FanStory.com - Earth's Magnificent Moon by BethShelby

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"Earth's Magnificent Moon"

Chapter 1
Earth's Moon

By BethShelby

Amazing is Earth's moon above
Beacon in the dark of night
Compelling tides to rise and fall
Dishing out the evening light

Enticing lovers with its glow
Following the orbit’s trail
Growing brighter as it cycles
High above the hill and vale.

In the first phase, called the new moon
Just the dark moon can be seen
Keep on searching for a sliver
Like a crescent on the scene

Moving on, we have first-quarter
Now, the right half’s on display
On till even more is showing
Putting fourth-stage into sway.

Quite a vision when the full moon
Rides above in Eastern sky
Shining from the sun’s reflection
Till there’s shadows by and by.

Until the twenty-seventh day
Views of light, the moon arranges
While all eight cycles compete with
Xanadu-like exchanges

Young as a new moon; old as Earth
Zenith of the sky since birth.

Chapter 2
Wolf Moon of Winter

By BethShelby

The moon is high; its fullness on the rise.
Despite the freezing cold, the night has eyes.
A lone owl flits its way across the sky.
Wee creatures scurry, fearing they may die
The owl is hungry more than he is wise.

He dives and claims his prey; the creature cries.
The light enabled him to see his prize.
The howls of winter wolves still amplify.

The moon is high

What people name full moons is some surprise
Wolves may howl more the first month, some surmise.
It seems to me it could be just a lie.
I don’t believe there’re facts to justify.
The wolf alone would know if this applies.
The moon is high.

Chapter 3
February's Snow Moon

By BethShelby

The moon of February is called Snow.
Its fullest stage is on the sixteenth day.
Is there some meaning we may need to know?
“Renewal of the spirit,” shamans say.

’It’s time to reset and evaluate.”
Perhaps we all should do that anyway.
We need no moon to tell us of our fate,
but new directions could come into play.

The last three years have made us seek a change.
We’re tired of masks and sheltering in place.
The way our world is trending seems so strange,
but surely answers won't come out of space.

Enjoy the moon, no matter what its name.
If things get worse, the moon is not to blame.

Author Notes Mystics believe there are astrological prophecies connected with the each moon. The 'Snow moon' is supposed to be a time of renewal, to reset and evaluate.

Chapter 4
Worm Moon of March

By BethShelby

Worm Moon will soon be in the sky
On March 18th it will be full
Rise up and shine and don’t be shy
Mark down that day and feel the pull.

Make plans to start the season right
One day you’ll see the earth in bloom
Once days grow longer than the night
New light will take away the gloom

Oracles claim the spirit’s strong
For those who love, and do no wrong

March means the ground with start to thaw
And bird’s dig earthworms from the straw
Rise up and see the joy you’ll bring
Call all your friends to dance and sing
High in the sky’s the moon of spring

Author Notes In 2022, the spring equinox occurs on Sunday, March 20. This event marks the astronomical first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and the start of the spring season. Spiritual prophecy: "Your light is needed. Your unique energy is needed. Your passions are needed. Your perspectives are needed. As you stand up, you take us with you. As you stand in your light, you light up the world."

Chapter 5
Pink Moon of April

By BethShelby

Pink is the name we call this month’s full moon.
On day sixteen of April, she’ll arise.
Pink phlox, like paint chips, over pastures strewn
are reasons that her name aptly applies.

Libra links with the lunar orb this year,
sprinkling resolve and seeds of sweet accord.
Show love and patience without any fear,
and budding friendships soon will be explored.

Our moon tells us when Easter falls each year.
It’s complicated how we learn the date.
Some wonder how the time could be unclear
and why the change of days we celebrate.

We need to measure from Spring’s equinox.
The Sunday past the first full moon is key.
The month may vary, but it’s orthodox,
and shows us how this date has come to be.

A lovely moon floats in our skies at night.
No matter what the name, embrace the light.

Author Notes Easter may fall between March 22 and April 25. This was all worked out by bishops in 325 A.D. and was based on the Gregorian calendar The decision was Easter would be the Sunday after the first full moon past the venal equinox in March. Since the lunar cycle has less days than our month, the day the moon becomes full varies each month. The full moon around Passover is called the Paschal moon. This month our moon will become full on the day before Easter.
The April full moon this year is is under the influence of the constellation Libra.

Chapter 6
May's Full Moon is Special

By BethShelby

May gifts our planet with the flower moon.
A special treat will grace our night skies soon.
A blood moon comes mid-month for all to see.
Eclipses were thought signs of things to be.

When Earth blocks out the sun, the moon turns red.
There isn't anything for us to dread.
If you’re not superstitious, you'll be fine.
Enjoy it as a gift from the Divine.

The May moon is called the flower moon for the obvious reason that May is a time when we have an abundance of flowers blooming. This year between the 15th and 16th, we will have a special treat when the moon is full, Our moon will go into a total lunar eclipse between midnight and one a.m. It should be visible over the Americas, Antarctica, Western Europe, Africa and the eastern Pacific. Other parts of the world will see a partial eclipse.

