Being in Nature during Time of Pandemic

September 3

moonlight fills
the cups of my eyes
with innocent tears

My day begins early with breakfast under the golden moon. I eat light-infused porridge—hands, eyes and face shining in the dark—a new experience. With each bite I contemplate the moon—mysteriously peeking through the trees’ branches. What purpose does the moon serve, I wonder?  The sun is obvious—without sunlight, no warmth, no growth, no life. This question leads me on an astronomical quest that I will utterly simplify here just in case you ever wondered about the relationship between Earth and the moon.

Moons are natural satellites that are attracted to their planets by the gravity of the larger body. Jupiter has 67 moons and Saturn has 62.  Earth has only one moon, though a large one. What exactly is this relationship and does Earth benefit from having a moon? Both earth and moon exert gravitational force on each other. Earth draws the moon into orbit by the power of attraction. The gravitational pull of the moon, in turn, controls the rise and fall of earth’s tides, and slows its rotation.  If there were no moon, earth’s weather would be even more erratic due to greater axial imbalance.

There seems to be reciprocity here though the moon’s advantage isn’t clear. Maybe chunks of rock prefer the spherical coherence offered by accompanying a larger body than spinning aimlessly in space—a higher order of existence that values companionship over independence, order over chaos.

Are moons a sign of galactic intelligence in design? Gravitational attraction produces interesting relationships. Is attraction based on need? Is it love?  Is earth conscious of its need for the moon? What I’m getting at here is all about relationship. Moon and earth are close celestial companions. What’s clear is that earth needs the moon to maintain its planetary stability. Perhaps the moon’s need then is order, companionship, and service to earth. Moon and earth have existed harmoniously for eons.

Symbolically, moon also balances the other great cosmic body—the sun. It is the growing power and influence of the masculine that has created an imbalance between these two great cosmic beings. The moon is feminine and represents beauty, receptivity, and emotional intelligence. The sun is masculine and represents strength, power, and action. For a healthy planet, masculine and feminine must be in equipoise, in balance.

Sun represents outer life and moon represents inner. Outer and inner need each other, and in a healthy world, support each other. It’s clear that our culture has over-valued the sun, the masculine, while degrading the feminine—at a ghastly cost. When we forget the moon, we lose touch with our soul.  With greatness of heart, keen intuition, and deep yearning, we are again connecting with the moon—the divine feminine—with the soul of the world. We are rediscovering the quiet jewel hidden in our hearts with the awesome power to balance the cosmos.