Angels Den Blog

If you felt like doing something out of the ordinary, maybe a little strange or rebellious last weekend, don’t worry – it’s just lunacy taking over.

On Friday 12 December, the full moon rose closer to the Earth on its elliptical orbit than at any time for the last 15 years, practically grazing us at just 350,000 km away (30,000 km closer than normal). For all those in the northern hemisphere who might have looked heavenward on that day, the moon would have appeared bigger and brighter than usual – but at just 14% bigger and 30% brighter, NASA stated that this would be more of a scientific phenomenon than something that was particularly noticeable to the naked eye. So all the newspaper hype surrounding the event may well have been a bit of damp squib, then … or was it?

Maybe the influence of the moon goes deeper than simply what can be seen with the naked eye. Embedded within both myth and the science of times gone by, the moon – and especially the full moon – has had a mysterious and undeniable pull on our imagination. Throughout European and American history, the story of the lycanthrope has been handed down from generation to generation. Stories of men who could transform into flesh-eating creatures through the power of the full moon are ingrained, not only in myth and popular TV shows, but also in ancient writings and tales across many nations. Latvian folklore tells of a vilkacis, someone who could transform into a wolf-like monster. Armenian folklore tells of women who, because of their sins, were condemned to wear the skin of a wolf, which caused them frightful cravings for human flesh. In Greek mythology, the story of Lycaon is one of the earliest examples of a werewolf legend. Throughout Argentina, Canada, Haiti, France, Germany, Russia, Scandinavia and many, many other nations, the story of the werewolf has been told through legend and lore. Could it all be a coincidence, or can the madness of the moon really transform man into beast?

If shape-shifting humans are a little too far-fetched for you to believe in, how about the mental effects of the moon upon the mind? It has long been thought – controversially, I might add – that our mental health and balance were intrinsically linked to the positioning and fullness of the moon. “Lunacy”, “lunatic” and “loony” all come from “Luna”, the Latin name for our moon. The natural philosopher John Swan wrote, “This disease of lunacie, is a disease whose distemper followeth the course of the Moon”, in Speculum Mundi in 1643. Studies have shown that more crimes were committed, more suicides carried out and attempted, and more accidents happened, and that there was a general propensity towards acting strangely during the time of a full moon. These studies have since been widely disputed, and of course most scientists today think the idea of moon-related mental imbalances is a load of old bunkum, but there are a few who still believe in it, and they have come up with a new theory.

The theory is called “biological tide theory”, and it says that basically we, as humans, are made up of similar elements to the world around us – approximately 80% water and 20% organic and inorganic matter – so surely it’s only logical to assume that if the gravitational pull of the moon is strong enough to affect the tides of the seas on our planet, then maybe it is also strong enough to influence the tides of fluids in all of us as well. This very modern theory seems to have its origins in the ancient Greek belief that madness was caused by the amount of fluid in the brain. Hippocrates stated that “madness comes from the brain’s moistness”. I wonder whether that’s where the origins of the expression “soggy brain syndrome” come from when, try as you might, you just can’t think clearly.

So if you found yourself on Saturday morning with an unquenchable thirst, a headache and a desire to set up your own business, here are a few questions that you should have asked for your own peace of mind:

1. Were you sprouting excess hair.
2. Did you have an urge to go walkies?
3. Was there a sloshing noise when you moved your head from side to side?
4. Did you find a book on ancient Greek medical breakthroughs by your bedside?
5. Had you been eating cheese just before bedtime?

If you answered “no” to all of the above, and you are convinced that the only liquid that was affecting your mental state was the drink you had the night before at the party (which, strangely, you remember very little about), and you are still convinced that the business idea you had would light up the world, then come and visit www.angelsden.co.uk to see how we can help you to launch your business.

Source:
The Moon and Lunacy
Wikipedia – Werewolf
Earth Enjoys Full Moon Close Up

Image © h.koppdelaney