Moon Age

Introduction

What I would like to define in this post is the term ‘moon age’. When I for one , first heard the term I thought that it was referring to the actual age of the moon in millions of years. But I was rather surprised when I instead of getting a figure in billions or millions of years, I got a figure in days. What is that I thought?

Moon Age – Two Views

Well the complete view point is that the term ‘moon age’ can be taken in an absolute sense or in a relative sense.

In the absolute sense it is the age of the moon since its very creation to the current time, now.

In the relative sense, it is has to do with the current phase of the moon, and how many days going back in time from now, to when the last new moon (no moon visible in the sky) was.

Moon Age in Days

Moon age expressed in days sees a new moon (i.e. no moon) as the death of the moon. It also sees that in the next day or two the Moon will be born again and will grow up bright and strong reaching a maximum (full moon) and then age, grow old and die again (new moon).

It takes the moon on average 27.55 days to go from a new moon back to a new new moon. So the life of the moon (in the relative sense) is on average 29.53 days. This time is also called a synodic month.

A full moon happens typically approximately 14 days after the new moon phase and so the age of the moon during full moon is typically approximately 14 days.

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Comet Kondoor

Introduction

G.I Gurdjief’s Book: “Beelzebub’s Tales to his Grandson: All and Everything”

What the author G.I Gurdjief expressed in his quite frankly remarkable book “Beelzebub’s Tales to his Grandson: All and Everything” was that a very large comet, whom he called the comet Kondoor, collided with the Earth.

Such a collision Gurdjieff explains eventually gave rise to the Moon. Gurdjief explains that from this collision actually two large fragements of the Earth were thrown into space. One of these fragments, the larger one formed what we know today as the Moon and the other, smaller one formed the second Moon that the Earth has, but not much is generally known about it. There are reports though that science has officially recognised it.

Gurdjieff called the larger fragment which formed our Moon: Loonderperzo and the smaller one: Anulios.

Age of the Moon & the Comet Kondoor

If the impact theory for the Moon’s creation is true then the age of the Moon must be younger than the age of the Earth. This would conclusively prove that the impact theory is the more correct theory to use to explain the creation of the Moon. However, accepting that it is true that a certain comet called Kondoor did collide with the Earth, this very event or actually the consequences of this event could still give validation to the theory that the Moon predates the Earth as it is expressed by certain esoteric sources. I will explain why.

Theory

Say if the Collision did Happen

Certainly a large comet impacting with the Earth would throw a lot particles into space, which science says formed the Moon by a process called accretion. However, if the Moon was already there those particles could be quite easily captured by the already existing Moon. These captured particles could easily coat the surface of the Moon with Earthly material.

So then it all depends on what depth the lunar rock samples were taken at. If the rock samples were taken from the surface then the samples should be of a similar age to that of Earth, actually the rock samples should return a similar but younger age to the age of the rocks on the Earth. In some cases this seems to be true.

Dark, Far Side of the Moon May not be the Key

The far side of the Moon may not necessarily hold the key. One may think that because only one side of the Moon faces the Earth all the particles thrown into space from the Earth should have landed on this visible side of the Moon, and nothing should have landed on the far or dark side. This is very logical if that were true, that is if it were true that the Moon did in fact at the time rotate on its axis in such a way that only one side was visible. But this may not have been true before the collision, but only after the collision once all the collected Earth particles had attached themselves to the Moon’s surface.

This could mean that the Moon was rotating on its axis at a rate showing all its sides while collecting all these particles from the Earth, allowing the whole surface of the Moon to be thickly covered with particles from the Earth.

Still though it makes sense that the best bet to obtain a conclusive finding would be for samples to be taken at a greater depth below the Moon’s surface.

Conclusion

The event of the collision of the comet Kondoor with the Earth gives some validation to the modern scientific Impact theory as to the origin of the Moon. This post also puts forward a theory that gives some support to the modern Capture theory, saying that particles from the collision of the comet Kondoor with the Earth landed on a pre-existing Moon. This accounts for the fact that so many of the lunar rock samples returned a very similar composition and age as the rocks on the earth.

What would clear all this up, is if rock samples were taken from depths greater than the surface of the Moon. The result would tell us something very conclusive about the origin of the Moon, i.e. whether it is older or younger than the Earth. Because supposedly sampling some depth below the surface would tap into the original lunar rock and not the rock collected from the result of eh impact of the comet Kondoor with the Earth.

