{"id":9706,"date":"2014-04-01T01:10:42","date_gmt":"2014-04-01T06:10:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=10036"},"modified":"2014-03-23T18:29:22","modified_gmt":"2014-03-23T23:29:22","slug":"tink-about-it-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2014\/04\/01\/tink-about-it-9\/","title":{"rendered":"Tink About It"},"content":{"rendered":"<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Moonchild<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The moon is a fascinating subject. Magically of course, but also in a scientific way. I like to learn facts about the moon, but I\u2019m also interested in moon lore, moon deities, etc. \u00a0I\u2019d like to share some of my thoughts, facts and feelings about the moon.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">It often surprises me that quite a few witches know lots about the magic moon part, but lack any (f)actual knowledge. There\u2019s so much interesting stuff to explore! The NASA moon website can keep you busy for hours: facts, pictures, projects, special kids programs, etc. Or go to the Wikipedia moon portal and start from there.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Just some teasers, but in fact a miniscule tip of the iceberg:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The moon doesn\u2019t affect the tides, it actually causes them. If there were no moon, we would have no tides. The tides arise due to the pull of the moon&#8217;s gravity.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The distance between the earth and the moon is not a fixed number. The \u00a0moon takes an elliptical path around the earth, so the distance varies from 363,104 km (225,622 mi) at perigee (closest) to 405,696 km (252,088 mi) at apogee (farthest). The moon is spiralling away from the earth at an average rate of 3.8\u00a0cm (1.5\u00a0inch) per year.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">There is no water on the moon, but it still has \u2018seas\u2019. Galileo is responsible for that. He thought the dark, smooth areas were seas, and called them \u2018maria\u2019 (Latin for seas; \u2018mare\u2019 is the singular). For instance, the first Apollo landing occurred in Mare Tranquilitatis (the Sea of Tranquility). The \u2018seas\u2019 look flat from ancient lava flows. Of course we know now they aren\u2019t seas, but the names stayed.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The full moon has something special to a lot of people. Some people say they sleep worse, others sleep better. Popular legend has it that the full moon brings out the worst in people: more violence, more suicides, more accidents, etc. The influence of the moon and behaviour has been called &#8220;The Lunar Effect&#8221; or &#8220;The Transylvania Effect.&#8221; The belief that the full moon causes mental disorders and strange behaviour was widespread throughout Europe in the middle ages. Even the word \u2018lunacy\u2019 meaning \u2018insanity\u2019 comes from the Latin word for moon. Well, some of those beliefs are true, some are false. I think it\u2019s fun to explore info about this.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">It seems to me a lot of full moon stuff comes from suggestion. I wonder how many people would still sleep poorly \u2018because of the full moon\u2019 when they don\u2019t know the current moon phase. \u00a0I have kept a moon diary for quite some years. I wrote down the facts (distance to the moon, moon phase, time, etc.) and added how I felt and slept at that moment. I found out I was more influenced by the distance than the phase of the moon. I guess that\u2019s not that difficult to explain. The phase doesn\u2019t say a lot about the moon itself, it\u2019s just the part that\u2019s lit up by the sun. A dark moon may not be visible, but you can still feel the presence, especially when it\u2019s closer than usual. It could be a nice experiment to find out just how much the moon really influences you. Nowadays I use apps on my smartphone to look up the phase and distance, for example Luna Solaria.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Some years ago I attended a workshop by Marian Green about moon magic. One of the things we did was looking up the moon phase under which we were born. You can look it up in a moon app like \u2018Phases of the Moon\u2019 by Universe Today. At my day of birth the moon was 97% full. \u00a0The description of people born on the gibbous to full moon is remarkably recognizable. ?<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">We also looked into our lunar sign. Someone cast my birth horoscope for me, so I knew my lunar sign is Aries. And again, the description fit me. As there is no day without night, the astrological portrait of a person drawn just by the means of his or her sun sign will be incomplete and partial. Knowing your moon sign can add to the greater picture.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">I\u2019ll add the links to find this out for yourself at the end.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Another issue about the moon is the gender. Most witches see the moon as feminine, but for example Asatru speaks of the moon as masculine. In languages we see the same: in French \u2018la lune\u2019 (f), in German \u2018der Mond\u2019 (m). In Hebrew the gender shifted. The older one that shows up in Genesis Yareyach\u00a0???