Full Moon

What is it about the full moon that brings out the worse in us? Over the past week, I began to notice a change in attitude and behavior with humans and nonhumans alike. Normally sane people are ranting and carrying on over trivia matters, I included. My cats can’t seem to leave each other alone. They strike out, whacking each other on the head, stealing food and yowling at all hours of the night.

I never saw the correlation between behavior and the cycles of the moon until I work in an assisted living facility. Residents struggling with the realities of aging or for some, the cruel side effects of dementia, you expect each day to bring on new and unexpected challenges. But it seemed that in the week leading up to the full moon, the challenges became more acute and uglier.

I woke up suddenly this morning; an outside noise startled my dream cycle and for a moment I confused reality with dream. My dream was about trying to find a way home. All of the available options: bus, rental car, flying had pitfalls that made the trip difficult. Normally, I write down the dream, interpret it and move on to the day’s activities. But today’s dream sticks with me like those songs that you can’t shake from your head. When my mind gets like this, I lack focus and everything irritates me. This morning when my elderly cats once again refuse their breakfast and return five minutes later begging for food, I growled at them. I see my neighbor who has been fixated lately on my snowplowing skills; I mentally come up with a litany of sharp retorts to throw back at her.

Can behavior fluctuate with the lunar cycle? I found a Scientific American article titled, Lunacy and the Full Moon (http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=lunacy-and-the-full-moon&page=2). The article dismissed a number of theories that supported the position and cited claims of illusory correlation (the perception of an association that does not in fact exist ¹) and sleep deprivation as more likely the cause of behavior change. Sounds reasonable, but the daily and monthly rotation of the earth impacts water levels (tides), the seasons and wind direction.  If the elements of nature can be altered by the earth’s rotation, why wouldn’t the rotation impact behavior? I have lots of questions, but few answers.

In less than 24 hours, the full moon will pass. The cats will hopefully stop picking on each other and I will push that dream from my memory.

  

1.       Lunacy and the Full Moon, Does a full moon really trigger strange behavior? Scott O. Lilienfield and Hal Arkowitz, Scientific American, February 9, 2009

Meaningful Place

Photo Credit - Wikipedia

It’s been quite some time since I last wrote. The demands of my paying jobs drained my mind of the creative pulses that drove me to write. But as the month of February winds down, I see the end of my journey of chasing the almighty dollar and a return to the life I want and need.

Tomorrow I begin a Coursera class on Aboriginal Worldviews (www.coursera.org). The instructor released the first week’s assignment this weekend and after watching the videos and reading the suggested resources, I turned to the homework.

The homework was to write an hundred-word paragraph on “my meaningful place”. I immediately wrote about my experiences on Isle Royale. From my first trip there as a naïve sixteen year old to my last backpacking trip there decades later, the island has always been a place where I felt most at home. Isle Royale tests your physical and emotional mettle. The trails are rugged, the campgrounds primitive. Depending on the time of the year you are there, the island can be abuzz with hikers and casual day tourists. Other times, you can hike for hours and not see a soul.

To hike Isle Royale requires extensive preparation. What you will need during your stay has to be carried on your back, a serious consideration when the day’s journey requires climbing up and down rocky geography. Forty pounds on your back can feel like forty tons at the end of a long day of hiking. Weight and volume takes precedence and to organize your supply list is an exercise in minimalist living.

But I digress. Isle Royale was the place where I became an adult. With no parents to guide me I was forced to make my own decisions. I admit that I did make some poor ones, but what I learned through my time there made me more independent and stronger. Isle Royale taught me that nature does not excuse humans from the elements of weather and geography and that if you walk through nature with humility and awareness a whole new world opens up to enjoy.

I found the lessons I learned to survive in the corporate world were of little use on the island. Knowing how to fix your camp stove, finding a safe shelter during a thunder storm, walking quietly will keep you safe and alive. Despite all the opportunities to inflict real physical damage to myself, I felt safe there. I wasn’t afraid of the wildlife or the treacherous and exhausting climbs up rocky trails. I learned to slow down and surrender to the situation; no amount of intellectual tantrum throwing will change the terrain or stop the rain.

I’d like to say that the lessons learned on Isle Royale remained with me once I returned home. Unfortunately, the forces of modern urban life are too strong for me and after a few days back, I find myself once again stressed. But nature continues to call me back for she knows that what I need only she can provide. I am grateful to be in a position to live the life I have and if I just would listen to what is in my heart, what wonderful gifts would be given to me.

More than a Mile of Dead Wolves Need Your Attention Now

More than a Mile of Dead Wolves Need Your Attention Now