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Does the Full Moon Make You Crazy?

By Dana Gerhardt

Mist covers the landscape.  A Full Moon peers ominously through the clouds.  In the distance, a wolf howls.  Alone in his room, a man grabs his face in horror.  Wolf hair sprouts from his hands and face, and quickly covers his whole body.  His agonized screams convert to throaty growls. Racing into the night on all fours, teeth bared, he’s ready to kill.  In the horror flicks I grew up on, this was a familiar scene.  Though I never met a real werewolf, I’d often heard it was true:  the Full Moon drives people crazy.

On Full Moon nights around the globe, cops, nurses and cocktail waitresses steel themselves.  It’s widely reported that murders, arson, and suicides increase at the Full Moon; also, traffic accidents, domestic violence, fights at hockey games and prisons; calls to poison centers and admissions to psychiatric hospitals soar.  Yet such stories are largely anecdotal.  Most scientific research has failed to prove them true. 

The few studies that have succeeded are widely quoted.  They are also criticized as lacking proper research controls (one covered a period where a high percentage of Full Moons fell on weekends, days that also show a high correlation with the reported behaviors).  Bottom line, the Moon statistics can’t be replicated.  What’s more, they often contradict each other, with some proving the quarter Moons are more traumatic.  Nonetheless, in a study among students at universities inFlorida,Canada, andHawaii, when queried about the Moon, half agreed that people are strange when the Moon is full.

So why does the belief in full-Moon crazies persist?  Scientists blame the believers.  The human mind is irrational and easy to fool, they say.  It likes solutions, but rarely wants to work at them.  When something odd occurs it’s easy enough to look up and finger the giant lone culprit in the sky.  Who can miss the Full Moon — except when wild things occur at other times, few seem to notice its absence.  Cognition studies have shown the mind typically seeks to confirm its beliefs and will conveniently ignore or discredit contrary evidence.  “People don’t realize how much trouble they invoke by their own expectations,” says psychiatrist Melvin G. Goldzband.  “When people take something like Friday the thirteenth or a Full Moon seriously, and they begin to dread what will happen on those days, trouble results.  If you expect trouble to come, it’ll come.”

After years of watching Full Moons, I’m inclined to vote with the scientists.  Although I’m an astrologer, I believe blaming the Moon is generally unfair.  Many Full Moons are positively lovely.  Nor have I killed anyone, gone into a hospital, or even gotten into an accident when the Moon was full.  But I’m intrigued by the persistence of the lunacy rumor.  And unlike the scientists, I can allow there are two different kinds of truth:  the empirical and the imaginative. 

What’s empirically true shows up in research reports.  Imaginative truth comes out in rumors, myths and stories.  Scientific truths happen to a statistically significant portion of us.  Imaginative truths can capture an equally significant percentage, even though they occurred among only a handful of people, or never even happened at all.  Imagination responds more to image than literal incident.  And its force can shudder through millions at once.  Empirical facts we can count, but of imaginative ones, we need to ask:  What does this story serve?  What is it trying to tell us?

Werewolf stories remain largely unverified but have appeared everywhere, in cultures diverse as China, Babylonia, Bavaria, and Navajo.  Why?  A common thread seems to be the human one.  As image, werewolves do describe an essential human conflict – from wild nature we emerged, but into societies we go.  What do we do with our wild instincts?  How do we quell them to abide peacefully with our fellows?  How do we cope with those who don’t? Like the opposing forces of Sun and Moon at Full Moon time, the werewolf evokes at once our desire for the wild and its repression. 

Today this conflict seems difficult as ever.  Cemented, corralled and cowed into our cubicles, or racing hither and yon, it’s a wonder we don’t hear more breakout werewolf rumors.  But then maybe we do.  With our connection to the wild so distant, we may have simply upgraded the story, naming it  “Full Moon crazies” rather than a literal return to the beast.  The Full Moon may evoke strange behaviors when our natural spirit goes too long unrecognized — or when we’re around someone else like that.  The more pent up and disconnected one is, the greater the need to erupt from civilized codes.

If my theory is true, this might happen anytime — not just when the Moon is full (which seems to be what the statistics are saying).  But maybe it’s worse when we see the Full Moon slowly rise, evoking memories of all that we’ve lost, provoking our yearning to connect with the wholeness of nature again.

