Mani - God of the Moon

Hail Mani, God of the Moon,

I thank your for your luminous light,

In our darkest hours.

I acknowledge your power,

Over our earth and seas

I praise you for your promise of,

Magic and mystery.

I honour your breath taking beauty

On your nightly journey.

Hail Mani, God of the Moon.

In many religions and cultures the moon is seen as a female deity but according to Northern religion and folklore the moon is a male deity called Mani and is the original ‘Man in the Moon’ in the stories we were told as children.

In the Norse mythology Mani is the brother of Sol the sun goddess. He travels through the night sky in a horse drawn chariot, chased by the wolf, Hati. If the wolf gets too close a lunar eclipse occurs, the wolf is destined to catch Mani at the final battle of Ragnarok. Mani is accompanied on his nightly journey by two human children, Bil and Hjuki. It is said he rescued the two children from their father on earth after he watched them being forced to fetch water through out the night. The nursery rhyme of ‘Jack and Jill’ is thought to originate from this legend.

One way we can honour the God of the Moon is by creating a moonlight garden and what better time to plan such a garden than in the spring and with the long summer evenings to look forward too. Most gardens are designed to be seen during the day, but you can create a garden that also comes alive with its own sensual beauty during the twilight and night time hours. Such a garden will also provide a place of delight for the nocturnal wildlife, such as bats and moths.

In creating your garden include as many white flowering plants as possible to best reflect the pale light. Along side your white plants use pastel colours, silvery foliage and lots of fragrant plants to delight all the senses and attract the wildlife. Try to aim for different textures and flowering periods to extend your moon garden through the year.

If you have space, a tree such as the Silver Birch would look stunning with its white shimmering bark or a white flowering Lilac. Some flowers choose to release their fragrance in the twilight hours, Night Scented Stocks, Honeysuckle, Jasmine, Nicotiana – flowering tobacco plant, Evening Primrose and fragrant herbs such as Mint are just a few. If you live in a desert area, there are also some varieties of Cactus that are night flowering.  The choices of plants are endless and will depend on your local climate, but a moonlight garden is a dream to create. Those who live in apartments need not feel left out, an indoor garden place in a moonlight filled window can be just as magical.

Hail to Mani, God of the Moon.

I wish to thank Willow of Confessions of a Country Witch for letting me be a guest on her blog; it has been a real pleasure writing this post.

The above is the guest post I made for Willow's 'Welcoming the God' blog party.