And The Moon Spun Round Like a Top

If it was just the spectacle of the moon, that would be plenty already. A Supermoon though, and a Blue Moon at that! It was shining so brightly that it played tricks on our eyes and appeared to bounce in the sky. It really was like a spinning top.

Paddleboarding is tranquil under moonlight and knowing we were witnessing a rare moment made it all the more sacred.

The stretch of the Thames along Portmeadow was lit up this evening as we set off from Castle Mill stream at 9:30pm It was propitious as the clouds were gliding away and the moon looked splendid and bright. Like the white moon in the poem by WB Yeats it appeared to spin. It felt like the protective light that is hinted at in the name of the cat in the poem; and as Minnaloushe had incantatory lines written for him, so our paddles lifted the water with rhythmic strokes.

As we glided along the water the moon glided through its course. As we looked up the intense light mesmerised us. As we peered into the dark river bank our eyes dilated:

Does Minnaloushe know that his pupils

Will pass from change to change,

And that from round to crescent,

From crescent to round they range?

We were just in time for last orders at Medley Farm, its gorgeous trees all lit with fairy lights. Mine was a tea and a bench with a view, moon drenched and rustic.

This is the second full moon in August. Therefore a Blue Moon. The next Blue Supermoon will be in 2037. It is the rarest of full moons.

A Black Moon would be a second new moon in a month. May 19th was a Black moon. The next Black Moon will be in December 2024.

We saw rabbits hopping around on the lush grass at Medley Sailing Club, their fur haloed by moonbeams . It was like a scene from Watership Down.

We paddled on, listening to the geese re-arrange themselves along the banks. Did you notice they already started their visit today? A skein flew over the studio in the afternoon. That familiar V in the sky makes me nostalgic for the summer too soon. You will see them a lot more over the next few weeks. The sight of their bellies as the bell beat of their wings sounds above is one consolation for the passing of the season.

Like the sun, the moon shines on all. Unlike the sun the moon reflects and hides, and represents what is hidden in us. Just as by stargazing we can align with the vibrations of the cosmos and clear our path to understanding and wisdom, so by meditating on the moon we can search our subconscious and lift out things that may be holding us back from felicity in the dance of life.

Minnaloushe creeps through the grass

Alone, important and wise,

And lifts to the changing moon

His changing eyes..