Cycles Of Earth

The Cycles of Earth

by Larry-Michael and Becky Lynn Hackenberg

Plan, Do, Finish, Rest.

Living in Harmony With Earth

A Weekly Almanac Guide

Weekend of August 21-22, 2010

In A Nutshell…

Tuesday, August 24 at 12:23 p.m. EDT (in Western Michigan) the Moon will be exactly at Full/Doing phase. That evening, a great big Summer moon will rise up over the horizon. Look to the East around dinner time to catch a glimpse. If we are lucky, we can enjoy a beautiful sunset and a mellow moonrise at the same time.

A moon drive or walk is a wonderful way to experience a balmy night with all the sounds and fragrances of late Summer. You will have the company of nocturnal co-habitors, so watch and listen carefully. You will feel yourself as part of the great natural world.

Last Weekend

Aug. 14-15, 2010: Plan

Back-to-school planning is in the works with September looming.

This Weekend

Aug. 21-22, 2010: Do

Moon symbol from a watercolor by Larry-Michael
Sun symbol from photo by NASA

This weekend we will enjoy the last Full/Doing Moon of the 2010 Summer Sun Cycle. The Autumnal Equinox on Sept. 22 coincides with the next Full/Doing Moon and the beginning of what we have come to call Fall. We will be falling from Summer toward Winter.

But let us not consider Winter yet! We have this wonderful Summer Doing Moon weekend to enjoy! The rich tapestry of late Summer color sprawls around us. The extra rain this year has kept the grasses growing and they are turning their ripe shades of purple, gold and yellow, nodding full heads of seed in the breeze. Red maples are beginning to turn; bright yellow walnut leaves are starting to spin to the ground. Purple asters, bright golden rod and wild sunflowers are appearing along roadsides.

Late Summer trees may not have the brilliance of Fall color but you will never see a greater medley of greens than now as the deciduous trees begin their transition to dormancy. Take a drive through late Summer this Doing Moon and enjoy Nature’s splendid color palette.

Next Weekend

Aug. 28-29, 2010: Finish

This is the Summer Sun Cycle’s last Finishing Moon. September 22 begins the Autumn Sun Cycle.

Musing

Question: why are we so drawn to the spectacular? Why are we always looking for the most spectacular view? Why do we look for the most spectacular bird? What is it about us that seeks the unusual, the spectacular, the extraordinary? Is it that the ordinary is just not interesting enough? Look again.

At this time of the year, the ordinary is especially full and rich. Our ordinary group of local trees, plants and grasses are radiant. Our summer, with rain every 3 or 4 days, has produced a vibrant crop of healthy wild edible plants, flowers, seeds and berries and, as a result, a healthy and abundant residence for our animal and insect neighbors. There is never a moment in the day or night that some animal, bird or insect is not chirping or singing joyfully. There is a lot of happiness and a vibrating sense of well being in our community of other-than-human Earth relatives.

The spectacular can sometimes be a distraction. It is the ordinary in all its profound but subtle richness that the mysteries of life are most clearly revealed. Look again.