Stephanie Tsai Karlik

2026 Strawberry Moon Ceremony

June 30, 2026

Tainan, Taiwan

Under the low-hanging, amber glow of the 2026 Strawberry Moon on June 30, 2026 in Tainan, Taiwan, I hosted a friendly gathering in my private space for a sacred pair of just two women. Together, we honored the peak of the season by indulging in sweet treats and a warm, heart-opening cacao drinking ritual that set a tender intention for abundance and connection. As the night unfolded, the resonant vibrations of a sound bowl healing session washed over my friend Tae-chan, beautifully anchoring the gentle energy of this unique lunar transition. Later, we brought cacao to our nearby female friend. Though she was a little put off (tee-hee-hee) by the bitterness of the cacao (as it is indeed medicine), the multilingual and multicultural conversations we had between a Japanese, Taiwanese, and Taiwanese-American woman were fully restorative. It was an unforgettable evening of sensory indulgence and deep energetic renewal after rigorous Mandarin Chinese studies and lots of life challenges, leaving us feeling more aligned, restored, and bound by shared sisterhood. The name “Strawberry Moon” comes from traditional lunar tracking used by the Native American Algonquin, Ojibwe, Dakota, and Lakota peoples to mark the ripening and harvesting of wild strawberries.