The Moon Matters

Do you think you know about the moon? Do you even care about the moon?

In our day to day lives, we rarely take time to look upward at the heavens. The sun rises and sets without any fanfare and the moon is paid little attention with its constant presence in the sky out shined by the sun. But there was a time in history when the MOON MATTERED.

The Next Full Moon is Thursday morning, Oct. 17, 2024, at 7:26 a.m. EDT and it's a Supermoon; the Hunter's Moon; the Travel Moon, the Dying Grass Moon, or the Sanguine or Blood Moon; the start of Sukkoth; Sharad Purnima, Kumara Purnima, Kojagari Purnima, Navanna Purnima Kojagrat Purnima, or Kaumudi Purnima; the end of Vassa and Pavarana; the Thadingyut Festival Moon; the end of the Phaung Daw U Pagoda Festival; and Vap Poya.

According to the Royal Museums Greenwich, the “Hunter's Moon” was named by Native Americans, so named because it gives hunters longer periods of night with which to stalk prey during the fall months. All of the names for this particular moon and related festivals/celebrations would make one believe this moon is special. But this will be the third of four consecutive supermoons (and the brightest by a tiny margin).

The moon has always been viewed and painted in poetry as mysterious. Adding to the mystery of moons is the fact this supermoon is in the month when little ones and adults dress up as ghost, witches, and goblins. Did you know that the word lunatic comes from the Latin luna, because it was believed that people were more likely to exhibit aberrant behavior during a full moon? For many Pagans, the cycles of the moon are important to magical workings. It's believed in some traditions that the waxing moon, the full moon, the waning moon and the new moon all have their own special magical properties. 

Inevitably, sometimes controversially, the moon is associated with fertility, and many believe the moon's influence over love, sex, and reproduction is part of a rhythm seen in the natural world. Does a supermoon make you super sexy, super desirable, or super sexy? Maybe we should be paying more attention to the moon.

When the moon waxes, life is said to grow and abundance is present, whereas desire diminishes during its waning cycle. In New Zealand, Maori myth says that a young girl named Rona displeased the Moon so that he seized her and took her far away to him. Grabbing a tree, she dragged it with her, the tree symbolizing fertility.

In the above folklore, the moon is depicted as male, while in the majority of myths the moon is referred to as female. The moon is a feminine symbol, universally representing the rhythm of time as it embodies the cycles. The phases of the moon symbolize immortality and eternity, enlightenment or the dark side of Nature herself. The Moon is generally thought of as feminine; due to the connection between its phases and a woman's monthly cycles (that's where the term 'menstrual' comes from). As the average length of women's menstrual cycles matches the moon's 29.5-day waxing and waning cycle.

Isis is the moon goddess in Egyptian culture. N"Game is the moon goddess of West Africa. Her name translates to “the shining one.” N’Game was known for creating all of the heavenly bodies. Chang'e, is the moon goddess of China. She was married to Hou Yi, an archer and emperor. Cerridwen, commonly referred to as the dark moon goddess is the Celtic goddess of the underworld. She is the keeper of the cauldron of knowledge.  Artemis is the Greek goddess of the moon, hunting, archery and midwifery. Selene is the goddess of the moon in Greek mythology. Hecate is the moon goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night, ghosts, necromancy and of course, the moon. In the Mayan folklore, Ixchel translates to rainbow woman; she is the goddess of the moon, love, gestation, medicine and textile arts. There are many more moon goddesses, too many to name here.

Not only does the moon hold myth and mystery, but it has also crossed into our expressions. The expression "once in a Blue Moon" is derived from the rarity of the event, as it is a second full moon in a calendar month, occurring only every two to three years. There are also many people who incorporate the phases of the moon into spiritual practices and moon bathe.

