| The Heartland Spirit - Festival Issue 2011 |
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Welcome to the Festival and its theme of "Mingle in the Moonlight."
My wife and I will often point out a rather picturesque moon to each other. Whether it is brightly lit on a cloudless night, mysteriously peeking out from behind clouds, or displayed in a variety of bright colors, each of these views cause us to catch our breath and marvel at its magnificence.
The moon has often overwhelmed us throughout history. It has been the centerpiece of rites and ceremonies for many beliefs for thousands of years. It has been used as a calendar with each moon cycle often being locus for a particular agricultural or seasonal event. It has inspired writers to spin tales of love. It has been a symbol of mystery.
What causes the moon to affect us so? The correlation of the moon’s cycles and tidal waves caused the Greek philosopher Aristotle and Roman historian Pliny the Elder to suggest that the moon must have an influence on our brain as it does the tides since it is the “moistest” organ in the body. But modern science points out that though higher tides do occur at new and full moons, it is not because the moon's gravitational pull is stronger at those times, but because the sun, earth and moon being in alignment. In fact, the moon’s contribution is actually very slight as pointed out by the Astronomer George O. Abell who states that a mosquito would exert more gravitational pull on your arm than the moon would.
Others claim that these gravitational effects during full moons may even affect human (and animal/plant) behavior. Even the root of the word lunacy derives from the Roman Goddess of the moon, Luna. Though many emergency room workers would support this theory, very little supporting scientific data exists to support this idea. Some skeptics also point out that if this was true we should see the same behavior on new moons since the gravitational pull is the same.
Some look to the moon to explain the timing of a women’s menstrual cycle, but as John Palmer of the University of Massachusetts in Amherst states that there is little evidence supporting this as anything more than a coincidence. “Other animals, after all, have menstrual cycles of length radically different from 28 days, and women's menstrual cycles also differ in length.”
Some see the moon as a counterpart to the sun and insist that the moon represents the Goddess. Others point out examples such as Thoth or most Arab cultures that see the moon as male. I personally do not have a polarized view of the world and find that a lot of the magnificence of the moon come from the reflected light from the sun and the shadow caste upon it by the earth. So to me, the moon is a much more meaningful symbol of our interconnectedness with all things rather than its division.
Some see moonlight as a great source of healing power. This belief inspired one man to build a $2 million, 250-ton “moonshine” collector measuring 5 stories high and 6 stories across equipped with 84 mirrored reflectors in order to try and save a friend with cancer. You can read testimonials and more at http://www.starlightuses.com.
I am not sure what metaphysical powers the moon might have. I do know that unlike the sun, the moon allows us to look directly at it. This allows us to gaze directly upon it and let our minds and imaginations wander. The reflecting light shrouds the world with mystery to create an atmosphere of calm and serenity. This lack of distractions can allow us to pause and evaluate our inner thoughts with greater clarity. This idea fits with the astrologically correspondence of the moon as the ruler of the sign of Cancer which governs the realm of intuitive thinking. I also know that the people around you appear even more beautiful as minor imperfections are hidden and we are forced to view the whole person. I also know that the moon’s cycle of waning to waxing and back again reminds me of the cyclic nature of things and to make time to be proactive with those things that I want to bring into or take from my life.
Does the magick come from the moon, or is it simply inspired by it? Does it matter?
We hope that you take the opportunity of this festival to venture out and explore more than you might, meet people that you might never have meet, attend workshops and reflect on the lessons given by our elders, and talk with the vendors and allow them to inspire you with their wares. May you find your magick as you “Mingle in the Moonlight.”
Cover Story - Moonlight
by Gaspar
Welcome to the Festival and its theme of "Mingle in the Moonlight."My wife and I will often point out a rather picturesque moon to each other. Whether it is brightly lit on a cloudless night, mysteriously peeking out from behind clouds, or displayed in a variety of bright colors, each of these views cause us to catch our breath and marvel at its magnificence.
The moon has often overwhelmed us throughout history. It has been the centerpiece of rites and ceremonies for many beliefs for thousands of years. It has been used as a calendar with each moon cycle often being locus for a particular agricultural or seasonal event. It has inspired writers to spin tales of love. It has been a symbol of mystery.