\u00a0is masculine, the more poetic and later name\u00a0l\u2019vanah\u00a0????\u00a0is feminine. In my own language Dutch \u2018de maan\u2019 is f(m), so you can use both but feminine is used more often and considered better. I use it both without a real preference. \u00a0In a ritual setting with others I use whatever they are using and it\u2019s fine by me. To be honest I don\u2019t really care about the gender\u2026<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">There are a lot of deities that are associated with the moon. They \u00a0can be either male or female, and are usually held to be of the opposite sex of the corresponding solar deity. In moon rituals I sometimes work with a deity, but most of the time I just personify the moon and \u00a0talk directly to him or her.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">What does the moon mean to you? If you have any insights or interesting links: feel free to share!<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><em>Moon blessings, Tink<\/em><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong><em>Links &amp; sources:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Moon portal in Wikipedia &#8211; <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Portal:Moon\">http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Portal:Moon<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">NASA Moon website &#8211; <a href=\"http:\/\/moon.nasa.gov\/\">http:\/\/moon.nasa.gov\/<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter &#8211; <a href=\"http:\/\/lunar.gsfc.nasa.gov\/moonfacts.html\">http:\/\/lunar.gsfc.nasa.gov\/moonfacts.html<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Full moon behaviour influence &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/faculty.washington.edu\/chudler\/moon.html\">https:\/\/faculty.washington.edu\/chudler\/moon.html<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Marian Green &#8211; <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Marian_Green\">http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Marian_Green<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Phases of the Moon app (Android) &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.universetoday.moon.free\">https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.universetoday.moon.free<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Luna Solaria app (Android) &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.bluemarmot.lunasolaria\">https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.bluemarmot.lunasolaria<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Lunar Phases in the Natal Chart: Interpretations &#8211; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cafeastrology.com\/natal\/lunarphases.html\">http:\/\/www.cafeastrology.com\/natal\/lunarphases.html<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Moon sign calculator and explanation &#8211; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.lunarium.co.uk\/moonsign\/calculator.jsp\">http:\/\/www.lunarium.co.uk\/moonsign\/calculator.jsp<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Moon gender in Hebrew &#8211; <a href=\"http:\/\/blog.timesunion.com\/rebdeb\/sun-and-moon-and-gender\/312\/\">http:\/\/blog.timesunion.com\/rebdeb\/sun-and-moon-and-gender\/312\/<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\">List of lunar deities &#8211; <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_lunar_deities\">http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_lunar_deities<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Moonchild &nbsp; The moon is a fascinating subject. Magically of course, but also in a scientific way. I like to learn facts about the moon, but I\u2019m also interested in moon lore, moon deities, etc. \u00a0I\u2019d like to share some of my thoughts, facts and feelings about the moon. &nbsp; It often surprises me that quite a few witches know lots about the magic moon part, but lack any (f)actual knowledge. There\u2019s so much interesting stuff to explore! The NASA moon website can keep you busy for hours: facts, pictures, projects, special kids programs, etc. Or go to the Wikipedia moon portal and start from there. Just some teasers, but in fact a miniscule tip of the iceberg: The moon doesn\u2019t affect the tides, it actually causes them. If there were no moon, we would have no tides. The tides arise due to the pull of the moon&#8217;s gravity. The distance between the earth and the moon is not a fixed number. The \u00a0moon takes an elliptical path around the earth, so the distance varies from 363,104 km (225,622 mi) at perigee (closest) to 405,696 km (252,088 mi) at apogee (farthest). The moon is spiralling away from the earth at an average rate of 3.8\u00a0cm (1.5\u00a0inch) per year. There is no water on the moon, but it still has \u2018seas\u2019. Galileo is responsible for that. He thought the dark, smooth areas were seas, and called them \u2018maria\u2019 (Latin for seas; \u2018mare\u2019 is the singular). For instance, the first Apollo landing occurred in Mare Tranquilitatis (the Sea of Tranquility). The \u2018seas\u2019 look flat from ancient lava flows. Of course we know now they aren\u2019t seas, but the names stayed. &nbsp; The full moon has something special to a lot of people. Some people say they sleep worse, others sleep better. Popular legend has it that the full moon brings out the worst in people: more violence, more suicides, more accidents, etc. The influence of the moon and behaviour has been called &#8220;The Lunar Effect&#8221; or &#8220;The Transylvania Effect.