Supernatural Friday: The Full Moon's Effect on the Supernatural

Just in time for the June full moon--the Strawberry Moon. About the Strawberry Moon: the name comes from Algonquin tribes of Native Americans. This full moon was their sign to harvest wild strawberries, so says the Old Farmer's Almanac. It is also known as the Hot Moon.

When I led a team to Petersburg, Virginia in July 2014 during a full supermoon, we had quite a bit of paranormal activity, including my camera in its case taken from my locked car for ten minutes, until I asked the spirits to return it if we leave those at the ruins of the Peter Jones Trading Post alone, and just investigate the Bistro at Market and Grove restaurant. The camera reappeared at my feet on the parking lot ground between my car and an investigator’s vehicle, when it hadn’t been there a minute ago. Freaky? Yeah, in a way, though I was more relieved to get my camera back, in one piece and working, to even get me a dancing shadow later that night in the restaurant. The next day, someone said that full moons can affect the paranormal.

Can it? I researched and found since ancient times, people believed this, along with activity being more noticeable during phases of the full moon. There were those who use these times to speak to the spirit realm. Could this be put down to Luna Madness, or could this really be happening? Some paranormal investigators say they have more ghostly activity around the full moon, while others say they get nothing.  

The moon’s gravitational pull affects the tides, but can it affect a person? If we look at what is known about the human body and how it is made up of 75-80% of water there is a strong chance that when the moon is full and at its strongest, it could, in theory, affect a person in terms of what they are thinking. 

Using one article’s theory that I found, it is possible that full moons could cause a person who is inclined to thoughts of the paranormal to believe they are experiencing something paranormal or quite possibly it could cause that individuals mind to trick itself into hallucinating and seeing what they believe to be an apparition. Personally, a person can hallucinate anytime, so I don’t think a full moon makes any difference. And I think there are those actually seeing a ghost, even photographs of them. I think it’s all about how much of the psychic is inside each person. That is why those who are parapsychologists do studies on the psychic and not just on spirits. Places like the Rhine Center and others at certain universities. One interested can take online courses to get an introduction to parapsychology. Like at the Rhine Center: Education.    

Whatever the truth behind the full moon and the paranormal, whatever you believe, there is still inconclusive proof to be sure. But it is still interesting to think about, maybe even try as an experiment. 

Supernatural Friday: Moon Superstitions

A full moon rising on Friday the 13 is a very rare occurrence, with the next predicted to happen by NASA in August 2049. The last Friday the 13 full moon happened in October 2000.

                        Full Moon rising over Old Town Petersburg in July.

This past June 2014 we had what is called a strawberry moon. The “strawberry” moon, gets its name from the reddish color, and according to the Farmer’s Almanac, June is strawberry season.

In folklore, there are many myths concerning full moons and Friday the 13 that have led to superstitions surrounding the full moon. An ancient Babylonian manuscript prescribes that women are more fertile during a full moon. Many women today believe that their menstrual cycles correspond to the moon. There are stories that more women go into labor during the full moon. This belief has not been confirmed by scientific studies. In ancient Greece, Diana the Goddess of the Hunt was associated with both the moon and child-birth, demonstrating that this is an ancient association held by humans for centuries.

The most common myth surrounding the full moon is that it evokes madness. The word “lunacy” stems from the root “lunar.” From werewolves to myths about a higher rate of insanity homicide, and suicide, lunacy affected by the full moon appears frequently in old folklore.  There is no significant relationship between the full moon and insane or anti-social behavior though. Because the moon is such a powerful astronomical force that affects the earth’s tides and allows humans to track their lives according to a lunar monthly cycle, these kind of superstitions about the full moon are still popular.

Like there is the one that some people believe that there is a link between the full moon and seizures. Another tells about the full moon and the appearance of black cats. Some people believe that there must be a strong link between the moon and human behavior because of how much the moon affects the earth from a physical standpoint.

When I did an investigation in July on the full moon night, my group and I had some interesting paranormal results. Whether that was due to the moon as some think, it is hard to prove.

In Ireland it was believed to be bad luck to see the full moon reflected in a mirror. The worse luck happened if a person stared at the moon through the branches of a tree. The worst luck of all was if the light of the full moon shone on your face as you slept. If this happened, it meant that you were going to die.

A blood moon (like one happened in April 3014) signals a certain foreboding. Like the portent of the apocalypse. Though the moon has turned “into blood” several times before, and nothing apocalyptic happened.

Mothers refused to hang their baby’s nappies out in the moonlight for fear of bad luck.” A 1621 guide to healthy living helpfully offers the following advice: “When thou goest to thy bed… draw close the curtaines to shut out the Moone-light, which is very offensive and hurtfull to the braine, especially to those that sleepe.”

Those careless enough to sleep under a full moon risked insanity, blindness, or even being turned into a werewolf (but only if it happened to be a Friday night).

Pointing at the moon has been considered unlucky. Some say that the “man in the moon” residing there, considers it rude. A superstition from the British Isles says that anyone who points at the moon nine times cannot enter heaven, no matter how pious he or she has been.

It was believed in ancient times, that moon’s silvery glow was made of silver. That is the reason the metal became one of its symbols.

The commonest superstitions connected with the new moon are: seeing the thin crescent over the left shoulder is lucky.  Seeing it straight before you will signify good luck to the end of the season. Any wish made at the first sight of the new moon will come true, Superstitious persons believe that the time of the new moon is propitious to planting, courtship, the starting of new business ventures or trips, cutting the hair or fingernails to effect better growth, and many other things to be done.