Why the Moon?

The moon has always had a sway over me. I love learning about it, reading about its mysteries, experiencing it daily, and celebrating its monthly fullness. I also realized that since this January, I am writing about reflection, that there is no greater reflector than the moon.

Are we like the Moon's surface?

The moon does not have its own light source. Its reflective beauty is nothing more than the sunlight reflected upon its surface with a bit of a little something else called “earthshine.” And this got me wondering. Are we, too, like the moon's surface, reflecting other’s light that shines upon us?

Reflect like the Moon's surface

My answer is unequivocal yes. Remember the old saying: Tell me who your friends are, and I will tell you who you are. Hmmmmm. So true because friends, especially good friends, cast a light on you. Or not. Just think when a friend sucks up all the light in the room, either through ego or through basic thoughtlessness. How do you feel? No pun intended, but none of us want to be in that person’s orbit.

Yet a kind friend, one who supports you, one who is happy to let you shine, and that he/she themselves are a beacon of light because they radiate an inner light that illuminates everyone around them; those are friends we all want. We are happy to be moons with suns reflecting upon us.

The Importance of Self-Reflection Practice

I want to finish my blog by telling you an old tale: The moon wanted to learn to dance, but being so large, it thought dancing was impossible. It rotated around the Earth, watching people dancing in its silver light, and oh, how she wished she could dance. One day the moon looked down over the ocean and noticed its own reflection swaying in the waves. She was dancing. The ocean, an unlikely dance partner, reflected the moon. The ocean has always reflected the moon, but it took the moon to notice that fact.