Are you moonstruck? That means affected by the full moon, a little more alert, awake, unable to lose yourself in sleep. They say it's a myth that lunar cycles don't really affect our mood or behavior, but I don't know. Sometimes it seems impossible not to be affected, especially this month when June's strawberry moon hangs so low on the horizon, glowing in that rich amber color, larger and more luminous than it's been in 18 years. If you can see it from your window tonight, take a moment to look. This is the lowest hanging full moon until 2043, a golden orb that seems close enough to touch. It's the same moon our ancestors watched, the same light that guided them through countless strawberry harvests, marking the peak of early summer's abundance. Now, if you're listening from the southern hemisphere, you're seeing something quite different. The same moon is riding high overhead, the highest it will be for the same 18 years. But whether low or high, north or south, we're all under the same ancient light tonight, all connected to the same rhythms that have governed earth and sky since the beginning of time. But here's the thing, that beautiful moon probably isn't what's keeping you awake tonight. The real culprit is much closer. It's right there with you.It's your busy, racing, relentless thinking mind. The mind that won't stop planning tomorrow, replaying today, analyzing, worrying, spinning stories about what might happen or what already has. We've somehow convinced ourselves that we can think our way to sleep.But if we just worry hard enough about not sleeping, we'll somehow force rest to come. But that's like trying to make strawberries ripen faster by staring at them or commanding the moon to rise on our schedule. Tonight, under this golden strawberry moon, we're going to remember something our ancestors knew in their bones.That we are part of the natural world. That the same ancient wisdom that pulls the tides and ripens the harvest also lives within us. Your body knows how to sleep. Tonight we're going to use the energy of this beautiful moon to guide you away from the effort of trying to sleep and into the trust of allowing sleep. First we'll begin with some gentle breathing and then we'll move into a soothing visualization. We'll help you release the need to control or force and instead embrace the same patient rhythms that guide the moon across the sky.But first, a quick reminder, as always, please ensure you're somewhere safe in which to fall asleep. There's a disclaimer in the show notes for those of you who like the fine print. I also want to take a moment to thank everyone who follows this show.I really love creating these episodes for you because I know what insomnia feels like. And when you follow the show or leave a rating, you're not just helping the algorithm find another sleepless soul who needs this. You're also giving me the encouragement that keeps me up early, several mornings a week, wrestling with words and trying to craft something that might bring you sleep.So really, thank you. Now let's begin by simply noticing your breathing. You don't need to change anything right away. Just become aware of the air flowing in and out of your body. Feel it entering through your nose, traveling down into your lungs, and then flowing back out again. This is something your body has been doing automatically, perfectly, every moment since you were born. As you continue to breathe, see if you can gently encourage your breath to go a little deeper. Many of us, especially when we're stressed or trying to fall asleep, breathe in a shallow way, taking quick, small breaths into the top part of our chest. But the kind of breathing that helps us relax is different.It's deeper and slower. Try placing one hand on your chest and one on your belly. When you breathe deeply, that hand on your belly should rise and fall more than the one on your chest.You're breathing all the way down into your diaphragm, that powerful muscle that sits beneath your lungs. This is how you breathe naturally as a baby, before life taught you to hold tension in your body. Continue breathing this way, slow and deep.You might notice as you keep breathing like this that your heart rate is beginning to slow, your shoulders might start to drop away from your ears, and the muscles in your face, around your eyes, and in your jaw, they might begin to soften. This deeper breathing is sending a signal to your nervous system, telling it that you're safe, that it's time to shift from the alertness of day into the rest of evening. Now imagine that golden moonlight we talked about, beginning to filter through your window, touching your body with its gentle warmth.Picture this soft amber light starting at the very top of your head. Feel how this moonlight seems to have a magical quality. Wherever it touches, tension simply melts away.Let this soothing light smooth away any worry lines. Feel it washing over your temples, releasing the tiny muscles there that might have been holding stress. The moonlight continues down, touching your cheeks and your jaw, that jaw that might have been clenched without you even realizing it. The golden light flows down your neck and across your shoulders. Those shoulders that carry so much during the day, feel them becoming heavy now. The light travels down your arms, from your shoulders to your elbows, down your forearms to your wrists, and finally to your hands.Your arms feel wonderfully heavy now, so relaxed that you couldn't lift them even if you wanted to. The same warm golden moonlight spreads across your chest and down, releasing any tightness, any lingering tension from the day. It flows down through your hips, feel them softening, settling more deeply into whatever surface supports you.The moonlight continues down your legs, over your knees, down your calves, and all the way to your feet. Your entire body now feels bathed in this peaceful, relaxing light. Heavy, warm, and completely at ease.Keep breathing, slowly and deeply. There's no rush, just like the moon following its timeless path across the sky. Your body knows exactly what it needs to do to prepare for sleep.As your body continues to relax with each breath, I'd like to invite your imagination to join us, and to picture yourself lying in a wild meadow on the edge of a gentle woodland. This isn't a cultivated field with straight rows in perfect order. This is nature's own design, where wild strawberry plants spread freely among native grasses and wildflowers, each finding their perfect place without any human planning or control.You're resting on a natural bed that rivals any mattress ever made. Beneath you is a soft cushion of wild grass, gentle padding that cradles every curve of your body. Mixed in with the grass are patches