My backyard is bathed in moonlight so strong it’s almost like day. Colors are muted, but discernable, and furniture and potted cactus cast shadows, though it is almost 2am. My muse feels it; she has awoken me, scratching at my eyelids and whispering to me. She’s restless and wants me up.
What is this strange effect the full moon has on us? Have you ever felt it? This month it feels like a bad case of ADD, to me; like an itchiness just beneath the skin. I can’t settle on anything and am being pulled in many directions at once.
I had never heard of the full moon having any effect on people prior to meeting my husband. But he informed me one particularly grouchy full moon that he was a ‘wolf man’, and not to take seriously anything he might say or do during some full moons. Since then I have met others who are adversely affected by the full moon. And I’ve noticed that I sometimes am too. Not always; maybe just a few moons of the year.
If you Google full moon madness you will pull up stories about it. Here’s what Wiki has to say about the phenomenon:
The exact origins of this theory are ambiguous historically, because paleolithic moon artifacts from many cultures predate written history. This belief has been around for many centuries. The term lunacy itself is derived from Luna, “the Moon” in Latin. The connection between the words lunar and lunatic can also be demonstrated in other languages, such as in Welsh, where these two words are lloer and lloerig. Perhaps the most famous myth arising from this theory is the legend of the werewolf.
So it’s not something new or that only one culture has experienced. And it’s a simple leap to imagine it as the impetus for the wolf man myth; a human who cannot resist the draw of the moon and turns into a wild creature, sprouting hair and claws and behaving in ways s/he wouldn’t the other days of the month.
It’s said that if you limit your exposure to the actual light of the full moon its effects are lessened. But I haven’t noticed that to be true. When it’s ‘one of those full moons’ the moon’s power can reach me where ever I hide.
When I was much younger I worked in a hospital as a CPD aid. I recall hearing that nurses and doctors dreaded emergency room duty on nights with a full moon. There was a greater than average chance it would be a rough and busy night. In my current day job incarnation I’ve had nurses for clients, and they’ve confirmed this to be true.
Have you ever felt the effects of a full moon?
October 12th, 2011 at 4:56 am
Nice post. The mysteries of the moon have been around for eons. Some actually say its not the absence of any shadows on the moon’s observed surface, but the closeness of the moon in its slightly eliptical orbit, and therefore, its increased gravitational pull that somehow influences people and animals and their brains and blood. There is something going on here though. I woke up one morning after a full moon and did notice a bunch of hair under my fingernails…weirdness.
October 12th, 2011 at 5:49 am
A sure sign, if ever there was one, Gary.
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October 12th, 2011 at 5:52 am
So you’ve totally explained why I slept so horribly last night! I must have been up about 20xs. I find the Latin language origins quite fascinating – lunacy, lunatic. And it is peculiar that many different civilizations document it, even though I never have felt personally affected by it, myself. Until now! Thanks for shedding light (moon) on my restlessness. Sorry you didn’t get much sleep!
And you’ll have to check the photo I took last night of the giant moon hanging above the mountains!
October 12th, 2011 at 6:31 am
I, personally, have never considered the effects of the moon. I’m never aware that there is a full moon unless I happen to see it by mere happenstance. With that said, your post has sparked an interest in me & will be more cognizant of the apparent phenomenon. Well written!
October 12th, 2011 at 9:48 am
Thank you for stopping by, Nasheen. Yes, let me know how your observations go. I never noticed the effect prior to my husband pointing it out. So perhaps it is only suggestion? Thank you for the compliment
October 12th, 2011 at 7:05 am
Hey Cynthia, I sprout the obligatory hair and howl at the moon… Sorry someone had to write it! In all honesty is affects my sleep. I’m rather wakeful and I engage in a lot of mindless late night T.V.
October 12th, 2011 at 9:54 am
Yep, me too, mj…watching tv and wakefulness, sounds so familiar. Have you tried a depilatory for the hair issue? Thanks for stopping by!
October 12th, 2011 at 7:42 am
In my social worker days, we all hated being assigned coverage (dealing with any problem walking in off the street) on full-moon days. Science has documented the effect, relating it to the fact that our bodies (like the Earth) are mostly water, and so are affected by the moon the same as the ocean tides are. A full moon (or a new moon) brings higher tides. It’s just one more example of how even what we think of as inorganic (moonrock) has its own energy and purpose and is intertwined with everything else – it’s all connected: our bodies, the earth, the oceans, the moon, the universe . . . all made of the same stuff.
October 12th, 2011 at 10:03 am
That’s true, Trish, we are mostly made of water. No wonder it affects us like the tides. Sometimes I think there are certain days when we would be best off just all staying home and keeping to ourselves. Tempers short, loads of horn honking and swearing. Some days just feel like there’s something ‘in the air’. Those are te times it’s important to remember “we are all made of the same stuff.”
