cj Sez: Lovers and star
gazers take note . . . Get ready for one enormous, astronomical show!
Tomorrow, November 14, 2016, you’ll be treated to the
biggest supermoon in almost 70 years!
According to scientists, tomorrow’s supermoon will be the
biggest so far of the 21st century, and we won't see another one like this
until November 25th, 2034.
Supermoon status occurs when the lunar orb will be near or
at its closest elliptical-orbit point to the Earth…its perigee. High tides are
a little higher, male deer begin to grow velvety antler nubs (“Full Buck Moon”
is what the Native Americans called a July supermoon), and, according to some,
lunatics run loose on the streets and werewolves howl their loudest.
The word lunacy comes from the Latin “lunaticus,” meaning, in
modern language, moonstruck. Everyone knows that when the moon is full, the crazies
come out. Right? Not so says science of the myth that spawned werewolves
It was feared that those affected by lycanthropy would grow extra
long canines and feast on human flesh when the moon was full. (I’ve read that
younger werewolves can transform when the moon is only 80% full; older
werewolves need a 100% full.)
The theme of lycanthropy as a disease or curse became an
accepted cinematic and literary theme in the 1941 film, The Wolf Man
(Lon Chaney starred) which contained the now-famous rhyme:
Even a man who is pure in heart
And says his prayers by night
May become a wolf
When the wolfbane blooms
And the autumn moon is bright.
May become a wolf
When the wolfbane blooms
And the autumn moon is bright.
Wikipedia says the most prominent werewolf in the Harry Potter novels is Remus Lupin, who's portrayed as struggling
with his curse and terrified of infecting someone. The series also includes a
werewolf villain, Fenrir Greyback,
who fits more with the older image of werewolves. The Potter books, while
showing the intense threat the humans transformed to bloodthirsty monsters pose
to the population, essentially use werewolves as a metaphor for marginalized
groups who have been discriminated against in modern society.
The myth of full moons and werewolves became so popular
that, in 1985, a team of scientists did a study on the concept that a full moon
(full harvest moon or full wolf moon, or full snow moon, or full buck moon, et.
al) could affect human behavior as it does the tides. You can rest easy. No
evidence of such an effect was forthcoming.
Really? What about Little Red Riding Hood? And what about this:
In 2005, scientist
Dr. Colm Kelleher and reporter George Knapp published a book detailing a
scientific investigation of a ranch in Northeastern Utah where paranormal
activity was taking place (Hunt for the Skinwalker).
Despite not finding enough hard evidence for “scientific” publication, among
the more than 100 incidents they described were large animals with
piercing red eyes that they say were not injured when struck by bullets.
Other researchers tie
the wolf creatures to ancient Navajo witchcraft practices. Many of the Navajo
call these tribal witches Skinwalkers. Sightings of these creatures persist
throughout the Navajo Nation, although few are willing to talk about it.
So why do we blame the full moon for strange happenings?
Probably because we’re expecting the correlation, and we can point to that full
moon for confirmation. All you have to do is take one look at the sky on
November 14th, and you'll understand what all the fuss is about.
Okay, now that’s settled, You-all guys keep on keeping on,
and I’ll try to do the same. By the way, you can sleep tight. Werewolves don’t
exist…do they?
cj
HOLIDAY
GIFT GIVING NOTE: To make your holiday gifting $$ go further,
set aside a buck (less than the cost of a cup of coffee or a glass of tea) and
buy “More Than Friends,” a bundle of
six novels offered by Crimson
Romance on Amazon—my novel Choosing Carter is included. For 99 cents, you can buy hours and
hours of reading enjoyment for yourself, a BFF, or a grab-bag party gift. Check
it out at… http://amzn.to/2dnqnLJ
cjpetterson@gmail.com
Amazon Central Author
Page: http://amzn.to/1NIDKC0
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