In conclusion, this post is saying that the theory of the Moon pre-existing the Earth can not be ruled out, even if a majority of the samples indicate that the Earth is older than the Moon. This post has given a plausible explanation as to why this is so and still the Moon could be at the same older than the Earth.

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Origin of the Moon

Introduction

Much is Known though More is Unknown

Even though man has landed on the Moon and various space probes and man-made satellites have mapped and probed the surface of the Moon, the Moon for the most part still remains a mystery.

A lot has already been discovered about the Moon and this has certainly brought about a clear understanding about some aspects of the Moon, such as for example the distance between the Earth and the Moon, the rate at which the Moon is moving away from the Earth, the Moon’s magnetic field etc.

A Mystery Lifted

Certainly a large part of the mystery of the Moon would be lifted, if only the origin of the Moon were clear. Unfortunately though, at the moment there is much debate going on in scientific communities with regards to the origin of the Moon. It seems given the data currently available that the two accepted theories have an equal number of factors supporting and going against them. With the final result being that a consensus was made as to which theory should be accepted, rather than a theory accepted based on supporting evidence.

Ambiguity

Unfortunately the more one delves into the subject the more ambiguous it becomes, none the less this post and future posts on this topic are presented to bring to light what is currently circulating with regards to the origin of the Moon.

This Post

This post is a presentation in simple terms of some of the theories, myths and views related to the origin of the Moon.

Scientific Views

Two Theories

There are three scientific theories regarding the origin of the Moon. There is the Impact theory also known as the splash theory and then there is the Capture theory. In future posts I will go into each theory in more detail.

1982 Conference

There was a conference in 1982 where the major lunar scientists met in order to come to a conclusion about the origin of the Moon, and it was decided that the impact theory would be the one accepted as the origin of the Moon.

Please note, this however does not mean that the way that the Moon came to be is as is expressed in this theory. It is just the theory that various so called lunar experts have come to agree upon as the theory that fits best the data and mathematical models that they had and have at the current time.

Consensus Could Change

This consensus could and most likely will with new findings and data change in the future. When something has not been conclusively proven then it is always subject and prone to change.

A Definitive Factor in Determining Moon Origin

What factor is quite definitive in determining the origin of the Moon is the age of the rock samples collected from the Moon by NASA. If the rock samples conclusively date the Moon as being older than the Earth then one theory will have to be favoured over the other. In this case if the rock samples from the Moon are proven to be older than the rocks on the Earth, then the Capture theory would have to be favoured over the Impact theory.

More Uncertainty - Opinions and Counter Opinions

According to one source that I researched it seems that the age of the moon rock samples is 4.6 billion years old and the oldest rocks on earth date back to 3.5 billion years ago. This quite conclusively makes the Moon older than the Earth. However, this changes when you read more into the subject. Some reports conclude that the Lunar rock samples are the same age as those of the Earth and some conclude that the Moon is younger than the Earth.

Rock Sample Analysis

When you read into the issue of the analysis of the Lunar rock samples you see a lot of division and disagreement about the results. Some views say that they are not valid due to certain assumptions made in the processing of the results were incorrect.

In the end one gets the impression that the real age of the moon rock samples it is not so clear cut. Perhaps that is the reason why the scientific community was so divided and a meeting was needed to come to an agreement about the most plausible Moon origin theory in the light of currently available raw and processed data.

Esoteric Views

The Moon, a contemporary esotericist Samael Aun Weor says, was determined by NASA to be actually older than the Earth.

Four Hundred Kilograms of Moon Rock

I have been researching to validate this statement and I what I can say is that most definitely NASA and the Russians did take many samples from the Moon and they were analysed to determine their age. Some sources say in fact that close to four hundred kilograms of lunar rock was collected by NASA as a result of all their Lunar landings.

Esoteric Views – Clear (unlike Scientific)

The esoteric view regarding the origin of the Moon is very deep and very interesting but more importantly very clear. It clearly states, with actually quite convincing reasons that the Moon is older than the earth. However as with many esoteric points of view, many of the reasons can not at this point in time be proven by science, mainly due to science lacking the apparatus to verify the claims.

