Everyone has heard of a blue moon—when there are two full moons in one month—but today is just as special, though rarely observed. Today is the Blue New Moon—the second new moon this month. This only happens every 2.7 years, thus the expression “once in a blue moon.”
New moons are traditionally thought of as auspicious times to begin new projects, relationships or start any kind of endeavor, so I am choosing today as the official launch of this blog. Here on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State, it is an appropriately gentle blue day. I was able to enjoy a sunny beach walk this morning with my dog.
my morning on the beach
Because the new moon rises at dawn and sets with the sun, it’s never visible on the day it’s new. By tomorrow or the next evening, look carefully in the western sky soon after sunset and you’ll be rewarded with the magical sight of a slender moon penciled in just above the horizon.
Hook your dreams into the crescent of light that will glow as the sky darkens around you.
click to enlarge
MEDITATION ON THE DAY
High-flying gulls are the first to collect the morning sun.
Quiet morning broken by a fast skiff carving a swath into the water like a knife through a pie of diamonds. But I don’t covet jewels or other symbols of luxury. I have all the natural extravagance I can absorb, spread out before me in this view of land and bay and Strait and islands, in the coming and going of tides against the shore.
A young girl at the far curve of the beach tosses a kite into the morning breeze off the Strait. The bright shape zooms aloft like a gargantuan tropical bird. So what’s the appeal of flying kites? Is it delight in watching something earthbound improbably lift into the air? Is it holding onto the tether, hoping to understand by the gaudy bird’s tugging the essence of flight?
CONTEMPLATIONS
- What rarity might you celebrate today?
- What beginnings are already underway in your life?
- What new thing could you toss skyward or begin today?
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March 21st, 2009 at 7:02 pm
The blue moon is one of my favorite symbols…”once in a blue moon…” - it’s a reminder of the rarities that show up in our lives maybe once, maybe twice…the blue moon is a reminder to treasure those people, experiences, awakenings, moments, and connections which we hold dear, not to take them for granted, since like the blue moon they might not appear very often. Rare, like the blue moon…
March 22nd, 2009 at 8:12 am
Very insightful comment, PG…you have added an important layer of meaning to this idea. In our hyper-rushed world it’s so easy to miss magical moments of connectedness (or for them to disappear into lost memory as soon as they are glimpsed). Reminds me of a line from that ’60s song…Cherish is the word. Maybe we should all take a day each week to unwind, unplug and
s l o w down. Put the Blackberry in a drawer. Let the emails accrue. Walk your dog instead. Plant a maple and watch it grow. Ahhhh.