In times past, eclipses were viewed with superstition and the belief they were omens which portended evil or disaster. Some have taken eclipses as signs of Bible prophecy and end of the world. There are prophetic verses which speak of the moon appearing like blood. Smoke from a forest fires or volcanos could also give the moon the red color of blood.

Europeans in the Middle Ages thought there should be no sexual activity during a lunar eclipse, because any “moon children” would be born with ugly demons inside them. A modern superstition also has it that a pregnant woman shouldn’t touch her belly during a lunar eclipse. Doing so would cause the baby to be born with a birthmark. She shouldn't touch anything sharp during the eclipse or this might cause a deformity. One woman claimed, because she failed to heed the warning, her baby was born with a finger missing.

There is a story about Columbus tricking the natives, who were refusing to give him food, into believing he could cause the moon to go dark, unless they gave him what he needed. He knew a lunar eclipse would soon occur, and when his threat came to pass, they were frightened by his amazing power and gave him what he needed.

The Incas, the Hopi Indians, and other cultures had many legends that indicated some giant beast had attacked the moon causing it to bleed.

Today we know a lunar eclipse happens when the Earth moves into a position directly between the moon and the sun, which causes the sun’s light to cast Earth’s shadow over the moon’s surface, darkening the moon in the process.

I read something this morning about the moon which I found interesting. Scientists say Earth is losing water because the moon is stealing water during a five-day period each month when the moon passes through the earth's magnetosphere. This is a period when the water vapor can be siphoned by the moon. The article stated there is as much as 840 cubic miles of water in the form of ice on the moon, and most of it came from earth.

It has been a while since I witnessed a lunar eclypse, so I hope the sky will be free of clouds that night. If we miss this one, we will have another chance this year. Another blood moon will occur in November.

Chapter 7
June's Strawberry Moon

By BethShelby

Our night orb’s dubbed Strawberry Moon,
for fruit desserts we eat in June--
thus, called by ancient native tribes
and verified by early scribes.

The Celtic people had names too.
Rose Moon and Horse Moon are a few.
It matters not what name you use.
Enjoy its beauty and its hues.

The year is almost halfway through.
June holds a treat for us to view.
The orbit tends to magnify
when super moons grace nighttime sky

Four super moons we’ll have this year;
two more are scheduled to appear.
For ideal times, you’re on your own.
On June fourteenth-- check out your zone.

The Farmer Almanac has a schedule for the stages of the moon: 1st Quarter is June 7, Full moon is June 14, Last Quarter in June 20 and New Moon will be June 28. Our full moon this month will be the last full moon of spring. The summer solstice will be coming on June 21st.

Super moons occur because the moon’s orbit is elliptical, and we usually have them four times a year. This is a time when the moon is nearest the earth. The time it appears largest is when it is near the horizon because the layers of atmosphere magnify it as well. Photographing it with a building or tree nearby makes it seem very large in comparison. In the dark of the night, the full moon will appear very bright. The best time for viewing will depend on your zone, but the date is June 14th.

Some June moon folklore you might find interesting is a growing Moon and a flowing tide are lucky times to marry. Days following both the New and Full Moons are most likely to be rainy or stormy according to the Almanac.

The name Strawberry Moon was used by Algonquin, Ojibwe, Dakota and Lakota peoples, among others. This was because the strawberries were ripening this time of year. The Cherokee called it the Green Corn moon for obvious reasons. Maybe their emphasis was more on the corn for roasting.

If you’re into Astrology, you might like to know the moon is said to be stationed in Sagittarius and Sagittarians are considered the explorers of the zodiac, so you may get a bad case of wanderlust during the full moon. Mid-June supposedly brings on an array of opportunities, bright ideas, and good fortune The free-spirited fire sign is all about seizing the moment and expanding your mind and heart According to what I’ve read, the full moon is the ultimate time to manifest your most sophisticated and cosmopolitan dreams. Since I know little about Astrology, make of this what you will.

Chapter 8
Sonnet to a Super Moon

By BethShelby

July’s Buck Moon lights up the evening sky.
A lone stag wanders out to greet the night.
The does he watches over sleep nearby.
Aroused by him, a startled owl takes flight

Nocturnal creatures rise to stalk their prey.
The bright moonlight awakens wild desire.
A passing breeze permits the trees to sway.
On nights like this, who knows what may transpire.

The name `Buck Moon' is ancient tribal lore.
The males lose antlers early in the year,
but in July is when they sprout once more,
and soon those racks they’re proud of will appear.

This month we’ll have a brilliant super moon-
more beautiful than even that of June.

Author Notes Bucks loose the antlers in rutting season, but grow they back in July. Native Americans of some tribes call July's full moon a Buck moon for that reason. Another name is Thunder moon for storms occurring in July.

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