As High As The Moon

The Moon

    "How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank!
      Here will we sit and let the sounds of music
      Creep in our ears : soft stillness and the night
      Become the touches of sweet harmony.
                                             
                                                 - William Shakespeare
                                                 The Marchant of Venice

           From Shakespeare to any country side poet - all do mention a lovely romantic moonlit night in their creations. But why so? May be the moon is a loyal companion. It is always there forever. Everyday it depicts a different version of itself, going from new moon to full moon.

Chandra Dev Of Indian Mythology

             In Greek mythology the moon is associated with the goddess of love. Moon has also a significant role in Indian mythology. In Indian mythology the moon is not seen as a goddess but a charming and romantic God called Chandra. According to the myth Chandra used to constantly flirt with the stars.

Chandra Dev Holding Soma 

           The moon is also called Soma in Indian mythology. According to the myth Soma is responsible for high and low tide. He is also the Lord of vegetation. In vedic times Soma was the most prized herb.

       

Wasting Moon

             In vedic times the sky was divided into 28 parts.  These parts of this were of Goddesses known as Nakshatra. They were daughter of Daksha Prajapati. He gave them to Chandra in marriage. But Chandra  preferred only one Nakshatra called  Rohini. So other daughters complained to Daksha About this behavior of Chandra. Daksha cursed Chandra out of anger. He cursed that Chandra would suffer from wasting disease.

Lord Shiva With Moon On His Head

          Chandra became afraid and he started praying Lord Shiva,. Shiva placed the wasting Chandra on his head and Chandra started to wax again. From that day Shiva became "Soma-Shekhara".

Exposure To Moonlight

             Moon has a very crucial role in Ayurveda. Moonlight is the light that reaches the earth. Moon has no light of it's own, it's source of light is the sun. But according to Ayurveda the Moon's surface absorbs the harmful UV rays of the sun. So exposure to moonlight provides many spiritual and health benefits.

Moonlight

             According to Ayurveda, moonlight has healing properties. Exposure to moonlight cools down the Pitta Dosha. It is beneficial for treating rashes, eczema, anger, hypertension and more.

Moon Bathing

            Moon bathing is an ancient Ayurvedic treatment. It refers to basking under the glow of moonlight. Ayurveda suggests that taking a moon bath for st least 30 minutes daily relaxes your body and mind. It also lowers the blood pressure and level of stress.

Lunar Cycle

             Women's menstrual cycle is related to the movement of moon. Both lunar cycle and menstrual cycle are 28 says long. In old times when there was no artificial light, if women were healthy they would always bleed on new moon and ovulated at the full moon. So Ayurveda says that exposure to moonlight regulates menstrual cycle. It also increases fertility.

         

Full Moon

              Besides mythology and Ayurveda moon has also an emotional effect on human. " The moon undoubtedly has an emotional effect" says Jean-Luc Margot, PhD,  an astronomer at UCLA. Research from Switzerland published in Current Biology found that people slept less and poorer quality of sleep when the moon was full.
 
              So now on, I think you can be able to see the moon from a different  perspective. Moon is not only a romantic phenomena described in the love poems but moon has various effects on our mood and body as well. As long as we attach ourselves with nature we can cherish it's goodness. So try to be in touch with nature and take the advantages of this gift from nature.