Every day in the year there comes some malice into the world,
and where it comes from is no good place.
Cracked Mary

There are some say it is the moon.
Hyacinth Halvey

So it is too. The time the moon is going back, the blood
that is in a person does be weakening, but when the moon
is strong, the blood moves strong in that same way. And it to
be full, it drags the wits along with it, the same as it drags the tides.
Shawn Early

It’s Ireland in 1919 and the villagers of Cloon are discussing the source of madness. The play is Full Moon which author Lady Gregory dedicates to all the sane people who know their neighbours to be naturally cracked or someway queer or to have gone wrong in the head.

It’s the US in 2018 and many of us are wondering about our neighbours. On the eve of an election when here and around the world people are wondering if we have gone wrong in the head, it’s easy to attribute this madness to outside influences. Perhaps even the moon. But it’s not about outside influences. 

I’m reminded of the tale of a grandfather sitting at a fire with his grandson. They boy is troubled about his recent behavior and the grandfather counsels him that we each have two wolves inside us. One holds the energies of greed and anger and fear and hatred. The other holds the energies of kindness and compassion and generosity and love. How we behave is a matter of choosing which wolf we feed.

Republicans have been laying out a feast of fear and hatred. Many have been choosing to gorge themselves on it. Tomorrow we will find out how many. Tomorrow we will find out which wolf we, as a nation, are choosing to feed. 

Beannacht,
Judith – judith@stonefires.com