by Fiona Gregory
Recently, Eastern Australia was lucky enough to witness both a Supermoon and a lunar eclipse and this started the discussion among some of the Darksiders – Does the Full Moon Induce Madness?
A quick google search produced 1000’s of hits and a name for this hypothesis – The Lunar Effect. The word lunatic is derived from the Latin word Luna. In Roman mythology Luna was the divine embodiment of the Moon.
Plenty of people have studied The Lunar Effect, particularly people working in areas that would see increases in crime, mental illness, disasters, accidents and emergency room admissions – health workers and police. There are even references to people who garden or trade the stockmarket according to the cycles of the moon.
As an author, one of my favourite sites for delving into the Darkside is The Skeptic’s Dictionary –A collection of Strange Beliefs, Amusing Deceptions and Dangerous Delusions. The authors favourite question “What if” takes on a whole different dimension once you start clicking links like hidden persuaders, collective hallucinations and cosmobiology.
Here's the link to the Lunar Effect, specifically.
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Great post Fiona.
ReplyDeleteI think if you ask any police officer or emergency room staff that question, the answer would be a resounding 'Yes'.
The way I look at it, the moon effects the tides and waterways, humans are mostly liquid so it is impossible to think it would not influence us too.
I also think there is some kind of effect. I can tell its going to be a full moon without looking; as drawing up to the full moon, hoons in their cars start going a bit crazy in my area. It usually starts two days before hand. A noticible increase in burnouts and races. Strange but true. I also know people who go fishing specifically during certain phases of the moon.
ReplyDeleteCool post. Thanks :)
Yep, definitely an effect going on. Like Peta said, we are mostly liquid (apparently), so it would effect us, and even the light itself could be a reason.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post, Fiona.
Most definitely there is a connection with the lunar cycles. I am one that gardens (well used to garden) by the phases of the moon and I can tell you it works and works well.
ReplyDeleteA lot of women are also attuned to the lunar cycle as well. Their cycle will closely follow that of the moon.
Interseting post, thanks for putting it up.