The moon is more than just a pale

satellite of interest to poets and astronomers.

Its influence goesbeyond merely creating ocean tides or driving biological

cycles.More importantly, the moon exerts a significant influence upon
themechanical, emotional, and psychological states in man. The werewolfmyth and
superstition concerning full moon lunacy are not far fromthe truth.

Certain lunar phases heighten thepossibility for emotionally draining situations

and stimulatereactivity and sensitivity in vulnerable individuals.

Personal observation reveals what numerous esoteric sources haveexplained at

length, namely that we are food for the moon. In thisarticle I shall summarize
these sources and then give an account ofhow through personal experience I
independently arrived at similarbut more expansive conclusions framed in context of
the matrixcontrol system.

This is an incredibly fascinating andpractical subject since the lunar factor can
be observed by anyonewith eyes to see and knowledge of such cycles can be used to
bypassobstacles normally exacerbated by the fog of ignorance.

Gurdjieff andOuspensky

Fourth Way philosophy aims to strip man of his mechanical behaviorand hypnotic
programming in order to build within him a core ofheightened consciousness. It is
an esoteric system assembled fromincomplete fragments of inner Christianity and
Sufism. It's founder, Georges Gurdjieff, frequently admonished the thoughtless
mechanicalbehavior of humanity and was fond of saying that we are �food forthe
moon.�

What did Gurdjieff mean by this phrase?

Many have interpreted �food for themoon� as a figure of speech, that perhaps
Gurdjieff meant we areslave to our mechanical conditioning and feed our baser
impulses.While it can be additionally interpreted that way, Gurdjieff wasprimarily
being literal.

Peter Ouspensky, one of Gurdjieff's mostprolific disciples, lectured at length

concerning the moon's role inhuman affairs and its place in the cosmological scheme
of things. It is reasonable to assume what Ouspensky wrote about the moon
accurately reflects what Gurdjiefftaught him.

According to Ouspensky, the moon acts as a giant electromagnet pulling upon all
organic life on earth and sucking into itself thesoul essence of dying creatures.
The moon is an embryonic planetreceiving its nutrition from organic life on earth
through an etheric umbilical cord, an energy conduit between earth and moon.
In man, the moon drives his mechanical aspects like a pendulummoving the gears of a
clock.

The degree to which one's actions aredriven by the moon is proportional to one's
level of reactivity andnon-being. For people incapable of moving themselves through
life bynobler spiritual impulses, the moon provides a propulsive force.Without this
force, mechanical individuals would be passive aspuppets without a puppeteer.

Ouspensky went so far as to say that the very physical motion of ourlimbs was made
possible thanks to the moon. Other Fourth Way initiates like Rodney Collin
explained that because our body waslargely made of water and the moon pulls on
water to create theocean tides, our bodies are made to move in similar but
morecomplicated ways through hydraulic principles.

Though I find this explanation dubious,I have included it only to be complete in my

summary. The moon'sgravitational field pulls on all masses equally and is not
strongenough to have any physical influence over the motion of waterwithin the
body. It would be more accurate to say that the moonexerts some subtle influence
upon the organs of our etheric bodyresponsible for initiating neurochemical
impulses that triggermechanical motion.

So mechanical behavior is driven by themoon but not necessarily via crude physical
means.

The moon is therefore an important factor in driving physiologicalmotion. As long

as its influence is limited to such effects, themoon is doings its job properly.
Ouspensky warned, however, that iflunar influences trespassed into one's emotional
and mental aspects,then emotional and mental imbalances would occur.

How can the moonaffect our emotional and intellectual centers? By the very fact
thatthese lower centers have their own mechanical aspects.

Ouspensky was asked whether there was any truth to the connectionbetween full moons
and lunacy. He said there was none and that lunarphases are irrelevant because the
moon is always around earthexerting the same pull regardless of its phase. That
much is true,however as I shall explain later, it is the alignment between
earth,sun, and moon that colors the lunar influence, therefore lunarphases do
correlate with cycles of mental and emotional stabilityand instability.

In the cosmological schema, earth is like a mother to the moon whichis still a
fetus in the sense that it cannot yet �breathe� on itsown, hold an atmosphere, or
support life.

Gurdjieff said:

�The Moon is actually a fragment ofthis Earth, which must now constantly maintain
the Moon'sexistence.�
In that sense, the moon is like aparasitic thought-form.

Nevertheless, the equation is balancedbecause in exchange for the moon propelling

our mechanical movement,we feed the moon so that it may grow and one day be born as
a livingplanet. As to how organic life feeds the moon, Ouspensky explainedthat upon
death the physical body returns to the earth but the soulessence, the astral and
etheric energies sloughed off by theevacuating spirit, float toward and deposit
themselves upon themoon.

This comes with the dissolution of thebody's mechanical center. During life,
however, unprovoked emotionalturmoil and unconscious psychological suffering
produce subtleenergies that feed the moon, and this much is detrimental topersonal
esoteric evolution.

