Lots of people exchange stories of how they thought the moon was following them as kids in their car on the way home. Maybe we weren’t as wrong as we think we were—the moon is something that’s always there for us and that, sigh, literally gives us a little light in the dark. Personally, I’ve always thought of the moon as a source of reflection and something to comfort me in rough times.
According to this article, the moon can make us calmer and help us relax through slowing down breathing, heart rate, blood pressure and metabolism. I often find myself needing to relax, so if it gets too late and the moon comes up, it’s a little reminder that maybe I should get to bed. Most likely, I’ve done enough for the day and deserve some rest.
At night, I like looking up at the sky and reminding myself how big the universe is. There is so much out there to explore and so much to do. This activates my creativity because in large open spaces I can almost feel colorful waves coming out of my head and filling it in. There’s no better time to let my thoughts fill space than when I remember that we are all ever-expanding. This writer wrote poems about stars that blends her life and science.
To focus back on the moon, it’s obviously something easy to identify in the sky. If you don’t know anything about astronomy or astrology, it might be easy to get lost in all the little dots (if you’re lucky enough that it’s not foggy). The moon is close to us in comparison to stars, and there’s something comforting in knowing it’ll be there for us every night.
Other than it being a literal reflection of light, I find it asking me to look inside myself. If it’s been a hard day and it’s time to relax, maybe it’s time to think about how the past day or week has affected me emotionally. It could be time for me to acknowledge whatever I’m feeling and be honest. How could I ignore my own feelings when I’m trying to share them with such an open and expansive thing like the sky?
If my thoughts are rushing, this feels like a safe way to work through them. Like I’ve said, the sky and the moon are there to listen, even if they frustratingly don’t have answers. Once they’re settled, then I’m calmer, and this is where you sort of have nothing else to say and just want to be affirmed so you let out a breath and say, “yeah.”
The moon won’t tell you what to do, but it’ll sit there with you until you get tired. Hopefully, you’ll go to bed before the sun comes up. It’ll be there for all those hours if you need it. In that moment it’s a reminder, too, that the next day will come, the sun will come out tomorrow, as Annie says.
I’m no expert on the moon, the stars or the body, but I know this is a way I can feel connected to the universe when I’m lonely or feel like no one’s listening. I hope that you lovely readers all find a source of comfort in the moon as well.