&#8221; The belief that the full moon causes mental disorders and strange behaviour was widespread throughout Europe in the middle ages. Even the word \u2018lunacy\u2019 meaning \u2018insanity\u2019 comes from the Latin word for moon. Well, some of those beliefs are true, some are false. I think it\u2019s fun to explore info about this. It seems to me a lot of full moon stuff comes from suggestion. I wonder how many people would still sleep poorly \u2018because of the full moon\u2019 when they don\u2019t know the current moon phase. \u00a0I have kept a moon diary for quite some years. I wrote down the facts (distance to the moon, moon phase, time, etc.) and added how I felt and slept at that moment. I found out I was more influenced by the distance than the phase of the moon. I guess that\u2019s not that difficult to explain. The phase doesn\u2019t say a lot about the moon itself, it\u2019s just the part that\u2019s lit up by the sun. A dark moon may not be visible, but you can still feel the presence, especially when it\u2019s closer than usual. It could be a nice experiment to find out just how much the moon really influences you. Nowadays I use apps on my smartphone to look up the phase and distance, for example Luna Solaria. &nbsp; Some years ago I attended a workshop by Marian Green about moon magic. One of the things we did was looking up the moon phase under which we were born. You can look it up in a moon app like \u2018Phases of the Moon\u2019 by Universe Today. At my day of birth the moon was 97% full. \u00a0The description of people born on the gibbous to full moon is remarkably recognizable. ? We also looked into our lunar sign. Someone cast my birth horoscope for me, so I knew my lunar sign is Aries. And again, the description fit me. As there is no day without night, the astrological portrait of a person drawn just by the means of his or her sun sign will be incomplete and partial. Knowing your moon sign can add to the greater picture. I\u2019ll add the links to find this out for yourself at the end. &nbsp; Another issue about the moon is the gender. Most witches see the moon as feminine, but for example Asatru speaks of the moon as masculine. In languages we see the same: in French \u2018la lune\u2019 (f), in German \u2018der Mond\u2019 (m). In Hebrew the gender shifted. The older one that shows up in Genesis Yareyach\u00a0???\u00a0is masculine, the more poetic and later name\u00a0l\u2019vanah\u00a0????\u00a0is feminine. In my own language Dutch \u2018de maan\u2019 is f(m), so you can use both but feminine is used more often and considered better. I use it both without a real preference. \u00a0In a ritual setting with others I use whatever they are using and it\u2019s fine by me. To be honest I don\u2019t really care about the gender\u2026 There are a lot of deities that are associated with the moon. They \u00a0can be either male or female, and are usually held to be of the opposite sex of the corresponding solar deity. In moon rituals I sometimes work with a deity, but most of the time I just personify the moon and \u00a0talk directly to him or her. &nbsp; What does the moon mean to you? If you have any insights or interesting links: feel free to share! Moon blessings, Tink Links &amp; sources: Moon portal in Wikipedia &#8211; http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Portal:Moon NASA Moon website &#8211; http:\/\/moon.nasa.gov\/ Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter &#8211; http:\/\/lunar.gsfc.nasa.gov\/moonfacts.html Full moon behaviour influence &#8211; https:\/\/faculty.washington.edu\/chudler\/moon.html Marian Green &#8211; http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Marian_Green Phases of the Moon app (Android) &#8211; https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.universetoday.moon.free Luna Solaria app (Android) &#8211; https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.bluemarmot.lunasolaria Lunar Phases in the Natal Chart: Interpretations &#8211; http:\/\/www.cafeastrology.com\/natal\/lunarphases.html Moon sign calculator and explanation &#8211; http:\/\/www.lunarium.co.uk\/moonsign\/calculator.jsp Moon gender in Hebrew &#8211; http:\/\/blog.timesunion.com\/rebdeb\/sun-and-moon-and-gender\/312\/ List of lunar deities &#8211; http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_lunar_deities<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":195,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9706","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9706","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/195"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9706"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9706\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9706"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9706"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9706"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}