A Blue Moon

A Blue Moon

This Saturday May 18, at 6:11pm Atlantic Standard Time, is the Blue Moon. It’s the time to do things that you would only do once in a blue moon!

The May 2019 full moon is a seasonal Blue Moon. Usually there are three full moons between each astrological season. That is the time between each Solstice and equinox. In some years, there are four full moons in a season.  When this happens, the third full moon is called a Blue Moon.

This year, for we in the northern hemisphere, the astrological season began with the spring equinox on March 20th. The first full moon was less than four hours later on March 21st. The second full moon was April 19. The third - the Blue Moon - is May 18.  The fourth, and last full moon before the Summer Solstice, will be June 17. A blue moon occurs only roughly every two or three years. So make the most of it!

The full moon day in the month of May is celebrated in Buddhist tradition as Vesak Day.  It is sacred to Buddhists because the full moon day in the month of May is the day of the historic Buddha’s birth, the day of his enlightenment, and also the day of his parinirvana, the day of his passing at the age of 80. 

Vesak Day is  celebrated by Buddhists around the world.  It is believed to be a day when the karmic result of anything we do is amplified – is increased – 100,000 times.   What we do on Saturday, may we do it wisely!

So in honor of the blue moon, and the full moon day in the month of May, today we reflect on karma.

Karma is the relationship between cause and effect.   We eat the fruit of the seeds that we plant. Traditionally, it is said to be like the full moon reflecting into one hundred bowls of water. The moon has no desire to reflect into them all, but, because there happen to be one hundred bowls of water, there are one hundred moons at the same time.  They are part of one moon, the full moon in the sky.

Action is just action. Each action will have one hundred – an endless number – of effects. We don’t necessarily desire those effects, but because there is action, there will be the results of that action.  They are all part of the one action.

The Sanskrit word “Karma” is derived from the verbal root “KR-” which means “to do”.  So, the noun means “action”.   There is no such thing as “good karma” or “bad karma”. Action is just action, like the full moon in the sky.

Gravity is just gravity. It is impersonal:  it will be experienced in the same way by any being on the planet.  Actions have reactions.  It is not personal. The principle applies to everyone on the planet.   It is part of the natural world, like us and like the moon.

Some actions will yield desirable results; we might think those are “good actions”, from “good karma”. Some actions yield undesirable results; we might think those are “bad actions”, from “bad karma”. 

Yet the principle of cause and effect doesn’t care if you like it or not, any more than gravity cares if a bird falls from the sky.  If you plant apple seeds, you will get apple trees. You may wish they were oranges. It doesn’t matter:  the apple tree yields apples.

Cause and effect are two ends of a same stick. We pick up both ends of the stick.

Traditionally, it is said that there are four different types of action. The first of these is “pacifying”. Action which is pacifying is able to calm a situation or make an environment peaceful.  It softens our rough edges and helps things go smoothly, in the inside world or in the outside world.

The second and third types of action are “enriching” and “magnetizing”.  These are inter-related.  “Enriching” action  is able to see the inherent richness and potential of a situation and draw that out.