“A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness; but still will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.
Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing
A flowery band to bind us to the earth…”
– Endymion by John Keats
In the Greek myth of Selene and Endymion the goddess of the Moon fell in love with a sleeping shephard that she saw on her nightly journey across the sky. She begged her father the god Zeus to put this mortal man into an eternal sleep so that she could love him forever.
Endymion represents the humanity of Earth, asleep and under the hypnotic influence of the Moon.
The Moon is the Mother of the Earth
Esoteric science teaches that the Moon is the mother of the Earth. In a previous cosmic epoch the Moon was a planet filled with life and human civilizations. Eventually the civilization and the planet degenerated and the life-force or soul was transplanted to our Earth.
The vitality of life on Earth became our Mother Nature and so the Moon is our Grandmother. Thus the Earth and the Moon are intimately connected through this shared vital energy.
Although the Earth is subject to all the cosmic influences of the Suns, stars and planets, the power of the Moon is the strongest because of this particular maternal connection. As a humanity we have more of a lunar nature, more selfish, reactive, and passive. We are subject to the push and pull of the Moon and also the push and pull of other people and outer circumstances.
Proportion
The lunar influence is not necessarily negative but it is out of proportion, especially with the solar influence which is one that generates its own light and shines it out in continual selfless sacrifice. To awaken consciousness is to bring more solar influence into our psychology and our actions.
Ebb and Flow
The Moon controls the flow of water. All water- from the great oceans, rivers and waterways on Earth to the fluids in our physical bodies- are subject to the lunar influence.
Without the pull of the Moon the oceans and waterways would be completely flat, the fluids and sap within plants and trees could not rise up to nourish the whole organism, and even the human lymph system would not be able to circulate properly.
The lunar cycles create a monthly rhythm throughout the year. The waxing and full Moon causes a stronger pull away from the Earth and an energetic dilation. During the waning and new Moon that pull is relaxed, and there is an energetic contraction.
It can be useful to leverage the force of the full Moon by starting new projects or making a change that requires an extra bit of energy. At this time there is less holding us to the Earth so to speak.
During the waning and new Moon we are more “grounded” in the Earth, since the pull upwards and outwards is weaker, but there may be less force or motivation to start projects or make changes.
There are systems of traditional horticulture that include the lunar cycles in their rhythms of planting and harvesting to take advantage of the lunar push and pull. Many systems of traditional medicine incorporate the lunar cycles such as purging treatments during the waning moon and nutritive treatments during the waxing moon.
The Lunar Influence
“Like the Moon which has two aspects, one that is seen and one that is hidden, we also have a hidden side that is never seen”.
–Samael Aun Weor
The Moon influences us physically and psychologically. The nature of the Moon as two-faced shows us something about our internal psychological state: half hidden in darkness and half in light.
The ego inside of ourselves is dark and hidden to us, but we can learn about what is inside of us by studying our outer circumstances. The outer is a reflection of the interior.
The visible side of our psychological moon is seen with a little bit of observation, but the invisible side takes more effort because normally we live in a small region of our consciousness.
The Internal Moon and Sun
The cure for the mechanical influence of the Moon is to create our own psychological center of gravity. The gnostic teachings describe the esoteric spiritual path as a transformation from lunar to solar beings.
This begins by becoming aware of our mechanicity, the push and pull of all of the circumstances of life that influence so strongly every moment. It is normal to react mechanically to life in a selfish way, everyone in life is expressing some sort of selfishness most of the time, and this is the lunar nature we want to overcome within ourselves.
What is revolutionary is to strive to imitate the solar life of generating a light within and shining it out to others with love unconditionally.
As creatures of the Earth we are subject to the influence of the nearest cosmic bodies: the Sun and the Moon. When we learn about both, physically and psychologically, we discover them inside ourselves. If we are honest we will see the lunar influence is strong and pervasive and the true solar force is lacking but its potential is always there.
To access the solar influence we can work with compassion, prayer, meditation, transmutation, devotion and helping others. Practice emulating the Sun to overcome the mechanical influence of the Moon.
For more in-depth study of the Moon see Mysteries of the Moon