In line with the objectives of Fourth Way, to escape the moredeleterious lunar
influences Ouspensky said we must �create moonwithin ourselves.� By this he meant
we must develop within us adriving mechanism that can take the place of the
external lunarinfluence; in this way we would break free of the puppeteer.

Assuming for a moment a more general andpractical interpretation, this simply says
that in order to becomefree from mechanical conditioning and reactive behavior we
mustreinforce our sense of self-awareness so that conscious choice andawareness
reigns supreme over any external stimuli that mightprovoke an unconscious reaction.

In this way we stop feeding the moonwhile living, and still properly pay our dues
upon death.

Mouravieff

In his epic work Gnosis, Boris Mouravieff formulated an esotericsystem for

spiritual evolution founded upon the inner traditions ofEastern Orthodoxy. Though
sharing a common basis with Fourth Way,what Mouravieff detailed is comparatively
more complete, accurate,and systematic.

Here is an excerpt from Gnosis summarizing what is necessary to transcend the lunar
influence:

As a cell of organic life on Earth,man plays a part in the development of the Ray
of Creation. Thevivification of the Moon, that cosmic fetus, is one aspect ofthis
development. This requires considerable quantities ofenergy, which is produced in
particular by the human part oforganic life. Illusion, which plays such an
important role inthe waking consciousness of man, was introduced into that stateso
that he would accept this aspect of the cosmic work,participating in it without
rebellion.

If we become conscious of this situation and desire to escapeit, we must conceive

and create a screen which will protect usagainst this devouring influence of the
Moon. We must meanwhileguard against falling into Illusion again by erecting a
falsescreen; the result would be an aggravated waste of these forcesinstead of an
economy of force.

The quantity of force necessary togenuinely oppose the influence of the Moon is
alreadyconsiderable.

The first imperative, then, is to stop wastingthese forces, to turn off the taps
which let the energy escapeuselessly: sterile emotions, in particular negative
emotions;fantasies from uncontrolled imagination; uncoordinated mentalgymnastics,
gossiping and chattering. We must thus act like awise minister of finance and
carefully economize our energies,yet without all the time sterilizing either our
activity or ourintelligence.

On the contrary, we must store andas far as possible augment these forces to build
up ourreserves. These are the two main aspects of the first objectivewe have to
attain.

(Mouravieff, Gnosis I, p.168)

Mouravieff also explained that organiclife functions as a transmitter station

sending refined energy tothe moon to assist its growth.

Despite increases in the humanpopulation and thus an increase in quantity of energy

transferred,times of peace do not produce sufficient energy and so catalysts
forsuffering such as wars and catastrophes arise to sustain theprocess.

The Moon's passive energy arisesfrom solar energy. It reflects this, but not
without atransformation as its own nature. [...] Unlike the Earth, theMoon does not
have a direct organic link with the Sun. Being asatellite, it depends directly on
its planet, and it is onlythrough the latter's mediation that it enters into
relation withthe Sun.

One of its essential roles is toreflect solar energy onto the Earth's surface in a
form modifiedby reflection as described above. This also leads to qualitativeand
quantitative variations that depend on its phases. Thesechanges do not prevent
continual reverberation, due to the factthat the Moon always presents the same face
to Earth, as theduration of its rotation around itself and around our planet
areboth the same.

(Mouravieff, Gnosis II, p.29)

Although Mouravieff did not elaborate inwhat manner the lunar influence varies with
phase, it stands toreason that essentially it is a matter of astrological
alignmentbetween earth, sun, and moon. During new and full moons, the moonand sun
are respectively in opposition and conjunction,respectively. During quarter moons
they are square.

Opposition, conjunction, and squarerepresent alignments that in this particular

case aggravate themechanical aspects in man. Other times of the month the
moonprimarily trines sun, a harmonious astrological aspect correspondingto
relatively calm and balanced temperament with the mechanicalinfluence not
trespassing into emotional or mental territory.

That the moon always shows the same face, has an unusually circularorbit, and is
precisely distanced to blot out the sun during totalsolar eclipses implies an
intentional placement by the �Architect� of the matrix, or perhaps it simply
suggests a collective choice toexperience this highly improbable but necessary
reality.

When asked if the moon was intentionallyplaced, the Cassiopaeans responded:

This is impossibly complexbecause in one way or another, everything is part of a

�plan.�

Mouravieff and Ouspensky emphasized that despite the soporificnature of the moon
and the urgent necessity for individuals toovercome its influence, there is still
an important cosmologicalreason for this arrangement.

If nothing else, the moon makes physicallife possible by driving the earth's
rotation.

The Zelator

Another interesting source is The Zelator by Mark Hedsel, anautobiographical

account of his initiatory pathway through various mystery schools.

The following excerpt takes place in thepresence of a teacher who gives a lengthy
discourse on the moon:

We became fascinated by the natureof the Moon, and with the other female planet,
Venus. It was asthough our attention had been drawn to the feminine side ofDarkness
and Light, as represented in the purgatorial side ofthe Moon, and the burning light
of Venus.
Our questions led ourMaster to some fascinating and unexpected observations about
thelunar connections in ancient esoteric lore, and it was notsurprising that the
few questions we did put to our Master atthat time concerned these planets.

