“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth.”  The Buddha

With luck, and a break in the weather, on February 9^th this year we should be witness to a rather spectacular, and aptly named, full moon – The Super Snow Moon. Just days before we are being pummeled with the wonderful white stuff after which this moon is named. Albert Einstein said: “I like to think that the moon is there even if I am not looking at it.” Believe me, if it is visible, we’ll all be looking at this one!

A full moon hints of magic and begs celebration.  A mixed bag of behaviors accompany full moon lore – sometimes outlandish sometimes silly sometimes dark and dangerous. But are there forces of the moon that cause these behaviors or is it coincidence illuminated by the light of the moon and the unusual attention irresistibly drawn to the night sky. Perhaps the strangeness of the woods or the increase in midnight activity that so many of us report of humans or animals both domestic and wild (lunacy? looney-tunes?) can be rationalized by the fact that we are up and about during moonlit hours. However, if you are reading this, I’m pretty certain you have your own stories to tell of actions or events teased by the moon.

Here in the mountains of the NorthEast, celebration seems to succumb to the magnetic pull of nature. Over a decade ago I was invited to join good friends for a full moon snowshoe. That hike, as well as the brilliantly lit drive back home on a normally dark country road, was so remarkable that to this day I continue to find some way to celebrate as many full moons as possible. Today I plan a hike with my dog and 2 family members to a summit that will give me a 360 view from the lake to the mountains. The moon rises early so I’ll probably hike up in the alpenglow of the sunset and bathe in the light of the moon at the top. At other times I have paddled off the coast of Maine, picnicked in the dark, led a full moon Yin Yoga class or walked along the river. Always I marvel at the speed with which the moon rises. Always I value the opportunity to experience the moon – alone with my pup or with friends or family – with those in my life.

“You cannot look up at the night sky on the Planet Earth and not wonder what it’s like to be up there amongst the stars. And I always look up at the moon and see it as the single most romantic place within the cosmos.” Tom Hanks.

Not surprisingly, contemplation of this natural wonder leads to profound thinking. Significant individually and collectively is the moon’s relentless pattern of cycles. Notable is the Moon’s cool balance of the Sun’s heat, the Yin to the Yang. Though it is easy to consider the full moon to represent culmination, it is equally appropriate to see it as the peak of the lunar cycle – a time for magic – and yet more, to accept the fullness as a beginning, especially with respect to the setting of intention. The moon represents the divine feminine. The hours surrounding its fullness are hours of perspective and introspection, calming and cleansing to the spirit.

This lunar marvel may say it all; it may challenge us to acknowledge possibilities, relinquish completion, recognize abundance and let go of that which we inappropriate cling to and yet no longer need.

Finally, pausing to give the full moon a moment of ourselves is also pausing in connection. After all, aren’t we all? Connected, that is. All living beings, the earth, the universe? May I share a sweet habit with you? I began this as a child with my mother and I continue it regularly with my brother and any of my family members who happen to remember this sappy thing that mom does. Sigh. I look at the full moon and shout out “Hey brother!” And sometime before dawn an email will arrive with a “Hey sis – did you hear me?” Of course.

May you indulge in the Super Snow Moon of 2020 and may you give a shout out to someone you love.

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