star and crescent

A sliver of pale red moon last night, so I guessed that we are starting a new month. This morning, I see that we are in Tevet. 

 

I am fractured in my thought processes….

 

The red moon last night brought thoughts of the problems in Israel right now; especially I am scheduled to go there next spring. Our trip supervisor sent reassuring emails to the trip participants. To be honest, I had not considered that the trip might be cancelled because of the current troubles. Israel has been hit by missiles for months now. The cease-fire was bound to end soon. The politicians had to respond to their own citizens’ fears. Who could take being bombed every day for months?

 

Last night’s red crescent was an upturned smile with Venus as its non-twinkling eye. So this morning, I was also googleing “star and crescent”, which appears on the flag of nine countries. It was originally a pagan symbol according to Wikipedia contributors. And the star was possibly Venus. The star and crescent that has become associated with Islam is an adopted child, just as the Star of David was adopted into Judaism from other eastern religions.
 

And not to be forgotten, the symbol of the New Orleans Police Department is a crescent surmounting the usual star that represents the police.