Have you ever wondered why some people like to believe planets and the Moon influence our psyche, especially intuition? Isn’t it all phooey? If you believe in astrology, it’s not. But what does astronomy or physics tell us?
It is through science that we prove, but through intuition that we discover.
Henri Poincare
Why might the Moon correlate with intuition?
The Moon is associated with creativity and intuition, inspiring writers to compose poems, novels, nursery rhymes and folklore about it. Across traditions, the moon and moon shadows have symbolized intuition, wisdom, birth, death, and feminine energy.
The Moon’s phases are said to represent emotional states – for example, new moons relate to beginnings while full moons signify endings or completion. It is one of the most potent symbols for feminine energy and it has an almost universal symbolic representation as intuition; according to an ancient belief, the Moon is a goddess and she possesses infinite wisdom.
Intuition
A way to understand intuition is by studying its Latin root word, intueri – meaning “to look at.” It implies looking within oneself for answers rather than seeking them externally or in other people’s ideas.
Intuitive thought involves both analysis of external stimuli and fast recall of memorized patterns held within. I describe this in Science And Intuition in so far as intuition is scientifically proven.
Does the ‘man in the Moon’ help us to look within to awaken this recall?
The importance of intuition in our lives cannot be underestimated. It is a phenomenon that can keep us centered and grounded, as if we are a compass needle pointing north. Intuition gives us direction when some aspect of life becomes confusing or overwhelming. The idea is that when we rely on intuition, it takes us on the right path, where everything flows.
In any case, intuition is considered a powerful force – one that guides our life’s decisions with somewhat incredible accuracy. A person who trusts his or her own intuition more often than not seems to have success, as opposed to relying entirely on logic-based reasoning (see my assessment of intuitive vs rational mind).
What is the link between the Moon and intuition?
There is hearsay of intuition being linked to lunar cycles. For example, some individuals say they feel more sensitive or emphatic around the time of full moon. Highly sensitive people and empaths are more intuitive.
For others, the Moon is analogous to our deep emotions and subconscious mind, as it associates with water and tides with currents running deep and hidden from the surface. A full Moon illuminates what’s been concealed.
Then there’s the shadow of the Moon that symbolises concealment, the soul, and the supernatural.4
How the Moon can help you unlock your intuition
The Moon is a powerful force that influences all life on Earth.
The moon is a universal cultural symbol that unites us from the earliest human ancestors millions of years ago into the deep future of humanity.
Alice Gorman4
During full moon, the Moon shines its magnificent light down on us and bathes our world in an ethereal glow. The intensity of this experience may vary from person-to-person but there’s no denying that we’re affected by lunar energies in some form or other.
One way the Moon can help you unlock your intuition is through meditation, which is key to tuning into your subconscious.
There are many Moon meditations online ranging from Full Moon to phases of the Moon reflections – just search ‘moon meditations’. These focus on connection with ‘moon energy’.
But you can simply moon gaze.
Moon gazing: Meditate on the Moon – Find a spot to sit outdoors and gaze mindfully at the Moon in the sky. Journaling your reflections can also help awaken your intuition.
Moon gazing is a form of Trataka meditation, which is recommended as one of the best techniques for developing intuition – I wrote more on this in How To Increase Intuition Through Meditation.
Follow your intuition, go outside and gaze at the moon and see what connection you make to your inner knowing.
The Moon’s effect on the human mind
We know the Moon’s position and phases affect the ebb and flow of tides and life on Earth, but does the moon influence our intuition?
The Moon has long been correlated with the state of the human mind and it seems our ancestors envisaged this well.
The terms lunacy and lunatic originated in the 16th century and derive from the Latin word for moon, luna.
These terms hark back to the 16th century, a time when people referred to astrology for answers more than they do today.
Lunatic referred to being “moon-sick” or “moon-struck”, indicating how the phases of the moon were perceived to affect a person’s mind.
The term remains in literature to describe an individual who is mentally disturbed or crazy; one unable to think straight, of unsound mind.
A 2014 study indicated some truth in the effect of the full moon phase on a person’s mind, based on findings of higher than usual diagnoses of personality disorders presenting 12 hours either side of full moon.2
Another study linked episodes of bipolar disorder patients to tidal phases affected by the Moon.3
And then there’s the story connecting Werewolves to the full Moon phase, which we all know.
Which planet gives intuition?
According to astrology, the planets and the Moon influence our psyche. While, all planets appear to have some input, those mainly connected with intuition are Neptune and Uranus (depending on your astrology source).
Some origins and background
Astronomy vs astrology
Today academia considers astrology a pseudoscience.
Whereas, in a past era, scholars saw it as field of study. And, it formed a basis for modern astronomy.
One historic ‘astrologer’, Galileo Galilei (1564 – 1642), considered a founder of modern physics, is referred to as an astronomer. But, his ground-breaking discoveries about the universe came forward at a time before astronomy was a defined field of study.
It wasn’t until after the 17th century that astronomy took over the study of celestial bodies with astrology condemned to the divination heap, attributed to confirmation bias, a theory also given to synchronicity today.
Did you know…
Astrology literally means the study of celestial bodies.
- Astro from the Greek word astron, means a celestial body;
- “ology” from the ancient Greek word logia, means the study of (as in biology – the study of living things)
Whereas, astronomy means the body of law around celestial bodies.
- “onomy” from nomos, means the body of law or custom of (as in taxonomy – the classification of taxa).
Final thoughts: Is the Moon correlated with intuition?
There have been scientific studies on how the human mind might be influenced by the Moon’s cycle, but, none substantive about correlating the moon cycle with intuition.
However, there’s hearsay correlation, which may be due to how our ancestors used lunar cycles as a way of tracking time (i.e., day, month, year). Or, due to us feeling in tune with nature when we look at the moon; or because humans evolved from primates and so developed their sense for intuition through looking into space for danger on moonlit nights – so maybe an evolutionary instinct?
But I conclude that neither astronomy nor physics, at this present time, tells us of any correlation between Moon phases and intuition.
References
- Online Etymology Dictionary: Origin of lunatic
- Varinder S. Parmar, Ewa Talikowska-Szymczak, Emily Downs, Peter Szymczak, Erin Meiklejohn, Dianne Groll, “Effects of Full-Moon Definition on Psychiatric Emergency Department Presentations”, International Scholarly Research Notices, vol. 2014, Article ID 398791, 6 pages, 2014.
- Wehr, T. Bipolar mood cycles and lunar tidal cycles. Mol Psychiatry 23, 923–931 (2018)
- Phys.org: Shadows on the Moon – a tale of ephemeral beauty, humans and hubris (Mar, 2019)
