It was a night of Bigfoot, ghosts, demons, and wolves when George kicked off "Full Moon Stories" this past Friday on Open Lines. The Bigfoot tale came from Lexington, KY and involved a face to face encounter with something that was big, hairy, 7-ft. tall and weighing around 400 lbs. The caller said he pulled out a knife which caught a reflection of light, and it was the light that curiously made the creature cock its head and then run back down the creek bed from whence it came.
"I can speak to wolves," said Matt from Los Angeles who proceeded to describe a telepathic communication he had with a huge gray timber wolf at Yellowstone Park. The wolf referred to Matt as his "brother" and suggested a ritual involving "sharing your scent and your name." Matt said when he last returned to the park he ran with a pack of 10 or 12 wolves. However, when George asked him to howl on the air, it must be said he sounded more like a dog than a wolf.
A spooky ghost tale involving driving a teenage girl named "Clarity" back to her home in Denton, Texas in the middle of a night was told by Dean of Tampa, Florida. "All you could see was a whisper of breath in the cold air," and she was gone Dean said as he fruitlessly searched the cemetery for her.
Linda Moulton Howe was George's guest in the first hour. She presented a disturbing report detailing how our country's "wobbling" public health infrastructure is woefully inadequate should we be faced with a bioterrorist attack. Read her Earthfiles article for more information.
Under a Full Moon
As I walked home last night I was surprised to see a large telescope planted on a city street. A courtesy of the Sidewalk Astronomers, they refer to their mission as "urban guerrilla astronomy." It was a kick to see the fine details of a lunar crater even as the noise and lights of the city surrounded me.
Does the world seem a little crazier when the moon turns full as it is doing tonight? Lunar effects have been tied to increases in such things as homicide rates, births, casino payouts, psychiatric admissions, traffic accidents and suicides. Though numerous studies have found little statistical evidence to back-up these assertions, there remains an intuitive sense that tells you-- yes, things do get a bit wilder on the night of a full moon. Hey, that's when all the lunatics come out!
Though full moon wildness may be more mythic than factual, there is some evidence that lunar cycles can have an effect in such areas as fishing, hunting and agriculture. Some pagans and Wiccans believe that each of the moon's phases (full, waxing, waning, dark) is best for certain types of activities. According to the Magick's Realm website, when the moon is full, "wild impulses roam about and aggressively captivate the atmosphere, demand recognition and influence emotional behavior...Knowing this, it is at these special moments that Enchanters, wishing to utilize an additional advantage cast Spells!"
--L.L.