Moon! A celestial body that makes orbit around a planet, including eight major planets, dwarf planets and minor planets. In short, a ball of dust that radiates borrowed light from sun. That is one of the logical explanations of the poor thing.

Well, it’s not a science project that we came here to read about. We want to read about this cute little bright, light radiating round ball full of mysteries and myths and stories. We want to read something that can satisfy our soul’s urge to be with someone who understands you when the whole wide world turns away from us or not.

So, buckle up tight and let your soul wander without any fear or hesitations…

Moon!

You look at it and it looks back at you. It is like your mirror image. It portrays your own feelings. If you are sad, it cries with you. If you are happy, it celebrates with you. If you are walking, it accompanies you.

And if you are in love?…

Oh My! It is the most joyous, purest, colourful, brightest, round, fun ball that sings along with you, dances, and cheers with you. You never feel the same way while you are in love. The brightest cutest thing acts as messenger for the love drenched souls. The lovers think it as the purest form to express their feelings.

In same way when you are blue, you look at it and the lonely sad dust ball looks back at you. It sits with you and hear all that your heart desires. It’s like having your own diary, on which you can write everything without being afraid of leaving any evidence for anyone – that was only some crazy thought though.

It gives you a sense of having your own spotlight when it is full. Just like we have some good days and then some bad ones, the moon operates, kind of, the same way.

It is like after the full moon, it starts disappearing like a sad little thing hiding itself away from everyone. Everyone, who never looked at it. Who never played with it. Who never smiled at it. Who never told it that he/she loves it. Who never kept it close to her/his heart.

Same happens with the humans. They shine different when they are loved, cared, noticed with affection, and given due respect and importance. Sometimes, they fight and fight and fight all that is happening within themselves and eventually with around them.

In the end, when all the limits are crossed, when their all energies are consumed by all the demons within and around, they go silent. Just like the moon, and everything goes dark. Just like deepest darkest nights without that little bright fun ball smiling down at you…

Many cultures define moon in quite many ways. They take the poor lonely dust ball to support their own ideologies.

In one of the legends, sometimes in 1820s, the Bavarian astronomer Franz von Paula Gruithuisen argued to have glimpsed entire cities on the moon with his telescope. He wrote that “the “Lunarians” who lived there had built sophisticated buildings, roads and forts.”

A prominent British astronomer and composer, Sir William Herschel, also assumed aliens lived on moon and kept close journal about the progress of their construction projects. Many such theories were proved false during 1835s later though.

In ancient times, full moon was associated with insane or odd behaviours which includes illegal activities, suicide, sleepwalking, sudden urge of violence and of course – the ultimate one we all are aware of – transforming to lycanthropes. Which brings us to the Roman history – the word “Lunacy” or “Lunatic” is derived from the Roman goddess of the moon, Luna, who was said to ride her silver chariot across the dark sky every night.

For over centuries, medical specialists including mental health professionals believed in a strong bonding between ‘mania’ and the poor bright dust ball – the moon. Hypocrites or the phony medical specialists around fifth century B.C. drew a theory that “anyone who shows symptoms or seized with terror, fright, and madness during nighttime is believed to being visited by the goddess of the moon.”

England, sometime in 18^th century, people on trial of murder were ordered lighter sentence on the grounds of lunacy if the crime occurred under a full moon. Meanwhile, psychiatric patients at London’s Bethelehem Hospital were shackled and flogged during lunar phases as preventive measure.

Which brings us to yet another myth, a believe, some more historical believes and culture. That goes like, “the moon controls the fertility.” This could be because the menstrual cycle and the lunar cycle are similar in length, many past civilizations depict the belief that the moon determines when the women can get pregnant. Also, this highlights many research and studies, that shows most women commit crimes including murders during their menstrual cycle or lunar cycle.

Sounds interesting, right?

Let’s look at some fictional theories. Many sciences fiction books of early 20^th century, including H.G.Wells’ The First Men in the Moon, take place within a hollow moon inhibited by aliens. Many scientists came forward with quite many whimsical theories explaining the existence of aliens or extraterrestrials with amazing technology, on the moon.

Along with many such theories and myths, we heard so many poems and stories of an old granny who lives on the moon and who is always hand-spinning and hand-weaving clothes on the spinning-wheel for the fairies of the moon. – Somehow, of all myths and theories, I still like childhood stories about a gentle, loving granny who spends her entire existence hand-weaving clothes for fairies.

No matter what the history might say or any myth or however any story portrays the moon, and it’s affects. At the end, a moon is nothing, yet it is everything. We try to have some sort of connection, some relation to the moon.

We find many poets using it to complete their poetry and portraying the beauty and elaborating the feelings of purest love. Many storytellers, too, use moon in their stories to strengthen the plot by adding the touch of feelings for the readers to get involved into the story. Many lovers – we are back to ‘love’ – use the poor thing to deliver their feelings to their loved ones. Arranging candlelight dinners under the moonlight or going out on fishing during full moon, are some of the love gestures that are expressed by the gentlemen of some elite taste.

No matter how we portray all the stories or myths, nothing changes the fact that…

Moon is moon. A ball of dust…

A fallen Star.

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