'Do you know what the third-daypig is?' he asked in response to a question I had
put to himabout the Moon.

Although our Master was lookingdirectly at us, everyone shook their heads, as
though he haddirected the question to each of us personally. Perhaps thequestion
had been rhetorical, for he continued almostimmediately.

'The three-day pig is a phrasefrom the ancient Mysteries. Prior to the initiation
heldduring the Greater Mysteries of the Boedromion at Eleusis,in Greece, there was
what the Greeks called the HaladeMystai. Early in the morning, the candidates for
initiationwould make their way to the sea, carrying young pigs, whichthey would
wash and then sacrifice.

The usual - we might even saythe exoteric - explanation for this sacrifice is that
theyconsidered the blood of the pig to be especially pure, andmuch appreciated by
the gods of the Underworld. They buriedthe killed pigs deep in the Earth, after the
blood andslaughtered bodies had been dedicated to these infernalgods.

Because the sacrifice was heldon the third day of the Greater Mystery, such a
creature wascalled the third-day pig.'

He raised his eyebrows, and smiled.

'Now, as with all Mysteries ofinitiation, the term is not quite correct - it is
meant tohide something. It was not a third-day pig, but atwo-and-a-half-day pig, as
the sacrifices always took placein the morning. The fact that the rites were
conducted nearthe sea should lend a clue to one aspect of this arcanesymbolism, for
the two-and-a-half day period is a lunarperiod.

In two and a half days, the Mooncompletely traverses one sign of the zodiac: the
period,cosmically speaking, is a 12th part of the month. Now,perhaps, you will
begin to see something of the deepersignificance of the third-day pig?'

Perhaps once again the question hadbeen rhetorical. At all events, there was no
sound from thecircle.

'In a sense, the third-day pigis humanity - the liquid sweat of the Earth. Humanity
is inthrall to the Moon - mankind is subject to thetwo-and-a-half-day rhythm, and
to all other lunarperiodicities. In another sense, the third-day pig is theanimal
of Set, the reject darker side of Mankind - that lucifuge side, which does not
strive towards the light.

'This truth is recognized both in the overt symbolism of thepig sacrifice, and in
its deeper arcane implications. Theinitiation centres have always recognized that
mankind is inthrall to the Moon - that ordinary men and women aresleeping under the
influence of the lunar powers. [...]

Thesymbolism of the three-day pig must now be evident. Thecreature is a surrogate

for a sacrifice which is nosacrifice, as the loss is of no value in the face of
thatgained. [...]

What happens to our higher principle at thisfission of porcine sacrifice is of

direct account in thesymbolism of the three-day pig. Just as in a
sacrificeinvolving a burnt offering, where the flames go upwards, andthe carbonized
remains go downwards, so the sacrifice of thethird-day pig is a fission of
separation. Note this word,fission. One cannot go far in the hermetic studies
withouthaving formed a good idea of what Spiritual fission implies.

'On one level, then, the pig is symbol of the lower nature,which must be buried -
or, more accurately, placed into thehands of the infernal hordes, to which it
rightly belongs.Meanwhile, the initiated Spirit rises upwards on the scalesof
perfection. As you know, only the initiates sacrifice atthe Helade Mystai, so we
may presume that, at the symbolicaldeath, it is only the lower part of the �pig� -
the body andthe blood - which is rendered unto the lower world. Thehigher world
carries the Spirit to a higher realm, in thewonder of initiation. You see, the
three-day pig is a symbolof this rejected part, of the dark part pushed
downwardsafter the separation which is the immediate consequence ofinitiation.'
[...]

'But the pig. Let us glance oncemore at the symbolism of the famous three-day pig.
We arethe pig, awaiting sacrifice. We are in thrall to the Moon:we are all sleeping
Endymions, who must render to the Moonthat which bears the imprint of the Moon. Let
us presumethat the sacrifice of the three-day pig is symbolical of thethree days �'
- he emphasized the words to show that theyhad a much deeper meaning than might be
at first apparent -'... that we spend in the sphere of the Moon after ourdeath. As
you know, in traditional Christianity, this periodis called Purgatory. In
esotericism, it has other names,with which you will all be familiar. The three-day
pig is asymbol' - he emphasized the word - 'of this period we mustspend in
Purgatory.

'If you reflect upon it, you will see that it is not afar-fetched symbolism. The
pig, through its association withSet, is a creature of the Moon, and the period in
Purgatoryis a �blood sacrifice� in the sense that during thatexperience the sins of
the blood - one might say the sweatof our blood sins - are washed away. In
Purgatory, at greatcost to ourselves, we sacrifice our sins. These entities - our
sins - are devoured by the demons in what might beregarded as a blood-lust. We have
clung to our sinsthroughout our lifetime, and letting them go is no easymatter:
they must be torn away from us.

'Purgatory is a sort of cosmic clearing house- even a placeof enforced learning -

where the entities and dispositionsborn of sin find fulfillment and regeneration.
Without theexistence of such a cleansing house, the Spiritualatmosphere of the
Earth would have been completely poisonedlong ago.

