Friday, May 19, 2017

Moon Magic by C.J. Burright




I grew up in the country and spent most of my summers outdoors. I rode horses with my friends in the surrounding woods (fighting orcs, of course, with the elven army), waded through creeks to catch crawdads, splashed in the secret neighborhood swimming hole until my toes wrinkled worse than grandpa’s patooty.  Sure, I miss all those childhood activities, especially when I’m holed up in an office all day, but what I miss the most are the summer evenings.  We’d sleep out under the open sky, roughing it without wimpy tents or air mattresses, and stay up until that time of night when deep quiet creeps in and an otherworldly element charges the air.  Without street lamps and house lights, the cosmos hold a hypnotizing brilliance.  I’d stare up at the landscape of stars for hours and wonder how far away Luke Skywalker was at that very moment.  Light years, I guessed.  Maybe I was his other long-lost Jedi sister and somewhere in the heavens my light saber awaited…

The moon was just as mysterious, although I never really trusted the man in the moon.  Too pale. Ate too much Swiss cheese.  But the moon still fascinates me, so I thought I’d share a few fun moon facts.
Full moons have specific names, thanks to the Native Americans.  Since we already missed the May full moon, let’s prepare for June. June is the Strawberry Moon, because…STRAWBERRIES! Nothing better than fresh strawberry shortcake, right? Europeans call it the Rose Moon, and others call it the Hot Moon. Did you know “honeymoon” came from the full moon in June?  Since June lands in between the planting and harvesting season, it was a fine month to get hitched.  And white flowers are thought to be inhabited by Moon spirits, who appear at full moon, especially in July, August, and September, so if you want to attract love, use Jasmine.

And did you know you can schedule life according to the moon?  Here are some helpful May and June dates provided by the Farmer’s Almanac:
Best days to start projects: May 26 and June 25.
Best days for fishing (which I always encourage my husband to do for peaceful writing time): 1-9; 23-30.
Best days for dental care: June 1, 2, 28, and 29.
Want to quit smoking? Try May 20, 24 or June 16 and 21.
In case you need to cut some pounds for the upcoming swimsuit season, start your diet on May 20 or 24 for an early start or June 26 or 21.

And a few extra fun facts and superstitions:

According to a study at Bradford Royal Infirmary, the chances of being bitten by a dog are twice as high during a full moon.  No wonder I’m a cat person.

It’s unlucky to look at the moon over your shoulder.

The word “lunatic” came to describe someone who was moon mad as a result of sleeping under the moonlight, or being overexposed to it.

A study by Tübingen University, Germany, claimed that police reports for 50 new and full moon cycles showed that the moon is responsible for binge drinking. See? You can
blame that empty wine jug on the full moon.

Don’t sleep under moonlight. Hippocrates claims you’ll have nightmares.  I’m proof that isn’t true, but maybe that only applies to Greeks. Then again, it's entirely possibly my Dreamcaster series was inspired this way...

Any full moon stories, facts, or fallacies you want to share? When was the last time you took a moment to gaze up at the moon and stars?

19 comments:

Diane Burton said...

Great post, C.J. I grew up out in the country, too. The stars! Wow. They always seemed so low I could touch them. And the moon? So close. Though not applicable to May/June, there's the harvest moon, a blood moon, and a blue moon. The latter is when there are 2 full moons in a month. Since that's so rare, the saying "once in a blue moon" came about.

CJ Burright said...

I just love all the moon names. Some of them are so mystical! And nothing, absolutely nothing, beats the night heavens in the country, with zero lights beyond the moon and stars. Now I want to go stargazing! :)

Maureen said...

Great post! Good to know I should wait to re-start 'the diet' until tomorrow. Better eat all the chocolate in the house today to rid myself of the temptation, lol.

CJ Burright said...

So right, Maureen! There's never an excuse to waste chocolate. :)

Francesca Quarto said...

Very fun information on something I stare at often, wondering if my ex-husband has returned! Seriously, who could not be inspired to flights of fancy looking up at that magnificent orb of light? And it would be such a short flight on his part...sigh...

CJ Burright said...

Would the ex-husband returning be a good or bad thing, Francesca? :/ I could gaze at the moon and stars for a long, long time without getting bored...especially if there's a glass of wine involved. :)

Anna (herding cats-burning soup) said...

Huh! I never realized about the planting season and June brides. Interesting. And I can totally get on board with a strawberry moon. Yum!

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Huh that's fascinating... I learnt something new today, Thanks :)

Lacey Waters said...

Fun post :D thanks!

CJ Burright said...

Pretty much anything strawberry is okay with me, Anna! :)

CJ Burright said...

Glad to share fun (and questionable) facts, Steph - thanks for dropping by!

CJ Burright said...

Thanks, Lacey! Have a great weekend!

Danielle H. said...

Hey, then today is the day to start a diet! I love looking at the night sky and find Venus this time of year in the east before sunrise. I enjoy watching the big dipper rotate in the sky and go from tipped over in the winter here to upright in the summer.

Jag said...

Very interesting post!

Unknown said...

Hi I am a new reader. I also grew up mostly in the country. My family traveled A LOT due to my dads jobs. We moved every 6 months to every two years until I was 16 then we started settling in places for 2 or more years. We lived mainly in Virginia, South Carolina and North Carolina. Each of us 3 girls were born in a different state. Both my parents are deceased now. My dad in June 2013 and my mom in March 2017, my older sister died in 2012 from cancer. My younger sister and I are whats left. I have one daughter who is will be 21 on JUNE 8, she has 2 daughters Naomi Rain 12-27-13 and Marlee Jane 8-3-15 and my Grandson Ryder Zane is due on 8-9-17. That is my life.

CJ Burright said...

Hi, Danielle! I already flubbed up my diet yesterday, but with the moon on my side, maybe it will be easier. :) I love watching the night sky rotate too - makes me wish I'd taken more astronomy classes.

CJ Burright said...

Thanks, Jag! :)

CJ Burright said...

Ah, Deborah...I'm so sorry that you lost your parents and sister, but it sounds like you led a very active life with them while growing up. I bet you have lots and lots of great memories to keep them close to your heart. And grandkids - yay! I hope they live close so you get to see them often. Thanks so much for stopping by!