of soft moss, cool and velvety against your skin. Around you, delicate wildflowers bloom in the moonlight. The purple bells of wild lupine, the cheerful white faces of daisies, and scattered clusters of violet blue forget-me-not. Their sweet fragrance drifts on the night air, creating the most peaceful of perfumes.The golden strawberry moon hangs low in the sky above you, casting its warm amber light across this meadow. Its glow is gentle and inviting, painting everything in soft honey tones. You can see the small white flowers of the strawberry plants scattered throughout the grass. There are five delicate petals catching the moonlight like tiny stars fallen to earth. As you rest here in this natural abundance, you might notice that your mind is still busy. Thoughts drifting through your awareness like clouds across the face of that beautiful moon. This is perfectly normal. Instead of fighting these thoughts or trying to push them away, simply practice watching them like an observer of the night sky. Notice how some thoughts are light and wispy, like thin clouds barely visible against the moonlight. Others might be heavier, casting shadows as they pass. Some thoughts might be about planning what you need to do tomorrow or next week. These planning clouds might have sharp geometric edges.Others might be about remembering. Conversations from today. Moments from the past. These memory clouds could be softer, more fluid in shape. And then there are the worry clouds, perhaps darker, more turbulent. Notice them all without judgment. Simply observe. Watch them drift across the face of the moon, noting their different shapes, their different shades, their different speeds. But don't reach for them. Don't try to hold on to them or push them away. Just let them pass. As you practice this gentle observation, let your awareness expand to include all of your senses here in this moonlit meadow. Feel the softness of the grass beneath your body. Notice how the earth beneath supports you. And listen.Maybe you can hear the soft chirping of crickets. The rhythmic song weaving through the darkness. In the distance, the gentle hooting of an owl. A sound both ancient and comforting. Reminds you that you're part of something much larger than your worried thoughts. Breathe in the sweet fresh scent surrounding you. The green smell of growing grass. The delicate fragrance of wildflowers. And underneath it all, the unmistakable sweetness of ripe strawberries. That perfect scent of summer abundance that speaks of patient waiting and natural timing. Let your eyes take in the beauty around you. The low hanging moon.Larger and more golden than you've ever seen it. Notice how the moonlight catches on different textures. The glossy leaves of the strawberry plants.The feathery tops of the grasses. The delicate petals of wildflowers. And now, if you like, imagine reaching for one of the wild strawberries near your hand.Feel its small perfect form beneath your fingers. Sun warmed despite cool night air. Bring it to your lips and taste that sweetness.That burst of flavor that can only come when fruit has ripened in its own perfect time. Without any rushing or forcing. Let that taste anchor you completely in this moment.In this place. This practice of focusing on your senses. On what you feel, hear, smell, see, and taste.Is a powerful tool you can use anytime your mind starts racing. When thoughts begin spinning too fast. When worry takes hold.Simply return to your senses. This gentle anchoring brings you back to the present moment. Back to your body and away from the endless loop of overthinking.As you rest here, surrounded by all these gentle sensations. Remember to keep breathing. When our minds are racing, our breath often becomes shallow and quick.But here in this meadow, under this patient moon, you can remember how to breathe the way your body wants to breathe. Slow, deep breaths that tell your nervous system it's safe to rest. It's safe to let go.This wild meadow exists in perfect rhythm with the natural world. The strawberries ripen when they're ready. The flowers open to the morning sun and close with the evening dew. The moon above you travels its ancient path. Waxing and waning in patterns that have guided countless generations to sleep. And your body, lying here in this peaceful place, is part of these same rhythms.Your heart beats in its own perfect time. Your lungs fill and empty in their natural cadence. Your body temperature rises and falls with the hours.Deep within your cells, the same wisdom that guides the moon across the sky is working to prepare you for sleep. We can disrupt this wisdom with our overthinking, with our anxiety about sleep itself. But we cannot destroy it. It's always there, waiting for us to step aside and let it work. When we stop trying to manage and control every aspect of rest, when we stop watching the clock and calculating hours, that's when we open the door for our body's natural sleep wisdom to unfold. Sleep might not come exactly like you'd like it to tonight, or tomorrow night. But sometimes it takes time to reset our nervous systems, to remember how to trust instead of trying to control. But when we practice this acceptance, when we trust in the ancient rhythms that live within us, we're creating the conditions for sleep to return naturally. Your sleep will come when the conditions are right.Your only job is to stop interfering with the process, to breathe, to trust, to let go, let the golden moonlight wash over you. You are part of this ancient rhythm, this timeless dance of rest and waking. Simply allow your body to sink deeper into your soft bed. Every muscle in your body beginning to release and soften. Take a moment to appreciate this remarkable body of yours, this body that has carried you through another day, that has worked so faithfully, that breathes for you without any conscious effort, that knows exactly how to heal and restore itself during sleep. Feel a sense of gratitude for all that your body does.Notice how blessed you are in this moment. You have a safe place to rest. You have this peaceful time to yourself. You have this beautiful moon watching over you. The moon's presence is like a loving parent keeping watch while you sleep. Let your thoughts begin to grow softer now, less distinct, like watercolors blending together.Your mind is naturally slowing down, naturally preparing for sleep. There's nothing you need to think about right now, nothing you need to solve or plan or worry about. Just this moment, just this gentle drifting, sleep will come in its own sweet time. Trust now, sleep will find its way back to you as surely as spring follows winter, as surely as the moon rises each night to light the darkness. Sleep now, sleep deeply, sleep well.