Artist - Edward Robert Hughes

For millions of years the Moon, a bare, spherical chunk of rock, solitary and unwavering, has circled the Earth - our home.  The gravitational force affects every point on the Earth - and hence every human being, every animal, every plant, every atom on our planet.

Moscow is raised and lowered by twenty inches twice a day by the tides, those mysterious currents that visibly affect the oceans of the Earth, which in turn are affected directly by the Moon. The Moon acts as a magnetic force on Earth, pulling the waters towards it.  Some areas, such as the Mediterranean, have no tides, while in other areas there are many complex local variations to the tides.  This is because the Earth is not a uniformly smooth ball, but is covered with things like continental shelves and oceanic basins, which have their own specific effects.

In times past, numerous calendars were designed according to the path of the Moon.  Today, many festivals are still adjusted to its position as is Easter, which, since the end of the second century, has been celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full Moon after the beginning of Spring. 

The Greeks contributed an immense amount to man's knowledge of the Moon - and of astronomy. It was they who recognized that the Moon shone by reflecting the Sun's light and that only half its surface could be lit by the Sun.  They even figured out the changing phases of the Moon were the result of its changing position in relation to the Sun.  (Thus, the ego (Sun), symbolic of our confidence and sense of Self, greatly influences how we tend to feel about ourselves).  

Each month we see the Moon going through its extraordinary, never-ending process of transformation.  It appears out of the darkness, a fragile silver of light, and grows imperceptibly until it reaches the glory of its maturity; then slowly but inevitably fades back into the night.  We feel its pull on the waters and life of Earth, and its rhythms seem connected with our own most hidden and mysterious ones - those of fertility, creation, of life itself.  Little wonder that myths and legends surrounding the Moon are found in all cultures throughout the ages.

The Moon sign shows how we defend ourselves instinctively: 

Moon in Fire (Aries, Leo Sagittarius) reacts with anger
Moon in Air (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius) with rationalization, discussion, or argument
Moon in Water (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces) with retreat or emotional outpourings
Moon in Earth (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn) with endurance

There are volumes of literature one can avail oneself to for more information on the Moon and its rich astrological and mythical symbolism.

Are you aware that the Moon generates a magnetic pull on Earth affecting the fluids in our bodies, female menses, the tides of the oceans -  and our emotions?  It's a scientific fact.

If you are reading this article you were probably fascinated by the adjacent painting.  How insightful of the artist to title it  "The Weary Moon" .  At close observation, one notices the interchangeable pictures of a feminine body - a woman - and then - the  Moon.  Since the Moon is a symbol of the emotions,  the indication is clear that emotions (considered the feminine energy of the anima in the psyche) will make us very weary at times.  I wondered if Hughes was knowledgeable of Astrology? 

Michel Gauquelin, renowned for his extensive scientific research into the claims of Astrology, reported how the different phases of the Moon affects our behavior in day to day life:

New Moon: beginnings, hidden changes, chaos and disorganization, confusion, rest
Full Moon: completion, fulfillment, activity, unrest, awareness

These can be further broken down:
1st quarter:  beginnings, outward-going, germination and coming forth
2nd quarter:  the development of things which have already started
3rd quarter: completion and maturity, fullness
4th quarter:  rest and introspection, disintegration before new beginnings