A moon bath is a ritual that involves immersing oneself in the moon's energy during specific phases of the moon. It's a spiritual practice that's believed to help people connect with nature, find balance, and improve their overall well-being. Moon bathing was an ancient Indian practice that involved going outside and standing or laying under the moonlight to benefit from its healing properties. Instead of going outside like ancient Indians, today's moon bathers prefer the privacy of the warm waters of their bathtub, along with bath salts, candles, essential oils, and soothing music.

Many cultures believe the moon possesses the ability to cleanse and reset, making it a significant time for rituals and wishes. One popular belief is that wishes made under a full moon have a higher chance of coming true. People create "moon water" by leaving a glass container filled with water under the moon's light overnight, believing that it becomes charged with the moon's energy and can be used for various purposes.

In the Philippines, it is believed that no marriage should take place except during the period of the full moon, as good fortune comes only during that period. There’s also the superstition that exposing your newborn to the waxing moon will give the baby strength. Meanwhile, the Irish believe viewing the new moon through glass should be avoided, and that even the position of the new moon is important; for luck the new moon should be seen over the right shoulder, never the left.

No matter whether you pay the gray heavenly body any attention or not these days, it continues to maintain its magic and allure. No romantic evening is complete without a full shining moon and twinkling stars. Farmers no longer rely solely on the phases or stages of the moon for planting, but modern science and weather forecasts. The goddesses have long fell out of favor and few superstitions/myths remain. But the moon is always glorious. Just look up tonight.

And with the airwaves and internet flooded with politics, you may find some relief from the negative energy by going out tonight under the beautiful full Hunter's Moon and soaking up some moon rays to rid yourself of the negative energy. The chances are slim you will turn into a werewolf as many believed in the past happened during a full moon. But it is the month of ghosts and goblins, who knows what may happen.

Here are a few more beliefs about the moon.

The first time you see a crescent moon for the month, take all your spare coins out of your pocket, and put them in the other pocket. This will ensure good luck for the next month.

Some people believe that the fifth day after a full moon is the perfect time to try to conceive a child.

In some Chinese religions, offerings are made to the ancestors on the night of a full moon.

In some Native American legends, the moon is held captive by a hostile tribe. A pair of antelope hope to rescue the moon and take it the village of a good tribe, but Coyote, the trickster, interferes. The antelope chase Coyote, who tosses the moon into a river each night, just out of reach of the antelope.

The night of the full moon is believed to be a good time for divination and scrying. 

It is unlucky to have a full Moon on Sunday.

It is unlucky to see the first sliver of a new Moon through a window; you'll break a dish. And it's certainly unlucky to sleep in the moonlight, or worse, be born in the moonlight! 

It is unlucky to point at the new Moon or view any Moon over your shoulder.

Trump Will Be Mean To You For Me

ARE YOU SURPRISED AT THE REASONS PEOPLE SAY WHY THEY ARE VOTING FOR TRUMP? 

Ask undecided voters or supporters of Trump and you will get answers regarding the economy and how they were better off during his presidency. But come on, who really believes that?

Trump has crossed every level of decency. Several marriages and affairs, people filing lawsuits against him to get money for services rendered, phony universities making promises of education, sexual assaults, and the list of unethical behavior goes on and on.

Republicans stand behind family values. How can people with conservative values listen to a man insult, mock, and demean everyone at a whim? He encourages those who listens to him to be fearful or at least aggressive in their beliefs. Trump has made a recent call for a “violent day” of policing as part of his plan to push cops to be as brutal as possible and shield them from accountability. Trump, in Erie, Pennsylvania, called for shoplifters to face “one really violent day” and “one rough hour” at the hands of the police, arguing that it was Democratic policy to coddle offenders, and that taking the gloves off in the fight against street crime was the only way to render communities safe again. Trump called for “one real rough, nasty” and “violent day” of police retaliation in order to eradicate crime “immediately.”

