“The Journey of 1000 Moons” by Ernesto Sanchez
If you count the moon cycles you will experience in your lifetime, by the time you reach 81 years of age, you will have experienced one thousand. As we live these years, how often do we stop and think about the presence of the moon in our lives and on the earth? To honor the inspirational force that the moon has on my life, I began an art project called “The Journey of 1,000 Moons.” The goal is simple: to make 1,000 moons. The moons are cast in gypsum and hand-painted. Like our lives, each moon is unique.
For every journey, there is a path, and on the path are points of inspiration, illumination, and revelation. But you cannot experience these unless you take the journey.
The Journey of 1000 Moons reminds us that, while the energetic dance between the moon and the earth has endured for billions of years, each of our individual lives is but a brief flash of illumination–only 1000 moons.
Moon Burning Ceremony
The “moon burning” depicted below is a ceremony that came out of a period of time in Ernesto’s life when he was experiencing much personal pain. There is a great deal of power in pondering life and accepting that the unknown will always remain a mystery. This ritual was a significant part of his healing path.
I think many metaphors can be derived from the “moon burning.” There is the obvious metaphor of watching your life go up in flames while living in chronic pain. It can also symbolize letting go of your past and moving forward.
I hope this story of Ernesto’s “Journey of 1000 Moons” is helpful in your journey back to a full, rich, and pain-free life.
Ernesto Sanchez
Ernesto and my wife have been close friends since they spent a year living on the Russian River in the 1970s. They reconnected about 20 years ago, and Ernesto has now become a close friend of mine. He has been an inspiration to me with his commitment to the arts as a way of elevating the spirit.
Are you really alive?
I am almost finished with the first draft of my new book, Calm Your Body, Heal Your Mind: Transcend Anxiety, Anger, and Repetitive Unwanted Thoughts. I am excited about the way it is developing and I have learned much. One point that has really hit home for me is that when you are anxious or frustrated, your highest thinking parts of your brain are not working correctly. Blood supply and metabolic activity is being redirected to optimize your fight or flight reaction. You have unconsiciously linked to an event in the past that you perceived as dangerous or maybe was dangerous. You are there and not here. You are not fully present and you could argue, not fully alive. People are worried about living longer. Why not live right now? All we have is time.