Unfortunately not. I tried my best not to disturb him. For me seeing him I was able to admire the beauty from a distance, for the the little guy it may have been an instinctual place for him to rest away from predators.
These are all the photos I took. I was worried thr moth would fly away as I got closer.
Heres a link
http://mothphotographersgroup.msstate.edu/species.php?hodges=8801
Catocala ilia
wings outstreched:
This is incredibly important! Synchronicities, dreaming, anything spiritual comes in what I believe to be cycles. I really respect the Mayans for their deep beliefs in cycles (excuse me for momentarly bringing AI into the conversation).
"The Mayans held a circular view of time, quite different from the linear concept common in modern western culture. They believed that time and life are inherently cyclical, consisting of various cycles that interact with each other.
This belief is evident in their complex calendar system, which includes a 260-day sacred year (the Tzolk’in), a 365-day secular year (the Haab’), and a Long Count calendar which tracks larger cycles of time, each lasting 13 Bak’tuns (about 5,125 years).
The Mayans viewed these cycles as an integral part of both the physical and spiritual worlds, with events and ceremonies often tied to specific dates and cycles. They believed that the end of a cycle was not a catastrophe but rather a time of rejuvenation, transformation, or rebirth. It was a time of change, bringing renewal and growth."
I really think they were onto something. In my own spiritual growth and day to day life I have recognized these cycles. They became nearly predictable. Knowing they are there makes the rough times easier.
While the good times are present I believe it is important to remain centered and stable, while the disconnected, ‘bad’ times are present it is equally important to stay the same, centered and stable.
I believe wholeheartedly that the ‘bad’ portion of the cycle is there to help dissolve the ego. There is a deep desire to want this feeling all the time because it can be blissful. When the disconnection comes it is a time for integration and patience. For me it is a time to reflect and understand I still have many flaws in my current human condition and the universe knows best how to help me on my journey. 
Some AI artwork I did earlier 
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Dont ever excuse the AI, that was such a good read!
Amen brother.
I agree 100%, and also to show us the holes in our spiritual armor, and the weak spots where we need to grow.
Love the pics, the first one is my favorite, really well done. Really amazing how it captured the sun and sky. 
amazing story! 
beautiful synchronicities…
love the part of being one with the stars…
your description is very similar to how we dream lucid… we do the work and then, when we let it go, it happens… but we do all the work! genius idea to map the forest as a luna moth… it’s a huge respect and honor… I usually say that people don’t guess any thing… they simply channel it. your connection to the moth was “written”, you read it and drew the way to manifestation. big inspiration!
I LOVE her antenas… I wondered what they do with them… 
to find that:
“The females emit a sex pheromone, which the males can detect even at a great distance with their broad, feathery antennae.”
it is amazing that they don’t eat and I read their sole purpose in life is to reproduce… I would add that another soul purpose is being “a living avatar of the moon” and to receive sometimes some tenderness from conscious humans who adore, receive a lot of inspiration from and respect them. bravo!..
thank you for sharing.
I love this AI artwork… the sun and the dog… my dog is named Solimar… (sun and sea) 
this one could be sun and montain - Solemontanha… hihihi
I am connected to the Mayan Curanderos Lineage of Vera Cruz Mexico, since 2010. And yes, cycles gives us a lot of understanding about what’s going on. I give consultations ,also in this area: a mix of conventional astrology, Japanese astrology (9 stars Ki) and numerology - it’s a beautiful way of helping people. Most people with difficulties are simply changing a cycle, and talking about the previous cycle + the new one, sheds a lot of light into people’s lives 
I think it is! But anyone I’ve recommended it to has hated it, which I understand since it mainly consists of a conversation between two people, one of which talks most of the time. While responding last night, the movie came to mind, especially this scene:
And while responding I had an insight re: the movie that I’ve been wondering about for a while… if you do watch it / enjoy it please let me know and we can discuss more, the insight I had involves the middle path between the two characters.
I haven’t! I have been wanting to check it out, as well as Acadia national park.
Funny that you like to be in a cocoon like your Luna friends!!
JUst like your story with the baby! What an amazingly mystical visitation and even more incredible that you got to pet it, sounds like you were tuning in and communicating with it.
And didn’t you have a Matrix encounter with a woman with a wolf tattoo on another trip?! Funny how things show up in certain ways for us, gives me more “evidence” for how much our waking state is a dream.
I should have mentioned that while looking up and mixing mind with space, I had the feeling that I was staring into the Eye of God. That insight really shifted my energy in a positve and powerful way, about 5-10min later while I was still thinking about that insight, the Moth made an appearance. I am glad you reminded me to share that, it felt like a big sign, not just a coincidence.
I Love them too, they are so beautiful, and pics dont do them justice. The pic you shared is the best I have seen.
Well said. Their relationship to the moon, and their attraction to ‘the light’ I think is very much worth noting. The night this happened it was either a new moon, or the day after a new moon, which makes me wonder if it is able to time its cycles, so it hatches out of the cocoon during the week of a new moon, so it can navigate using the light from the stars and planets. If its sensitive to light, it may be sensitive to the other luminaries in the sky as well.
So fascinating to me that while I had the insight of the eye of God in the sky, this being with beautiful ‘eyes’ ‘tattooed’ on its wings appeared. The close up detail of these pics shows how detailed these markings are. I have read they evolved this design to scare away preditors. A remarkable creation of the universe!
LOL love it! Solemontanha would be a great title for the picture.
