THE MOONCHILD

The moonchild is a mystery, yet as unfurled as one can comprehend – a curious soul whose mind always wanders away from this world to another one of its own, whose temper and temperature shifts along with the moon, a dreamer who calmly weaves in and out of life’s many phases but deep down stays wild and ready for the next quest, a learner looking for new lessons along the way, unlocking more profound facets of themselves. These distinctive individuals are drawn to the moon in an unexplainable way. Like the silvery glint of the moon, these individuals look for the silver lining no matter how dark the clouds of their lives get. Always the ones to attract adventure, they love walking barefoot, establishing their connection to the ground, deepening their roots when they touch the sand to soak the soil. The ocean waves soar high as if beckoning the moon child to dance and groove to the rhythm of their energy. The wind assumes the role of the maestro to conduct nature’s performance when the moonchild’s imagination flies undeterred. With moondust in their lungs and stars in their eyes, the moonchild is the child of the cosmos, the ruler of the skies. Its aura aligns with the night owls, synergizes with the gray wolves. The moon watches over these children as the Mother Goddess. They are the medium between universes, born and created to love and glow.

Since ancient times, the moon has been the most favourite object of fascination, appearing in every fable and folklore. Although the mythical tales of the Earth and the moon’s relationship are ethereal and illusive, one cannot deny the realistic influence of the moon’s metamorphosis on our planet earth and our lives.

THE MOON’S EFFECT OVER THE EARTH

Moon and earth is the longest known stable love affair to mankind.

We’re all aware that when the earth comes between the moon and the sun once every 29.53 days, we see a full moon as a result of the projection of the sun’s light on it. Now, how many times have you heard that the full moon emits energy on the earth which makes people or even the oceans behave unusually? Another fact states that the gravitational pull of the full moon that causes tides in the ocean also affects living beings as we too are made of water. So, the whole discourse around the moon’s influential myths and facts is extremely intriguing. Although no one has yet presented concrete scientific findings explaining the strange phenomena, there is much interesting information and professional opinions on the mystery between a full moon and its effect on the earth.

THE MOON AND OUR HEALTH

Traditional beliefs say the moon affects our health, our mood, and even our behavior. But what exactly are these influences? Are they real or just tales?

Ever felt insomniac in the leap up to the full moon? According to a Swiss study in the scientific journal Current Biology, this celestial body indeed affects our sleep patterns. Researchers studied the sleep cycles of 33 people, revealing that during the 4 days leading up to and following the full moon, the participants weren’t sleeping well. Their sleep lessened by 30%, showing their level of melatonin – the sleep hormone, to be quite low. Not only adults, children too have their sleep interrupted by earth’s natural satellite.
Another bizarre fact – the moon is capable of detoxing our bodies. Some naturopaths suggest that the way the moon is capable of commanding the tides it does the same in our body. During a full moon, our blood circulation increases, cleansing the organs including the liver and kidneys.
Certain people believe that if you’re scheduled for surgery, it is best to have it during a full moon. Interestingly, a 2013 study in the medical journal Interactive Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery found that patients undergoing emergency heart surgery had lower mortality-rates on evenings when there was a full moon. They also had a shorter recovery time, settling in the hospital for 10 days instead of the average 14.
Some people might blame their irritable mood on the moon. A study issued in Psychological Reports in 1986 discussed researchers observing violent or aggressive episodes among people suffering from schizophrenia saying that they increased by 1.8% during a full moon.
Overall, the full moon does affect many chronic health issues like the Lyme disease, kidney-stone pain, menstrual cycles, rise in birth-rate, heart-related disorders, etc.

THE MOON’S SPIRITUAL INFLUENCE

Certain grounding meditation practices involving the moon are said to help in feeling more in control and tame our ‘monkey mind’ as the Buddhists call it. The new moon phase is a wonderful time to meditate and begin the ‘moon bath’ ritual; it’s a cleansing bath where you may use a variety of salts and pleasing aromas. It’s a splendid opportunity to orient your energies and ground your inner vibe.

