Rooted Through The Storm 🌦️
On emotional overwhelm, physical healing, and staying connected to what is real 🌼
Volume 4, Issue 9
May 16, 2026
New Moon in Taurus 🌑 ♉
Sun in Taurus 🌞 ♉
New Moon Greetings, dear Friends❣️
On this New Moon in Taurus, I find myself reflecting deeply on the body, the mind, and the ways we are shaped by both suffering and healing. Taurus season always seems to call me back to the Earth, back to my senses, and back to what is most essential.
In my last newsletter, I shared about the effort my husband and I are making to break the cycle of debt we have faced on and off throughout our marriage. It was a deeply vulnerable share and made me question why I write this newsletter and how open I want to be in this space. I didn’t receive much feedback from my readers, so I’ve wondered how it was received.
I didn’t start this newsletter to dump my emotions and problems on my readers in a public forum. I started it over three years ago to write about my personal experience living as a bereaved mother. I’ve made significant strides in how I manage my grief so that I can be a productive human and not a puddle of sorrow and tears stuck in my bedroom, afraid to face the world. But lately, I sense my grief is once again managing me, and maybe I need to reevaluate why I am here writing to you and whether this is something I should continue.
I know I have said it before, but I write and share in solidarity with you, and I hope that something here reminds you of your own experiences and inner wisdom about how to approach being human.
As this Taurus season winds down, I’ll share some reflections on how much focus and struggle I have spent this year on my physical and mental well-being as I navigate an intense resurgence of grief, spiraling thought loops, and the transformation of my body as I heal from piriformis syndrome and a broken fibula.
My Body
I am so focused on my body this year. The year started with me getting the boot off my right ankle six weeks after fracturing my fibula. It has now been six months, and my ankle is mostly healed with only a little lingering discomfort and swelling. I feel satisfied with the way it has healed and grateful that even at 56 years old, my body is still as miraculous as ever and able to heal itself in good time.
I have been a willing participant in the physical healing process, practicing physical therapy at home for both piriformis syndrome and ankle recovery. The physical work I do most days has evolved into a one-hour total body movement practice, including Energy Work, Qi Gong, Pilates, and Yoga. My body is stronger than it has been in a long while, and I am proud of the commitment I have made to be an active participant in my physical healing and wellbeing.
These practices have also motivated me to begin a weight loss and management journey without a GLP-1. I am finding weight loss incredibly difficult post-menopause, but slow and steady, I have begun to shed a little weight. I am not looking for a quick fix here. I hope to take as much time as needed to reach a healthy, sustainable weight for this stage of my life. Not college-girl skinny, but aging, wise-woman skinny. Something realistic and attainable.
I am also back to an evolved walking routine after my ankle fracture. I started back too fast last month and developed pain in my right heel and arch, maybe plantar fasciitis, so I’ve had to scale back and limit myself to shorter walks a few days per week instead of every day.
I am not trying to create more pain in my body. I am trying to heal my body and live as pain-free as possible by staying mobile and active at a reasonable pace. I am working on finding a more balanced approach to my physical health as I evolve out of injury and pain.
My Mind
This year, my mind has been especially active while navigating this physical healing journey, work stress, the political climate, financial stress, and a resurgence of grief. I’ve found myself mentally ruminating over the same issues, struggling to move past them and find solutions. Last week, I had a total emotional breakdown while dealing with an increasingly toxic work environment. This has always been my fear about returning to work after losing Sierra. I have very little patience or strength left for tolerating toxic environments.
Part of it is me overthinking everything to the point of driving myself crazy. Lately, I have had to constantly remind myself to ground my energy and take some deep breaths. It’s wild because I know what to do to stop the thought loops. I have the tools through my meditation and mindfulness practices, but I struggle to remember how to access them when I am heated and flustered.
While I don’t yet have a solution to my mental anguish of late, I am taking small steps to get back on track toward well-being. Thankfully, our son is coming home for two weeks today, and I am so excited to see him. I miss him dearly, but I am so proud of how independent he is at 23. I am taking some time off work to enjoy our time, which feels like a welcome pause from the daily grind.
Earlier this week, I went to see my Functional Medicine doctor, and she offered me some practical steps to help manage my mental stress. I needed those reminders from her that I can take control of my mental health again.
Right on queue, this year’s Taurus season has been about reconnecting with my body, mind, and spirit through a holistic approach, because they are all connected.
I’m grateful it is Spring so I can get outside and connect with the ground, the soil, and the blossoms all around me. Taurus season has beckoned me back outdoors to enliven my senses and revel in this beautiful playground and home we call Earth.
