Mwedzi, Ngwedi, inyanga, mwezi, osupa, khoeli, onwa, dayaxa … Earth's moon has many names. She inspires as many melodies as she dons titles. Many folktales have been told to document the different faces she wears. Many songs have been sung to glorify the moon light or coax her to shine her light on earth. It takes Ngwedi just under 30 days to travel across planet Earth. During this journey, she gradually reveals her full splendour to us. On her expedition, she is like a hearth around which we gather. She is the chief diviner of rituals, silence observances and other customs, from mating to agriculture. Each face she wears transmits magic, from the sparkle of the new moon, the purifying force of the gibbous moon to the potent full moon.
The Gregorian calendar month lasts about 30 days. This is an attempt at approximating the Moon's synodic period or 'lunar phase.' This calendar borrows from many societies, their stories of cosmology, cosmogony and astronomy. The moon marks time in her own mystic ways, regulating our bodies, the oceans and even agriculture. Each step in the moon's journey is marked with magic. Each day, Ngwedi reveals or conceals herself, depending on whether she is moving away from or towards the sun. At each phase, she emits her light and cosmic energy. We also feed her with our life force and creativity.