Do you know what phase the moon’s in right now? Could you tell me what time you can see it? Will it be visible in the late afternoon? How about the early morning? I’m not asking you these questions to bust your chops.  Instead, I just want to briefly make you aware that there’s a miracle happening overhead every night, one that repeats itself every month. And, if you pay attention to it, your life can be richer and more deeply felt, despite all the stress and difficulties happening (personally and in the world at large).

Every month, the moon cycles from being up during the day and right next to the Sun (which means it’s invisible and we call it a “New Moon”) all the way to being overhead and very bright at midnight when we call it a “Full Moon”.  In between we get the Quarter Moon, Crescent Moon etc. 

Sadly, most of us, including me, barely notice the Moon as we go about our busy lives.  And even if we do, we don’t give the phase and what it means much attention.  That’s a bummer. Something remarkable happens when you do start noticing. 

If you can take time each day to find the Moon, then note its phase, then note where you’re seeing it in the sky and, finally, note what time of day you’re seeing it… then the Universe will tell its secrets.

I kid you not.

Here is the real deal. You live on a giant rock (Earth) that is spinning on its axis once every 24 hours. Around that rock there’s another less giant rock (the Moon) flying through space in an orbit that takes it all the way around the first rock in about a month. And both of those rocks are hurtling through space on an orbit that takes them around a huge ball of thermal nuclear fusion (the Sun) once a year. This remarkable drama has been going on for more than 4 billion years. 

Now, even though I just told you these remarkable facts about that remarkable drama, it’s still just a bunch of words.  Rock this, rock that, orbits the Sun… blah blah blah.  How can you see this truth for yourself? How can you enter a dialogue with the universe where the grounded and embodied truth of you, those rocks and that giant flaming ball of fusion becomes something you can feel in your bones? 

The answer is going out, looking at the sky and following the moon’s phases.  I swear it’s all there. 

Watching the video below will give you all you need to understand the basic set up and explain why there are moon phases. That’s the beginning. The next step is up to you. If you can find the time and the attention to go out and see what the video taught you, then you’ll see for yourself the cosmic architecture you were born into too. That experience can be a powerful antidote to the daily distraction and grief we all endure.

PS: please let me know what happens if you decide to take this on. You can leave a comment or email me at [email protected]

— Adam Frank 🚀