The synodic lunar cycle, showing tidal peaks & phase cycle
If the earth had no moon, life would have evolved very differently. In fact, really complex life may not have developed at all.
See: IF WE HAD NO MOON and HOW THE EARTH & MOON INTERACT.
These pages explain things far better than I can.
Planting Guide
Because I am an agnostic astrologer, and a keen
naked eye astronomer, as well as a permaculturalist,
people often ask me if moon planting ‘works’. There is
no simple answer to this. The best I can offer is a brief
summary of the facts and relevant ongoing research
upon which I continue to speculate, and upon which I
have based a personal decision to include some lunar
data in planning my own garden activities. If you are
deeply interested in the subject, you could use the
references at the end of this article as a starting point
for further study.
Moon planting guides combine information
about the moon’s phases with the times and dates she
enters astrological signs
Most guides use the
Tropical Zodiac, but
those produced by the
Biodynamic movement
use the International
Astronomical Union
Zodiac and incorporate
information about other
lunar rhythms well
known to science, but
usually ignored by
astrologers.
The phase, or synodic lunar cycle is said to favour above-ground processes while the moon is waxing and light increases, and below-ground processes as the moon is waning.
Light is essential
for photo-synthesis, the
process by which plants
manufacture food.
Moonlight substantially increases the hours of available
light for three weeks out of four, and in higher latitudes
is an important light source during the winter months.
But moonlight is different in quality from sunlight, being
polarised by the moon’s reflective surface. I have not
yet located reliable evidence of the moon’s ability to
stimulate photo-synthesis beyond the hours of daylight.
(Since writing this article for Earth Wise Women I found a reference in Robert Carl Jansky's 'Interpreting the eclipses' to a work titled 'the Moon and Growth of Plants, by Kolisko, and the following:
'A curious fact about the Moon is that, despite its low reflectance, from its sunlit side it reflects infra-red light that is several times more intense than the rays it reflects in the visible light range')
The synodic cycle also controls tidal effects,
which are well documented. These involve not just large
bodies of water, but also the surface tension of liquids.
At full and new moons, land mass can rise as much as
30cm and tides can be detected in the earth’s
atmosphere. So it seems reasonable to suppose that
plants, rooted in the earth, pumping water from the soil
into the air, and consisting largely of fluid, are affected
by these tides.
However, while the light and tidal cycles are the same length, the tidal cycle has two peaks, the light cycle only one.
Planting according to the astrological sign the moon
occupies is based on the belief that the metaphysical
elements, Earth, Air, Fire and Water, are able to
influence plants.
When the moon is in an Earth sign,
root growth is said to be stimulated; foliage in Water
signs; flowers in Air signs; and fruit and seeds in Fire
signs.
Earth and Water signs are ‘fertile’, and Fire and
Air signs ‘barren’.
But the Tropical Zodiac used in
popular astrology does not correspond with the
constellations of the same name, which don’t define
neat 30 degree segments of a circle, but sections of an ellipse
varying from 18 to
46 degrees of arc.
However, research carried out by the Biodynamic movement demonstrates a correspondence between the moon’s position in the real, or International Astronomical Union Zodiac, and plant growth.
Do I recommend
moon planting?
There
is a strong possibility
that the phases of the
moon affect plant
growth.
Planting by
astrological signs is
highly speculative but
Biodynamic research indicates that subtler forces than
gravity are at work.
Using the moon to plan your
gardening may increase your awareness of natural
rhythms, and keep you motivated and well organised...
Moon planting does little harm and can do a great deal of good for a variety of reasons - not all connected with the moon! So - go for it!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
References:
The Moon - Our Neighbouring World - Otto Binder. Golden Press NY
ANTIPODEAN ASTROCALENDAR - compiled and published by Brian Keats
Available by post, online, or through Anthroposophical Society bookshops.
Introduction to Lunar Rhythms & Plant Growth - Brian Keats, 'Organic Growing' - Summer 1987 issue.
The Light Book - Jane Wegscheider Hyman. Jeremy P. Tarcher Inc. LA
Planting By The Moon - Hindmarsh City Farm Calendar 1988
ABC Science Show - 15th June 1996
Note:In researching & answering questions about earthwise living, Margaret offers information, opinion, & personal experience, but no quick fixes! Readers should evaluate these offerings in the context of their own situations; they are suggestions, *not* recommendations. Any responsibility for their implementation rests *solely* with the reader.
You Can Save the Earth!.......Return to Radical Recycling.......Return to Planting by the Moon
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Those interested in information about a possible scientific basis for astrology may be interested in Dr.Percy Seymour's book
THE SCIENTIFIC BASIS OF ASTROLOGY
- This is an Australian website - Contact Margaret RainbowWeb
URL - http://www.users.on.net./~arachne/moon.html