Parabola's Winter 1983 issue: Sun and Moon Sun and moon--what could be more familiar? In the early planning stages of this issue, we didn't anticipate any real difficulties. Modern science, after all, has learned a fair amount about the physics of the sun, and astronauts have landed on the moon. Even though their distance from us makes them appear much smaller than they are--something like a nickel and a quarter--we know the great importance of these celestial bodies in our daily round. Somehow, we know that we wouldn't have a daily round without them. Compared to those who lived before us, however, and to traditional cultures that survive into our day, our view of the sun and moon seems impoverished. Hot gas; dusty, dead rock. Yet what if the moon sailed from our side, and the sun dimmed to darkness? There seems to be something essential lacking in our perceptions. Perhaps thinking we know so much about the sun and moon prevents us from seeing them directly, from experiencing their force and their living relationship to the earth. We hoped that by looking at myths of the sun and moon, and by examining the enormous role these bodies play in the various traditions, we might enrich our view and restore a dimension we can recognize but no longer experience. --from the editorial Focus Cover: Total solar eclipse of March 1970 In this issue: