When the Moon broke the Sound Barrier : The Blue Crescent Moon of Lotfi Bouslah

This morning, before the sunrise, everything outside was covered with a coat of frost, reflecting a white and brilliant light under a sky that was sprinkled with stars. It was wonderful to discover a few hours later, a splendid photo of a crescent moon taken at morning time by nature photographer Lotfi Bouslah of Lolo Pics, at his home of Aokas, in Northern Algeria. In the middle of an ultra - marine blue sky, suspended like a jewel sculpted of pure crystal, the photo of the morning crescent moon so well chiseled, gave me the desire to want to touch it. I could not resist the idea that if I could touch this crescent moon, it would ring like a bell, with a pure, clear and profound sound, like the Tibetan cymbals, the Tingsha. These cymbals are used as an invocation to meditation and are considered a symbol of protection by the gods. Their sound wants to inspire mindfulness, a precept of Tibetan philosophy that focuses on the present, trying to instill the courage to let go of the past and its challenges, and not to be obsessed with the anxieties of the future. Their long and deep sound also wants to communicate the importance of balance between the masculine precept of compassion and the feminine precept of wisdom. In our garden here in Olympia, we have hanging under the eves, several chimes that imitate the sound of Tibetan cymbals, a very calming and melodious sound. The photo of the chiseled crescent moon of Lotfi Bouslah imitates that spiritual ancient and reassuring sound. The nature photographer has managed to create this moment of hypnotizing beauty with just two colours : a delicate white of the morning crescent moon and of his elegant artist's signature in the lower right hand corner of the photo, and the ultra - marine blue of the sky, a colour that is made from lapis lazuli, and of which there is just a hint of on the surface of the finely sculpted crescent moon. It is always intriguing and an exquisite privilege when an artist allows us their vision on a subject, and wen it comes to this sublime crescent moon, these words on behalf of the photographer of Lolo Pics in answer to my observation about his photo fascinate me : " You're right, Trudi. How I wish to touch it, let it ring and fall down into earth. It would rain melodies for a billion years. " What a marvelous and powerful image for the world that in this moment of anguish and troubling doubts has such a need for an abundance of joy and compassion and wisdom. It is moving to imagine this hope coming form the immense bell of the crystal crescent moon of Lotfi Bouslah, and to imagine this moon singing loudly and with power its magnificent and healing melodies all over the world.
Trudi Ralston

The research on the Tibetan cymbals, the Tingsha, and their spiritual importance, courtesy of Wikipedia, as well as the article by Buffy Naillon, " The Meaning of Burning Incense and Ringing Bells in Buddhism ", of June 27th, 2018.