Does the Moon Influence Your Life?

FOR thousands of years, men have believed that the moon governs aspects of life on earth. It has been thought that the moon’s phases have an effect on plants, animals, and even humans. While some long-cherished notions have been disproved by modern scientific research, other beliefs persist to this day. What do the facts show?

Some people are convinced that there is a connection between the phases of the moon and the growth of plants. Thus, they use calendars and almanacs in deciding when to plant flowers, spread manure, bottle wine, or make preserves. This is done in the belief that if certain tasks are performed during the wrong phase of the moon, the quality of the product will be compromised. One source offers this advice to gardeners: “Vegetables to be eaten fresh should generally be picked during the waxing moon, while vegetables to be preserved should be picked during the waning moon.” Is there a scientific basis for this practice?

Some studies seem to link the growth of plants with lunar rhythms. However, many scientists are not convinced. They point out that lunar rhythms are complex, they are not completely regular, and their effects are not marked, so it is difficult to replicate the experiments upon which the studies are based.

Certain lunar effects have been verified, however. For example, it has been shown that the activity, feeding, reproduction, and biological rhythms of many living organisms are connected with the tides, which, in turn, are directly influenced by the gravitational force of the moon.

Some claim that if the moon influences the tides, it must affect humans as well, since much of the human body is water. And what of the supposed relationship between the phases of the moon and mental disorders, the time of one’s birth, and even the menstrual cycle, the length of which is approximately the same as the lunar month?

Studies have been undertaken in the fields of psychiatry, psychology, and gynecology to get to the truth of the matter. The results have been inconclusive. Some researchers claim to have found slight correlations between human activities and lunar rhythms, but others state flatly that there is no link at all. They argue that if lunar cycles had a marked influence on human births, the connection would have been clearly demonstrated long ago. What is more, none of the theories proposed to explain the supposed lunar effect on man have convinced scientists in general. *

Although science has demonstrated that the moon has some effect on the various forms of life on earth, the extent is not easily determined. Our physical universe is complex, and at least for now, many of the marvelous mechanisms that regulate it remain unknown.

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The goddess Selene, worshiped by ancient Greeks and Romans as the personification of the moon

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Musei Capitolini, Roma