The Sturgeon Moon: What Is Rising to the Surface?

Sometimes the feelings we think we have dealt with haven’t disappeared. They have simply gone quiet.

They sit beneath the surface while life continues around us. We work, build relationships, take care of responsibilities and convince ourselves that we have moved forward. Then something happens — a conversation, a memory, a change in circumstances or even a seemingly insignificant moment — and suddenly an old emotion rises again.

The symbolism of August’s Sturgeon Moon offers an interesting way to think about these moments.

Why Is It Called the Sturgeon Moon?

The August full moon is traditionally known as the Sturgeon Moon, a name associated with the time of year when sturgeon were particularly abundant and easier to catch in the Great Lakes.

Sturgeon are extraordinary creatures. They can live for well over a century and spend much of their lives near the bottom of rivers and lakes, stirring through what lies beneath them.

Symbolically, there is something powerful in this image.

Just as the sturgeon moves through the depths before rising towards the surface, there may be thoughts, feelings and experiences within us that have remained hidden for a long time.

Eventually, they may need our attention.

What Have You Been Keeping Beneath the Surface?

Most of us have things we would rather not revisit.

Perhaps it is disappointment from a relationship.

Maybe it is grief that was never completely expressed, resentment you thought you had overcome, an experience from childhood that continues to influence your relationships, or simply a part of yourself that you learned to hide.

We often push uncomfortable emotions away because dealing with them feels overwhelming.

But ignoring an emotion does not necessarily resolve it.

Sometimes the patterns we struggle with today have roots much further back than we realise.

You might repeatedly choose emotionally unavailable partners.

You might find rejection particularly difficult.

You may constantly seek reassurance or approval.

Perhaps you struggle to trust people even when they have given you no reason not to.

Rather than asking only, “Why do I keep doing this?”, it can be helpful to ask:

“Where did I first learn to feel this way?”

That question can take us somewhere much deeper.

The Parts of Ourselves We Fear

When difficult feelings rise, our instinct can be to push them straight back down.

We might tell ourselves:

I shouldn’t still feel this way.

I should have moved on by now.

Why am I letting this bother me again?

But emotional healing rarely follows a perfect timeline.

Something returning to the surface does not necessarily mean you have gone backwards. Sometimes it means you are finally in a position to look at it differently.

What once felt enormous or frightening may simply be a wounded part of you asking to be understood.

Instead of immediately judging what you feel, become curious about it.

What is this feeling trying to tell you?

What does it remind you of?

When have you felt this before?

And perhaps most importantly:

What does this part of you need now that it didn’t receive then?

You Don’t Have to Fight Every Emotion

We spend enormous amounts of energy trying not to feel certain things.

We distract ourselves. We keep busy. We overthink. We enter new relationships. We avoid certain conversations. Sometimes we convince ourselves that something doesn’t matter when, deep down, it clearly does.

There is another option.

You can acknowledge what is there without allowing it to control you.

Sit quietly.

Breathe.

Notice what comes up without immediately trying to explain or fix it.

Write about what you are feeling.

Ask yourself whether the emotion belongs entirely to what is happening today, or whether today’s situation has touched something older.

There can be tremendous clarity in understanding the difference.

Let What Rises Teach You Something

The Sturgeon Moon can serve as a reminder that what lies beneath the surface isn’t necessarily something to fear.

Sometimes the things we avoid contain valuable information about who we are, what we need and what still requires healing.

You don’t need to uncover everything at once.

You don’t need to force yourself to revisit experiences you aren’t ready to explore.

And you certainly don’t need to have all the answers.

Sometimes the beginning is simply acknowledging:

Something inside me needs my attention.

When we approach those parts of ourselves with curiosity rather than judgement, we create the possibility of understanding them — and eventually deciding whether we are ready to let them go.

Sometimes What You’re Feeling Has a Deeper Story

At Wise Psychic Counselling, we provide a compassionate and confidential space to explore the emotional patterns, relationships and experiences that may be influencing your life today.

Combining intuitive insight with counselling, our sessions are designed to help you look beneath the surface, understand what may be holding you back and gain greater clarity about yourself and the choices ahead.

Sometimes you don’t need someone to tell you what to do. You need the space to understand why you feel the way you do.

Ready to explore what may be coming to the surface?

Book a confidential session with Wise Psychic Counselling and begin gaining clarity around the emotions, relationships and patterns affecting your life.