#closing gaps

“Well, Kazi and Felix gave me a session with a sort of ‘fortune teller’ during the summer Midterm Festival at Brae Tech, and one of the things she suggested was that I ask you about the ‘Claiming Moon.’ The whole session was weird, to be honest, because she actually did seem to know some things that she probably shouldn’t have. But since she said that the ‘Claiming Moon’ is this month, and the moon is almost full, I thought tonight would be a good time to ask,” Rayla explained self-consciously.

“She said that you should ask me?” Eyebrows raised, Ethari sounded skeptical of Rayla's statement.

“Well, technically, she suggested that I ask my uncle about the ‘Claiming Moon,’ and also said, ‘I don’t need to tell you which uncle to ask, do I?’” Rayla clarified. “It was freaky.”

“I imagine that would have been freaky. And you chose wisely - this would not be a topic to discuss with Runaan,” her uncle agreed, looking thoughtful. “Why don’t you have a seat?” Ethari suggested, indicating a chair at the dining table, as he pulled out a chair for himself.

“So the ‘Claiming Moon’ is one of the old traditions from The Silvergrove that occurs at midsummer, which is a time of relative comfort: temperatures are pleasant, there is fresh food coming from farms and nature, and in the olden days it would be a time of letting things grow before the hard work of harvest and the difficulties of the winter. Add to this the traditional association of the moon with dreams and illusions -and change - and you have the basis for the ‘Claiming Moon,’” Ethari explained in his deep, calm voice. “The tradition of ‘claiming’ actually has two parts. On the full moon you make yourself comfortable and calm, so that you can contemplate your life and what you want to ‘claim’ as your right - what is missing in your life that you feel should be yours, that you have earned … that your spirit needs. It’s not for trivial things. 

“In modern times people might fast, or eat only special, favorite foods. Some bathe or do a 'sweating' to cleanse themselves. Some pray or meditate. 

“Once you feel you are in the right frame of mind to seriously consider your life, you think about what you want to add to your life to bring fulfillment - what do you claim? What is being claimed is written down. This is often done when the moon is at its zenith, but that's not essential as long as your mind is ready.

“The second part,” he continued, “takes place on the new moon, when the sun and moon rise together in the morning. If the moon is about illusion and dreams, the sun is about action and outcomes - what is tangible. So on the new moon you ‘release’ or ‘declare’ what you are claiming when the power of the sun and moon are additive - the moon for the change you desire and the sun for making it happen. The release is often carried out by burning the list, possibly with incense, although some people might just read the list aloud, if they don’t want to destroy it, for example.”

“That sounds … interesting,” Rayla commented after a pause.

“If I may offer a modern perspective,” Ethari stated, “I think the benefit of the ‘Claiming Moon’ observance is in calming your thoughts and being intentional about your life. If a full moon in summer helps you do this, then great, but other cultures do something very similar at the solstice, in the middle of winter. It’s useful to stop and think about what you want from your life, but you probably don’t want to get too caught up in the ritual of it. That’s not the important part, in my opinion. There are definitely those who disagree - I imagine that your fortune teller probably does. Disagrees, that is.”

“Yeah, that makes sense,” Rayla said slowly. “I really don’t know what to think about Angela - the fortune teller. She definitely had something going on that isn’t easily explained."