What causes the moon to affect us so? The correlation of the moon’s cycles and tidal waves caused the Greek philosopher Aristotle and Roman historian Pliny the Elder to suggest that the moon must have an influence on our brain as it does the tides since it is the “moistest” organ in the body. But modern science points out that though higher tides do occur at new and full moons, it is not because the moon's gravitational pull is stronger at those times, but because the sun, earth and moon being in alignment. In fact, the moon’s contribution is actually very slight as pointed out by the Astronomer George O. Abell who states that a mosquito would exert more gravitational pull on your arm than the moon would.
Others claim that these gravitational effects during full moons may even affect human (and animal/plant) behavior. Even the root of the word lunacy derives from the Roman Goddess of the moon, Luna. Though many emergency room workers would support this theory, very little supporting scientific data exists to support this idea. Some skeptics also point out that if this was true we should see the same behavior on new moons since the gravitational pull is the same.
Some look to the moon to explain the timing of a women’s menstrual cycle, but as John Palmer of the University of Massachusetts in Amherst states that there is little evidence supporting this as anything more than a coincidence. “Other animals, after all, have menstrual cycles of length radically different from 28 days, and women's menstrual cycles also differ in length.”
Some see the moon as a counterpart to the sun and insist that the moon represents the Goddess. Others point out examples such as Thoth or most Arab cultures that see the moon as male. I personally do not have a polarized view of the world and find that a lot of the magnificence of the moon come from the reflected light from the sun and the shadow caste upon it by the earth. So to me, the moon is a much more meaningful symbol of our interconnectedness with all things rather than its division.
Some see moonlight as a great source of healing power. This belief inspired one man to build a $2 million, 250-ton “moonshine” collector measuring 5 stories high and 6 stories across equipped with 84 mirrored reflectors in order to try and save a friend with cancer. You can read testimonials and more at http://www.starlightuses.com.
I am not sure what metaphysical powers the moon might have. I do know that unlike the sun, the moon allows us to look directly at it. This allows us to gaze directly upon it and let our minds and imaginations wander. The reflecting light shrouds the world with mystery to create an atmosphere of calm and serenity. This lack of distractions can allow us to pause and evaluate our inner thoughts with greater clarity. This idea fits with the astrologically correspondence of the moon as the ruler of the sign of Cancer which governs the realm of intuitive thinking. I also know that the people around you appear even more beautiful as minor imperfections are hidden and we are forced to view the whole person. I also know that the moon’s cycle of waning to waxing and back again reminds me of the cyclic nature of things and to make time to be proactive with those things that I want to bring into or take from my life.
Does the magick come from the moon, or is it simply inspired by it? Does it matter?
We hope that you take the opportunity of this festival to venture out and explore more than you might, meet people that you might never have meet, attend workshops and reflect on the lessons given by our elders, and talk with the vendors and allow them to inspire you with their wares. May you find your magick as you “Mingle in the Moonlight.”
I see the moon,
The Moon sees me
The moons sees the somebody I’d like to be
God(dess) bless the moon,
And God(dess) bless me
God(dess) bless the somebody I’d like to see!
The Moon sees me
The moons sees the somebody I’d like to be
God(dess) bless the moon,
And God(dess) bless me
God(dess) bless the somebody I’d like to see!
Comments
One small correction. The Earth rarely casts a shadow on the Moon. When it does, the event is announced in the news as an eclipse. The Dark Moon is caused not by the Earth's shadow, but but the light of the Sun simply not getting reflected to the Earth. The Moon is a spherical mirror rotating around the earth. During the Full Moon, the Moon is positioned opposite the Sun, so we see the face of the Moon bathed in sunlight. During the Dark Moon, it is located on the side of the earth closer to the Sun, so the sunlight is reflected into space, never reaching Earth.
The best model I've seen of this is a bare light bulb (Sun) in a darkened room and a golf ball (Moon). You are the Earth. You can see the phases of the moon on the golf ball as you move it around.
You can also test this by noting the position of the Sun whenever you see the Moon.
Happy Hunting!
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