Moon Tides, Gardening and Self Development

For centuries, gardeners have observed many outward expressions of fertility during the waxing of the moon (the two weeks of the lunar cycle when the moon grows from new to full). We know the sap rises in the tree, blossoms burst open and fruits swell, increasing in size and sweetness. The new moon brings forth the promise of seed germination and new growth. It is this connection with the rhythms of the moon that reconnects us to nature and the Earth herself.

We know that when we want to prepare our garden for planting new seeds the soil needs to be loosened and unwanted debris removed. Compost and manure are added for nourishment of the future seedlings. Then we water the seeds, weed the garden, and work to keep harmful pests away from the plants. Then, at the end of the growing season, we reap what we have sown by harvesting are vegetables, fruits, and herbs.

In the same manner our bodies and minds ebb and flow with the cycles of the year and the moon. We must consciously prepare our own ‘inner’ garden in a similar way to our garden using the moon phases. By anticipating and preparing for the monthly return of the invisible moon, the dark sky. We are reacquainting our mind and body with the rhythms of nature, both big, yearly cycle and small, monthly cycle.  This reminds us that everything in nature moves in cycles. This includes our bodies and minds. We start out young and eventually grow old, in a large cycle. On the small cycle, our minds flow between sad and happy throughout the month. It is this format that our ancestors worked with to develop their gardens as well as their minds and bodies.

Three hundred years ago the average person lived must closer to nature than most of us can even imagine today. But the professional Hex Craft practitioner worked to remain in a deeper, more balanced manner with the rhythms of the year and the moon cycle.