A Spiritual Guide to Nantucket's Beaches

I need to say something that might be controversial: most people are going to the wrong beaches.

Not wrong as in bad. Every beach on this island is a gift. But wrong as in... misaligned. They're choosing beaches based on proximity, or wave size, or—and this pains me to even type—parking availability. They're treating beach selection as a logistical decision when it's actually a spiritual one.

Your soul knows what it needs. You just have to learn to listen. And then go to the beach that matches.

This guide is my offering to help.

Understanding Beach Energy

Every beach has a frequency. This isn't woo-woo nonsense—well, it is, technically, but it's also real. Different orientations, different wave patterns, different geological compositions create different energetic signatures. The ancient Wampanoag people understood this. I also understand this, after taking a weekend workshop in Sedona.

When choosing a beach, ask yourself: What am I bringing today? And what do I need to release?

Then consult this guide.

The Beaches

Madaket Beach
Chakra: Solar Plexus (Manipura)
Element: Fire
Best For: Endings, Release, Ego Work

Madaket faces west, which means it receives the dying light. This makes it the island's most powerful beach for letting go. If you're processing a breakup, a job loss, a death, or just a vague sense that something in your life needs to end—go to Madaket. Watch the sunset. Let it take whatever you're holding.

I do my annual "Shadow Work Sunset" here every August. I write what no longer serves me on biodegradable paper and bury it at the tide line. (The burial is symbolic. I dig it up after dark because littering is wrong.)

Sconset Beach
Chakra: Heart (Anahata)
Element: Air
Best For: New Beginnings, Clarity, Creative Opening

East-facing. First light. The energy here is pure potential. This is where I lead my Align with ACK sessions because the morning frequency at Sconset is unlike anywhere else on the island—possibly the Eastern Seaboard.

If you're starting something—a project, a relationship, a new way of being—come to Sconset at sunrise. Let the first rays of light hit your third eye. Set an intention. The beach will remember it for you.

Surfside Beach
Chakra: Root (Muladhara)
Element: Earth
Best For: Grounding, Physical Activity, Releasing Excess Energy

This is the most yang beach on the island. The waves are aggressive, the energy is active, the vibe is... look, it's a lot. This is where the surfers go, where the college kids go, where people go to move their bodies and exert themselves.

If you're feeling ungrounded, or you have excess anxious energy, or you just need to tire yourself out physically so your brain will finally shut up—Surfside. But go early. By 11 AM, the energy gets cluttered with too many conflicting frequencies. Also, parking becomes difficult.

Dionis Beach
Chakra: Sacral (Svadhisthana)
Element: Water
Best For: Creativity, Sensuality, Emotional Processing

The calm waters at Dionis create a womb-like energy. I know that sounds weird. Stay with me. The north shore doesn't get the same wave action as the south, which means the energetic field here is gentler, more receptive, more yin.

This is where I go when I need to feel my feelings. When I've been intellectualizing something that needs to be felt. The water here holds you differently. It's like the ocean is saying "I've got you." And you can finally let go.

Bring a journal. You will have breakthroughs.

Jetties Beach
Chakra: Throat (Vishuddha)
Element: Ether
Best For: Absolutely Nothing Spiritual Whatsoever

I'm going to be honest: I cannot read the energy at Jetties. There are too many people, too many speakers playing different music, too many food service transactions occurring. The vibrational field is so chaotic it's essentially white noise.

This is fine. Not every beach needs to be a temple. Sometimes a beach is just a beach. But if you're seeking spiritual nourishment, this is not your shore. Save Jetties for when you want a rental chair and a hot dog. There's honor in that too.

Great Point
Chakra: Crown (Sahasrara)
Element: Spirit
Best For: Transcendence, Ego Dissolution, Communication with the Divine

This is the most spiritually significant location on the island. The remoteness, the lighthouse, the seals watching from the water—everything about Great Point is designed to make you feel small in the best possible way.

I make a pilgrimage here every September, after the summer crowds have left. I sit at the tip of the point and I just... dissolve. The boundary between self and non-self becomes permeable. I am the sand. I am the water. I am the lighthouse beam sweeping endlessly across the dark.

Then I eat the snacks I brought because ego dissolution makes you hungry.

Note: You need a permit and four-wheel drive to access Great Point. Transcendence is not always convenient.

How to Use This Guide

Before you choose your beach each day, I recommend this simple practice:

1. Close your eyes.
2. Take three intentional breaths.
3. Ask yourself: "What does my soul need today?"
4. Notice what arises.
5. Consult this guide.
6. Go to that beach.
7. Be present.

It's that simple. And also, it's not simple at all. It's a practice. Like everything worth doing.

One Final Thought

Sandy Bottoms—another contributor here—once asked me why I "couldn't just go to the beach like a normal person."

I smiled. I held space for her question. And then I said: "Sandy, I could. But why would I want to be normal when I could be aligned?"

She didn't have an answer. She did, however, cite me for having my meditation cushion "too close to the public walkway."

The work continues.