'The skull-face of the Moon, glaring down with cratered eyesat the world, is a
perpetual memorial to the inexorableconsequences of human sin. It would be possible
to point tovast documentary sources for this belief that the Moon isthe cosmic
centre of purgatory - it is indeed encapsulatedin very many symbols in Christian
doctrine and symbolism. Onwhat may be the most obvious level, the very idea
thatdemons have horns is probably a throw-back to the idea ofthe crescent of the
Moon, their natural homeland: they are,so to speak, branded with the C of the
crescent.

'You were quite right, Mark �' - much to our chagrin, he turned to us, making
publicprivate conversations we had had with him - '... to link the Moon with
demonic assault, andwith the dark realm of s�ances and atavistic clairvoyance.The
demonic beings love the dark. While it is true that thes�ance rooms are kept dark
to enable amateur conjurors toperform without detection, it is also true that
thoseSpiritual beings who work evil through such s�ances love thedark. They are
lucifuges. Just as they cannot understand theneed for light, so they cannot
understand human love.

'The ancients used darkness, not to contact the demons, butto contact the Higher
Beings. One reason why the so-calledair-shafts in the Great Pyramid are directed
towardsspecific stars is to allow these stellar influences topierce into the
darkness where the initiations took place.'The ancients built their stone circles
to enable them touse darkness for specific purposes. They knew that during
aneclipse, when the Moon is thrown into darkness, the effectof the Moon is, to some
extent, weakened.

At such times,certain diabolical and evil influences which have been builtup in the
aura of the Earth can escape. It is as though asafety valve has been opened in the
skies, pouring into thecosmos down the dark tunnel of the Black Moon, which hangsin
the shadow of the Earth. This Black Moon - the Moon ofsnake-infested Hecate in the
ancient mythology - is quitedifferent from the Lighted Moon. In some of the
ancientcenters this Black Moon was even given a different name.

'The Lighted Moon is, to some extent, Spiritually warmed bythe Sun. One has to be
attuned to cosmic realities to feelthe difference between the Dark Moon and the
full Moon. Whenthe Sun is eclipsed by the Dark Moon, then it is not unusualfor
birds to drop from the skies in fear. Great wisdom isshown in such fear. You must
all try to experience aneclipse - solar or lunar - to catch a feeling of this
cosmicreality. There is a frisson in the air, quite unlikeanything which can be
felt under normal circumstances.

The primeval terror of the Moon among the ancients was notentirely unrealistic: in
those days, there was a differentconsciousness which allowed men to perceive cosmic
realitiesthat are now hidden from us. You will never understand whythe ancient
stone circles were built if you do notfamiliarize yourself with the Dark Moon.'
[...]

In the meeting prior to his death,our Master fulfilled his promise to speak about
the secrets ofthe Moon. Normally, he would wait for someone in our midst toask a
question.
This time he began to speak without preamble.

'In the esoteric literature, youwill find many records indicating that the Moon was
at onetime part of the Earth. It had to leave the Earth, in orderto allow life on
Earth to continue its Spiritual developmentunimpeded.

'It is important that anyone on the Path should attempt toform a clear picture of
what this separation was like. Notonly was it of considerable evolutionary
importance in the cosmogenesis of the Earth, but it is played, in miniature,in many
of our Spiritual activities. It is the archetypalform of fission. Now,
unfortunately, in modern times evenour imaginative faculties have been
materialized, and it isdifficult for us to form a picture of what this Moon-losswas
really like. It is difficult for us to form clear imagesof the fission which lies
at the root of all Spiritualactivity. It is difficult for modern man and woman
tovisualize things in purely Spiritual terms. This is becausethe picture-making
which lies at the basis of ourimaginative faculty longs for mythology, since
mythology isitself an agency of Spirituality.

'If you cannot imagine in this way at present, you mustperforce cling to
materialistic images �' - he touched theglass of water on the round table in front
of him - '... then imagine a glass of water clouded with a pigment. If theglass is
left to stand, the particles will settle to thebottom in a thick dross, leaving the
water above clear. Thisis much nearer to the Spiritual reality of what happenedwhen
the Moon left the Earth, taking with it certain formsof dross materiality. [...]

'The schema which depicts the planets in extended spacepertains only to physical
vision. You must understand this,or there will be no way in which you can approach
some ofthe greater Mysteries of the cosmos. What appears to be onthe outside is
more accurately described as being on theinside: our Earthly vision is extremely
limited, for, undernormal circumstances, we see outwards from the central Egoto the
cosmic periphery. However, this is not the cosmicvision. We are so used to this
limited vision that we arenot sufficiently tolerant to accept that there can be
others- including a vision from the periphery into the centre.

'In the case of the Moon, the matter is made morecomplex by the fact that the
physical matter of the Moon didonce form part of what we now call the Earth. Within
thecontext of the lunar sphere, the two centers did oncecoincide. A tremendous
effort of meditative power isrequired to follow these connections, however, and the
baldstatement I have made can result in misconceptions.'