I am reminding myself to notice both the subtle and dramatic changes in light and temperature, the way the blossoming oak leaves dance in the wind and light, the morning and evening glow just after sunrise and before sunset, and the way the light plays across the intense burst of green growth and blooming flowers. The scents of blossoms, fresh-cut grass, and spring rainstorms. The welcome sound of birdsong greets the rising sun each morning.
This is my true home beyond the windows and walls of my dwelling places. It all feels like magic and reminds me to reconnect with my true nature.
Springtime is also an invitation to remember that I am not separate from the Earth but part of its living body. The rhythms of nature move through me too — through my grief, my healing, my exhaustion, my joy, and my becoming.
May you take a few moments in the days ahead to pause, breathe deeply, and reconnect with your body and mind as part of the greater body and mind of this living planet and our shared collective consciousness. May you remember that even in seasons of struggle, you still belong to the beauty of this world.
With care,
Jennifer 💫💖💫
Micro Mindfulness Practice - Embodied Earthing 🌳
Find a comfortable seated position and allow your body to soften just a little.
You do not need to change or fix anything right now. Simply arrive.
Gently close your eyes or lower your gaze.
Take a slow, steady breath in through the nose.
And exhale softly through the mouth.
Again, breathing in.
And breathing out.
Feel the weight of your body being supported beneath you.
Notice your feet touching the ground.
Notice the subtle movement of your breath rising and falling within you.
For just a moment, imagine your body as part of the Earth itself.
Bones like mountains.
Breath like wind.
Blood flowing like rivers.
Thoughts moving like weather across a wide open sky.
There is nothing you need to force.
Nothing you need to figure out right now.
Simply let yourself belong to this moment.
Notice one sound around you.
One sensation within your body.
One thing in your life that is still quietly holding you together.
Take one final slow breath in.
And gently exhale.
As you return to your day, may you carry the reminder that you are not separate from nature, but an expression of it — connected to the greater body of this living Earth.
May Meditation Practice - Embracing Growth🪴
Cultivate openness and trust in your natural unfolding. This embodied meditation is an invitation to embrace growth—the kind that unfolds naturally, patiently, and with courage. Spring shows us that growth can be both tender and strong. Spring doesn’t rush—and neither must you.
The Planets 🪐
New moon in Taurus today, May 16, 2026 🌑 ♉
Mercury in Taurus moves into Gemini on May 17, 2026 ♉ ➡️ ♊
Venus in Gemini moves into Cancer on May 18, 2026 ♊ ➡️ ♋
Mars in Aries moves into Taurus on May 18, 2026 ♈ ➡️ ♉
Sun in Taurus moves into Gemini on May 20, 2026 ♉ ➡️ ♊
Waxing half moon in Virgo on May 23, 2026 🌓 ♍
Full moon in Sagittarius on May 31, 2026 🌝 ♐
🌄 Sunrise in Cleveland today: 6:06 AM
🌇 Sunset in Cleveland today: 8:39 PM
🌆 Moonrise in Cleveland today: 5:28 AM
🌃 Moonset in Cleveland today: 9:06 PM
New Moon Intentions: May I move more slowly and live more deliberately, to care for my body with patience and compassion, and to trust the wisdom of steady growth over quick fixes. May I reconnect with the grounding rhythms of nature, soften the thought loops that keep me disconnected from myself, and create space for healing in mind, body, and spirit. May I remember that rest is productive, presence is powerful, and that I belong not only to myself, but to the greater living consciousness of the Earth and one another.
Can you help me reach my goal? 🌟
I’m inviting 100 kindred spirits to support this work by subscribing at $108 per year.
This is about honoring the value of creative, heart-led work and sustaining a mindful exchange of giving and receiving. I also tithe 5% of my income to support fellow artists and makers. ✨
$108 a year is just over $2 per week, creating a meaningful ripple of support. 🌊
Your presence matters deeply. If subscribing isn’t possible right now, you can still help by reading, liking Posts and Notes, commenting, and sharing.
Thank you for being here ❣️
When you choose to support Tides of Being as a paid subscriber, you step into the inner circle of practice — a deeper current of connection and presence.
✔️ Full access to my private meditation library on YouTube (100+ practices for every season of your soul)
✔️ The quiet joy of sustaining independent, heart-led creative work
✔️ Your support helps me continue creating meaningful, soulful content and affirms the belief that mindful voices matter.
Join the circle❣️
Become part of a growing community of women remembering how to slow down, live, create, and awaken — together. 🌿