"Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself."
Rumi
Recently I overheard someone say, “Just give me a moment to gather myself,” and it made me pause. What, exactly, was she gathering? Was she not already complete, perfect and whole as a human being? What part of her was astray and needed collecting? And for what purpose?
This sent me down a rabbit hole in conversation with Chat GPT about the difference between “gathering oneself” and “collecting oneself.” The upshot seems to be that we gather ourselves for an event that requires effort, while we collect ourselves after something has knocked us sideways. In this last month I have both “gathered myself”, notably before starting to teach a new Colour Mirrors Practitioner course, and “collected myself” after a spat with my son over a miscommunication.
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Chat GPT further elaborated that, in embodied terms, collecting might feel like taking a deep breath and straightening our posture, while gathering might feel like centring our energy and grounding before purposeful movement.  I am amused that an Artificial Intelligence can give such great advice about being embodied!
The Strawberry Moon – 11th June
Tonight’s Full Moon carries the name of the Strawberry Moon, given by the Algonquin, Ojibwe, and Lakota peoples to honour the ripening of wild strawberries. This lunar celebration speaks not just to the earth’s abundant harvest, but to our own readiness to offer the fruits of our inner work to the world.
This year’s Strawberry Moon is notable for being the lowest Full Moon in over 18 years, hanging low in the sky just days before the summer solstice. At 8:44am BST, the moon reaches its fullest expression, though you’ll have experienced its magic most powerfully at moonrise yesterday.
Exploring Sun and Moon Alignment
At the same time, the sun passes through Gate 45 – Gathering Together: Rulership. In Human Design—a system that maps your unique energetic blueprint—this gate explores what it means to lead. Not the shouty, micromanaging kind of leadership we’ve all endured, but the type that creates space for everyone to flourish.
The core teaching is straightforward: Firm alignment with that which supports everyone best brings together a strong community. A stable and upright presence is required of all those who are in positions of rulership, and so you find consensus in life through exercising your own clarity. You provide education for the wellbeing of your people. The voice of the Community relates to material fulfilment. (Chetan Parkyn)
If you’ve ever felt the weight of being the one everyone turns to, while secretly wondering who you can turn to, this gate has something useful to say. Its shadow is dominance—that exhausting pattern where control becomes a substitute for trust. The gift is synergy—discovering that real influence comes not from holding everything together, but from creating conditions where things naturally align.
Line 5 – Being Virtuous cuts through any pretence: Your attitudes of independence or entitlement affect the way in which you are perceived. True authority isn’t about having all the answers; it’s about consistent integrity between what you value and how you act.
Weaving the Threads of Wisdom
The Colour Mirrors system uses specially energized bottles to support emotional and spiritual healing—think of them as liquid light therapy for the soul. Like the pure, golden light of tonight’s low-hanging moon, Bottle C9 – The Lightbody (Clear/Clear) asks us to see through the veils that keep us playing smaller than we truly are.
This bottle indicates a need to make a decision in your life. It asks you to take complete responsibility for the creation of your reality. The more you do so, the more choice you will experience and the more you will discover that life can be based on joy.
How many times have we been told we “should” be grateful for what we have, when what we’re really craving is permission to want more—more meaning, more alignment, more joy? This bottle says: yes, you can choose differently.
This bottle helps bring the light of clarity into any situation, including the struggles and suffering you have experienced. Begin to see those experiences as catalysts on your path. Let them awaken your compassion and a deeper understanding of yourself and others.
Every challenge you’ve navigated, every disappointment that led you to question your path, are your qualifications for the next chapter of your life.
When you are free of judgement you are open to joy, and it is joy that raises your vibration. This bottle helps your body understand that it is simply condensed light and that death and aging are just another set of beliefs that can be changed. This bottle is a gift to show you that you are the light and always have been. When you truly get this message in your cells, survival issues become a thing of the past. Step into the light and feel the joy.
This isn’t about denying reality—it’s about recognising that many of our limitations exist only in our minds. There’s beautiful synchronicity between Gate 45’s wisdom, Bottle C9’s insight, and this Strawberry Moon’s invitation. Each calls us to step into authentic power—not through force or endless striving, but through the “revolutionary” act of being genuinely ourselves. When we operate from this clarity, we naturally inspire others to do the same.
Book Corner
This month I’m sharing a book that beautifully bridges the themes of personal leadership and spiritual awakening: The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran. As we approach the summer solstice and this powerful Strawberry Moon, Gibran’s gentle guidance reminds us that our greatest gifts often emerge not from trying to be someone else, but from having the courage to fully express who we already are.
“For the vision of one man lends not its wings to another man.”
Final Thoughts
🍓 Rather than elaborate rituals, this Strawberry Moon calls for simple recognition: at moonrise you might like to step outside for five minutes. Notice how this remarkably low moon casts golden light differently than usual. After a few moments, place your hand on your lower abdomen and breathe into the space where your deepest knowing lives.
🖋️ This month, you might like to ponder one or more of these questions:
- What would I change if I trusted my own judgment completely?
- How might my past challenges be preparing me for something more?
- If I stopped waiting for permission, what would I begin?
This Strawberry Moon reminds us that ripeness can’t be rushed, but it also can’t be postponed indefinitely. Our authentic expression isn’t a nice-to-have addition to our lives; it’s what our family, work, and community really need from us. We’re not broken and in need of gathering. We’re complete, perfect as we are, and ready for whatever comes next.
