Control or Acceptance

We had a total lunar eclipse last night which will not happen again for another 18 years.

Astronomical occurrences like this are few and far between which makes it such a powerful event to witness. I recall a few years ago making the trip to South Carolina just to witness the total solar eclipse. It was such a sight to behold and such a special phenomenon that people traveled miles just to get a glimpse for a few minutes. It also arises from a natural synchronization among three of the moon’s periods whether we want it to happen or not. It brings realization that there are certain things beyond our control and that it is a beautiful thing. Our modern human society struggles with the need to control - control time, control behavior, control what and how fast children learn. This eclipse is a clear shift from a control-based mindset, to one of acceptance. We can't stop the shadow from falling over the moon any more than we can stop our children from growing up. What if instead of coming from a place of controlling outcomes, we begin:

• Learning to recognize the difference between our own child's needs and our own.

• Setting boundaries for ourselves; practice giving our children space to grow.

• Giving our children a chance to master tasks on their own and learning from their own mistakes without our intervention.

• Trusting that our family values are strong within our child which will inform their decisions.

It is such an extraordinary gift to help our children practice and align with acceptance of things that are out of their control - these opportunities that nature provides us with to encounter such a profound example of letting things happen. Paradoxically, when we loosen our grip on the reins a bit, powerful things can happen! For our children to develop this acceptance, it must first begin within ourselves.