Tonight is full moon and here on Bali it looks particularly beautiful. The Balinese still have a lunar calendar which I believe was the traditional calendar of all cultures. Tonight I went into my village and all my friends looked amazing, wearing traditional costume and lighting incense. The lunar calendar is natural and very logical so what was the purpose of changing it?
The Lunar Calendar
The ancient phrase "a year and a day" has it's origins in the lunar calendar. This is because traditionally years were broken up into 13 months of 28 days each with one extra day in the year. Compared to our current Gregorian calendar which has 12 months of various days and an extra day every 4 years a lunar calendar is much simpler. Many parts of the world still use lunar calendars and they are very effective.
I believe that the reasons behind this odd change are to disconnect us from our natural rhythms and disenfranchise the role of women within society.
The Gregorian Calendar
The calendar we use today in the west is called the Gregorian calendar and is named after Pope Gregory XIII, who introduced it into western society in 1582. The Gregorian calendar was an amendment of the Julian calendar named after Julius Cesar and was a reform of the lunar cycle used by the Church at that time!
Why I Believe The Calendar Was Changed!
I believe our calendar was changed from an harmonious 13 month and 1 day cycle to our strange Gregorian calendar for 3 reasons:
Adult humans are approximately 60% water and like all animals we feel the pull of the moon's influence in our liquid bodies. The entire natural world responds to this phenomenon. The moon's cycles change the tides, animal behaviour and plant cycles.
Also during full moon we experience significant disturbances within our human populations. By changing the calendar to a cycle which is unnatural, the male powers who govern our world were trying to distance us from our natural cycles!Female menstruation cycles are often linked to the lunar cycle. This does not just apply to humans but also has significance within the greater natural world. By changing our calendar the men who govern our society such as pope Gregory XIII are diminishing the connection that woman have to the natural calendar and cycles. This is a connection that men do not have and does not compliment a male run society. Considering there has never been a female pope and that makes sense to me.
Perhaps the third reason for changing the calendar was to do with the number 13, which is sacred in many cultures but I can discuss that in another post.
What Should You Do To Reconnect To The Lunar Cycle?
How do we get back to our natural lunar cycle? Well firstly I can suggest moving to a culture that still uses a lunar calendar - Bali is nice! ;-)
Alternatively you can keep an eye on the moon. Take some time to think about it and feel some of it's energies. Moonlight has a very different energy to sunlight, so soak some up tonight!
Tonight is a beautiful full moon so go and enjoy it. That is what we are doing here on Bali! =)
I would love to hear your thoughts about this subject while it is still full moon! =)
PS - Tomorrow there is a partial lunar eclipse here on Bali - look out for it!
Images courtesy of: 1, 2, 3, 4.
Jockey loves you All - especially under the full moon!