it all, appreciating it for sure, reveling in the mystery. How much we ARE loved! Contamination by God! 

Try though we may, we cannot test for or regulate God. 

Spiritual Practice: Take a walk outside. Notice what catches your eye. Look a little deeper.

 

Oodles of Zoodles

We have a small, raised bed garden in our backyard. We’ve been planting it for the past several years,
and I’ve noticed that each growing season is a little bit different. Each season there are certain variables that determine growth potential. What is growing changes based on what plants are available at my local nursery, the weather, of course, and then there’s the effort I am willing to put into it. This year my garden is providing more zucchini than our family can possibly consume. I have been trying to spread the love, offering it to family, friends, and neighbors. If you show up at my doorstep this month, you just might leave with a zucchini! If you’ve ever grown zucchini, you know it literally seems to grow overnight. Seriously, zucchini could be the answer to world hunger. With all the growth this year, my garden demands daily attention.

 

I have made zucchini pizza, zucchini muffins, zucchini boats, and pasta with zucchini…

 

This zucchini boat did not go over well with the hubs.

My husband is not a fan of zucchini. But he does like cucumbers. Thankfully our cucumber crop is also thriving this season. We love to slice them up and dip them in some yummy hummus. We’ve also been juicing them. Cucumber juice with a little ginger and lime is super refreshing on a hot summer day. And also, super healthy.

 Cuke juice is super refreshing when it's hot out!

 

Since I tend to primarily look at life through more of a spiritual lens (and I am weird this way), I have been wondering what this means. I am curious about what wisdom my plentiful garden has to offer me this season. With so much zucchini and cucumber, I wonder what God is providing that I might need right now. According to my research, zucchini is chock full of vitamin A and folate. Its mild flavor makes it versatile and an ideal add-on to lots of dishes like eggs, pasta, and even smoothies. It lasts for quite a while in the fridge or freezer. That’s certainly a blessing, as I have been consumed with seminary studies and have had little time to think about much else.

 

Only we can determine what abundance is currently showing up. Every season is different. Every season of life is different based on what we have planted, how we have tended our garden, and of course, the weather. Where is the abundance? How can we ponder this more?

 

Enter into the Great Silence,

where you may hear the voice of the Beloved,

Who satisfies the hungry soul,

and quenches the thirsty with streams of Living Water                   

 ~~Psalm 107, From Nan Merrill's Psalms for Praying

 

Then there is this, also from Psalm 107:

 

If you are really wise, you’ll think this over—

    it’s time you appreciated God’s deep love.

~~Eugene Peterson’s The Message

 

I love that translation.

 

We are wise to spend more time reflecting on the abundance of God. Whether it’s zoodles and cucumber juice, a gorgeous sunrise, tea with a dear friend, a new grandbaby, a successful medical procedure, or fascinating scientific discoveries about the universe from the Webb telescope, the abundance is there. Where are you noticing abundance? Even if things seem really difficult right now for you, where are you experiencing new growth? According to the psalmist, it’s good…maybe healthy even, to ponder these things. 

 

Rather than the bazillion other distractions that are out there. 

 

God is great

God is good 

And we thank God for our food

 

By God’s hand we all are fed

Give us this day

Our daily bread

 

Remember that grace from your childhood? For many, this was a go-to grace. It is apparently also a hymn written by that famous person, anonymous. 

 

I took the liberty of making God’s gender neutral. You’re welcome. 

I think this sweet little grace pretty much sums up God’s love for us. 

 

God is good, our creator and sustainer and redeemer of everything that may seem negative in our lives. God is abundant in sometimes extremely surprising ways. And God loves us all – no exceptions. God loves every one of us, regardless of how plentiful or feebly our literal or metaphorical gardens are currently growing. God loves us and feeds us with what we currently need.

 

Our job is to pay attention. And to occasionally say thank you.

 

Blessings,

Connie

 

 

 

 

 

Connie Bowman is an actress, voice talent, yoga teacher, author, and host of the podcast Happy Healthy You! and now Seminarian Connie Bowman encourages all of us to find wholeness by following our bliss and living lives of health, happiness, and meaning. www.conniebowman.com