'Why,' asked Philip, 'did the Moon have to separate from theEarth?'

'It was a cosmic fission. The Moon represents theharder mineralization of the
Earth. In the body of the Moonis the matter which, had it remained with the Earth,
wouldhave weighed down human development too deeply. Man wouldnot have been able to
bear the weight of those forces in hisown body. Just as we know from our own
observations ofourselves that we must slough off darkness to reach into thelight,
so the planetary bodies must also involve themselvesin a similar fission. Even so,
it is true that the weight ofthe Moon, albeit removed by half a million miles,
stillcontorts the physical body of the Earth and its inhabitantsthrough what are
usually called 'gravitational' effects.

'Now we must touch upon the connection between the Moonand clairvoyance. We must do
this because one of our membershas - wisely or unwisely - become involved with
mediumisticgroups.'

'It is important that we set out veryclearly the dangers inherent in opening the
soul to suchactivities. It is not for me to forbid such activity. I haveno power to
forbid, and would relish no such power. Much asI would wish to protect you, I
cannot. The best I can do ismake the dangers clear to you. After that, your beliefs
andyour conduct remain your own.'

He look around at our faces, asthough to indicate that he had arrived at the most
importantpoint of the evening.

'And so now we must look at anesoteric truth which touches on the very edge of what
ispermissible. What I have to say will be greatly disturbingfor many people of
modern times. It will disturb, because itis generally taken for granted that
clairvoyance, mediumshipand spiritualistic activity are somehow linked
withSpiritual development, and consequently of benefit tomankind. Unfortunately,
this is far from the truth. A vastamount of our modern so-called �Spiritualist�
literaturepertains to channeling and clairvoyance which is far frombeneficial for
the development of mankind. Indeed, not tomince words, I should tell you that it is
distinctlyharmful.

'I must now make a statement which will introduce you to aconcept which was, until
comparatively recently, one of thedeepest secrets of the esoteric Schools: In some
ways, theMoon is the greatest problem of esoteric lore. The Moon isnot at all what
it appears to be.

'At the end of thelast century an astounding revelation was made, as a resultof
dissent among members of secret Schools. Information,hitherto guarded jealously by
the most enclosed of the innerOrders, was made public. The secrets disclosed
pertained toa far deeper level of knowledge than has hitherto been madeexoteric by
the Schools - even in this enlightened age.'

His trace of cynicism seemed to goby unnoticed.

'Our purpose here is not todocument how so deep an esoteric idea was made public -
oreven to assess whether it was wise for this idea to bebrought out into the open.
All this has been dealt with inthe literature - and if any of you wish to follow
this up, Iwill give you a few titles later.

'In a nutshell, what was made public during this conflict inthe Schools was the
truth that our Moon is a sort ofcounterweight to another sphere,
which remains invisible to ordinary vision. Thiscounterweighted sphere is called in
esoteric circles theEighth Sphere.

'We must be careful with these words, for, in spite of whatI have just said, this
region is not itself a sphere, nor isit a moon. Even to locate it behind the
physical Moon is notcorrect, for in the Spiritual realm spaces and distances
aredifferent. The truth is that this Eighth Sphere does notpertain to anything we
are familiar with on the physicalplane, yet we must use words from our own
vocabularieswhenever we wish to denote its existence. Were we to use aword which
fits most appropriately this Sphere, then weshould really call it a vacuum.
Certainly, vacuum is a moreappropriate term than sphere, for the Eighth Sphere
sucksthings into its own shadowy existence.

'This Sphere is lower in the scale of being than the SeventhSphere (which is the
Earth). It acts as a sort of demonicconduit to suck into its maws certain
degenerate Spiritualforms on the Earth. It is a shadow Sphere, controlled byshadow
beings. However, the fact that they are shadow beingsshould not lead us to demote
or underestimate theircapabilities and intelligence. In many respects they aremore
intelligent than Man, for they are not limited by thepower of love, as is Mankind.

'The operation of this Eighth Sphere is complex. Itsdenizens - those shadowy beings
for whom it is home - wishto people their Sphere with humanity, or (more
accurately)with human souls. Towards this end, it has erected what wemight call
terminals on the Earth: these terminals aresoul-conduits, which will suck into the
lower Sphere acertain form of materialized Spiritual energy that isengendered on
the Earth plane. The most usual circumstanceswhere this materialization or
engendering takes place is ins�ances, and in other localities wherein human
beingsattempt to meddle - against the cosmic law - with the lower Ethericplanes.'

Philip was having difficulties withthis curious account of the lunar powers, and
asked:

'Are you saying thatSpiritualist activity is itself victimized by the

EighthSphere?'

'Yes, Philip. Certain Spiritualist activity is colored bythe erroneous belief that
the realm of the dead isaccessible to the living. In truth, mediumistic
activitycannot penetrate through into the true realm of the dead: itis therefore
dealing only with shadows. In so doing, it iscreating fodder for the nourishment of
the Eighth Sphere.This sucking of certain forms of human soul-matter into theEighth
Sphere is not, by any means, intended for the benefitof humanity. The aim of the
denizens of this world is toenhance and populate a world which may truly be
described asthe realm of the damned. The efforts of these denizens, ordemons, is
contrary to the evolutionary development whichhas been planned for the world. In
truth, the human beingwas not designed to become a shadow being, captive in
ademonic sphere: it was designed to become a god.

