the moon is a mirror suspended over the sea
Somewhere between the real world and fairyland, where the actual and the imaginary may meet, and each imbue itself with the nature of the other
– Nathaniel Hawthorne
The magic of the moon lies in its unapproachability. It’s aloof up there, isn’t it? Throbbing alone on an elevated plane, basking haughtily in its distant luminosity. It strikes our sensibilities as at once brooding, enigmatic, benevolent, wise. It contains within its contours the nostalgia of the ages, a watchful solitude, a stillness in the chaos. If the moon were cast as a character on a stage she would be tragic, riddled with delusions of grandeur and dark corners of emotional discontent hidden from the light she outwardly projects.
With this in mind, it’s evident why the moon has occupied such a hallowed place in every strand of human thought, creation, and imagination. Mythology, art history, architecture, religion. All have been brushed with the trembling touch of the moon. Today we’ll take a look at some fascinating mementos of our cultural obsession with the moon. Many of these delightful wisps of lunar arcana are inspired by the terrific book Nocturne, by Robert Attlee.
The words lunacy and lunatic originate from the Roman moon goddess Luna.
“The horror with which the moon imbued me seemed to nest itself eternally and hopelessly within me”
– Walter Benjamin, A Berlin Childhood
Full moon making us all a little off kilter? There is a long heritage behind this well worn old wives tale. In 18th century England those accused of a crime could request a lighter sentence if the crime occurred during a full moon
“I borrow moonlight for this journey of a million miles”
– Ikaru Saikaku
It was the year 1820. Astronomer Franz von Paula Gruithuisen claimed that he saw entire cities and urban dwellings on the moon. There was an advanced society of lunarians up there wiling away their days according to Gruithuisen and despite eye rolls heard around the world there are still proponents of his sightings today.
“Moon illuminated magic night, holding every mind enthralled, wonderful fairy tale world, rise up in ancient splendour.”
– Ludwig Tiech, Kaiser Oktavianus
Legends and folkloric traditions from Native American myth to Buddhism speak of a rabbit that dwells on the moon.
The Inuit peoples believe that the daily cycle of the moon is owed to the moon god Anningan’s constant pursuit of the sun goddess. The daily setting of the sun is due to endless his chase across the sky.
“The moon became mind and entered the heart”
– Aitareya Upanishad
The tradition of scrying the moon has a foundation in the times of the Ancient Egyptians. The Book of the Dead references Hathor’s magic mirror, which was used to uncover the secrets of the future
“I cast the brush aside. From here on, i’ll speak to the moon face to face”
– Koha
Celtic seers, part of a longstanding pagan tradition, were said to have visions brought upon by the occult magic of dark stones, in tandem with the moon.
The practice of scrying the moon saw a resurgence during the medieval and renaissance periods in Europe as a fascination with magical philosophy and the hermetic traditions took hold of the popular imagination
“But i’ll play with moon and shadow, joyful, til Spring ends.”
– Li Po Drinking Alone Under the Moon
The Arabic word Samar conjures up enchanting evening conversation, weaving together the sense of ‘dark colour’ with the pleasure you get from opening up to the mysterious other, all the while being stimulated by moonlight
“More heavenly than those glittering stars we hold the eternal eyes which the night hath opened within us
– Novalis, Hymn to the Night
In Japanese, the circle (enso) is a symbol in zen that refers to the void and the enlightenment. The full moon of autumn is a reminder of the transitory nature of all things
“The moon hangs in the vacant, wide constellations”
– Tu Fu
The Extollagers: to the villagers who came across the group of British Romantic artists in the early 1800s, walking through woods or moonlit fields, reciting mysterious incantations as they went, they were the extollagers; divining the future from the stars
“It was a year ago i climbed this hill in terrible distress to gaze on you; and you were hanging then above that wood as you do now, suffusing it with light // Because my life was full of anguish then- and is, nor has it changed, o moon of my delight”
– Leopardi
