Last week I woke up and saw this view outside of my bedroom window:
the waning crescent moon just before sunrise
And I was reminded of this:
ROMEO:
Lady, by yonder blessed moon I vow,
That tips with silver all these fruit-tree tops--
JULIET:
O, swear not by the moon, th' inconstant moon,
That monthly changes in her circle orb,
Lest that thy love prove likewise variable.
I took an acting class at BYU my freshman year and I memorized and performed the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet ~ really, how funny is that?
Often, when I see the moon I hear myself saying the words: "O, swear not by the moon, th'inconstant moon."
I guess I shouldn't be one to quibble with the literary genius of the likes of William Shakespeare, but I disagree with the bard's view of the moon.
I took an Astronomy class with Laura at BYU ~ decades after the freshman acting class ~ and became familiar with the moon's cycle. Since that class I have a general idea on any given day what the moon's phase is and what time and where it should appear in the sky. I love it when I think about the moon and then look to the part of the sky where I expect it should be ~ and there it is; completely predictable!
While it is true that the moon we see changes everyday ~ it rises an hour later every day and cycles through its phases: new moon, waxing crescent, waxing quarter, waxing gibbous, full, waning gibbous, waning quarter and waning crescent before becoming new again over 29 days ~ it is completely predictable and CONSTANT. It is in our sky 12 hours of every 24.
To me it is another testament of the order of the universe, created by a loving God for His children.
Or as Alma said to Korihor:
"Thou hast had signs enough;will ye tempt your God? Will ye say, Show unto me a sign, when ye have the testimony of all these thy brethren, and also all the holy prophets? The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea even the earth, and all the things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator."
the waning crescent moon just before sunriseAnd I was reminded of this:
ROMEO:
Lady, by yonder blessed moon I vow,
That tips with silver all these fruit-tree tops--
JULIET:
O, swear not by the moon, th' inconstant moon,
That monthly changes in her circle orb,
Lest that thy love prove likewise variable.
I took an acting class at BYU my freshman year and I memorized and performed the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet ~ really, how funny is that?
Often, when I see the moon I hear myself saying the words: "O, swear not by the moon, th'inconstant moon."
I guess I shouldn't be one to quibble with the literary genius of the likes of William Shakespeare, but I disagree with the bard's view of the moon.
I took an Astronomy class with Laura at BYU ~ decades after the freshman acting class ~ and became familiar with the moon's cycle. Since that class I have a general idea on any given day what the moon's phase is and what time and where it should appear in the sky. I love it when I think about the moon and then look to the part of the sky where I expect it should be ~ and there it is; completely predictable!
While it is true that the moon we see changes everyday ~ it rises an hour later every day and cycles through its phases: new moon, waxing crescent, waxing quarter, waxing gibbous, full, waning gibbous, waning quarter and waning crescent before becoming new again over 29 days ~ it is completely predictable and CONSTANT. It is in our sky 12 hours of every 24.
To me it is another testament of the order of the universe, created by a loving God for His children.
Or as Alma said to Korihor:
"Thou hast had signs enough;will ye tempt your God? Will ye say, Show unto me a sign, when ye have the testimony of all these thy brethren, and also all the holy prophets? The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea even the earth, and all the things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator."
2 comments:
i love the moon. i love how your viewpoint about it has changed. i love this post.
I'm just impressed that you know all the stages of the moon. What a great post--we can put it in a book, if you know what I mean.
Love, rich
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