The remedy is simple.  You should neither run from the Moon nor hide from crazies.  Rather you should mark your calender for Full Moon nights and plan a dropout from your regular routine.  On that night you should fully surrender to your ancient wild self.  Just you, your spirit, and the Moon.  I don’t think it will make you crazy.  You just might feel more sane.  And if you’ve got the urge, know that it’s quite okay to howl.

© 2000 Dana Gerhardt
All rights reserved

Notes:

Rosemary Ellen Guiley, Moonscapes (Prentice Hall Press, 1991)

Kelly, Rotton, Culver, “The Moon Was Full and Nothing Happened:  A Review of Studies on the Moon and Human Behavior and Human Belief” (Skeptical Enquirer, Vol. 10, Winter ‘85-’86).


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The Moon is in its
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in the
Sign of Libra


Today's Lunar Aspects:

  • Moon trine Mercury, 7:27pm  Mar 1 2021
  • Moon trine Jupiter, 10:57pm  Mar 1 2021
  • Moon square Pluto, 2:09pm  Mar 2 2021

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In the Underworld

in the sign of Pisces


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m  Conjunction:  Like peas in a pod, planets in conjunction tend to come from the same place. They act together, but it’s also hard to tell them apart. This aspect can increase talent, focus, and intensity (“two are better than one”). Or one planet can disappear as the other dominates. Their connection feels so natural, it’s easy to think everyone blends these planetary energies just as you do—but mostly, they don’t!.

p  Sextile:  Planets in sextile are compatible, though without any fireworks. This aspect doesn’t demand your attention. It quietly presents an opportunity. You can join these archetypal forces. Donna Cunningham has called this the “Oh, that!” aspect, because that’s generally what her clients say when she describes their benefits.  To get the most from sextiles you need to actively work them.

q  Square:  Squares are wild and wonderful—but difficult too. The power struggle between these planets was likely defined in your youth, when they were impossibly challenging. People are usually aware of their squares. They force the issues that make you to grow. And that’s their gift. They ensure you learn your lessons. When you rise to the occasion, they bless you with energy, action, and success.

r  Trine:  Michael Munkasey has dubbed this the “goddess aspect” because it’s so lovely. Identifying talents you may have perfected in a previous life, trines can bring you joy. There’s a nice flow of energy between planets in trine. They support and reinforce each another. But without any struggle, you might take them for granted—neither using nor developing their gifts. An unattended trine can sometimes trick you into negative behaviors.

t  Inconjunct/Quincunx:  Your quincunx planets are innately incompatible. Bringing them into harmonious expression requires constant adjustments. This can be stressful, also motivating. You’ve got to keep changing your process, opinions or attitude—which promotes highly creative solutions.

u  Opposition:  They say opposites attract—and planets in opposition are never far from each other, though they’re constantly bickering. You may be triggered into awareness of this aspect by other people who seem to resist or undermine you.  An opposition can make you feel uncertain, insecure, or discontent, until you can accept and see yourself in both energies. Typically people find it easier to identify with one side and project the other onto unsuspecting others in the outer world.

First House: Personality, physical body, beginnings. Includes the Ascendant and rules physical appearance, the image you project to others, your general outlook on life, how you start things; may describe your role in your family system, often guides your first impression of immediate environment.

Second House: Money and personal finances, sense of self-worth and basic values, personal possessions, talents.

Third House: Communication, thoughts, language skills like writing and speaking, early schooling, siblings and neighbors, short trips, coming and going around town.

Fourth House: Your home, psychological foundations and roots, family, parents, domestic life, instinctive behavior, ancestry, your connection with the past, sense of security, domestic life, real estate. conditions at the end of life.

Fifth House: Children, creativity, romance; pleasure, entertainment, self-expression; all forms of “play”, speculation, gambling, and attitude towards taking risks; hobbies, attitude towards romance, lovers as opposed to partners, attitude towards having fun.

Sixth House: Work and job (as opposed to career), daily life, attitude towards service and coworkers, helpfulness, pets, attitude towards routine and organization, how you refine and perfect your skills.

Seventh House: Partnerships, one-to-one relationships, marriage, the first marriage, the “significant other”, business partnerships, competitors, open enemies, lawyers, mediators, counselors, contracts, negotiations, agreements. clients/the public.

