(Newswire.net — March 11, 2017) — The Full Worm Moon will light up the skies on Sunday, March 12. For those in the United States, the Full Worm Moon takes place on Sunday, March 12, reaching its fullest point at 9:54 a.m. EDT.
This will be the last full moon of the winter season, rising just eight days before the vernal equinox.
Full Moon has been surrounded with an aura of mystery since the beginning of time. Its effects on human behavior have been an object of myths and scientific research for centuries.
Native American had a tradition, in the absence of the Gregorian calendar and modern day technology, to track seasons by the Moon. Each new Moon is named for the attributes of the time in which it occurs. This month’s Full Moon is named the Worm Moon, poetically symbolizing the beginning of Spring.
While naming March’s full Moon after the earth worm may be less romantic than, say, January’s Full Wolf Moon, it’s nonetheless poetic for what it is, a beautiful testament to nature. It’s the time of year when winter’s frozen ground starts to soften and earthworms begin to emerge.
In Celtic culture, the March full moon has been called the Moon of Winds, whereas in Medieval England, it was known as the Chaste Moon.
This month’s full moon coincides with daylight saving time, which begins on March 12 at 2 a.m. local time; if you have a real-live clock or watch, don’t forget to move it ahead by an hour.
This will be the last full moon of the winter. Eight days later we welcome the vernal equinox, and in April, we get to say hello to the beautiful Full Pink Moon, who receives her rosy name thanks to wild ground phlox – one of the first flowers of Spring.
While it cannot turn humans into werewolves, many have argued that it affects their behaviorr and sleeping patterns.
Scientists from the Eastern Ontario Research Institute investigated these claims by conducting a study which involved 5,812 children from five different continents. The data was collected over a span of 28 months, which is equivalent to the same number of lunar cycles. The participants came from different backgrounds, both economic and sociocultural, and were of different variables, such as age, sex, parental education, body mass index score, level of physical activities, hours of sleep and many other, all of which were considered.
The data was then divided into three categories, to fit the Full Moon, Half-Moon and New Moon stages.
The results showed an average decrease of 5 minutes in nocturnal sleep duration around the Full moon, when compared to New Moon.
Therefore, Dr. Jean-Philippe Chaput stated that the Full Moon scientifically shows no modification in behavior and although there is a small change in the sleep duration, that is not a danger to human health, Daily News report.
A different study in the journal Current Biology showed that people tend to get lower quality sleep around the time of full moons, resulting in average of 20 minutes reduction in their sleep duration comparing the one during a new moon, CNN reports.
Although this study involved participants between ages 20 and 74, scientists were not initally aware that Full Moon will become a part of the study, indicating some drawbacks and limitations of the results.
Yet, since the lunar and menstrual cycles are similar in length, many Ayurveda and Chinese medicine experts connect it to fertility and hormonal balance.
Astrology however finds the Full Moon to have a great say on human behavior. Full Moon is considered as the greatest symbol of female dominance.
The upcoming full Moon in Virgo is transiting over asteroids Psyche and Karma, so many women may feel as if they have to solve their working status to gain a better position in the society. Interestingly, a statue of a fearless girl staring down the well-known Wall Street charging bull was placed on March 8, as to highlight efforts for women empowerment.
Unfortunately, the “Fearless Girl” who sends a message that more women should be on corporate boards will only be the iconic Wall Street bull’s partner for a limited amount time, but she is leaving a message of limitless potential.
From an astrological point of view, since the Moon is weak in Virgo, with Denebola star fixed above, women may have the tendency to criticize their partners. Despair and fear of catastrophes or possible relationship breakups may be the result of this transit. Pisces, oposed by the Sun (the male principle) in the zodiac circle, near Markab (fixed star,) denote possible legal problems, disgrace and accidents.
Virgo, Pisces, Gemini and Sagittarius may suffer the greatest stress of all signs due to the influence of such an ominous Full Moon. All signs should be ready to calm down and to devote themselves to work, instead of spending money on luxuries the next three days.
Astrologer Rebecca Gordon advises that it’s officially time to let go of what no longer serves us, Harpers Bazaar reports.
Therefore, even though a full moon is sometimes associated with madness and lunacy, there’s no evidence that it actually has any effect on humans.
Despite this, a supermoon is believed to have an impact on the Earth’s waters, as when a full moon is closer to our planet, the tide levels are often higher.
While there is no solid scientific evidence, some astrologers claim that a Supermoon was responsible for the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, as well as for the one that occured in Tohuku in 2011.
But despite so many different perspectives, even Dr. Chaput agreed that “whether there is science behind the myth or not, the moon mystery will continue to fascinate civilizations in the years to come.”