The Moon. Our moon. Your moon. Everyone feels as though they have a personal relationship with the moon. At one time or another, you will have said to yourself or a friend, “Isn’t the moon gorgeous tonight?” We imbue the moon with personal qualities easily and find meaning through it eagerly. Even in an age of scientific theology, we casually believe that the moon has effects on us and life on the planet. The moon is a powerful celestial focus in the human consciousness and taking time to consider the nature of the moon, and our evolving relationship with it, reveals as much about us, and you, as we learn about our lunar neighbour itself.
Baby Moon
Life on earth would look very different if we did not have the moon, which begs the question, where did the moon come from? The answer that Mother Earth gave birth to the moon about 4.46 billion years ago.
It was a traumatic birth by all accounts. The scientific consensus is that while the earth was still forming, it was struck by an object that was approximately the size of Mars. A huge chunk of the earth was broken away by this impact and the energy of the impact melted the rock that was to become the moon’s surface. As the molten rock gradually cooled and solidified, it became the silvery mantle that you can see when you look up at the moon at night. Of course, the lunar surface has been modified across the billennia by lava flows, asteroid impacts and the erosive effects of space. Yet you can still look up and see something that broke off from our planet more than four billion years ago. If earth had not birthed The moon, things would be very different and, at some level, humans have always known that transformative fact.
Holy Moon
Most cultures have goddesses or gods linked to the moon. This is not surprising when you consider how large the orb looms in our night sky, and how its position and changing phase are linked to changes on this planet. Perhaps because of the association between lunar months and the menstrual cycle, many of these moon deities are goddesses, but there are also some male moon gods as well.
Chang’e is a female Chinese moon deity also known as the “moon Fairy” in some Chinese mythologies. Artemis was another female goddess, this time from classical Greek mythology. Ix Chel was the Mayan moon goddess who appeared in two forms, that of a sensual young woman or a powerful older woman (not that those qualities cannot intermingle, of course).
Su-en, the Mesopotamian moon god, was the husband of the reed goddess and father of the sun god. In Japanese Shinto cosmology, Tsuki-Yomi was the moon god and brother of the sun goddess, Amaterasu.
Although the moon may not entirely retain the mythic place it once had in our consciousness, it certainly has not loosened its grip on our collective psyche. And you can see that just by looking at our language.
Wordy Moon
The word “moon” is a multifaceted chameleon in our vocabulary. We use it in different forms and attach a range of meanings to it.
Of course, “moon” functions as a noun, but it also does some work as a verb. “mooning” can be one of two things. It can refer to absent-mindedness or distraction, as in phrases such as “moon around” or “moon over”. Alternately, it can refer to exposing your buttocks because buttocks can be pale and round.
Beyond functioning as both a noun and verb, there are many idioms attached to the word “moon”.
- Asking for the moon” is making unreasonable requests.
- “Cry for the moon” is to wish for something unattainable.
- “Reach for the moon” is to set high goals.
- “Over the moon” is to be pleased.
- “Love you to the moon and back” refers to a boundless love.
The moon clearly shapes our thoughts in profound ways, but equally it shapes life itself.
Gravity Moon
One of the most obvious ways in which the moon affects life on earth is by pulling the oceans and creating tides. The moon’s gravitational pull causes the oceans to bulge out on both the side closest to the moon and the side farthest from it. As the earth rotates within this watery envelope, the landmasses pass through the bulging and non-bulging sections, which we experience as tides. High tides occur when a landmass passes through a moon-generated watery bulge. The moon’s gravity also causes earth tides, a slight bulging of the earth’s crust that has been linked to volcanic activity.
Tides are not the only manifestations of lunar effects, as animals are also tuned to the moon’s rhythm.
If you take fiddler crabs away from the sea and put them in a room where the temperature and light are constant, they will still get most active at the time when the moon’s influence would have the tide going out. Many marine organisms move up and down in the ocean in response to levels of lunar light. On land, there are African dung beetles that can only roll their dung ball in a straight line when the moon is full. Researchers from Lund University, Sweden, have found that the presence or absence of moonlight has a direct impact on when birds begin their autumn migration.
There is a pervading thought, too, that humans are affected by the moon. In fact, a 2011 study published in the World Journal of Surgery found that more than 40 per cent of medical staff believe that moon phases can affect human behaviour. This reflects a widespread belief about lunar influences on humans, but there is no real evidence to support this popular belief. Most studies suggest that emergency rooms do not fill up when the moon is full. As one study in the journal Nursing
Research concluded, “Data collection and analysis shortcomings, as well as cognitive biases, can lead to erroneous conclusions about the purported lunar effect on human affairs.” In short, it’s tempting to believe in werewolves
Depravity Moon
For most of its history, the relationship between humanity and the moon has been one of inspiration, nurturance and wonder. As we look towards the future, that relationship is taking a more pragmatic slant.
On May 3rd 2024, the Chinese Chang’e-6 spacecraft launched on a mission to collect samples from the far side of the moon. NASA’s Artemis program aims to send astronauts to the lunar south pole by 2026. The USSR and India have also landed spacecraft on the moon and in January 2024, Japan joined the moon-landing club. Other countries such as Korea also have plans for future landings.
What is spurring the investment in these space programs is a belief in return. Analysis of soil from the moon’s Camelot crater brought back by the crew of Apollo 17 has revealed quantities of helium-3, an isotope of helium that is supposed to produce nuclear energy in a fusion reactor without producing radioactive waste. Mining the moon is a real consideration for both nations and billionaire businesspeople. In a 2019 study in the journal Open Agriculture, it was suggested that the soil of the moon can support crops such as radish, rye and cress. There is a philosophical danger, though, in looking to the moon to solve our climate problems.
It is as though we have surrendered any hope for the capacity to engage productively in discussions with each other as to how we might live on this planet. If we see the moon as the last vine by which we may swing into the future, we will likely just break the moon as we are in danger of breaking the earth. If we can foster a positive attitude towards the moon based on respect, wonder and fraternity, then perhaps we can build a psychology that will allow us to flourish here on earth.