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The Moon

Our natural satellite and her mysterious affect on our behavior.

By Heather FalsettiPublished 3 years ago 10 min read
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The Moon
Photo by mohammad reza razmpour on Unsplash

In cultures around the world, studying the moon and stars was a way to tell time. It was important to keep a planting schedule in agriculture, to foretell the coming of the seasons, and the phases of our Moon also helped as a way to keep track of time on a daily basis.

In respect to the astrological archetypes, our Moon is considered the divine feminine, while our Sun is the divine masculine. The names of our Moon, or "Great Goddess," varies by culture. In Greek mythology, Hekate was Goddess of the Moon and the Underworld. A deity for witchcraft, crossroads, and creatures of the night, she was capable of both good and evil. The coming of Hekate was foretold by the barking and howling of dogs. The ancient Babylonian's called her Ishtar. Some of their myths have described the Moon Goddess as Ishtar's mother and Ishtar a deity for the planet Venus.

The Ancient Roman's Latin word for moon, "Luna," was also the root for the English words "Lunar" and "Lunatic", and the Egyptians called her Isis. They didn't just worship her as an Egyptian deity of the moon either. Powerful Isis was also their Sun Goddess. The ancient Maya called her Ix Chel and she was a lover to their Sun God. Ix Chel was a deity of childbirth, and snakes were her totem animal.

Then we have the Aztec, who discovered the Pyramid of the Moon. They had a couple of different names for their Moon Goddess, who became quite popular in Central Mexico. One was the wife of Storm God Tlaloc and her name was Xochhiquetzal, a patroness of childbirth, pregnancy, artisans, and prostitution. Also their deity of marriage, spring, flowers, love and sex, it's easy to see why some Aztec's worshiped this Moon Goddess! They also worshiped Teczistecatl, who was another Moon Goddess of Sex, and the four phases of the moon (dark, waxing, full, and waning) were often used to symbolize her.

The Moon

Unknown artist's depiction of the full moon

The age of our moon was measured by studying lunar rocks, and at 4.6 billion years old, it's estimated to be just a bit younger than Earth. At some point, after Earth formed, an object that was probably a rogue planet roughly the size of Mars hit us. The chunks from both, which weren't instantly vaporized on impact, broke off. They eventually gathered together and became our moon.

Over the billions of years, Earth's spin has slowed because the moon moves further and further from its average distance of 238,900 miles from us. Every year the moon's distance from Earth gains by approximately 1.5 inches. Traveling in its orbit around us at a speed of about 2,300 miles per hour, it takes our moon about 27.3 days to spin on its axis. This is about the same amount of time it takes the moon to orbit Earth. In 50 billion years, the moon will take about 47 days to travel around us. But way before that time, scientists say in about 5 billion years, the Sun will become a red giant. Both Earth and the moon will probably be incinerated as the Sun swells in size. Luckily, human life may not even exist on Earth by then.

The Pyramid of the Moon

The Aztec's discovered the ancient Mesoamerican city Teotihuacan, or "City of the Gods," in the 1300s. It had already been abandoned by its inhabitants but had early irrigation systems and obsidian deposits which were highly valued at the time. First formed between 150 BCE and 200 CE, the original name of the city has yet to be deciphered. Teotihuacan had its own writing system that used dates and names, almost like the Mayan writing system. The location of the "City of the Gods" in the basin of Central Mexico was utilized and turned into a flourishing hub. It boasted a population of 200,000 at its peak, between 375 CE-500 CE. To this day, no one has discovered exactly why the largest buildings were deliberately set afire around 600 CE. The original city lasted only another century or two, as some of its pre-Mayan inhabitants lingered until it eventually became abandoned.

Pyramid of the Moon - historyhub.com

The three pyramids of Teotihuacan were built for the deities related to irrigation, agriculture, and fertility. The largest pyramid is called "The Pyramid of the Sun" and the smallest was dedicated to a feathered serpent that was depicted in Teotihuacan art and known to the Aztec's as Quetzalcoatl.

Dedicated to The Great Goddess of fertility, water, creation, and Earth, the second-largest pyramid was called 'The Pyramid of the Moon'. Archaeologists have found remains of human and animal sacrifices for rituals performed meant to appease the Gods and Goddesses that were mostly related to rain and creation in the arid environment. Human sacrificial rituals were most often used to maintain order within the social structure of these ancient civilizations.

It's interesting to note that the bases of both the Pyramid of the Sun and the Great Pyramid of Giza measure identically! The three pyramids of Teotihuacan and the pyramid trio in Giza are not only identically aligned with each other, but both complexes (that are continents apart and in civilizations that had zero contact with each other) are believed to also reflect the positioning of the three stars in the belt of the constellation for Orion. Of course, that could be just a conspiracy theory. According to writer Derek Hitchins, the architectural design of the pyramids in Giza has nothing to do with Orion's belt. I happen to like what an article written about 'Fingerprints of the Gods' author Graham Hancock detailed in his most ingenious of conclusions: That the three stars in Orion's belt rise and fall directly above their corresponding pyramid in a 26,000-year cycle! No matter the position of Earth, which tilts back and forth on its axis while it rotates, the stars above the pyramids remain over their specific pyramid. The stars travel up and hit their peak after 13,000 years. Then they take 13,000 years to travel back down. What else did ancient civilizations have to do but design and hire builders for giant monuments dedicated to life, death, and rebirth? It isn't like they had televisions and other forms of modern entertainment! Their lives revolved around keeping order, maintaining food supplies, and looking up at the sky for signs of pleasure (or displeasure) from their Gods and Goddesses.