Eighth House: Transformations and crisis, your ability to meet and rebound from crisis and change, sexuality; sex, death and rebirth, rituals and personal growth, your partner’s resources, addictions, psychology, other people’s money, taxes, divorce/alimony, inheritance.

Ninth House: Attitude toward expanding horizons, religious beliefs and personal philosophy, higher education, long-distance travel, morals, foreign languages and cultures, personal truths, publishing, commerce, advertising, your sense of adventure.

Tenth House: Career and profession, your contribution to society, social status, public reputation, material success, how you carve out a public identity for yourself; attitude toward authority figures, parents, caregivers, bosses, governments, attitude towards responsibility, desire for achievement.

Eleventh House: Friends, groups, organizations; hopes, wishes, aspirations, personal goals; your philanthropic attitude, concern for the collective, humanity; like tenth, can bring recognition and honors for fulfilling hopes and dreams.

Twelfth House: What’s hidden beneath the surface, karmic dustbin, limiting childhood/past-life messages, self-undoing, hidden enemies, hidden weaknesses, dreams, secret affairs, lost items, hospitals and prisons, hidden strengths, spiritual studies and soul growth.

A  Sun: Our vitality and magnetism; self-identity, ego.
Roles: The Self, the Hero, the Performer, the King.

B  Moon: Intuition, emotion, nurture.
Roles: The Mother, the High Priestess, the Child.

C  Mercury: Mind; physical dexterity and mental agility.
Roles: The Thinker, the Communicator, the Student, the Trickster, the Merchant, the Thief.

D  Venus: Our capacity for pleasure, receptivity, creativity, and social connection. Also indicates our relationships, self esteem, and financial abundance.
Roles: The Lover, the Seductress, the Artist.

E  Mars: Desire, initiative, anger.
Roles: The Protector, the Athlete, the Warrior.

F  Jupiter: Luck, opportunity, expansion, higher learning, religion.
Roles: The Scholar, the Gypsy, the Traveler, the Monk, the Professor.

G  Saturn: Hard work, commitment, focus, inadequacy, leadership, suffering, loss.
Roles: The Task Master, the Grim Reaper, the Wise Old Man, the Builder, the Cynic, the Boss.

H  Uranus: Change, breakthroughs, upsets, discoveries.
Roles: The Revolutionary, the Humanitarian, the Visionary, the Snob.

I  Neptune: Imagination, spirituality, idealism, addictions, deception, compassion.
Roles: The Artist, the Romantic, the Guru, the Addict, the Martyr, the Victim.

J  Pluto: Transformation, power, psychological dynamics, helplessness.
Roles: The Terrorist, the Detective, the Psychotherapist, the Dictator, shady people.

a  Aries: Pioneering, competitive, selfish, impatient, courageous, reckless, independent, dynamic, domineering, “Me first!”

b  Taurus: Patient, stable, lazy, dependable, practical, sensual, stubborn, artistic, possessive, greedy, gentle, loyal.

c  Gemini: Intelligent, curious, adaptable, quick-witted, restless, clever, scatterbrained, lacking follow-through.

d  Cancer: Nourishing, intuitive, protective, moody, sensitive, maternal, domestic, childish, cautious, creative.

e  Leo: Proud, dignified, vain, expressive, romantic, generous, childish, overbearing, self-assured, creative.

f  Virgo: Perfection-seeking, practical, methodical, petty, critical, studious, discriminating, cautious, never satisfied.

g  Libra: Charming, sociable, peace-loving, refined, diplomatic, artistic, indecisive, apathetic, easily deterred.

h  Scorpio: Passionate, secretive, penetrating, resourceful, suspicious, manipulative, jealous, sarcastic, intolerant, determined, aware.

i  Sagittarius: Freedom-loving, philosophical, optimistic, enthusiastic, careless, impatient, talkative, a know-it-all, broadminded, athletic, honest.

j  Capricorn: Serious, responsible, practical, hardworking, stubborn, brooding, inhibited, status-conscious, domineering, unforgiving.

k  Aquarius: Progressive, individualistic, unpredictable, cold, intellectual, artistic, eccentric, shy, impersonal, scientific.

l  Pisces: Compassionate, intuitive, ungrounded, romantic, impractical, self-sacrificing, seductive, musical, artistic.