Guy Smalley illustration • smmalleyart.com
A couple of months ago I stood outside on a cold, clear night and turned my eyes to the sky. I watched as a shadow inched across the glowing orb of the moon until it fully covered it, transforming the moon into the image of a dark reddish ball.
The moment felt extraordinary and my pulse quickened. I was standing in a moment of time witnessing the miracle of this rare event. I have the knowledge of what takes place during a lunar eclipse, but I also thought of ancient Indians or people from other cultures who hadn’t known what was going on. According to Cherokee legend, there was a giant frog in the sky attempting to swallow the moon. The Cherokee would beat drums, fire guns and ring bells in order to scare the giant frog away and restore order in the Universe.
I can only imagine their fear.
I’ve always had a love affair with the moon. My earliest memories of respecting the moon centered around watching my grandparents huddle over a copy of the Old Farmer’s Almanac, its yellow cover dog-eared from frequent use. They told me it was important to check the phases of the moon before such activities as planting crops, setting fence posts, cutting hair, and scheduling surgery, to name a few.
They had a small farm in Skyland, North Carolina, where they raised beef cattle and provided pasture for my pony. They had three overflowing gardens filled with a wide variety of vegetables including corn, half-runner green beans, tomatoes, cabbage, lettuce, and other things, as well as grapevines, strawberry patches, blackberries and raspberries, hives for their honey bees, and a flock of chickens alongside a huge compost bin.
Planting crops at the wrong time could prove disastrous to feeding their family of eight because the gardens would fail. With the use of the Almanac and knowledge of which signs were the best for planting, their gardens overflowed with a bountiful harvest.
I don’t claim to be an expert in almanacs or moon signs, but I do know how to figure out the sign/phase for a specific date. I also paid careful attention when my Granny gave me the most important advice I’ll ever receive. When I was 11 years old, she said, “Don’t ever schedule surgery without checking the moon signs first. If it’s an emergency, then you’ll have to do what needs to be done, but if there’s time to choose a date, check the signs.”
Each zodiac sign is identified with a certain region of the body, going from Aries (the head) to Pisces (the feet). You never want to have medical or dental procedures when the moon phase is in the part of the body being worked on. It’s also important to avoid times when Mercury or Mars is in retrograde, and full moons are to be avoided.
Others scoffed, calling Granny’s advice an old wives’ tale. I watched some relatives disregard her advice and have dental work done when the moon was in Aries, which rules the head. They can remember walking the floor with pain, swelling and continued bleeding.
When I had my wisdom teeth pulled I checked the signs. The bleeding stopped before I left the office. I experienced no swelling and I didn’t have any need for the pain medication.
Even more importantly, when my then 11-year-old son was diagnosed with a brain tumor, I heard my Granny’s warning loud and clear. The surgical team at UNC Chapel Hill wanted to schedule his craniotomy as soon as possible and thought I was a bit nuts to push it back a month based on the moon signs.
They agreed, however, to schedule it on October 13, 2009. The moon phases were perfect then, as opposed to available dates in September.
When we checked in, they did a pre-op MRI that revealed his tumor had shrunk. It was reclassified benign and the surgeon sent us home. I truly believe if surgery had been scheduled in September when the signs were wrong, he might not be here today.
The Bible, perhaps, says it best: For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven.
I’ll keep looking to the moon for advice as I go through all the phases of my life.