Although often dismissed as unscientific, many people are guided by the moon in their professional and personal lives.
shines a light on how the moon is a guiding light for many.‘IT’S something that comes up time and again in our manuscripts here in the museum,” Claire Doohan, of UCD’s Irish Folklore Centre tells me when I ask her about past and present-day instances of people living their personal and professional lives by the big ball of cheese in the sky.
“This real belief in the power of the moon, that’s spread out over several cultures.
“There’s the old Irish belief that falling asleep in the light of the moon was to be avoided as it could seriously impact your mental health. That you shouldn’t look at the new moon through glass or it would bring you bad luck. Or if you saw it while out and about, you should turn all the money over in your pocket as it would double in the coming year.”
The Roman Emperor Tiberius cut his hair during the waxing moon. Gerty MacDowell in James Joyce’s Ulysses did too.
But it’s not just confined to the past.
“We’ve seen instances of police forces around the world putting on additional men when there is a full moon due to an increase in violence. Informal studies by doctors in the 1960s found that blood was more likely to clot during the waxing moon (the period between the new and full moon). While we met some farmers today who still wouldn’t bleed out their animals during a waning moon as it would make the meat tough.”
When Jenn Zen was diagnosed with epilepsy, she found that the days leading up to a full moon was the time she was most prone to having a seizure. “I started keeping a date of all my attacks when I started having them and I found in the three days leading up to the full moon there was a far higher likelihood of me having a fit than at other times.
“The full moon is a time for letting go of stagnated energy and emotions. But if we are not conscious of this fact then these emotions and that energy can feel overpowering and overbearing and can contribute to bringing on anxiety/seizures. “
By being conscious of when the full moon falls, she believes she can take steps to lessen this likelihood.
“I try if at all possible, to keep the day of the full moon to myself. I don’t do haircuts; I don’t meet up with other people. I’ll start the day by doing grounding meditation, visualizing roots coming out of the soles of my feet and become aware of the earth beneath me by going outside in my bare feet.
“I’ll write down any questions that I might be confused about and then, later on, I’ll try and answer those questions and I find the answers often start to come more readily than before.”
Continuous practice has given her more awareness of herself and her body. “It massively impacted the number of seizure’s I had. I haven’t had one in a good while now.’
She is a hairdresser and this belief in the moons power is integral to her practice as owner of Velvet Moon Soul-filled Hair Artistry. “A lot of this stagnant energy is held in the hair. A haircut during its waxing phase (as it gets bigger in the run-up to a full moon) will facilitate a more lustrous growth, as you don’t want to hold onto stagnated energy while the moon is waning. It’s a good time to start afresh.
“It’s also a good time to use conditioners –or coconut oil if you just put natural products in your hair, as at this time your hair is really soaking up and holding onto its nutrients.”
Celine Gien, who moved to Galway 12 years ago, said: “As long as I remember, I have been always observing and learning from elderly people. My ancestors use the biodynamic technique without ever naming it. Cutting wood, making wine and beer, planting vegetables and fruits, removing teeth, trimming grass, was all done by the lunar calender.”
Through her artisan business AromaCéline, she cuts hair according to the moons cycle, using a cutthroat razor. Roughly 2/3 of her clientele come to her for issues relating to their hair. The other third for emotional traumas, recommended by therapists.
“I consider the body like a musical instrument such as a fiddle and my razor like a bow. When hair is cut with a razor blade, it creates a vibration, which resonates through your entire body. This vibration passes through the hair strings stimulating the hair scales, activating the blood circulation and straightening the arrector pili muscles — small muscles attached to hair follicles, which become fully irrigated by blood.”
The cranial scalp amplifies vibrations in the brain and the inner ears, travelling the entire body through cerebrospinal fluid and resulting in intense reactions for the client.
“It makes people introspective, making them conscious of traumas or memories, good or bad, that may have been suppressed. I’ve had people crying, or feeling sadness or anger lifting while sitting in the chair before me. Most people yawn at least once while many feel freer or wilder afterwards.”
She says cutting hair by the moon on a specific lunar day will multiply the effects as hair grows 2 to 3 times faster than normal.
“It depends on what you want to achieve. During the new moon, the physical energy renews itself much slower, which means hair grows slower but gets stronger and thicker, while when the moon is increasing, the haircut helps the hair to grow faster.”
Sleep was significantly affected
AS A teenager, Chloe McHugh’s sleep was significantly affected. “I had extremely vivid dreams and often slept-walked. As I started to pay more attention to my sleep cycle I began noticing the connection between both my menstrual cycle, the cycle of the moon and what was happening to me at those times. And not just on my sleep. I notice significant increases in volatility, sometimes erratic behaviour and emotional outbursts. Similarly, as the moon waned, my energy decreased and I often felt more introverted and introspective.”
She currently works as a sound therapy practitioner, through her company Sonas Therapy, using a range of instruments including singing bowls and gongs to help slow the activity of the brain to induce deep relaxation. While she doesn’t explicitly state her belief in the moon’s influence on her clients, she likes to schedule sessions around the times of the new moon and the full moon.
“The new moon is believed to be a time to slow down and meditate on what you want to bring more of into your life. The full moon is a time of release and letting go. It’ a time to reflect on what is not serving you in life, what you have developed attachment to but what may be holding you back. By facilitating a sound bath at this time I can help increase that connection for people.”
Gemma McGowan, a polytheist and witch, sings to the full moon.
“I will verbally greet the moon and sing her a song. I am simply honouring her presence and all of the gifts that she brings into all of our lives.”
Even when not looking for it, she “absolutely” feels the changes in the moon. “If my kids aren’t sleeping or acting up I peak outside, or check my moon app if it’s cloudy, and go ‘ah, that’s why they are bouncing off the wall’.”
For anyone who wants to try a moon ceremony and is unsure about how to go about it, Sli An Chroí Shamanism offer solo, community and online rituals each month, which can help the uninitiated among them water or fire ceremonies.
The three-hour ceremonies cost €15, with anything from 5-27 people in the group, and a facilitator to guide you so you discover what it is you want to let go or receive into your life, before burning or casting your intentions into water.