Anthony is pretty much an expert on everything.

Dear Anthony,

What’s new? Is there a Blood Moon tonight? What is that?

Sincerely, 

Bored in Bologna

***

Dear Bored,

First of all, my mom, who was an Irish woman and packed a real whallop, used to say that only boring people get bored. I offer you that for your edification, and because I love you more than a tall glass of ice water on a hot day. Well, not more than that. Definitely not more than toast: I seriously love toast. Let’s just say I love you, and leave it there. Stop pressuring me!

Mom would say “It’s not my job to entertain you.” Which was true. And I would say the same to you right now, Bored, except that entertaining you kind of is my job. So straight to your questions, pronto, skipping over the polite but probably insincere “what’s new.” At your service: Here we go.

Blood moon. Do you have any idea how rare and beautiful this thing is? I didn’t think so. Look, we have this moon, ok? And like a reluctant basset hound named Gertie, she does only very certain tricks, and those few only when she wants to.

The Blood Moon trick is achieved by the moon hiding from the sun behind the earth. The earth’s atmosphere bends the sun’s light rays, altering the appearance toward reddish. Get out there and check it, B, it’ll wake you up. It happens late tonight and or/early Tuesday, starting at about 1:00 am EST, and peaking between then and 2:30.  Simply by viewing the moon eclipsed by the earth and rendered reddish, you will be granted luck, a good disposition, and an attractive stranger will bring you a new pair of pants! Seeing it live will improve your love life probably. And also, you’ll get a new car. These are guarantees. I read it in a book.

The Blood Moon is a phenomena. Like you or me, but mooner. You can check in at a NASA chat to stay informed, anytime after one pm today. How can I just get you to go out there and see your world? This is the stuff of life, Bored, don’t let it get by you, ok? Druids believed that viewing an eclipse in mid spring brings a farmer in red overalls. I totally think they were on the right path on that one, and if you doubt it, just get out there to test me. But be prepared to buy honey from a stranger.

Brush your teeth. Call your mother. Get a job. And check out that moon tonight. We are never so charming as when we are blown away by the insane beauty of our natural surroundings. And the moon so totally qualifies.

Also, hey, the blood moon has more to offer us than a reddish vision of eclipsed splendor. It will rain down a sense of impermanence, a taste of humility, and a dose of calm abiding. If you choose to give yourself the gift of this moon, it will probably re-gift you, roughly sevenfold. Exact results may vary. Potential side effects include an enhanced sense of the magnitude of it all, repeated neck strain, moonlust, inexplicable gravitational understanding, sympathy for the devil, and occasional estrangement, but in a good way.

Speaking of which, are you watching the new Cosmos? Neil DeGrasse Tyson is doing a fantastic job. Last week was a mind-blowing look at light, and the intense Arabic gathering of knowledge that took place centuries ago, which helped springboard us into where we are now. Episode six is bound to amaze, too. I don’t advocate watching TV, but this is an exception. Fantastic stuff.

So yes. Definitely party tonight, or set your alarm for 2:22 and get out there. We are too rarely swept up into wonder. Get an ear on Wes Niskar’s “Be Here Wow” lecture at Dharma Seed and take it in. A sense of wonder is a legit shortcut to peace. Cultivate that shit.

“Pin your ear to the wisdom post.”

~ Tom Waits

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Editor: Jenna Penielle Lyons

Photo: elephant archives and courtesy of the author