The esoteric point of view holds that the Moon is now a dead planet, which previously in a past cosmic day (mahavanatra) or in other words a past manifestation or round of creation, had life and was just alive as the Earth is today. However, after life the Moon it became what it is today, nothing more than a corpse or shell of a planet. Furthermore, the esoteric view further holds that the moon was the predecessor of the earth.

Please note I will dedicate future posts related to this issue.

Moon Older than the Earth

Samael Aun Weor says that the Moon is older than the Earth and he also says that NASA has analysed the samples of lunar rocks that the Apollo missions brought back and that NASA determined the Moon to be older than the Earth.

Comet Kondor

According to an early nineteenth century esotericist commonly referred to as Gurdjieff (Georges Ivanovich Gurdjieff) a certain very large comet known as the comet Kondor hit the Earth and a portion of the Earth’s crust was flung into space, which according to Gurdjieff later formed the Moon.

This statement of Gurdjieff is in plain agreement with the Impact theory of the Moon’s creation, however it could also give some support to the other esoteric point of view which states that the Moon predated the Earth.

Please note, I will in the next blog post expound more upon the subject I’ve introduced in the previous paragraph.

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An Interpretation of the Greek Myth of Selene (Moon)

Introduction

In a previous post we briefly examined the Greek myth about the Moon.

The Greek myth states that the Moon, Selene was the daughter of Theia, the Earth, and Hyperion, the Sun. It also mentions that Selene was loved by Pan the God of nature and that Selene loved Endymion (mankind) whom Zues had put into a deep sleep.

Clearing it all Up

Selene is Humanity

According to Samael Aun Weor, a contemporary esotericist, the Greek myth of the Moon or Selene refers to this humanity, whom he describes as being lunar in quality.

We will in later blog posts go into depth about the various qualities that fall under the term lunar and contrast them with the various qualities that fall under the term adjective solar.

Samel Aun Weor describes the Selene as being this humanity which is lunar in quality and he also describes Endymion as being this humanity. He says that the Greek myth is not astronomical or geological but rather something psychological, anthropological and esoteric.

Selene the Product of Theia and Hyperion

To say that Selene, this lunar humanity as being the product of the Earth and the Sun makes sense and is true, because we certainly depend on both. We would not be alive as we are now, if there were no sun or an Earth to live on.

Selene and Endymion both Humanity

Well this is a confusing aspect of Samael Aun Weor’s interpretation of the Greek myth. It essentially states that the lunar race loves itself as the myth or legend states the Selene loved Endymion. However, it could be taken to represent the degree to which humanity and the lunar or selenic qualities are intimately linked.

Endymion Put to Sleep by Zeus

This is certainly true, humanity is currently sleeping, please note we will talk more about this in later posts. However, the sleeping adjective means that the consciousness or the faculty of awareness or the cognitive faculty of the human being is not fully developed or is in an incipient and dormant state.

Conclusion

The Greek myth does not suggest really that the Moon came from the Earth as the modern Splash or Impact theory suggests, rather the Greek myth refers to something else altogether, it refers the characteristics of humanity, or the gives some light as to why humanity is the way it is.

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Moon from Many Perspectives

Some of the Many Perspectives

There are many perspectives from which we can view the Moon. There is the scientific perspective, there is the romantic, poetic, artistic perspective, there is the cultural perspective, there is the anthropological perspective, there is the perspective from folk lore (who has a special branch devoted to all things lunar called ‘moon lore’) and finally there is the esoteric perspective, which encompasses themes of an esoteric and psychological nature.

Many Moons

There are really many Moons, that is there are as many Moons as there are cultures, as each culture has their particular way of viewing the Moon.

To Study the Moon is in Some Way to Study Ourselves

There is an interesting point developing here, which is to say: that by studying the Moon we are studying ourselves. By studying the moon we are at the same time studying aspects of our cultures, myths, symbology’s, concepts, beliefs, knowledge and science.

A Note on the Esoteric Perspective

The esoteric perspective of the Moon is essentially the view of the Moon from the psychological, astrological, mystical and spiritual point of view.

The esoteric view also studies some of the aspects that are present in the conventional scientific viewpoint of the Moon and agrees with them as it must, according to the principle or axiom: “that was is not physical is not physical”.

Please note, the conventional scientific point of view essentially presents the study of the Moon from a very physical, mathematical and analytical perspective.

