The new moon, they say, is the best time to begin a new endeavor. Beginning something new on a new moon, supposedly gives it a better chance of success. Whether or not there is any truth to this, I have put a lot of stock in the belief, just in case. I like to garden by the moon whenever possible. Generally, crops that grow above ground should be sown or planted at the new moon or when the moon is waxing – making its steady, slow assent to becoming full. Those plants that grow below ground and which we use their roots, such as carrots, potatoes, turmeric, ginseng, and Jerusalem artichoke, are best planted during the waning moon. I cut my hair only on those days that are said to encourage its growth. I even got married once on a new moon in the belief that the marriage would endure. It lasted fifteen years, so who’s to say? Nothing is permanent.
I have often pondered the many things that influence our lives. We are born with traits unique to whatever astrological sign we were born under. The numbers influenced by the letters in our names, which is the basis of numerology, seems to be surprisingly valid, as well. Our family genes and our childhood environment have a large impact on what sort of person we will become. The country that we are born in and the time in history all have their influence on us. We are what we eat and we cannot deny the detrimental effects that poor diet, sugar overload, and drugs can have on our emotions and our response to everyday life. We can influence our muscles through exercise and improve our health with good nutrition. If all of these things were not enough to complicate the issue of who we think we are, we are also strongly influenced by hormones, or lack of them. We can have hormonal and chemical imbalances that throw many of our other autonomic physical processes into chaos. The bottom line, though, is that we have free will – or at least we think we do. Maybe our planet is just a big ship in the universe and we are being tossed about by the waves of something mysterious and ominous. Regardless how much power the phases of the moon have over our lives, it is best just to enjoy the ride of life before we get thrown off into the abyss.
