{"id":97904,"date":"2026-01-27T13:02:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T13:02:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/97904\/"},"modified":"2026-01-27T13:02:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T13:02:10","slug":"calder-gardens-moon-alignment-series-is-the-zen-experience-philly-needs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/97904\/","title":{"rendered":"Calder Garden\u2019s Moon Alignment Series is the Zen experience Philly needs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Take a deep breath in \u2026 and out. Sculpture takes on new meaning by moonlight at Calder Gardens<\/a>, as it hosts a Moon Alignment Series<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The project is all about meditation and reflecting on our place in the world. The bi-monthly series invites curious minds to Calder Gardens, after hours, for contemplative sessions synced with the new moon (when the moon is between earth and the sun, and the moon appears in shadow) and the full moon (when the earth is between the sun and moon, and the moon is fully illuminated).<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want people to know that [sculptor Alexander] Calder himself was really interested in observing the world around him,\u201d said Juana Berr\u00edo, senior director of programs at Calder Gardens. \u201cHe wants people to also get curious about what\u2019s around us \u2014 to really slow down, to pay attention to all the different things that are constantly changing and moving.\u201d<\/p>\n

In many ways, a moon alignment session goes hand-in-hand with the ideas and intentions behind the work of Calder, who died in 1976. The artist was deeply interested in the notion of time. Sculptures are usually static, but his hanging mobiles can move and make viewers aware of the passing seconds.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat he\u2019s asking us to do is to notice that things are not fixed,\u201d Berr\u00edo said. \u201cThings are constantly changing. And that doesn\u2019t mean just these objects \u2014 not only our works \u2014 but ourselves within us, there\u2019s constant change. The light changes.\u201d<\/p>\n

The curators hope the series provides a sense of scale and proportion.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why we are mentioning the moon and the sun,\u201d Berr\u00edo added. \u201cBecause there are other elements that are constantly moving around us and have been moving for millions and millions of years and shape and influence the way we experience the world.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

What even is a moon alignment session?<\/p>\n

\"\"Meditation at Calder Gardens (Courtesy of Calder Gardens)<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have to be into zodiac signs or Tarot cards to get into a moon alignment meditation.<\/p>\n

Part of the goal of the practice is to connect participants back to nature\u2019s rhythms. After all, living in a city made of steel and concrete, Philadelphians can sometimes find themselves cut off from the natural world.<\/p>\n

Coming together during the moon\u2019s alignment with the sun and earth might feel a little woo-woo. It can also be restorative and symbolic. Thinking about our planet\u2019s natural rhythms gives participants a moment to slow down. Setting goals and intentions to the natural movement of the earth, instead of what can be the stressful tick-tick-tick of a clock, can be a healthy change of pace.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A study led by researchers at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine<\/a> involving more than 3,500 participants found that mindfulness meditation programs can result in noticeable reductions in anxiety, depression and also lowered pain. In other words, practices like the one at Calder Gardens can measurably improve one\u2019s stress levels and well-being.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Isha Strasser, Calder Gardens contemplative arts fellow, leads the museum series.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cShe is really interested in presenting this idea of alignment, looking into the sky, right? The alignment that occurs with the sun and the moon,\u201d Berr\u00edo said. \u201cThe offering is very simple but very rich at the same time. We\u2019re inviting people to come and join us first for a discussion with Isha. It\u2019s a discussion to just first check in with yourself, to welcome everyone to a space to introduce this idea of alignment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Embracing stillness\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Moon Alignment Series isn\u2019t Calder Gardens\u2019 only meditative offering. Of course, there\u2019s the actual Calder artwork.<\/p>\n

\u201cI enjoyed sitting for 15 or 20 minutes observing just one mobile and letting my mind wander,\u201d one visitor wrote of their experience, per the museum\u2019s Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The museum also offers group meditation walks \u2014 led by the museum\u2019s official \u201cwalk companions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWalk companions walk you through this space with not only knowledge about their works, but also with several questions for people to actually have a time for themselves to reflect on,\u201d Berr\u00edo said. \u201cWhat is it that they\u2019re looking at? What is it that they\u2019re feeling their bodies? What is it that they\u2019re noticing as they walk through the space?\u201d<\/p>\n

Berr\u00edo hopes that recurring programming like the Moon Alignment Series will draw the community to invest its time in the museum on a regular basis. It\u2019s easy to get sucked into routine. However, when our daily cycles often revolve around calendar alerts or repeatedly returning to a rhythmic TikTok scroll, the series at Calder Gardens may just be the reset you\u2019re looking for.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s so many reasons why a practice like this one, and a space like this one, is much better for all of us,\u201d Berr\u00edo said. \u201cWe are scrolling so much information in front of our eyes constantly that we cannot even grasp one single thing and really sit with that for minutes. I\u2019m talking about how our attention span has reduced to just a few seconds.\u201d<\/p>\n

Berr\u00edo said that coming out to a shared space, sitting together with a group of strangers in silence, and embracing stillness can let visitors take back control.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an invitation for us to gain some order \u2014 some agency, some sense of empowerment that we still can determine how we want to live,\u201d she said. \u201cHow we\u2019re noticing our bodies, how we\u2019re bringing our minds where our bodies are \u2014 that\u2019s something we don\u2019t do often.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to connect to our mind, our bodies, our spirits, in a completely different way,\u201d she added. \u201cAnd the main thing is to remind people that we already have that toolkit within us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The next moon alignment gatherings will take place on Sunday, Feb. 1 (full moon), Thursday, Feb. 19 (new moon), and Monday, March 2 (full moon), each from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 for non-members and $10 for members. More Calder Gardens programming can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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