Does the phase of the moon affect you? How does a shadow affect you?

The Sage and the Moon

Long ago, a wandering sage came to a small village nestled in the mountains. The villagers, weary from their daily struggles, sought his wisdom. They gathered around him one evening and asked, “Master, you speak of the Tao, the way of harmony. But how can we find it in our lives, filled as they are with toil and hardship?”

The sage smiled and said, “Let me show you something.”

He led them to a quiet lake under the night sky. The full moon hung above, its light shimmering on the water. “What do you see?” he asked.

“The moon,” they replied.

“And what happens when the water stirs?” he continued.

One of the villagers threw a pebble into the lake, and ripples spread across the surface, breaking the moon’s reflection into fragments. “The moon is shattered,” said a child.

The sage chuckled softly. “Is it truly shattered? Look again.”

The villagers looked up and saw the moon, whole and unbroken in the sky. The sage continued, “The moon above does not change, no matter how the water moves. The reflection on the surface is disturbed, but the moon remains serene and eternal.”

He turned to the villagers. “Your lives are like this lake. The Tao, like the moon, is constant and unchanging. Your thoughts and struggles are the ripples. If you learn to quiet your mind and still your heart, the reflection of the Tao within you will become clear once more.”

The villagers sat by the lake that night, watching the moon and feeling a deep sense of peace. From that day forward, they sought harmony by letting go of their struggles, trusting in the eternal way of the Tao.