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Clarification About the Word ‘Moon’

Moon

In English when the word ‘moon’ is mentioned we commonly and very specifically think about the silvery grey spherical and dimpled body hanging in the sky, Very rarely do we think about the word ‘moon’ being a generic term that is synonymous with the word ‘satellite’.

Satellite

Satellite originally in the 1540’s was used in context to mean a follower or attendant to a superior person. It wasn’t until the 1610’s and as late as the 1660’s that astronomers used the word satellite to describe the moons of Jupiter. Essentially a satellite is an object that orbits another planet.

Planet

The word planet comes from the Latin word ‘planeta’ and the Greek word ‘planes’ which means wanderer. Some stars the ancient Greeks observed moved position from night to night while others stayed fixed. These stars that were given the name wanderers turned out to be mostly planets.

The Moon as a Satellite

In terms of satellites the Moon is the fifth largest in mass in the solar system. The largest satellite is Ganymede. The Moon is a very irregular satellite in the sense that it is greater in size and mass than the satellites of the major planets. The Moon is just under half the mass of Ganymede.

The Moon is the fifth largest satellite in our (Ors) solar system. Note, in some esoteric circles the name for our Solar System is Ors.

Summary

In English the word ‘moon’ has two uses. One use is in reference to the silvery grey heavenly body that orbits the Earth and the other use is to refer to any heavenly body that orbits a planet, for example the moons of Jupiter or Saturn. Even though a moon or the Moon looks very much like a planet from a distance, it is not classed as a planet but rather as a natural satellite.

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Moon in Myth

Luna Incognita

The Moon is the most examined object in the sky, yet it still, even though much has been discovered about it remains a mystery, a luna incognita.

Fertility

The Egyptians had several lunar myths related to fertility. In Greek mythology the moon is associated with the goddess Selene and also with Artemis and Hecate. Selene is Greek for the moon and also the root of the word selenology which means the study of the moon. Luna on the other hand was the Roman Goddess for the Moon.

According to these myths the moon was a goddess responsible for fecundity in the human, vegetable and animal worlds. It seems that a common element in many of the mythologies throughout the world is that the Moon was a Goddess responsible for conception, birth and fertility.

Myths About the Origin of the Moon

There are various myths about the origin of the Moon that unfortunately don’t agree with each other, however they do shed some light onto the role that the Moon has in relation to the Earth and humanity. The Greek myth of Selene (the Moon) is an example.

Greek Myth of Selene

The Greek myth of Selene doesn’t suggest that the moon is the daughter of the earth as the Mayan do, but it suggests something very interesting about the nature of the Moon’s influence over the earth and humanity.

The Greek myth states that there was a Greek youth named Endymion, that as most accounts say was a shepherd. He was very handsome and he happened to catch the eye of Selene or Luna. She fell in love with him and because she didn’t want to share him with anyone else she kissed him, slept with him and placed him into a deep sleep that has no end. Every night since then she visits him and lavishes him with her kisses. Endymion in many other Greek myths represents humanity and some other Greek myths also say that Selene was beloved by Pan the God of nature. This is very suggestive and interesting and in later blogs we will examine this myth in greater detail.

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Origin of the Words: Moon and Luna

Moon

The word ‘Moon’ has its origin in the old English word ‘mona’. There were words similar to the old English ‘mona’ in other archaic languages that were used to refer to the Moon. They were ‘mene’ in Old Frisian (an old Germanic language spoken in 500 to 700AD), ‘mane’ in middle dutch, ‘mano’ in old Saxon, old Icelandic and Danish.

It wasn’t until the 15th century that English speaking people began spelling the word ‘mona’ as moon or occasionally as ‘moone’ with a silent ‘e’ added onto the back of it. The Latin word for moon is Luna, which was the Roman God for the Moon or the Roman version of the Greek Goddess Selene.

Selene

Selene is a Greek word and most likely comes from the Greek root ‘selas’, meaning brightness. Lunar in English is used to refer to the moon, and it is interesting to note that in antiquity lunar was also used to refer to a women’s menstrual cycle and also to insanity.

Moon Masculine or Feminine?

In English, the word Moon was regarded for a while as a masculine word, coming essentially from the “man in the moon” however now, it seems that it has changed and it has now become a feminine word.

Luna

Luna was the Roman Goddess of the Moon and so that is why in Italian, French, Portuguese and Spanish the Moon is feminine. For example in Spanish the Moon is ‘La Luna’ and in French the Moon is ‘La Lune’.

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