More than Just a Pretty Face:

Phases of the Moon - wikihow.com

Contrary to popular belief, the moon actually DOES spin around its own axis. It is in such perfect synchronicity with Earth, we only assume it doesn't. The lunar side that faces away from us, which has only ever been photographed from space, is lovingly referred to as the "far side" or "the dark side" of the moon. Only during a new moon does the Sun hit the lunar side, which usually only happens once a month. The shape of the moon seems to change due to its position relative to the Sun reflecting from its surface, like during a crescent moon phase. A new moon occurs when it comes directly between us and the Sun.

Black Supermoons and Full Supermoons:

There was a rare new moon occurrence on July 31, 2019. It was called a Black Supermoon. During a new moon, the sunshine hits the dark side of the moon that we never see. The Supermoon effect happens because the moon swings the closest to Earth in what astronomers and astrologists refer to as a 'perigee'. A lunar 'apogee' is the farthest distance away from us. Every new and full moon is an alignment called 'syzygy', according to this article at C/Net. There were two Black Supermoons in one month, and then a third in September of 2019, according to this article link by EarthSky. New moons generally can't be seen unless you have special stargazing equipment because the shadow side is facing us.

Here's a National Geographic article link which states that the main cause of the rise and fall of our tides (which happens twice a day) is due to the moon's gravitational pull on Earth. This gravitational pull causes two bulges of water in our Oceans. The strongest pull, bringing the highest tide, is the bulge closest to the moon. The lowest tide, from the weakest pull, is the bulge on the opposite side of Earth, farthest away from the moon's tug. So whether we have a black supermoon or a full supermoon, both are close to us and both has an effect on our planet.

The water in our bodies make up about 60% of our body weight. I don't know about you, but I wonder if we are all becoming a dehydrated species? I thought we contained more water than that! In particular, one group of people have seen firsthand accounts of the rise in strange behavior during a full moon. That group of people who brace for that full moon effect, which has long since been known for plaguing humanity (and werewolves!) for thousands of years, is none other than the nurses, doctors and other staff at hospitals, as well as those who work in police departments. Just check out this article link written by the Wall Street Journal! It's only a dollar per week to subscribe if you aren't already. I don't get anything for plugging that link, but I do read it a lot online and use their articles frequently in my blogs. There are also plenty of healthcare professionals who think that any belief in the rise of human activity due to a full moon is just subconscious conditioning.

Personally, I really enjoyed this article on 5 ways the moon may affect our health. You can read my blogs on Astrology & Skincare on how to use the phases and transits of the moon for a better beauty routine!

According to my favorite site on moon phases, lunaf.com, the moon will be totally black on May 11, 2021, during a Taurus transit. The next full moon will be on May 26, 2021, and the moon will be transiting through Sagittarius. I guess we can all relax until then! Lunaf will also let you know at what times the expected moonrise and moonset will be, how much of the moon is illuminated, when the tides will be and also what distance the moon is from Earth. It also has some daily information on the Sun as well. Since we have two weeks until the next full moon, grab your binoculars or telescope because the darkness from a new moon is the best time to check out the night sky for meteorite showers!

Lunar and Solar Eclipses:

When the Earth is between the Sun and Moon, we get a lunar eclipse. On May 26, 2021 we will have a total lunar eclipse while our Moon is traveling through Sagittarius. It will be a Sagittarius Full Moon and as long as it's viewed at night this lunar eclipse will be safe to watch. Coincidentally, this will also be a very rare Blood Supermoon. The partially obscured moon will appear bigger than usual and turn an orange-reddish hue as the moon passes through the Earth's shadow. This May full moon is also known as the Flower Moon.

A Blood Moon occurs every two to three years, and depending on how much atmospheric pollution and debris that Earth has, looks very impressive.

A Solar Eclipse happens when the moon is between the Sun and Earth. The Sun gets blocked by the moon. These are NOT the eclipses to ever, EVER view with the naked eye! A Solar Eclipse happens during the day and viewing one has been scientifically proven to damage the retina of the eye. Special glasses, or using a mirror to view it indirectly, are two safe ways to view a solar eclipse. You can check timeanddate.com to stay informed on solar and lunar eclipses.

Solar eclipses always occurs about two weeks before or after a lunar eclipse. On June 10, 2021 there will be a solar eclipse while the new moon is transiting Gemini. This Gemini New Moon will be a partial eclipse visible to the United States, Europe, and Northern Asia. For those in Russia, Greenland, and North Canada it will be a total eclipse.

If you're interested in more astrology, check out this link for Darkstar Astrology so you can stay up-to-date on all the astrological info of the new moon and full moon transits during 2021. After all, ancient human civilizations used the moon's position in the night sky for their daily life, why not begin something new (even though it's really, REALLY old!) during 2021?

If you enjoyed what you read then don't forget to click the 'heart' icon! Tips of any amount are always appreciated! You can tip me here on vocal or you can buy me a coffee at my page on kofi.com!

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About the Creator

Heather Falsetti

Independent Consultant for The Body Shop At Home USA and blogger about Astrology and Skincare

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