In my corner of the far northwest, there is almost always plenty of water.

Here in Washington state, we are famous for the prodigious rain that falls. So it won’t surprise you that most springs our many rivers roar down out of their snow-capped mountains, full, frothy and icy cold.

This spring I stood at the edge of such a river, the Dosewallips, which tumbles down from the Olympic Mountains through mixed woods of fir, alder and big leaf maple. I feel the energy, the power generated by the outpouring—even if it isn’t ever transposed into electricity. I attune myself to such life force, such vivacity, and inhale the highly ionized oxygen. Unlike the rhythm of the sea which often relaxes and soothes me, the relentless rushing of this river charges me up, as if I were a battery connected to its current.

I lie down on a mossy bank and dangle my hands into the water to feel the swift pressure of the river against my skin. Frigid spray ricochets off the rocks and stings my face, a new form of hydro massage. Leaves and alder cones rush by on their way to Hood Canal, each one a tiny boat at the mercy of the whimsical water. I roll over onto my back and savor the morning glow on the thick chartreuse fur that encases many alder trunks. I imagine that so much moss has an acoustic effect on the sound of the river, a softening of it, as these trees reach into the river for their sustenance.

Today begins another lunation, which I’m naming the High River Moon. It is about surges, energy, vitality and freshness. I hope you’ll invite its special light into your life.

CONTEMPLATIONS

• What force is evident in your life now?
• What energizes you?
• Where do you feel most alive?
• Have you surrendered to the currents pulsing through your life, or do you feel you can control them?
• Will you tap into the new moon energy to enhance projects or ideas you are developing?

MEDITATION VIDEO

This is simply a few minutes beside the Dosewallips River, so you can experience it for yourself. Turn up the volume and immerse yourself…the water’s fine.

Visit the Dosewallips River in another season here.