The moon has long been associated with powerful effects on people and animals. Full moon and new moon lore has explored the power of the moon, particularly the new and full moon phases, and the phenomenal occurrences associated with the moon’s appearance in the night sky. In Solar-Periodic Full Moon Effect in the Fourmilab RetroPsychoKinesis Project Experiment Data: an Exploratory Study, Eckhard Etzold asserts that there are more accidents when the moon is full and that there has long been a suggested correlation between the full moon and altered states of awareness or consciousness. In addition, studies in the 1960s and 1970s have further revealed an increase in extrasensory abilities during the new and full moon (Etzold 233). The latter assertions may explain some instances of paranormal activity, and it may even explain some poltergeist activity that is associated with a psychic agent.
In Science Confronts the Paranormal Kendrick Frazier examines full moon lore. Frazier examines the work of Arnold L. Lieber, author of The Lunar Effect: Biological Tides and Human Emotions and how Lieber suggests that the new and full moon phases generate “biological tides” that affect both things and people alike (Frazier 228). Lieber supports his argument with the fact that the human body is made up of nearly eighty percent water, and that the moon has a tidal effect and therefore may have the same power over the body (Frazier 228). Frazier notes that Lieber conducted significant studies related to the moon cycles and the crime rate in Dade County only to discover a significant increase in crimes two days after the new moon as well as on the night that the full moon appears (228). Finally, Lieber spent many years studying the moon, the position and phase of the moon, and the correlation of unusual incidents. What Lieber found was that when the moon was full or new, or aligned in a particular way, homicide rates increased, injuries increased, acts of global violence rose, and admission into psychiatric wards also rose as did emergency room visits (228). Have you ever thought to yourself when you were having a particularly bad day or when you had a number of seemingly strange encounters, “is there a full moon out tonight?” There is some logic to such thoughts and there is much scientific research that supports such a notion.
It is well understood that the gravitational pull of the moon affects the tides. It should also be understood that the sun also creates a similar pull although the effect is lesser; that is, unless the moon, earth, and sun are aligned in a particular way:
When the sun, earth, and moon are in a line, as they are every two weeks (at either full or new moon), their tidal forces combine and produce higher than average tides (spring tides)…Thus it is not that the moon’s gravitational pull is stronger at new and full moon (as Lieber states), but that its tidal force joins that of the sun (Frazier 230).
Wiccans have long observed the power of the moon and sun. The moon stands as a symbol of the Goddess and the sun, the symbol of the God. The two are identified as consorts working together as equal forces, feminine and masculine forces, in the universe. Thus, the basic understanding that the Goddess and God work in unison, also comes to represent the powerful tides created when the moon and sun are aligned.
In Paranormal Borderlands of Science Kendrick Frazier explains that the lack of an explainable theory when it comes to the paranormal does not necessarily negate the documented effect the moon has on paranormal activity. Fraizer writes: “Kepler correctly decided, on the basis of confirmable correlations, that the moon causes tides; but in the absence of a theory, even the great Galileo refused to believe it. One could add hundreds of other instances in which a phenomenon was authenticated long before a theory “explained” it” (143).
Still, other interesting moon lore exists. For example, when the harvest moon appears during the fall, the moonlight strikes the earth in such a way that it benefits farmers greatly (Frazier 264). Some folklore asserts that crops grow far better if they are seeded following a full moon (Frazier 264). Meanwhile, recent studies conducted by David Tilt reveal that the moon affects not only above ground bodies of water, but underground bodies of water, and certain rocks as well. In Crop Circles – Harbingers of World Change, Tilt has written “Earth Energies, Leys, Megalithic Man and Grids,” which includes the argument that the earth’s fault lines are affected by the gravitational pull of the moon and such an effect causes the quartz found at such fault crystals to generate an electrical charge(192). Essentially, quartz becomes “trapped between opposing forces” such as that produced by fault line movement, and since quartz is a “piezo-electric” mineral, an electrical charge is produced (Tilt 192). The Oxford English Dictionary defines piezoelectricity as a form of electricity generated by certain crystals when they are exposed to pressure; the latter discovery is commonly attributed to Jacques and Pierre Currie in the year 1880, but other research suggests that the piezoelectric property of different crystals was discovered earlier than that (“Piezoelectric”).
What is truly fascinating about the connection between the moon and the electrical charge generated by quartz is that such a charge generates two unique types of electromagnetic energy, both of which are detectable with dowsing tools (Tilt 192). Tilt illustrates “Type A,” and “Type B” patterns; the first pattern consisting of electromagnetic energies that flow in eight directions (Tilt 192): north, south, east, and west, northeast, southeast, northwest, and southwest. The latter pattern makes up an eight pointed star. Further, this electromagnetic output “always aligns itself with magnetic north” (192). Meanwhile, the second “Type B” is generated by underground water sources affected by the gravitational pull of the moon, and is equally detectable with dowsing rods (Tilt 192). The assertions set forth by Tilt may illustrate why many haunting cases are at sites that have nearby large bodies of water, underground water sources, underground quartz crystal beds, or all of the latter factors as the primary source of the geological makeup of the land. Finally, haunting or paranormal activity is noted to increase during certain moon phases, and this could be due to the powerful effect that the moon has on the geographical elements mentioned.
Of equal interest is that in some reports pertaining to various hauntings, compass’s will fail to work or will “go haywire” and start spinning or bouncing back and forth between direction indicators. If there is a body of quartz which is being pressurized, which has been clearly identified as being able to produce powerful electromagnetic energies, it could explain the malfunctioning of the compass. Further, if the moon is new or full, the existing electromagnetic disturbance may be further intensified.