Of course, this is not the first time Trump advocated for AGGRESSIVE or violent behavior. On 6 January, thousands of Trump supporters gathered at a "Save America" rally organized to challenge the result of last November's presidential election. In a 70-minute address, Mr. Trump exhorted them to march on Congress where politicians had met to certify Democrat Joe Biden's win. The attack began moments after he took the applause. He told those gathered, "You don't concede when there's theft involved. Our country has had enough. We will not take it anymore." He continued, "If you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore."

He criminalizes ALL immigrants, legal and illegal such as Mexicans and Haitians. His comments regarding women are sexist and misogynistic. Even before he became president, Mr. Trump had a history of controversial comments about women. His comments in a 2005 Access Hollywood tape about grabbing women "by the pussy" are perhaps the most notorious and made headlines in 2016. His attacks on women are countless.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: "She doesn't have the look. She doesn't have the stamina, I said she doesn't have the stamina, and I don't believe she does have the stamina."

Former Republican presidential hopeful Carly Fiorina: "Look at that face! Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that the face of our next president?"

Senator Elizabeth Warren: "Goofy Elizabeth Warren, one of the least productive US Senators, has a nasty mouth."

Journalist Megyn Kelly: "You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes. Blood coming out of her wherever."

Assault accuser E Jean Carroll: "No 1, she's not my type. No 2, it never happened. It never happened, OK?"

Rosie O'Donnell: "She's a slob. How does she even get on television? If I were running The View, I'd fire Rosie. I'd look her right in that fat, ugly face of hers and say, 'Rosie, you're fired.'"

Ivanka Trump: "She does have a very nice figure. I've said if Ivanka weren't my daughter perhaps I'd be dating her."

Former White House aide Omarosa Newman: "When you give a crazed, crying lowlife a break, and give her a job at the White House, I guess it just didn't work out."

Donald Trump has a PATTERN. He's NASTY! He will say the most DEBASED things imaginable. He has no regard for rules of CIVILITY, ETHICS, or MORALS and people LOVE IT because he will be MEAN to people FOR them. There is no other conclusion to draw when a man has ATTACKED or OFFENDED almost everyone he has come into contact with. People of color who are successful are called DEI hires. DEI stands for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, which are concepts that are often used together because they are interconnected. They are a philosophy and culture that aims to create a more just society by acknowledging, supporting, and embracing people of all backgrounds.

Trump does what the average person cannot do without repercussions. The RACIST in his/her rural countryside cannot or may not have a minority they can openly tell GO BACK TO YOUR OWN COUNTRY. “Mass deportation now!” is a catchphrase for the Trump presidential campaign, as the Republican nominee proposes a crackdown on immigration that would oust thousands of undocumented people. “We’re going to have the largest deportation,” Trump said at a June campaign rally in Racine, Wisconsin. “We have no choice.” The crowd responded with a chant: “Send them back. Send them back. Send them back.” Even in modern times, there is a lingering sentiment that AMERICANS who are Black, should return to Africa even though Africa has never been their homeland. 

The average man (not all) who has a woman supervisor or boss would love to say she slept her way to the top as Trump insinuates Democratic Presidential candidate Kamala Harris has. Trump reposted a photo of arguably the two most ACCOMPLISHED politicians in America, Hillary Clinton and Vice President Kamala Harris. The photo was accompanied by a caption that is almost unspeakably vile, suggesting that the vice president of the United States slept her way to the top. 

Republican nominee Donald Trump has called Harris "dumb as a rock" and repeatedly — presumably intentionally — mispronounced her first name.  Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director, doubled down: “Kamala Harris is, by all accounts, dumb as a rock. Even minorities like myself know that. She is weak, failed, and dangerously liberal,” he told NBC News.

Supporters of Trumps says he speaks for the AVERAGE man. Is THIS how the average man or people want to be represented? The answer is YES. There is no other reason to vote for such a man. Trump is needed to do what the average man is unable to do, be NASTY, MEAN, SEXIST, and yes, RACIST.

