In the glow of the bonfire on the beach, the women’s faces were lit with flickering light. Bamboo torches formed a half circle of flames flinging shadows on the high cliffs behind us.

We sat in a circle of protection, bounded by stone, fire and water, the hissing waves reaching towards us, then retreating in foam into the stillness of the twilight. An expectant energy moved in our silence, a wraith tingling fingertips and toes as we gazed at the deep indigo of the horizon.

A nearly invisible bank of clouds sat between the sea and the newborn stars. We all knew what it was hiding. First, a silver shaving appeared, then an arc of cool white light sculpting the grey charcoal smudge of the clouds below.

We breathed deeply, willing the full moon to rise, to escape the clinging clouds, and, in an instant, a band of glittering silver danced across the restless sea, a pathway of tiny mirrors that led from the ancient sphere of light to our open and waiting hearts.

With driftwood twigs we wrote in the sand our secrets; the burden in our souls we wanted so strongly to release, to lose for ever, to be done with once and for all.

Words in sand. And in those words we placed our sadness or anger or frustration, separated from us so they existed apart from our hearts, alone in the moon’s deep glow.

Memories etched in sand and, as we watched, the ever boundless sea washed in and carried them far away leaving only the perfection of the smooth white beach.

In my full moon mermaid wellness circle, we call this meditation “Letting Go”.

It is done to let one thing, problem or thought go away, to break free from what holds us and weighs us down.

The bonfire was burning low. The night slowly enfolded us. We dreamt together as sisters to the hushed rhythm of the tranquil sea.

Throughout the ages the moon has been the ultimate feminine symbol, the divine embodiment of healing, fertility, and forgiveness.

The full moon symbolises completion of the circle. It is the time to close old chapters with acceptance and grace; a chance for us to re-evaluate the past and release the old so that we can be ready for what is coming to us.

This last Sunday was the Hunter’s Moon, marking the shift of the seasons. We are in a pivotal transition; from summer to fall, from hot days to chilly, from light to dark.

Let us enter this new season, marked by the passage of the moon, with hope in our hearts. Let us find space inside us for goodness and grace and let us see that the burdens of our hearts can be washed away and replaced by waves of happiness.