Letters to the Moon....

To continue the Moons of the Year series, I now present the installment for July, “Thunder Moon.” The full moon for the month of July is known as the Thunder Moon. July is a hot month of the year, in the United States; this increase in temperatures adds to instability in the weather during the month. As a result, many storms are created, including thunderstorms. Thus the moniker of the Thunder Moon was born. I have to confess that I love the name of the Thunder Moon. It evokes images of Thor, the Norse God of Thunder, and the modern Avengers version of Thor, doing battle, creating thunder and lightning with his mighty hammer. http://static.srcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/Chris-Hemsworth-Thor-Art-by-PC-Designs.jpg The moon is also known as the Buck Moon. This is the time of year when young deer begin to sprout their antlers, which are covered in a soft fur. http://www.almanac.com/content/full-moon-july  In the Celtic calendar, the moon is known as the Calming...

This month in the United States is Pride month, a time of celebration for the LGBTQ+ community. Last week was Pride week in Indianapolis; throughout the week there were countless events throughout Indianapolis. Last Saturday was the Pride parade in Indianapolis. This was my third year to participate in Pride. I first participated in 2014... http://letrasalaluna.blogspot.com/2014/06/pride.html ...and again in 2015. http://letrasalaluna.blogspot.com/2015/06/we-marched-as-one.html   We made our way downtown in the early morning hours. I met up with our group, and we went to our marshaling point. Upon our arrival we had a breakfast provided of doughnuts and coffee, bagels and cream cheese, orange juice and water. Being a person with a food allergy, I brought my own sandwich to eat. As others in the group ate their doughnuts and bagels, I ate the sandwich I had brought. I was not hungry at the time. However, I knew I would need the energy. While we waited for the s...

For this month’s installment of the “Moons of the Year” series, I present “Strawberry Moon 2.0” Strawberry Moon 2.0 The moon for the month of June is known as the Strawberry Moon. The moon will enter its full phase on June 9, 2017. Dubbed by the Algonquin tribe of indigenous peoples in the U.S., the name for the moon this month is named for the season for picking strawberries. The website “What’s Your Sign” had this to say regarding the Strawberry Moon: “June is the picking time for strawberries, when their at their ripest and fullest. Picking by moonlight is said to honor the crops, and insure bigger bounty next picking season.” http://www.whats-your-sign.com/native-american-full-moon-names.html According to the Farmer’s Almanac, the June moon is known as the Rose Moon and as the Honey Moon in European countries. If the moon hovers close to the horizon line, the moon can take on an amber or honey colored hue. http://www.almanac.com/content/strawberry-moon-june...

Language is the foundation of communication, allowing expression through both verbal and non-verbal communication. Language is the foundation of written communication as well. Perhaps language is also the foundation of the subconscious, and of our dreams. A friend asked me a question the other day that made me pause and contemplate the answer. The question posed to me: “What language do you dream in?” We write in language; we think it, we speak it, we sing it, we rap it, we shout it, we whisper it. But do we dream in language? The friend who asked me that question was remembering a time when she met a young man in college from another country. The person was here in the United States as part of an English as a Second Language (ESL) learning language program.    My friend remembered that, when she asked the gentleman a question, it would take him a few moments to think about his answer before he gave a reply. She said it was almost as if she could see the whe...

This morning, in the wee hours of the morning, I had a cat join me on my bed. This is a common occurrence in my home. As the owner of two cats, this happens often in the early morning.  There is a familiar thump on the bed that lets me know that a cat has joined me. This is then followed by a series of movements, including walking the length of the bed, or lying down in a spot close to me. . Most of the time, it is my orange tabby cat Jazz that joins me on the bed. She sometimes sniffs my nose, which is a form of kiss in the cat world, and finds a spot to lie down on the bed. Quite often she jumps up on the bed, and then makes a huge leap to the other side of the bed, jostling me out of my slumber. "Jazz the Cat" by Esperanza Habla However, I noticed a difference this morning. There had been a jump onto the bed, followed by complete stillness.  I opened my eyes a bit to confirm what I already knew. It was not Jazz on the bed; instead, it was my black c...

Continuing the “Moons of the Year” series, here now is the installment for the month of May, “The Flower Moon.” The name of the full moon for the month of May, the second in the month of Spring, is known as the Flower Moon, as this is the month of the year that many flowers are in bloom. The website “What’s Your Sign” has a wonderful explanation of the name of the moon: “Quite simply, May brings bright brushes to paint the earth canvas with infinite flowers. In the full moon light of this month, the flowers are said to grow at night, and even dance in honor of the moon.” http://www.whats-your-sign.com/native-american-full-moon-names.html It is also known as the Milk Moon. As the cows began to graze on the newly sprouted flora, the quality of their milk improved.   It is also known as the Corn Moon, as this is the time of year that corn is ready to plant. This year’s Flower Moon will be a rare sight in the nighttime sky. It seems that the wealth of flo...

The Book I Was Born to Write A letter to the moon Hello Luna, How are you? I had to write you and let you know that my new book, “Symphonies”, is out now on Amazon! It’s available in paperback and Kindle editions. https://www.amazon.com/Symphonies-poetic-collection-Esperanza-Habla/dp/099151047X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1493911280&sr=8-1 I also made a book trailer to promote the release of the book: This is my fourth book overall, the third I have published in English. When I told a friend about the book, she commented: “This is the book you were born to write.” That was an amazing feeling, to hear those words. Perhaps she’s right. Maybe this is the book I was born to write. What an inspiring, all encompassing feeling that is. I am so pleased and excited to share this with you Luna. Each book I publish takes months to get it absolutely right. It truly is a labor of love. I’ve worked so hard on this book Luna. I hope you love it. ...