THE POWER & BEAUTY OF MOONS

Our moon inspires art, literature, poetry, music, and adventure, as it’s done for thousands of years.

The power of its gravity to pull the tides, the rhythms of its steady cycles, the morphing shape, the changing light, affects everything always. We mark its time. The phases of the moon symbolize immortality and eternity.

The moon, as a timekeeper, first appears in the literature of the great world religions in the 4th century BC.

Sometimes it’s paper thin. Sometimes it’s pale and wan. Sometime it’s a giant cosmic orb that seems like it comes from another universe entirely.

The glow, sometimes orange, other times yellow or white, depending on the moon’s angle and the relative atmosphere, shines and reflects, without illuminating all of its secrets.

Moonbeams and moonshadows, moon dances and moonlit romances, the moon pulls at our souls as it pulls at our oceans

Goethe was a great lover of moonlit walks, as we read in his travel journal Italian Journey. Van Morrison loves to moondance.  

While poets, songwriters, artists, writers, and other cultural beacons who are moved by the beauty of the moon are too numerous to mention, we’ve curated a few passionate ideas to inspire you. Check them out below.

“Yeah we all shine on, like the moon, and the stars, and the sun.”

-- John Lennon, “Instant Karma!”

“I still say, 'Shoot for the moon; you might get there.”

-- Buzz Aldrin

“The moon puts on an elegant show, different every time in shape, colour and nuance.”

-- Arthur Smith

“I've never seen a moon in the sky that, if it didn't take my breath away, at least misplaced it for a moment.”

-- Colin Farrell

“For me at age 11, I had a pair of binoculars and looked up to the moon, and the moon wasn't just bigger, it was better. There were mountains and valleys and craters and shadows. And it came alive.”

-- Neil deGrasse Tyson

“Well, it's a marvelous night for a moondance

With the stars up above in your eyes

A fantabulous night to make romance

'Neath the cover of October skies”

-- Van Morrison, “Moondance”

“Moonlight drowns out all but the brightest stars.”

-- J.R.R. Tolkien, “The Lord of the Rings.”

“Do not swear by the moon, for she changes constantly, then your love would also change.”

--  William Shakespeare, “Romeo and Juliet.”

“It is a beautiful and delightful sight to behold the body of the Moon.”

-- Galileo Galilei, "From Doubt to Astonishment."

“I ignored your aura but it grabbed me by the hand, like the moon pulled the tide, and the tide pulled the sand.”

-- Talib Kweli

“Moonlight is sculpture; sunlight is painting.”

-- Nathaniel Hawthorne

Read more about Beautiful Moons in Rare Beauty: October Harvest Moon.

And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Mind/Body, Soul/Impact, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Arts/Design, and Place/Time, Daily Fix posts.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: by Paean Ng. “Moonset Under the Stars.” Naturaliste, WA.
2. Image: by junaidrao. Full moon over Mt. Jefferson. Detroit, Oregon.
3. Image: by NASA Johnson. “STS-126 Space Shuttle Endeavour Launch.” Cape Canaveral, FL.
4. Image: by Sabrina Campagna. “Full Moon/Lunar Perigee in Double Exposure.” Campania, Italy.
5. Image: by Ashala Tylor. “Moonrise Over The Sand Dunes.” Morro Bay, CA.
6. Image: by Galileo Orbiter. “Moon - False Color Mosaic.” Courtesy of NASA/JPL.
7. Image: by Matthias Buehler. “Dancing with fire.”
8. Image: by Maltz Evans. “Beautiful pictures.”
9. Image: by John Flannery. “Moon Set.”
10. Image: by Expedition 28 crew. “Hovering on the Horizon.” Courtesy of NASA Earth Observatory.
11. Image: by Jimmy Baikovicius. “The Hand, Full Moon and Dancing Girl.” Punta del Este. Maldonado, Uruguay.
12. Image: by Jack. “Neon moon.” Austin, Texas.
13. Image: by Rafael Edwards. “Moondance.” Maitencillo, Chile.
14. Image: by Oleg Zdorik. “In the shadow of the moon she danced in the starlight.” Samui, Thailand.
15. Image: by BN App - Download now!
16. Image: by junaidrao. Full moon rises during midnight sun. Leknes, Norway.