A ponderous topic for today. I am not really a superstitious person nor do I believe in a lot of that mystical stuff like Astrology. However I am fascinated by Astronomy and I love to see a Full Moon in the night sky. Not only do I find it beautiful, but it’s kind of cool to be able to see at night and experience the effects of King Tides on nature...but there is another aspect of a Full Moon that I am not so sure about...
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I’ve been out the last 2 nights playing Poker during the Full Moon here in Australia and it has been Off-The-Hook. Normally the games I play are pretty civilized but jovial. We have a bit of banter and a good laugh. It can sometimes get a little rowdy...but the last 2 nights (at 2 separate venues with different players) have been insane. People shoving their stacks in with garbage and the banter has gone to 11 on the scale with shouting and antics on a level that would make you blush. So I’ve been wondering – "Has the Full Moon made people go crazy?"
It’s kind of one of those “Oh yeah, that happens” things that everyone kind of knows and acknowledges about a Full Moon but don't really understand. I only really have anecdotal experience, but over the years it was always those crazy footy games or nights out on the town that end in madness that have seemed to fall on a Full Moon.
The word “Lunatic” is in common use today but it’s origins are back from the Middle Ages and it basically means “Moon Struck”. Its definition today is more like “Wild or recklessly foolish”...and yes, that fits with my own experiences. So this is not a new phenomena. Maybe even it’s a really, really old thing. But why? Well, here's my layman theory...
Humans are animals and my belief is that animals have evolved over hundreds of thousands of years on this earth. The Full Moon is a good time for animals to get out and forage or mate or whatever they can't do when it's dark. It's a time to leave the safety of their den, drop their inhibitions and get active at night. For humans I think we still have something Primal and Instinctive embedded in our animal brain and psychology that carries forward to this day and still affects us to some degree when the Full Moon is out.
I’m not a psychologist or biologist, but this makes sense to me. What about you? Have you experienced the Lunacy of a Full Moon first hand with a story you can tell? Got a better theory about why it happens that you can share with me?
Throughout most of history, all major civilizations had lunar months and weeks, entire societies regulated their behaviors according to the phases of the moon. The idea of a "moonth" came from the measuring time from "new moon" to "new moon". Modern time-keeping has destroyed that system, although we kept old elements, perhaps just for nostalgic purposes, but it's all completely divorced from that regulating light in the night sky.
Our family observes the Holy days based on a lunar calendar, so our behavior is directly effected by the phases of the moon. While not "moon struck" or “Wild or recklessly foolish”, observing "new moons" and Holy days, might put us in a category close to "lunatic". I think everyone was (and would be) much better off, regulated by the phases of the moon. We were made to operate this way.
If only everyone were lunatics.
Wow, this is such a great comment. Thanks.
I really like your insight and attitude. You have probably nailed it with this bit "We were made to operate this way" I totally agree. Maybe the issue is more that most of us don't understand ourselves well enough to manage it.
Yeah, I think it affects some people for sure. Or, it affects people, some more than others. I also think that when people talk about it before hand that also helps ramp it up. Sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy type thing.
Those games sound like fun, glad you made it out unscathed (assuming you did xD).
I was thinking it was a subconscious thing, but I guess some people would consciously gear up for a full moon and that might be self-fulfilling too.
I was physically unscathed. Got taken by surprise both nights. Lost on the first one but adjusted and decided to keep my head down in the 2nd and managed to scrape out a 4th place while they were all knocking each other out. The other 3 remaining were ALL playing like maniacs.
There is something about the full moon that some bat shit crazy people do be coming out lol
I enjoy a good trash talking and joking around while doing it honestly it makes the game more fun for sure. But there is a line and seems like that's been crossed big time which just turns everyone off.
Yes, we had a couple of new players on both nights and I was sitting there wondering what sort of "first impression" they were going to walk away with...and whether we'd ever seen them again. LOL
How can I best describe my first night shift under a full moon on an entire dementia ward? Nuts.
That sounds scary. Dementia patients already have a lot of inhibitions stripped away so I could only imagine what they'd get up to on a full moon...
Siempre he oido que la luna llena ejerce ciertas emociones en las personas que no están muy cuerdas
While I don’t whole heartedly belief in anything I can’t see with my own eyes. There are things that do happen in spite of my belief… in them.
I don't believe in any kind of mystical effect, but I do think there are probably many small real effects that add up. For example, when there is a full moon, it is brighter. Bright enough that we can see relatively well even without street lamps. Our brain notices this and it affects our behavior slightly. And there are probably many more other similar completely logical but very small effects. There is also the placebo effect at work here. All of us have been told all our lives about how the full moon makes people crazy. Even if we don't believe it, that superstition is going to have some influence over our actions.
None of these would amount to much on their own, but they add up, and for some people they add up enough that we can notice a difference in their behavior.
Haven't really experienced this in my part of the world...
Well normally folks in my country are crazy both in day and night so I don't think I could blame the moon for that😂😂😂
It is an intriguing theory though and some of the comments I've read are interesting too...
I'd read up more on this...
!PIMP