Influence of the New Moon

Sir Isaac Newton's theory of gravity speaks that every particle attracts every other particle with a force that depends on their masses and the distance between them. The moon constantly attracts the earth behaves like a loose garment that can be pulled out from the body to fall back again. It implies that every day, when the moon is directly overhead, the water of the earth flows out towards the moon, and causes high tide. Hence, during the full moon, the attraction is greater than the normal. Dr. Lyall Watson writes in Supernature (London, 1973, p. 49) that, "Every drop of water in the ocean responds to this force, and every living marinal animal and plant is made aware of the rhythm. The lives of those that inhabit the margins of the seas depend entirely on this awareness."

Sir J.G. Frazer has discussed the influence of the new moon and propounded that it brings fertility and causes growth in agriculture (The Golden Bough, London, 1956, p. 128). Sir Frank Browne writes in his remarks in 1964 that, "The life of the oyster has a marked rhythm that corresponds to the tidal rhythm of the waters. The fascinating thing; however was that the behaviour of all the oysters had altered in exactly the same way, and they were still keeping time with each other. The oysters had adopted a new rhythm and now opened up at the time of tide. This is the first piece of scientific evidence to show that even an organism living away from the ocean tides could be influenced by the coming out of new moon" (Living Organism, London, 1969, p. 12).

The small silver fish, known as Grunion survives on its response to the lunar cycle. Shortly after the new moon from March to August, the Grunion appears on the surface on the shores of California. The Grunion leave their eggs buried in the wet sand undisturbed for two weeks, because the waves of water will not come until new moon. When the spring tide occurs, the larvae have completely developed and they break out of the eggs and swim away through the surf. The ability of the Grunion to reproduce is thus controlled by the new moon.

Land animals are also influenced by the new moon. The May flies may live only for a few hours, during which time they have to find another fly mate and lay their eggs in water. To accomplish this, it is necessary that all the flies emerge together at around the same time. Lake Victoria, the source of Nile river has a successful species of May fly, called Provilla Adusta. These insects use the new moon as a signal for the time to emerge, and thus ensure the survival of their species (The Sea Around Us, London, 1979, p. 15 by Rachel Carson).

The human birth times are closely linked to the lunar cycle. The two doctors collected information on more than half a million birth that occurred in New York hospital between 1948 and 1957. This instance showed a clear report of normal delivery chiefly during the new moon (Lunar Periodicity in Human Reproduction, New York, 1959)

There is a close connection between the new moon and the bleeding in general. The scientists have discovered that the new moon controls the flow of blood in the same way that it controls the tides. Edson Andrew reports that in a survey of over a thousand bleeders, the patients needing unusual means of hemostats (of preventing bleeding) on the operating table. Almost 82% of all the bleeding crisis occurred between the first and the last quarters of the moon. It means that a minimum of crisis (only 18%) occurred in that half of the lunar month centered around the new moon. Dr. Andrew comments, "These data have been so conclusive and convincing to me that I threaten to become a witch-doctor and operate on dark night only, saving the moonlight nights for romance." When it is moonlight, it is not new moon as during new moon, there is no light (Cycle in your Life, London, 1976 by Dr. Duff)

Leonard Ravitz had discovered a direct physiological link between man and the moon. He found that all people show a cyclic pattern between the head and a chest reading, which is in accordance with the lunar cycle, vide Periodic Changes in Electromagnetic Fields, New York, 1960 by L.V. Ravitz.

It is well known fact that mental patients or lunatics are greatly influenced mentally by the lunar cycle. The full moon is a time of unusually high activity among the mental patients, and the staff working in mental hospitals is not generally permitted to take a day off when it is full moon, because the whole group of staff is required to be able to manage the increased activity amongst the patients. In contrast, the new moon is a time of unusual quiet among mental patients. Activity in normal hospitals is also significantly increased at the time of full moon.

Whatever the time chosen, there are two days in every month and such days are when the sun and moon come into opposition, i.e., the new moon. On such occasions, the spiritual forces are released on earth and the aspirant must take an advantage of them. These forces are grace for those who are meditating, vide The Quest of the Ourself by Paul Brunton.