by Te Ora

Created on: May 10, 2009

The Man in the Moon

My sisters name in English means New Moon (Te Ao Marama) and she was given the name by my grandmother, who was brought up in the old tradition of our Maori culture. One of the main reasons for my sisters naming was the fact she was born in July and there was a new moon. My grandmother had traditional ways that are hardly practised by our family today, but played an important part in the way one lived their life in the past.

The Moon was an integral part of everyday life then, as it is now, not only for the fact it was a time keeper along with the Sun, but it was also important in governing what crops to plant and when to plant them. It was also a reliable symbol for the safe passage of fishing vessels and a determinate on the abundance and types of food sources from the sea . The Moon can be relied upon for the change and shift in the tides and therefore the movements of the oceans currents. It was a very crucial factor when sending fishermen out into the sea to know what kind of mood the sea was in.
Migration from distant shores, across vast oceans, was enabled through the constant reading of the Moon and planets and their positioning in the skies. It governed the directions and the weather patterns. Ancient cultures have used these methods from times long gone and some still practice these skills today.
Nowadays a growing industry has been generated with the popular use of astrology. The Moon having an important part in astrology as its position in conjunction with other planets can dictate the overall effect of an astrological reading.
The Moon has unjustly been given a bad wrap by being portrayed as a symbol of the darker side of Man. It is used continuously as an ominous sign in the sky and depicted as such in countless horror movies. It has a mysterious look about it and a large circle of silver hanging high above a vast black painted sky, does have an eerie feel about it.
Because the Moon is responsible for tidal shifts, it has also been blamed for causing the mood swings in humans. The main reason being the fact the human body is made up mostly of water.
The total effect the Moon will have on Humans will not be fully realized until further into mans future. It will play a crucial part in the salvation of man when he has exhausted all his options in the treatment of the present planet he now occupies. Interplanetary commuting has already been initialized with his first Moon landing and ongoing with constant space travel since.
A full Moon of humans could be the next scenario in the not too distant future and the effects this will have on humans will be innumerable.
I think I read somewhere there was land on the Moon for sale. It comes as no surprise to me in the least, because man has long overstayed his welcome on this planet.

Learn more about this author, Te Ora.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.