He has NO policies to make America better and RAMBLES about inconsequential topics when not BRAGGING about himself. In January, for example, he once described using an iron dome missile defense system as “ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding… Boom. Okay. Missile launch. Whoosh. Boom.” Trump: "I HAVE A CHART THAT'S MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE. I love tha..... is it around? .... is it around ... *wanders off and hugs the air* ... I sleep with that chart every night. I kiss it. I love it." “They’re going to take over a lot more than Aurora, Colorado, they’re going to go through Colorado, take over the whole damn state, unless … I become president.” Just google some of his speeches. No economic plan anywhere.

Even his supporters are leaving his rallies early. They have heard his usual speeches calling people out of their names and saying how BAD they are for America. He is not saying anything that matters for their daily lives. But he does say the things about others they want to say but can't get away with the way Trump does. Those who do stay to the end of his lengthy rallies wait anxiously for his INSULTS to fly. They can count on Trump to be mean FOR THEM.

Even Trump knows the only thing he has to offer is stand-up comedy at the expense of decent people. If Trump loses the 2024 presidential election, who will do the dirty work for Republicans? Will the UGLINESS demonstrated and applauded by the Right go quietly back into shadows and whispers of private homes and select circles? When the man chosen by the Right for his distasteful rhetoric is REPLACED (hopefully) by the JOY the Kamala/Walz ticket offer, what will become of those who cheered a man who once told the Proud Boys (The Proud Boys is a North American all-male, far-right, neo-fascist militant organization that promotes and engages in political violence) to "stand back and stand by"? Proud Boys members accounted for the highest number of extremist arrestees in relation to the insurrection (January 6th) with over 57 members and affiliates of chapters across the country arrested to date. 

Many people hate the term 'Politically Correct' because it means putting forth effort not to offend people. Not being able to say what you really want to say. I believe political correctness has been used when describing Donald Trump's supporters. It is not opinion that Donald Trump is corrupt, unethical, narcissistic, racist, criminal, and only concerned with his time in the spotlight. If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it's a duck. There is NO DOUBT who Donald Trump is and who are loyal to him.

The 78-year-old is the first former president in US history to be criminally convicted, having been found guilty of falsifying business records. Federal prosecutors allege he pressured officials to reverse the results, knowingly spread lies about election fraud and sought to exploit the Capitol riot on 6 January 2021 to delay the certification of Mr. Biden's victory and stay in power. He's been charged with four criminal counts, including conspiracy to defraud the US and conspiracy against the rights of citizens.

Trump made a payment to the adult-film actress Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 election. Ms. Daniels was paid $130,000 (£103,000) to keep quiet about her claim that she had sex with Trump, which he denies. Providing so-called hush-money is not illegal. The jurors deliberated over two days before finding the former president guilty of all 34 counts of fraud under campaign finance laws.

Trump and some 18 other defendants are accused of criminally conspiring to overturn his very narrow defeat in the state of Georgia in the 2020 election. The racketeering investigation, led by Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis, was sparked in part by a leaked phone call in which the former president asked the state's top election official to "find 11,780 votes". Trump was hit with 13 criminal counts, subsequently reduced to 10. They include one alleged violation of Georgia's Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (Rico).

Finally, Trump will be tried to see if he mishandled classified documents by taking them from the White House to his Mar-a-Lago residence after he left office. The case against Trump is also about whether he obstructed the FBI's efforts to retrieve the files, as well as the criminal investigation into his handling of them. The majority of the counts are for the willful retention of national defense information, which falls under the Espionage Act. There are then eight individual counts, which include conspiracy to obstruct justice, withholding a document or record and making false statements. Trump has pleaded not guilty on all counts.

It's time to come clean REPUBLICANS, MAGA, FAR RIGHT, and CONSERVATIVES who CONTINUE to support such a man. The only reason you still support him is because HE WILL BE MEAN TO PEOPLE FOR YOU and you're spending a lot of time putting lipstick on a PIG. America sees you.