Natural Phenomena?

Thursday June 7, 2007

The Guardian
"There are some stories that hook right into our primeval suspicions, that are unsurprising because they reinforce things we have believed, in however woolly a way, all along. A recent discovery by the Sussex police force, that incidents of anti-social behaviour rise significantly whenever there is a full moon, is one of them. Inspector Andy Parr, who has the unenviable responsibility of policing Brighton at weekends, set the number of violent crimes his force had recorded in the past year against the dates on which they had been committed and found that they peaked on payday - and when the moon was full. They now plan to beef up their patrols at full moon. "I'm aware that this is just one of many things that can influence public disorder, but if you speak to ambulance staff, they will tell you exactly the same," he said."

Recently a client on leaving a session asked me what I thought of the full moon. They asked whether or not the full moon has the capacity to affect people's behaviours? Seeing it was the end of the session I politely nodded and mentioned that fish and some other fauna seem to be affected by the Moon, why not humans? He knodded too and we appreciated looking forward to the next visit. Maybe he was just investigating the possibilities of the full moon effects and self actualising?

The Moon is constantly changing, softly reflecting light to earth in the dark night sky. The moon is always there or close by at least. The Moon is she, feminine and reflective and perhaps knows much between the dark and the light. The Moon is big, it seems a great distance away and it has been an object in the sky that many have scorned or blamed, loved and lived for over the centuries. The Moon is a constant companion to humans and beasts. We also may identify time and tides based on the lunar phase and the pivotal Full Moon. Humans have developed a relationship with the Moon and in most cases she is often referred to as the Mother.

Superstition, myth or truth? It seems that the full moon has been blamed for certain human behaviours. How can that be? Are our police and ambulance officers becoming lunar-ticked? It seems the belief that the cycles of the moon's orbit around the earth has some sort of affect with humans. This belief in the community has been apparently going on for many many centuries.

In post medeival times it was even argued in various court cases involving murder or aggressive crimes that the full moon caused some kind of temporary insanity for the defendant.

"It was the Full Moon that did it you're honor"

"It turned me into a right monster it did"

The Full Moon is only one stage of the Moon's cyclic relationship between the Earth and the Sun. The eight different phases of the Moon are like clockwork for people on earth and we experience them as one of nature's wonderful routines. Quite impressive really and no doubt one of the reasons ancient occult groups and various religions turned their focus to serious Moon worship.

The Moon has been a part of our every day life simply because it's there all the time. Like a silent friend in the sky she glows and changes shape from week to week. We have a kind of "object relationship with her even if we only glance up, once in a while. Obviously the Full Moon phase is quite dramatic in the night sky. The word Lunacy derived from Luna was obviously a form of insanity aligned with the Moon by early psychiatrists. The Moon is an object in the sky that seems to have great importance to humans, including the the focus of two super powers in the challenge to be the first man to land on the Moon.

Real picture or hollywood movie set? Autobelieve

It seems that over the centuries humans have developed beliefs about the Moon and especially about the effect of the Full Moon. Less seriously in recent times perhaps when people joke about the Full Moon rising. That we "better watch out" or "its oing to be crazy tonight". I wonder whether you remember the nursery rhime about the cow and the moon?

Hey diddle diddle the cat and the fiddle

The Cow jumped over the Moon

The little dog laughed to see such sport

and the dish ran away with the spoon

I could never really understand the Dish and the Spoon bit when I was a child but my point is that even nursery rhimes incorporate developing a relationship to the Moon. One would describe that relationship in this story as somewhat neurotic or dysfunctional at the least. Nonsensical. Crazy stuff happens, Shit happens in life, is the message being conveyed perhaps?

Do people become more self activated, self reactionated at the Full Moon? One could argue that we instinctively believe that happens because of our generational beliefs and ancient myths on the Full Moon. In the Object Relations part of the relationship to the Moon we are perhaps working to her clockwork and we instinctively know when to go "crazy", (try get her attention) according to the moons shape. We try to fill her expectations and attempt to self actualise around her at the full moon.

By the look of the article in the Guardian even Policemen are developing strategies for the full moon period in their communities. The Full Moon only comes around once per month. It is a timely reminder of the cycles of nature and the reality of such an embedded 'object' in our world.

Kenoath