The Quiet Moon, Eid, and Earth Day

The Quiet Moon: Pathways to an Ancient Way of Being by Kevin Parr

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Flint (5 Jan. 2023)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0750998695

It is a strange coincidence that I finished reading Kevin Parr’s The Quiet Moon on a New Moon. It made me think of several conversations in recent weeks about the calendar year, alternative calendars, and the concept of time. Austin Kleon wrote about the difference between experiencing time as linear vs. circular. How almanacs and lunar cycles observe the passage of time as the birth and rebirth of seasons, crops, and life itself. Humankind has needed a linear time structure to record and plan events. It is how the world runs. But simultaneously, the pandemic showed us that experience of time is subjective. It waxes and wanes just like the moon despite what the calendar says. I love how Parr describes ‘time’ in the prologue of this book:

Time is a harness because of our interpretation of its passing.

While reading about embracing seasons rather than rigid months in a calendar, Flint Books sent me this gorgeous book about the beauty of moon cycles. The cover page is a field drenched in the moonlight in a deep swathe of sapphire and sky blue. Subtitle- Pathways to an Ancient Way of Being. The writer, naturalist, and fisherman Kevin Parr journals his year of moons in the way of the Celtics.

Each chapter title is a traditional Celtic full moon name like the Quiet Moon for January and the Harvest Moon for October. The author delves deep into the etymological origins of the lunar months introducing the reader to the Coligny calendar- the oldest lunisolar calendar made in Roman Gaul perhaps in the second century CE. Physically, the Coligny is a fragmented bronze plaque written in Latin inscriptional capitals and numerals, but the terms are in the Gaulish language. There are twelve lunar months and an intercalary month is inserted before every 2.5 years- titled the Blue Moon in this book’s epilogue.

The author lives in the Dorset countryside. There are ponds, hedges, marlins, peregrines, adders, and of course, the moon. He writes about the family of adders that live nearby quite lovingly. I must confess my inherent unease about snakes has mellowed to a degree after reading this book. I suppose it’s the writing. Caring, insightful, fluid. There’s rain, sleet, and ice. There are tens of different species of birds, wildflowers, insects, snakes, and trees. Every walk described in this book can be revisited with the changing seasons. Here’s a dreamlike sequence from the book:

The sunset in the south-west is impressive, yet the moonrise has brought layers of lavender, rose and saffron that are soft like watercolour and yet dazzle like acrylic. And near the top sits the moon, a neat circle of clotted cream topping a slice of rainbow sponge.

Breathtaking prose. Sometimes witty in a sort of delightful phosphor spark. Even though the Dorset climate is different than here in Calcutta, I wrote down some remarkable similarities too such as the changes in flowering time and the appearance of birds during changes in seasons- called the phenological mismatch- thanks to climate change.

Parr doesn’t shy away from personal narratives in the book. Some of them are very honest and give the book an alloy-like strength. His struggles with mental health and anecdotes from his younger years actually elevate the core sense of this book- the way of being- life being a vast sum of cycles and seasons.

I think as a reader, I felt a connection to the mysterious Celts through this book more than any other historical account I have read. Even those are scant, often relying on the works of Julius Caesar and Pliny. The fruits of this book are to be enjoyed slowly over many lunar cycles. The reader might find solace in the way the Celts revered the land, the moon, and the seasons. Yesterday was Eid and a new moon brought cool showers late at night. It has been a record-shattering heatwave in the Indian subcontinent. Every day is a reminder of the stressed planet. And on Earth Day, I can’t think of a better book as a gift for family and friends to rejuvenate their interest in their relationship with nature.