Just last week, China landed a rover on the “dark” side of the moon.
They’re the first nation to this. All of the U.S. moon landings, back in the day, were on the “light” side of the moon.
Thing is, there’s really isn’t a constant light or dark side of the moon. Just a “near” and “far” side.
The “near” side is the side of the moon that always faces the Earth and the “far” side is the one we can never see from here on the ground.
When there’s a new moon in the sky, it’s the same side of the moon we’re always looking at. It’s just that the sun is shining on the opposite side.
This fact is the key to really understanding all the myth and metaphor of the “dark moon” and how it applies to our lives and the world around us.
We may think, incorrectly, that it is the Dark and Light sides of a person or situation that are set and immutable. That a “bad” person will always be “bad” and a “good” person will always be “good.” That we can manage to be only “bad” or “good”… that once we “choose a side” there’s no going back.
The truth of the matter–both with the moon and with life–is that, dark or light, there’s only the face we can see at the time. The same face we’ve always seen. The face that, over time, cycles through dark and light.
The only thing that is static, is our perception of what we’re looking at. We can only see one side–the one facing us. Unless we pay really close attention, we only see the illusion of that side always being the way we first see it.
The moon cycles pretty quickly. The light dancing across the near side about once a month.
People and situations my spend months or years in darkness or light, with nary a hint of there being any change on their face. Let alone any hint that change is possible.
The light and dark sides are always changing, cycling through. That’s the immutable truth. And if we pay attention, we can clearly see that cycle in whatever we look at.
If something seems too dark or too bright to be true, it’s up to us to make the trip up and away, to see what’s actually on the other side. To get a different perspective and gain an understanding of where the source of illumination is.
There’s a good chance that, like the moon, there’s a whole ‘nother side we’re not even aware of until we do that.
And that other side? It can be just as full of light as the dark side we’re currently seeing is full of darkness.
With time, that may change.
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