As a full moon approaches, many of us notice that her beauty can have strange effect on us—be it a little magical, odd, pleasant, scary, or sometimes, just unknown.

Below are some truths about this celestial being to help familiarize and take the fear out of our closest cosmic neighbor and her luminescent glow.

She is after all, quite the magnificent and interesting gal.

So let’s get closer to our lunar goddess by understanding what makes her tick…

1) She is proud of her scars.

The moon’s appearance, like ourselves, has changed with age. She has gained battle wounds from intergalactic storms and displays these proudly on her celestial surface.

Unlike the earth, she does not attempt to rub her scars out with erosion, as the moon has little natural atmospheric activity to do so.

Most of the marks she wears are from an asteroid field that hit her 4.1 billion years ago.

Indeed, the moon is proud of her past.

2) The moon has a sister.

Every good and powerful female has a sister supporting and encouraging her on. Even if not by birth, we choose a tribe to support us on our route through the stars.

The moon is smart like this: in 1999 it was discovered that she had found a friend for her journey. A wee asteroid was caught up in our orbit and since then has acted as a sister-asteroid to the moon in it’s circling of our planet.

The moon knows that collaboration in our missions makes them that much more grand.

3) The moon moves water.

Our Luna causes the brilliant rising and falling of tidelines on our beaches.

Like a magnetic person that you just can’t pull yourself away from, the moon has an incredibly strong sway on the earth and it’s waters. In this gravitational tug of war, the moon works with her other partner, the sun.

High tides are a response to these two celestial bodies lining up on either side of earth and pulling, causing our water systems to bulge with them. Perhaps this is why we get a little moody—the water in our own bodies also feel this effect.

The moon knows the importance of teamwork.

4) She takes care of herself first. 

Although we would like to think of our paths as always connected with that bright beauty in the night sky, she is actually planning on leaving us.

I was surprised to discover that the moon has been coveting a small percentage of the earth’s energy. Every year she is elevating herself to a higher orbit of 3.8 centimeters from earth with this power.

While helping to support us she is simultaneously working on her own succession too.

The moon is my kind of woman!

5) She shines when she’s in full view of her love.  

As the brighter nights approach, the moon and the sun move to opposite sides of the earth. At this position, the sun is at the proper angle to fully see the moon.

Who doesn’t like being stared upon with bright, shiny love? In this audience, the moon in turn, lights up fully in reflection to the gorgeous round globe that we all know. This is why she glows.

6) She measures time differently than us. 

It takes the moon approximately 29 days to orbit around the earth. This means that her single day is 29 of ours. Imagine all the things we could fit into one of her days!

I see this as proof that she must be a wise woman—maybe 29 times wiser then us, every day.

7) She encourages biting.

In a 1999 study at Bradford Royal Infirmary, it was found that our chances of being bitten by a dog are twice as high at a full moon.

This is not to make us weary of canines, but to connect to the evidence that for some, the presence of a full moon causes anxiety. Anyone who has worked in the service industry knows that people have a tendency to bite more often at this time too!

When we are under the moony spell, taking deep breaths and counting to 10 are beneficial for everyone, including our animal friends.

8) She appears one shape but is actually another.

Like most humans, the moon is not exactly as she appears to be. When she is full, the moon looks round to us here on earth, but actually what we are seeing is just one part of her. What she is keeping to herself is that she is actually oval in body, like an egg, and it is her pointy side that faces us.

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Now that we know more about her mystery, may we find endearment as we look up at all her splendor each month.

She is not so unlike us, and the more we understand her the greater our combined geniuses might be. After all, we are all a part of this one, interconnected cosmos of light and darkness combined.

Happy moon gazing, friends.

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Relephant:

Where is the Moon & Why We Should Care.

Relephant bonus:

Author: Sarah Norrad

Editor: Renée Picard

Image: Pixabay