bells above

i've been thinking about the moon's presence in love metaphors lately. 

okay, maybe not metaphors? but like. thoughts in the general consciousness / current culture.

for a long time, the moon has been the main astral body used when people want to describe their love. in astronomical reference, right? the idea of you and your loved ones looking at the same moon at the same time but perhaps not knowing it, lovers separated between moon and earth, love to the moon and back, moonlight serenades, the moon considered a symbol of vulnerability or one's inner world... "my first girlfriend became the mo--" 

and then there's the whole idea i shared before about how people in a particular poll came to a consensus that the moon loves us, while the sun is indifferent. 

the first thing i thought about in regards to the moon and love was secrecy, or shadows. as the moon is often associated alongside darkness, some may consider it easier to express their emotions in the light of the moon. most are asleep, few can see or hear you except for the receiver. 

but then i realized, after looking at the examples above, such doesn't totally fit. i mean, it could in some cases, but not with all of them. i think the main similarity between all of these is distance. separation, the desire to reach past what cannot be permeated, to see what is otherwise always hidden and cloaked. the moon is a unifier. you and another person can see the same moon. this thought, this action, brings you together. the darkness of night could be considered the only time and place for vulnerability and safety for some, depending on their various conditions and environments. only the moon can see. and the moon accepts.

it's interesting how only the moon is seen as attainable (for lack of a better term currently), though. 

the sun isn't-- it is too hot, too bright. and any other star isn't viable as they are too far away. and there are so many. for your love to be in the stars, or as far as the stars, it would be scattered and thin. in that sense, all-encompassing. i'm not so sure that's a good way to refer to your love. there's also the saying of bringing the one you love the stars if they so desired it, but that's because it's impossible. your love would make you do physically impossible things. 

but of course, it can't be...

but you can get a moon rock! maybe. idk. and while both the sun and moon are vital for our life here on earth, the moon sure does a lot of heavy lifting with the tides. and i'm sure the collision of the moon with the early earth is what spurred a lot of the early / core changes that's brought us here. if we had no moon, would we have existed at all?

where do asteroids fit into all this? hm.

anyway. an interesting little coincidence occurred around this post. i wanted to publish it the day before, but i didn't have the energy to write as much as usual, so it ended up postponed. and overnight, there was a figure in my dream that was referred to as my boyfriend. nothing really happened regarding that-- we were in a group with two other people, walking around malls and playing video games.

it's interesting; nothing romantic ever goes on in my dreams, and yet my brain still goes every so often, "that person right there. this is your romantic partner in this dream." and i sorta just go with it. 

i suppose this is another example of the moon being a unifier of love. experiencing love and seeing the ones you love in dreams. even if you can't physically, you can get so close to feeling like they're actually there.

... hm. i correct myself, actually. once i dreamed about a reception for my marriage. and it was really beautiful, actually. there were no details on the marriage ceremony itself, but the reception was at this waterfront hall, and it was doused in dark blue and purple lights, with small electronic candles dotted about the tables that scattered the room. you could see a city across the water, with all of the skyscrapers' lights sparkling and winking at you.

i was nervous, standing at a table with a few other people. but then i heard my partner laugh, and everything felt alright. waves of relief, crashing. i can't help but wonder what exactly i was nervous about.

if i ever end up in a romantic partnership, i hope it feels like that. and i hope it feels that that for the other person, as well. solace, side-by-side and strengthened through all that is life. whether we can see each other or not. the knowledge of each other's presence, under the same sky, seeing the same moon. won't that be enough?

sotd: talking to the moon by bruno mars (listening to this song regularly again spurred those thoughts, haha)