With the moon being the closest planet to earth, it moves with us in a sacred dance that unfolds in even, rhythmic cycles mirroring the cycles of the body and mind, the cycle of harvest, and growth of plants and trees, the cycle of life. We can revere this connection through meditation rituals pivoting on the current phase of the moon, as the moon waxes from new to crescent to quarter to gibbous to full and wanes through these phases in reverse back to new. Meditating with the moon blossoms our spirituality, aligns our inner energies with the universe outside, and helps achieve intense peace and calm that helps us stay anchored amidst the noise and chaos of our daily lives.

Looking up at the moonlit sky from the earth, it’s hard to not feel like you’re rising above worries, getting plucked from your troubles, being absorbed with the realization that existence on earth is truly a gift. With the natural elements, the connection created by ‘moon meditation’ opens many pathways to our emotions and subconscious. The next time you look up at the beautiful, glowing pearl in the night sky, caress the intimate bond that you share and settle into your place in the rhythm of nature.

ASTROLOGICAL MOONLIGHT

In astrology, your Sun sign guides your zodiac personality, while your Moon sign represents your emotions, your inner mood. For those who want to figure out what their moon sign is, notice if you are gravitating towards the traits of a particular zodiac sign, even though you don’t belong to it – it may be your moon sign. The main distinction between the two signs is that your sun sign is determined on the position of the sun at the time of your birth. Similarly, your moon sign is determined by the moon’s position during your birth. Usually, your sun sign and moon sign balance each other out in terms of any extremes that either of the signs may imbibe in you.

The moon moves fairly quickly throughout the 12 zodiac signs and takes around a month to visit all the signs. This is why, unlike your sun sign, identifying your moon sign needs to be very accurate. You cannot know your lunar sign just on the basis of your date of birth. You will need your birth date, the geographic location of where you were born, and the time of your birth to know your exact moon sign. In many astrological theories, the moon represents our emotions, fortune, fame, success, happiness, and comforts. If your moon sign is venerated, you will be healthy, industrious, and respected. If it is weak, then the opposite impact might be seen. So the next time you wonder about how appeasing to your sun sign yielded no results, you might want to consider your moon sign as well.

THE MAGICAL CHARM OF THE MOON

Such is the allure that each one of us feels the enticing need to connect with the moon, to have our deep, inner conversations with it under the blanket of the night sky. This only proves the powerful connections the moon has with us. This phenomenon is a constant reminder that no matter our specialties lying in science, music, art, human health, psychology, spiritualism, astrology, poetry, or painting, whether mythical or biblical, the moon inspires the existence of being. And remembering one such incredible being that reached for the sky and went closer to the moon – Kalpana Chawla, the true moonchild. She was the first Indian-born woman in space, and a role model for not just women around the world, but anyone that dreamt of being an astronaut. Being awarded by NASA with a Congressional Space Medal of Honor, a NASA Space Flight Medal and a NASA Distinguished Service Medal for her contributions to space and science, Kalpana Chawla’s legacy is incomparable and extremely inspiring. Her love for the moon and the stars can be identified from the quote she gave after her very first launch – “When you look at the stars and the galaxy, you feel that you are not just from any particular piece of land, but from the solar system.”

Being a tiny fleck in the magnitude of this universe, we cannot possibly see everything. Sometimes when we think we can see the most is exactly when we are really seeing the least. The universe exists independent of our perception of it. And we can only do our best to interpret those fragments that we perceive. Understand that everyone is working within the same limited perception. You are not lesser because you do not have all the answers. Accept that you would not understand as much as you believe you do as there’s always more. Be ready to learn and change. Be ready to grow and be open to the fullness of the universe like the moon which is always full, it’s just our view that is partial.

“We gazed dreamily at the Milky Way and once in a while caught some shooting stars. Times like those gave me the opportunity to wonder and ask all those very basic questions. That sense of awe for the heavens started there.” – Kalpana Chawla