What does a full moon mean to you?

Question

Seriously, is there any deep dark secrets about it's philosophical background in religions? or romanticism? What does a full moon mean to you?

Answer 1

The moon is the cycle of life. With her pull the oceans move with the tides, and woman have their cycle by her movements. She waxes and wanes in the sky, from inky blackness to thin crescent, to thick half moon to full and back again, symbolizing the path our life takes and the aspects of the triple goddess, from young maiden, to strong mother, to wise old crone, to the death that takes us all.

Answer 2

It means HAPPY TIME!!!!! HAPPY CAMPFIRE TIME!!

Answer 3

There pretty.

Answer 4

whenever i see a full moon i feel strong and alive more than ever as if i'm some sort of werewolf :)

Answer 5

its when the beast within comes out for me ;)

Answer 6

Young master. A full moon is the night's mistress. Saidon's curse of the rabid beast for murdering her husband. Young master may I ask...Why do you ask?...What does the land of the Rising Sun mean to you?

Answer 7

Well, to me, personally, the full moon is a symbol of hope and protection... you know, that whole light in the darkness thing.

She is the face of a mother looking down over us.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_in_myt...

Answer 8

Time to attune to and converse with the Mother Goddess, as well as the mother aspects of myself as a woman.

Answer 9

The full moon has been linked to crime, suicide, mental illness, disasters, accidents,  birthrates, fertility, and werewolves, among other things. Some people even buy and sell stocks according to phases of the moon, a method probably as successful as many others. Numerous studies have tried to find lunar effects. So far, the studies have failed to establish much of interest. Lunar effects that have been found have little or nothing to do with human behavior, which in turn might have an effect on the growth of plants. Of course, there have been single studies here and there that have found correlations between various phases of the moon and this or that phenomenon, but nothing significant has been replicated sufficiently to warrant claiming a probable causal relationship.

Ivan Kelly, James Rotton and Roger Culver examined over 100 studies on lunar effects and concluded that the studies have failed to show a reliable and significant correlation between the full moon, or any other phase of the moon, and each of the following:

    -the homicide rate

    -traffic accidents

    -crisis calls to police or fire stations

    -domestic violence

    -births of babies

    -suicide

    -major disasters

    -casino payout rates

    -assassinations

    -kidnappings

    -aggression by professional hockey players

    -violence in prisons

    -psychiatric admissions

    -agitated behavior by nursing home residents

    -assaults

    -gunshot wounds

    -stabbings

    -emergency room admissions

    -behavioral outbursts of psychologically challenged rural adults

    -lycanthropy

    -vampirism

    -alcoholism

    -sleep walking

    -epilepsy

If so many studies have failed to prove a significant correlation between the full moon and anything, why do so many people believe in these lunar myths? Kelly, Rotton, and Culver suspect four factors: media effects, folklore and tradition, misconceptions, and cognitive biases. A fifth factor should be considered, as well: communal reinforcement.

Lunar myths are frequently presented in films and works of fiction. "With the constant media repetition of an association between the full moon and human behavior it is not surprising that such beliefs are widespread in the general public". Reporters also "favor those who claim that the full moon influences behavior." It wouldn't be much of a story if the moon was full and nothing happened, they note. Anecdotal evidence for lunar effects is not hard to find and reporters know that one good anecdote trumps ten scientific studies when it comes to reader interest, even though such evidence is unreliable for establishing significant correlations. Relying on personal experience ignores the possibility of self-deception and confirmation bias.  Such evidence may be unreliable, but it is nonetheless persuasive.

Many lunar myths are rooted in folklore. For example, an ancient Assyrian or Babylonian fragment stated that "A woman is fertile according to the moon." Such notions have been turned into widespread misconceptions about fertility and birthrates. For example, Eugen Jonas, a Slovakian psychiatrist, was inspired by this bit of folklore to create a method of birth control and fertility largely rooted in astrological superstitions. The belief that there are more births during a full moon persists today among many educated people. Scientific studies, however, have failed to find any significant correlation between the full moon and number of births (Kelly and Martens 1994; Martens et al.1988 ). In 1991, Benski and Gerin reported that they had analyzed birthdays of 4,256 babies born in a clinic in France and "found them equally distributed throughout the synodic (phase) lunar cycle". In 1994, Italian researchers Periti and Biagiotti reported on their study of 7,842 spontaneous deliveries over a 5-year period at a clinic in Florence. They found "no relationship between moon phase and number of spontaneous deliveries" .

Despite the fact that there is no evidence of a significant correlation between phases of the moon, the menstrual cycle, and fertility, some people not only maintain that there is, they have a "scientific" explanation for the non-existent correlation.* Some think the light of the moon affects fertility in women, the way it does in corals. The light of the moon is a very minor source of light in most women's lives, and is no more likely than the moon's gravitational force to have a significant effect on a woman's ovulation. Furthermore, the average menstrual cycle is 28 days but varies from woman to woman and month to month, while the length of the lunar month is a consistent 29.53 days.* Some of us have noticed that these cycles are not identical. Furthermore, it would seem odd that natural selection would favor a method of reproduction for a species like ours that depended on the weather. Clouds are bound to be irregularly and frequently blocking moonlight, which would seem to hinder rather than enhance our species' chance for survival.

Some mythmakers believe that long ago women all bled in sync with the moon, but civilization and indoor electric lighting (or even the discovery of fire by primitive humans) have disturbed their rhythmic cycle. This theory may seem plausible until one remembers that there are quite a few other mammals on the planet that have not been affected by firelight or civilization's indoor lighting and whose cycles aren't in harmony with the moon. In short, given the large number of types of mammals on our planet, one would expect that by chance some species' estrus and menstrual cycles would harmonize with lunar cycles . It is doubtful that there is anything of metaphysical significance in this.

What we do know is that there has been very little research on hormonal or neurochemical changes during lunar phases. James Rotton's search of the literature "failed to uncover any studies linking lunar cycles to substances that have been implicated as possible correlates of stress and aggression. One would think that this area would be well-studied, since hormones and neurochemicals are known to affect menstruation and behavior.

Answer 10

It means another night of rampaging across the countryside, my mind subsumed within the bestial ferocity of the fearful creature that I become!

Woe! ... Woe is me!

And woe be to those poor unfortunate gypsies who cross my path when the wolfbane blooms and the moon is full and bright!

Answer 11

Full (and new moons) are a witches' workdays. I will be attending a ritual honoring the Goddess as mother and then casting a few appropriate (for this time and day) spells.

Answer 12

The moon is the cycle of life. With her pull the oceans move with the tides, and woman have their cycle by her movements.  She waxes and wanes in the sky, from inky blackness to thin crescent, to thick half moon to full and back again, symbolizing the path our life takes and the aspects of the triple goddess, from young maiden, to strong mother, to wise old crone, to the death that takes us all.

The moon symbolizes mystery, and the unknown, femininity, the cycle of life, and the goddess watching down upon us.

Blessed Be

Answer 13

it means that the Earth is Not blocking the Sun's rays from the Moons surface.

Oh yeah & the dead rise as ZOMBIE'S searching for live human flesh to feed upon!

Answer 14

It only means to me that I have something brilliant and beautiful to look at. :-)

Answer 15

i heard that when its full moon... spirits rome the earth. so i dont know if i believe in this... but then its hard not to! there are some really freaky full moon stories.. i just try not to stay out late when its the full moon.. better safe then sorry right?

Answer 16

As a practicing witch, it means it's the best time to cast spells.

Answer 17

The Mother Goddess.

Answer 18

Time to go crazy.