'It is less than one hundred years since this knowledge ofthe Eighth Sphere was
made public. At first there was anoutcry at this breach in initiate knowledge, but
now we cansee that it has proved something of a blessing that thedemonic threat has
been brought out into the open. In someways, it is easier to deal with a visible
enemy. Those whodabble in the supposed communications with the dead, andwith that
spirit-land which they fondly imagine lies beyondthe veil, have not gone unwarned.

I will leave most of the above for thereader to digest, and discuss only the so-
called �Eighth Sphere.�

What is meant by the moon being a counterweight to the EighthSphere? Evidently, the
moon is but a physical reflection ofsomething tangible but not material, something
beyond our realm ofperception.

Based on the clues given in The Zelator we must conclude that the Eighth Sphere by
definition encompasses all the nonphysical aspectsof the Matrix Control System, the
service-to-self (STS) hierarchyfrom top to bottom minus the physical levels of
which we ourselvesare part.

The Eighth Sphere would therefore include:

� the lower astral planeswhere carnal and demonic thought-forms dwell

� the hyperdimensionalrealms inhabited by reptilians

� the parasitic etheric latticeoverlaying the earth comprising the very tendrils of
the Matrix

� thesecond density soul-pool of which organic portals are incarnateextensions

� the demiurgic black hole a creature positioned atopthe STS hierarchy and sucking
into itself all energy gathered fromthe �tiers� below

This interpretation of the Eighth Sphere should be self-evident forthose familiar

with the works of Rudolf Steiner, Carlos Castaneda,Robert Monroe, Dr William
Baldwin, the Cassiopaean Transcripts, andmy articles on the Matrix.

For instance, thatorganic portals have something to do with themoon is clear from
the fact that they, being extensions of seconddensity energies occupying third
density bodies, are essentiallytwo-and-a-half density beings, which relates to
thetwo-and-a-half-day pig. Pigs, by the way, are physically incapableof looking up
at the sky which, in addition to the fact that theyshare many human characteristics
and have genetics strongly suitedto house low vibrational frequencies, makes them
ideal symbols forthe animal nature in man.

That the moon shares an archetypal basiswith organic portals is further evidenced
by it being a seconddensity planet reflecting light rather than generating its own,
justas organic portals are not fully third density and merely reflectback the soul
image of others.

PersonalObservations

Studying the mythological and esoteric meaning of the moon is mereentertainment if

no practical understanding comes from it. One caneasily get absorbed in the arcane
and lose sight of its applicationin the real world. So I was fortunate to have
observed the lunarinfluence for myself before reading anything about it, and based
onthese observations I developed some practical solutions.

This began with my early experiences as moderator of an alternativediscussion group

on the internet. Having been a member of severalforums previously, I was aware of
the various pitfalls and howtheoretically to avoid them. Putting theory into
practice requiredclose observation, foresight, and a case-by-case system
ofmoderation. Over the months I was forced to deal with variousdisruptors of
varying degrees of cunning, each of which played keyroles in setting up and
triggering a period of emotional turmoil.

After numerous months of this, it finally dawned on me that thesedisruptive

episodes followed a cyclical pattern, always one or twoincidents per month on the
same set of days that would graduallyshift later in the month with each passing
month. So it was ninemonths of observation that made me realize there was order
behindthe chaos. Furthermore, trouble wasn't limited to the forum; oftenit occurred
elsewhere such as in my personal life or with my family,on other message boards,
and with friends and their families - anyplace at all, but only during certain
predictable days of themonth.

That these key days shifted a little each month implied that perhapsit has
something to do with the moon phases, since full and new moondates do shift
gradually from month to month thanks to our messed upcalendar system. So I took the
nine months of records and checkedthem against a moon calendar: sure enough, the
disruptive incidentshappened consistently within two and a half days from new or
fullmoon.

But there was another pattern: early on the incidents generally tookplace before
the new or full moon, then they happened during, and inlater months they arose
after. I found out that this latter patterninvolved moon perigee and apogee, times
of the month when the moonwas closest or farthest away from the earth. Trouble days
occurredbetween the new/full and perigee/apogee dates. For instance, if newmoon was
on the 23rd and perigee was on the 27th, then thedisruption would predictably take
place around the 25th.

This much I had figured out by October 2004.

By constructing a calendar with daysshaded according to their proximity to lunar

perigee or apogee andnew or full moon, I was able to test the theory over the
nextseveral months. It was utterly disturbing to watch disruptions takeplace on
schedule month after month during the predicted days andnever outside of those
days. And it wasn't just me seeing what Iwanted to see because when learning
lessons of an emotionallycharged nature arise, there is no mistaking or ignoring
them.Additionally, I started with nine months of unbiased records inwhich a pattern
was clearly evident before I ever suspected the moonmight be involved; the data
speaks for itself.

