Our discussion on the moon began by focusing on how the importance the moon has held for us over a long period of time, embracing our views of the moon from our earliest memories to the current time. For many of us, we have fond memories of the moon as a mystical childhood companion.
Like many of us, the moon was a constant source of wonder to Vestalin. "I always loved the moon," she shared. "I loved watching her going through the cycles. Full moons were always the best... I had lots of energy, and usually didn't sleep much then... I used to sneak out of the house, and sit under her glow, no matter what the weather."
One of our members, appropriately named Luna, echoed similar thoughts. "I have always felt the pull of the moon. As a child I felt a need to sleep where I could see her and feel her light on my skin... On nights of the full moon I could not sleep unless I was where I could see her," she wrote. "She spoke to me without words, filling me with comfort and wonder."
The cycle continues on in the children of some Wild Circle members. Avalon remarked that, "I think the first word my son said was moon and in honesty I think this will be a very interesting question to ask him in about twenty years. He can spot the moon no matter where she is or how big and I find that fascinating.
But as pagans, the moon also holds significance to our adult lives. Avalon continued, adding, "For me the moon is more like a mirror, reflecting the sun and the earth...something that makes us stop and look at ourselves, and if it is a mirror, all the beautiful reflections you see there are you... In her own right she is beautiful, but I think that most mirrors are, and having a mirror to the soul, that circles the Earth, is a very interesting concept."
Artemis shared her connection, writing, "I still feel very close to her. I see her in the sky, guiding me home still. And on those nights when she is full and in all her glory, I still say to her,"Good evening Mother, you are so very beautiful tonight." I still feel embraced by her in moonlight."
As the discussion moved into more advanced topics we talked about the influence the various phases of the moon have on our lives. Many of us noticed a heightened sense of energy during the full moon. TieDie shared that, "I'm more emotional...," Artemis wrote that "...many of my circle mates could testify that I 'buzz' with energy around the full moon. It has become a running joke that at our full moon circles...," and Vestalin remarked, "I'm often bouncing off the walls during full moon..."
Some of our female members found that their menstrual cycles coincide with specific phases of the moon and heightened psychic abilities and vivid dreams were reported as well. TinneIvy shared, "I definitely feel more psychic at the full moon," Luna commented that, "I have noticed that during the full moon my dreams are particularly vivid," and Rowen wrote, "When the moon is full I seem to be at my most psychic, just knowing things without any real logical reason that I should be able to know, I am most in touch with those who have crossed over at this time and that is when my brother comes to me the most, perhaps because I am most receptive at this time."
The conversation turned to whether we personally view the moon as masculine or feminine and the responses were quite varied. TieDie echoed summed up the majority response by writing, "I see it as feminine because I believe the Goddess is part of the moon. I believe this now because of the spiritual path I have chosen -- witchcraft," but there were many people who agreed or disagreed for various reasons.
"As an adult, the archetypes of female and male are important to me," Ahneke wrote. "The Sun became my image of the male long before I understood the pagan implications of that. It was simply my need to find the balance. If the night belonged to the Lady, then my innate sense of the importance of opposites made the Sun my image of the male."
Regan shared that, "I don't feel that the sun or the moon have the energy of a particular sex. I think that everyone -- men and women -- have qualities that are symbolized by both the sun and the moon. And it's never seemed right for me to associate the Goddess with the moon. To me, the Goddess is the Earth, Life, the Mother, not the cold and distant light in the night sky."
Susan remarked that, "When I first heard about the connection between the feminine and the moon, my first reaction was "How unfair!" To me, the moon is cold, pale and white. While the sun is bright, golden, warm, the life-giver, sustaining the plants and mammals in the continuing process of photosynthesis... I strongly and consciously do not associate either the masculine or feminine with the sun or the moon... I'm simply a sun-child, always have been, always will be."
Winter took a more mundane approach, writing, "I associate the lunar cycle with the different phases of the Goddess (cycles paralleling cycles), but when I look at the moon, I don't consider it to be divine, or gender-related, or anything other than a satellite that orbits the earth."
"However, the moon is very mystical for me. I'll often sit and wonder what my spiritual ancestors thought when they looked at the same moon thousands of years ago. Sometimes, I'll just lay in the grass and wonder how it fit into their mythology, what they thought when they looked up at it. Would it mean more to them as it measured time and divided the year into lunar months? Did they understand concepts like "orbit" and "atmosphere," and if they didn't, did they simply accept the moon as a mystical presence or did they try to understand its physical significance as well?"