Last night the full moon brightened the night sky. Called the Strawberry Moon because it occurs when strawberries are in season, it is really spectacular. With the naked eye I could see hills and ridges from the second floor of the house, above most of the trees.
Called Selene by the Greeks, from the word selas meaning light, the moon has been the subject of poetry and drama. Artemis, goddess of the hunt, and Hecate associated with witchcraft, were considered as drawing their power from the moon.
The deer were out and by the light of the moon were eating their way through the trimmings of bushes left on the ground. Like the moon, they were silent but clearly visible. In the quiet of the night, one can hear the voice of God.
Prayer for the Day
Maker and Sustainer, we thank you for the infinitude of life:
From the shells of tiny whelks to the whale in the sea;
Spirit of Creation, even in the night we find your Presence,
As the beauty of the earth is reflected through the moon.
May we reflect your love in communities near and far,
And strive to protect the earth you have given us.
We ask this in the name of the One who shows us how to live,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
O swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon,
That monthly changes her circled orb
Lest that thy love prove likewise variable
- William Shakespeare, from Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, Scene 2
All shadows of clouds the sun cannot hide like the moon cannot stop oceanic tide; but a hidden star can still be smiling at night's black spell on darkness, beguiling”
- Munia Khan, British-Bangladeshi poet
God made two great lights – the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night – and the stars. God set them in the dome of the sky to give light to the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
Genesis 1: 16-19