Putting this knowledge to practical use involved predicting andpreparing for

disruptive days, understanding that during heavy lunarinfluences things might not
be as they seem, and remembering thatemotional buttons are far more sensitive
during such days.Moderating the forum became a game of nailing the timing,
nature,and plot of the upcoming disruption in order to head it off,sometimes with
success and sometimes without depending on how sneakythe plot was and how well I
could decipher the synchronistic omensand symbolic warning dreams preceding these
impending obstacles.

The process usually played out as follows: within a week or twoleading up to an

incident I would be given dreams containingsymbolic clues about the themes and
characters involved, then Iwould reference the moon chart to get an idea of the
timing, andfinally within a day I would receive numerous synchronicities informing
me the event was close at hand. Lately I have begunincorporating astrological
aspects (planetary alignments) to gainadditional insight on the timing and theme.
While this system may seem delusional to the casual reader, it wasderived using a
process of observation, hypothesis, testing, andrefinement.

That this system has been appliedsuccessfully in all areas of my life to reduce
stress and redundantobstacles, improved my skills as moderator and kept the
forumimpervious to permanent disruption, and continues to correctlypredict when
mechanical tendencies are amplified is proof to me ofits validity and practicality.

LunarInfluences and the Matrix Control System

Only then did I realize Gurdjieff was being completely literal whenhe said we are
food for the moon. Anyone who becomes aware of thelunar influence will see how
people all around sway to the lunarinfluence like reeds to the breeze. Twice a
month, the MatrixControl System opens its maws and draws in a torrent of
emotionalenergy from all those susceptible to the lunar influence.

So what exactly is the relation between the Matrix and the moon?

The archetypal correspondences werediscussed earlier. As for the technical

relation, I have concludedthat the gravitational interaction between earth, moon,
and suncauses cyclical variation in the separation between dimensions anddensities.
Just before and after a new or full moon, the dimensionalveil is thinnest and
hostile forces from other realms, including theastral and hyperdimensional realms,
have an easier time penetratinginto the physical plane.

The thinning of dimensional separation has two main consequences.

� First, as mentioned it is easier for beings to cross realmboundaries. Hostile

entities require less energy to breech the realmof their targets, or stated another
way, metaphysical defensesagainst physical and psychic violence tend to wane around
suchtimes. But on a positive side the thinning also supports personalexpansion into
new realms of being, thus the new moon is said to bea good time for starting new
projects and manifesting intent throughthe principles of reality creation.

� Second, because other realms become temporarily more accessible,occult practices

become more effective. Invocations, psychicwarfare, scrying and remote viewing are
assisted during such times.This most greatly assists those darker forces who rely
upon remoteviewing of probable futures and psychic attacks to stalk and ambushtheir
prey. But once again on a positive side the intuitivefaculties are heightened and
more technical forms of divination likescrying gain accuracy.

Concerning strictly the negative aspects of new and full moon energies, there is a
qualitative difference. New moon energies tendtoward implosion while full moon is
characterized by energy ofexplosion.
Whereas,

� the new moon tends to induce oversensitivity,dissatisfaction, and depression

� the full moon energies amplifyoverreaction, violence, and outright lunacy

It is esoteric fact that the moon rulesover the imagination, and both during full
moon and new moon windowsthe imagination is particularly prone to being misapplied,
meaningmisunderstandings, false suspicions, and unfounded worries increase.But
whereas the new moon exacerbates introspective turmoil, fullmoon externalizes the
trouble.

What accounts for the qualitative difference?

None other than theparticular alignment between earth, moon, and sun. During a
fullmoon, the earth is between sun and moon, meaning the latter two
areastrologically in opposition. Whereas the sun represents spirit, themoon
represents one's shadow self. When in opposition, the light ofspirit is misdirected
by the mechanical pressures of the shadowself, meaning energy is expressed but in
an outwardly harmful way,thus its association with overreaction and violence.

When new, the moon is between sun andearth, energetically blocking or filtering the
solar energies. Theshadow self stifles the light of spirit, thus the implosive
qualityof this alignment and its association with oversensitivity anddepression.

To illustrate, in my experience certain vulnerable forum memberstend to get moody

during the new moon and overreact to misperceivedcriticism or get depressed and
give their farewell, while during afull moon people are more likely to lash out
when the lunatics crawlfrom the woodwork to provoke at the most sensitive times.
This isnot a fast rule, just a general observation. How these energiesmanifest
elsewhere depends on the context, and the lunar influencemanifests through whatever
means are at hand to extract the greatestamount of emotional anguish.

Nevertheless, it would be incorrect to blame the moon exclusively asthe cause of

troubles, as during more harmonious astrologicalalignments it actually supports
healthy mechanical functioning. Whenthe moon is trine or sextile to the sun,
meaning in between new andfull and at least a day away from quarter moon, the lunar
influencesustains peaceful progress.

So one could equally say that four timesa month the moon supports tranquility.