Now I have to watch it. Will let you know when I do. Very curious to know the insight you had.
OMG go!!! Acadia has been recommended to me before, as soon as I read it, something clicked in my mind, definitely adding this one to my bucket list, WOW talk about breathtakingly beautiful:
Pics never do it justice
Absolutely amazing!!!
Lol, yeah. Camping for me this past half decade has been about ego death and transformation. Its stressful, and I think that stress helps bring forth the shadow elements of the ego. I dont wear bug spray, I hate the chemicals, and my ass had so many misquitto bites on it from this last trip, it looked like I sat on a bee hive! 
Embracing the suck, not in a masochistic way, but more in a Reverse Meditations way, I think can be a very transformative practice.
Im an really glad you piced up on this, almost like you read my mind! I was going to include this parallel to the baby story in the post, but decided against it. So cool you picked up on that! Its been a common theme I have noticed, jist how sensitive animals are, (and lots of people) to the vibes and energy we emit. My next story with a bat will parallel this too.
Have not had success with recieving messages from the animals yet, but I think its becuase I havent learned to completely empty my mind.
Really amazing you picked up on this too! I had a similar insight: like in the Matrix, these signs and synchronicities let us know that we are on the right path, and inspire us to keep digging deeper.
If most mamals dream, are some of them able to lucid dream? Or possibly even practice dream yoga?
Your comment has me thinking a lot about uncomfortable experiences. I am amazed by you letting the mosquitoes bite your ass!!! I also hate chemicals and went as far as to wear a screen suit when camping last month against the mosquitoes. While packing I was amazed by allllll the shit I needed to bring in order to “be okay.” It was during an annual trip in which most of us identified that part of what’s made it so magical is the contrast of the “suck,” we wondered for a while why we kept doing it when someone (and not always a kid) would break down crying at some point from the discomfort. Not surprisingly, came to this part of Pema Chodrin’s “How we live is how we die”
SO true! Seems like our family of origin is the best at doing this, according to Ram Dass “because they installed them (our buttons)” lol. I find death awareness practices are really helpful here.
Interested to hear how you and or others here have created sangha if you feel like sharing !
Lol, it was not a free all they could eat buffet, I was swating them like crazy on my arms and legs, and every where else. My legs get pretty chewed up too when I go in the summer.
Great minds think a like, I bought one off of Amazon for $20 for the first time for this trip, I was shocked how well it works. I did not wear it the first 2 nights, becuase it was too hot and humid, I regret not wearing it, I could have saved a few consciousnesses from being fed exed to the Bardos
I plan on buyijg at least 2 more of the same product, was really impressed.
Yeah this is one of the main reasons why I go camping alone. I am sorry you had to deal with that. Theres a learning curve, and if people havent learned not to amplify pain into suffering, it can make group trips miserable!
LOVED that you shared those words of wisdom from her! Sooooo good! That made my day! Also the cool synchronicity, that a few days ago, you inspired me to go to the library and check out that book! Now I am very excited to start reading it
How far of a drive is it from you? I got to believe watching the sunrise AND moonrise off the ocean from those bluffs has got to be amazing. If that was in my backyard I would be there every season.
Mosquitos get lethargic when temps hit 60, and they cant function below 50. These coming cool September nights, and sunny days would be prime in my book, but I prefer warmer temps.
LOL, great quote. Yeah, If you can survive family get togethers and reunioums without letting them get under your skin, you know you have made major progress on the path.
I am still in the infancy of doing this. I spent the past few years cutimg and weeding out people who were toxic. Theres a funny quote from the movie the Big Short:
“I had fashion friends”
Funny, but I think very true. So often we build our social groups around samsara, and that can lead to a lot of suffering.
At this point in my life, I have replaced the ‘fashion friends’ for Spiritual friends and people with good hearts who are lookijg for healthy growth.
Churches or Temples or Mosques can be really great, if you can find one that resonates with you. Sometimes the ‘flocks’ can be just as catty/vicious as the Bar scene, so chose wisely.
! Yay! Would love to hear your thoughts on it as welll. I’ve underlined most of it.
It’s about 4 hours if I go the coastal route- 3.5 otherwise, so not too bad. This was the moon last night, looked like the sun!
It is really interesting to me how both these can be true. How we can see our blind spots from being triggered (from our family, or maybe even previous ‘fashion friends’) or those with different political or spiritual beliefs, and clearly can gain a lot from not being polarized, as is so easy to do these days, and as we discussed a bit before. Yet there’s the importance of not be subject to toxicity or abuse, and the sangha. Life is so mysterious to navigate sometimes, no clear answers, but importance the middle path arising again and again and again.
heard nothing but good things about it, will let you know when I dive in.
Awesome moon pic! So BEAUTIFUL!!!
You might be able to do a day trip with a friend and split the driving time between you. Otherwise, a one day overnight trip might give you time to scope out the area for the best camping spots for your longer trips.
I am very jealous you are so close to such a gorgeous treasure!
Here is the Mosquito hoodie and pants I bought:
Not for bushwacking, but its a life savor for meditating or chilling by the camp fire.
So true.
It seems all roads lead back to the middle way.
I think when we are more vulnerable or just beginning to dip our toes in the spirtual path its healthy to abandon toxic people. However the end goal should be reintegration, once you have the tools and armor, to go out and put yourself into situations and next to people who trigger you.
Often times we need interactions with others to help teach us about our Shadows and blindspots.
