This past Sunday hosted another “Supermoon” to its skies and man, did it ever look close. This phenomena is when the full or new moon (much more impressive when it is full) is at its most luminous and closest distance to the earth in its elliptical orbit, resulting in a larger than normal appearance. If you have not witnessed, you will have another chance soon; the next one will be on Jan. 2 2018. It is quite the spectacle to see especially when it is first rising because the thing looks absolutely huge when at the horizon.
The term supermoon is a fairly recent one first used by astrologer (yes, a new age practitioner using the moon, stars, and planets to predict future events) Richard Nolle in 1979. It has been associated with increased risks of earth events like volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. Some scientists believe there is a correlation between the supermoon and increased stress along the earth’s fault lines and the extra pull on the crust. Is this just moon lunacy? Maybe not.
The word lunacy actually comes from the Latin word luna because it was believed that the moon can affect peoples’ behavior negatively. When I worked in retail sales, there did seem to be an increase in the amount of crazies that came in around the full moon but I never did a study to prove or disprove this theory. I have many unproved theories of varying craziness including some about “crazies”. There have been studies that show an increased amount of visits to the ER and accidents during a full moon and animals do seem to be affected by it as well. None of these have been conclusively proven but I think it would make some sense in the regards that most life on earth is made up of a heck of a lot of water and we know that the moon does affect the Earth’s bodies of water.
The moon is in a synchronous rotation with the Earth which means she always shows the same face to us but that does not mean than the moon has a “dark side”. Both sides receive the same amount of sunlight but the far side has only been seen by the human eye by spacecraft. There are many conspiracies concerning the moon (made of cream cheese?), the moon landing (or lack thereof), and the dark side in particular (evil empires have bases there).
In the past, and in the present for our Wiccan friends, the moon’s different phases were times to do different magic. The best time to do a ritual to get someone to go away is during a waning moon, the new moon is a good time to plant crops, and the best time to cast a spell to bring love to you would be the full moon. (Don’t ask me why I know these…it may get me kicked out of my coven.) Then there is that old stand-by legend about the werewolf and the full moon. Who doesn’t love a night out with your sweetheart baying at a full moon?
There seems to be an ongoing fascination with this celestial body in science, folklore, and the arts. The moon has had a big influence on the arts and has been the inspiration to many a creative mind.
The stars about the lovely moon
Fade back and vanish very soon,
When, round and full, her silver face
Swims into sight, and lights all space – Sappho
The moon in its full and crescent phases has been exhaustively represented in paintings and other visual arts. Many painters of note showcase dear Luna in their work. Henri Rousseau (I am sure most have seen his Sleeping Gypsy with its lion and the bright full moon shining down on him. I was always worried about the way that lion was looking at the sleeping man.), JMW Turner, and John Atkinson Grimshaw have all been inspired by the moon’s shining charisma.
Who can ever forget van Gogh’s Starry Night with its orangey-yellow crescent moon and, oh yeah, those stars? This painting was done while he was committed to an asylum in Saint-Rémy, France in 1889 about a year before his death. This is not the only painting of his to have the moon as a feature; there is also Evening Landscape with Rising Moon, Cypresses, and Landscape with Couple Walking and Crescent Moon to name a few. Maybe Vincent van Gogh is a good example of connection between the madness associated with the moon and the inspiration for creativity although I am not blaming the moon for his mental illness, which had no definitive diagnosis. (There has been varying theories on his issues from alcohol poisoning to epilepsy, manic-depression to lead poisoning from eating his paint.) If he only knew then that he would have become so famous and his paintings would be worth so much, maybe the alcohol and paint consumption would have been less. (But I digress…again.)
What is it that attracts us to this silver satellite? Take a look up and see if you can figure this out for yourself. But if you go out to look at the supermoon in January, hold on tightly to your sanity. I would not want to be responsible for your dancing around in the nude under her beams of light, going off the rails, and becoming a lunatic.
–Janice Willson