The moon is by no means the only cyclical factor pulling ourstrings. There are
numerous other cycles from personal to nationalto global and cosmic. Most of these
have biological or astrologicalorigins. While the astrological ones are important
to consider,particularly certain planetary aspects, I consider the lunarinfluence
to be the strongest and most observable.
It is no secret that hyperdimensional attacks are directed at atarget's weakest
spots at the weakest moments. That is simply amatter of efficiency and logistics.
Astrology is an important partof determining this timing because the realm dynamics
betweenattacker and target are greatly influenced by celestial alignments.

Different alignments impress upon agiven location different spectra of vibrations

which in turnresonate corresponding elements within the souls of individuals inthe
vicinity; the manner in which they vibrate pulls from reality acorresponding set of
experiences and learning lessons. Certainvibrations correspond to learning lessons
involving confrontation,violence, and attack, and it is when these vibrations are
strongestfor an individual that astral and hyperdimensional attackers find
iteasiest to fulfill their role in his experiences.

A more thorough explanation can be foundin Realm Dynamics.

While certain lunar alignments exacerbate certain mechanicaltendencies which in

turn can create emotional turmoil, I have foundthat the moon's primary function
during such times is merely to opena window between the darker realms and this
world. Whether thiswindow of opportunity is actually utilized depends on the
individualin question and whether the attackers have the necessary interestand
resources.

In other words, the turbulentexperiences that may arise during critical lunar days
are notnecessarily deterministically created by the moon, rather the moonopens a
window during which intelligent forces can at their owndiscretion and choice of
timing initiate an episode of feeding orsabotage.

The reason I say this is because through certain means alreadydescribed I can
detect well in advance of a lunar influence periodwhat plans for sabotage are
already in the works. There is an activeintelligence behind many of these episodes,
evidenced for example bythe periodic abduction and posthypnotic programming of
keyindividuals who will take part in the next disturbance.

Or, in the days preceding a sabotageattempt coinciding with a lunar window, one
will experienceincreased ear ringing and deja vu, respectively signifyingmonitoring
attempts and timeline editing by hyperdimensional forces.

PracticalMatters

There are a variety of reasons why some people seem to experiencethe lunar
influence more than others.

1. First, active targeting plays a large part in the worst of thetrouble, those who
are not targeted will not experience much troubleother than some crankiness between
themselves and others.

2. Second, where the moon is placed in one's natal chart (what thelunar
configuration was at moment of birth) may play a role in howstrongly its
mechanizing influence trespasses into one's emotionaland psychological states.
Different people have different natalcharts and will thus be influenced to
different degrees.

3. Third, although this is speculative, I suspect geographic latitudefactors into

how strongly one falls within the earth-moon energyconduit; because the moon orbits
around the earth's equator with amaximum eight degree deviation north or south,
those nearer to theequator will be more deeply caught up in the gravitational line
oftension between earth and moon while those in the higher latitudesmight
experience the lunar influence more weakly.

4. And fourth, the lower one's soul frequency, the greater one'smechanical
tendencies, and the less esoterically developed one is,the greater the lunar
effect. It would take fission from the basematters of the soul and fusion of the
nobler qualities to gainvictory over the lunar influence within oneself, and great
wisdomand compassion to handle whatever disruptions may arise amongothers. In fact,
it is toward this end that the moon can actuallycatalyze our progress by making us
aware of our weaknesses.

If you want to test this theory for yourself,see the moonchart for 2008 (click
image right) to see whether the shaded regions on thechart correlate with any
patterns in your own experience. Generally,the shaded regions are merely windows
for turmoil - there is noguarantee each window will bring trouble, but in my case I
havefound that when trouble does arise it does so exclusively in theshaded regions.

There have been some weaker disturbanceson quarter moon days (moon square sun) and
during certain verystrongly discordant astrological aspects, but these are
infrequentand no where near as severe as what tends to arise around new orfull
moons so I consider them insignificant. If you find the moonchart has some
validity, then you can use it to better prepare forand perhaps head off potential
obstacles.

It should merely assist in giving you aheads up, to be used in conjunction with
your own intuitive systemof �reading the weather�.

Without being aware of the lunar influence one falls too easilyunder its soporific
influence. One is likely to perceive the wrongdynamics behind a situation, take
things too personally and succumbto depression or misplaced outrage, and fail to
place one's energiesat the right place at the right time.

The types of lessons attracted duringlunar windows can be learned in easier ways
through foresight; bybecoming aware of a problem before it happens, one learns the
samelessons that would otherwise come about through painfulexperience� therefore
awareness protects against involuntarysuffering.

The ultimate goal of this knowledge is to increase awareness andhelp one gain an
upper hand over otherwise invisible and subliminalinfluences. Applied awareness
always has an inverse effect uponnegative influences; for instance, while lunar
windows tend toinduce suffering by default, through awareness one can make use
oftemporary dimensional fluidity to more effectively intend for andmanifest
positive futures.

With awareness one can learn moreefficiently, have a smoother and more exciting
path of progressthrough life, avoid unproductive obstacles, and gain a measure
ofliberation from the enslaving effect of ignorance.