October 12th, 2011 at 7:54 am
Never try to moon a werewolf……that’s all I’m saying.
Sorry to lower the tone
October 12th, 2011 at 10:06 am
You actually made me laugh outloud, Alexander. I’ll be certain to follow your advice on this matter. =) Thanks for stopping by!
October 12th, 2011 at 8:17 am
Interesting post. My college roommate interned at a Kansas City, MO hospital during the summers, and she had a ton of full moon stories to tell. She was convinced it brought out the crazy in people.
And now that I think about it, I never sleep well when there is a full moon, either. Trish’s comment’s fascinating – I didn’t realize that was the reason.
October 12th, 2011 at 10:15 am
Yep, that’s the kind of thing I’m talking about, Stacy. Doctors and nurses know, and if you listen to Trish, social workers do too. Makes perfect sense though, the way Trish explains it.
October 12th, 2011 at 8:44 am
We can always tell it’s a full moon or new moon – which has the effects.
We notice a shift in our customers and clients attitudes for a day or two. Everyone seems to be more on the grouchy side…pressed or short with patience.
October 12th, 2011 at 10:18 am
So true, Loree…I notice it in the people I deal with too. And in traffic. Lots of road rage. Thanks for stopping by, and commenting.
October 12th, 2011 at 9:36 am
This is very well written, drawing together the threads of a timeless fabric of history and man. We could say this piece is, “Woven of moonbeams” and that you are a master weaver. I’ve quite enjoyed reading this!
Virginia Lee
October 12th, 2011 at 10:20 am
Thank you for your kind words, Virginia! And thanks for stopping by. Glad you enjoyed it.
October 12th, 2011 at 10:36 am
I too have experienced higher than normal craziness while working in a hospital during a fall moon. I was a nurse in training (a profession I never continued to do) and assigned to the ER one night. A few of the residents joked about the full moon at the start of the shift. By the end of the night we had so many people with unusual accidents in that they had to be lined up in the corridors because there were no more bays free.
My mother has always said that I am a moody moon child and that my mood changes with the moon but I haven’t noticed.
October 12th, 2011 at 1:47 pm
Moon child…I like that. I think that’s what my hubby is. With an experience like that, it’s no wonder you decided not to continue with the nursing, Billie Jo!
October 12th, 2011 at 1:25 pm
Any specific links to the moon as the writer’s muse?
October 12th, 2011 at 1:44 pm
None that I’m aware of, Deborah, but it does sometimes feel like it, since it seems to keep a lot of folks awake.
October 12th, 2011 at 4:04 pm
Thank you for the beautifully written reminder of the power of the heavenly bodies and their connections to us. I do get a feeling during the full moon that I want to stand and gaze at it, and do not want to go inside if I’m out. I don’t get crazy on a full moon but then, I’m crazy most of the time so probably exempt. I just love the cat photo too.
October 12th, 2011 at 4:17 pm
Oh, an exemption…I like it!
October 12th, 2011 at 5:15 pm
Here in NYC people are pretty crazy no matter if there is a full moon or not.
But just a few nights ago, I turned off the lights at bedtime and saw a bright light coming through the window. The moon was hanging just above the brownstone buildings, so inviting. It reminded me of the movie Moonstruck.
October 12th, 2011 at 6:47 pm
I love that movie, and I know just what you mean, Jackie…sometimes the moon’s so big and bright it seems like it couldn’t possibly be a natural light.
October 12th, 2011 at 6:39 pm
I have to agree with Trish. I don’t see how we could not be affected by the things that govern our Universe. For me, barometer changes are the worst.
October 12th, 2011 at 6:50 pm
Yes, when the barometer drops out I feel it too, Diana. Funny how some people are aware of it, while others it hardly effects them.
October 12th, 2011 at 6:48 pm
Being my own kind of eclectic Pagan (no specific rules to follow, I just have my own beliefs), I actually celebrate the full moon every time, so it’s an energy-filled, joyful occasion for me. Next time you’re feeling the itch, open your arms to it, vocally greet the moon, dance under its glow; whatever feels right to you. You can take that energy and use it for good, not just the grumps. XD
~Ashlee
http://ashleesch.com
http://theDragonsHoard.bigcartel.com
October 12th, 2011 at 6:58 pm
Okay…as long as I don’t have to do anything naked.
October 13th, 2011 at 3:59 pm
I have heard of the effects, but truthfully have never experienced them. But if the moon can affect the ocean’s waves, why not us?
October 13th, 2011 at 4:04 pm
Agreed. As Trish points out in her comments…we are made of mostly water, and the same stuff (matter) as everything else. Personally, I like to think of us as made of stardust.
December 13th, 2011 at 8:18 am
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