Blood Moon

I did not view the blood moon early this morning.  Having gotten home from a Jackson Browne concert in the city at 2:00 a.m., I was in no condition to rise early enough to step outside in my jammies and look for a red moon.

But my friend Jan saw it in Delaware and shared her pictures.

Makes me kind of sad that I didn't make the effort.

So I didn't see it.  But aren't there a lot of things that we don't see but we are still inspired by?  Love, for instance?  Think of all the gods and saints and spirits who are unseen but possibly felt by believers.  So let's say that I felt the blood moon.  And it felt red.

Lunar eclipses happen when the moon, sun, and Earth are aligned in such a way that the Earth’s shadow covers the moon. During a blood moon, the moon turns a red hue because of the way the sun is filtered through Earth’s atmosphere, projecting a crimson color onto the moon’s surface.

A simple google search will reveal that there are a series of four blood moons, a tetrad, appearing in roughly six-month intervals.  This morning's was the second one.  Further googling will provide information on Texas pastor John Hagee's assertion that it's all a sign from God that the end times are at hand.  I'd tell you more about that, but I'm sorry, I couldn't continue reading such nonsense.  "Be afraid.  Be very afraid."  No, thank you.

So I pick inspiration over fear.  The blood moon is a gift from the universe, a wonder to be awed by, an opportunity to review one's place on this planet and consider the fragility and strength that the cosmos embodies.  I look at Jan's picture and feel inspired by the simple beauty that was available to those who chose to wake up early enough and take the time to look.  Admittedly, I am embarrassed now that I was not among them.

The next blood moon will appear on April 4, 2015.  I plan to be outside in my jammies that early morning, falling in love.  But just in case I'm not, I hope Jan is outside with her camera again.