The Psychology of the Moon

From time immemorial, the moon has been a major symbol for humanity, representing everything from early deities to scientific advancement, from the earliest origins of our solar system to the promise of a future outside earth. With the recent 50th anniversary of the first human lunar landing, we continue to acknowledge the power of this symbolism, and the unique sway the moon has over human consciousness.

By random chance, earth happened to come with only one moon, and one that roughly appears the same size in the sky as our sun. It was also coincidental that once one side of the earth rotated away from the sun, the moon could appear at night. Accordingly, for humans who had no prior awareness of the universe, there was a pleasant symmetry between the sun presiding over the day, and the moon presiding at night, each with almost opposite properties and accordingly opposite symbolism to each other. The sun was hot, fiery, with intense golden light, where the moon was cold, impassive, with a placid silvery light. Ancient mythologies used varying gendered deities to represent the sun and the moon, although in Greco-Roman mythology, the sun was masculine (Helios/Sol), and the moon was feminine (Selene/Luna). The moon’s monthly cycles also corresponded to the traditional menstrual cycle, versus the seasonal shifts of the sun.

While the sun has always provided the obvious symbolism of vitality and energy, being the literal life-force of our solar system, the moon has provided varying and intriguing contrasts to the sun. On the one hand, there is a literal “dark side to the moon” as astronomy and Pink Floyd both have noted. The moon only appears when we are facing away from the sun, and towards the expansive indifference and coldness of the universe, and the uneasy darkness of night. Perhaps in order to cope with this harsh truth, different cultures have conjured up myths and stories about deities and even entire groups of creatures living on the moon, and even we have anthropomorphized the moon as having a human face, the “man in the moon.” Koreans and other Asian cultures have myths that rabbits lived on the moon; they associated autumn harvest festivals with symbols of rabbits churning out rice cakes shaped like the moon. When the astronauts first landed on the moon, people accordingly expressed disappointment that there was indeed nothing more there than grey dust.

With its proximity to the primordial anxiety of night, where predators can attack animals in their sleep, the moon also conjured up its own anxieties in various traditions. Dangerous supernatural creatures like werewolves and vampires derived their power from the night and appeared only in moonlight. Dr. Jekyll’s evil alter-ego Mr. Hyde would emerge only at night. Full moons, in particular, became associated with mental instability and danger, hence the terms “lunacy” and “lunatic,” and to this day, people still believe there are higher rates of emergency room visits, car accidents, homicides, and other signs of agitated behaviors on those nights. Studies (such as a 1985 meta-analysis by Rotton and Kelly) have been equivocal about such associations. However, there are some indications of higher rates of motorcycle accidents and emergency room visits due to accidents on full moon nights (Onozuka et al, 2018, and Redelmeier and Shafir, 2017).

With nascent technology and amazing resolve, we tackled this anxiety head-on during the space race; the lunar landing still thrills us with the possibilities of what we can accomplish when everyone comes together with a common goal. But subsequent tragedies have also reminded us of our limitations and fragility with regard to the unforgiving laws of physics, where a small piece of stray foam, or a frozen morning’s effects on a rubber ring, can cause a miniscule crack that destroys a space shuttle.

In contrast, positive and hopeful interpretations of the moon also exist. The moon provides some source of light during a time where there would be ultimate darkness; many view its light as calming, peaceful, gentle in contrast to the ferocity of sunlight. Poets have written for centuries about these more contemplative and beautiful qualities of the moon. The moon is also the source of one of the most important natural rhythms of the earth, the tides. The tides provide a crucial source of motion and energy in our oceans and waterways, let alone the lovely, heartbeat-like phenomenon of waves. Finally, the phases of the moon provided an important timekeeping measure for humans throughout history; to this day, many cultures still follow the lunar calendar.

Overall, the moon perhaps provides a mirror to our own human interpretations of our existence in a vast universe, as it literally mirrors sunlight back to us in a transmuted silvery version. With our relatively recent awareness of outer space, humankind is still grappling with the intense questions about the meaning of our precarious and isolated lives.

Accordingly, the moon continues to stare at us with its impassive face, our lone companion in the midst of a vast and starry night.