Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (1889–1977) is considered one of the first movie stars ever and made film history with his acting and his works. He is also one of the few artists who managed the transition from silent films to sound films.
Because of using archetypal imagery and symbols in his films, it is natural that the moon could also play a part somewhere. We found four references:
The human buttocks are being linked to the Moon at times, just like in the case of the so-called sexual position “full moon”. This is due to the large, round shape of the buttock cheeks, which could occasionally remind of the lunar globe when properly lit or observed from the correct angle.
If someone shows their bum publicly, he or she usually does so to break a socially accepted norm and to express their protest or contempt. Or simply because of the fun of it provoking other people. This “baring the behind” is called “mooning”. It derives from the verb “to moon”, which means “to expose to the (moon)light”.
It’s been a few years ago, since we watched the TV series »Moonlighting« and could accompany Bruce Willis in the role of detective David Addison and Cybill Shepherd as the former top model Maddie Hayes, on a weekly chase of hoodlums. This was 1985, Bruce Willis’s start of his career, who had been chosen out of 1,000 applicants, and had already then an incomparably smug smile (and significantly more hair). The success of this series lies, next to the quick-witted dialogues, of course in the latent erotic relationship of the leading roles, who ingeniously never quite get it together.
There are probably few painters who made use of the full moon in their paintings as often as Marc Chagall (1887–1985), the French artist of Russian-Jewish descent, who was regarded as »le poète« (the poet) amongst painters, due to his symbolic shapes and colors.
Chagall lived for almost a century and if one can classify his style at all, then it would have to be expressionism. He worked in Russia, France (primarily Paris) and in the US (primarily New York) and was on an inner and outer journey throughout his life.
After we have already mentioned the lunate bone, one of the eight human carpal bones, which has been named after the Moon, due to its sickle shape, we would like to take another look at the human hand – this time at the fingernails. Lo and behold: here too, the name was inspired by the Moon. The white area of the nail, shaped like a half-moon is called »lunula« (lat. little moon) and incidentally, can be found on toenails as well. The lunula is differently pronounced with every human being, with some you may only see it on the thumb, with others you can see it on all fingers and toes.
It is well known that the tides are caused by the tidal forces that are formed through gravity between the Earth and the Moon (and also between the Earth and the Sun). To put it simply, you can say that the Moon moves masses of ocean waters. At the full moon and the new moon, the Sun, the Moon and the Earth are roughly in alignment, hence, the forces are greater and cause so-called spring tides, thus a slightly higher tide. Now, many people conclude that the Moon – and in particular the full moon – ought to move and influence us people accordingly, because our bodies consist mostly of water. This claim contains several errors in reasoning, which we would like to explain in the following.
Potassium, aluminium, silicon, oxygen and some other ingredients result in a mineral in a certain compound, which has received the name moonstone due to its whitish, shimmering glow. This stone has already been known in old cultures. The Romans viewed it as solidified rays of the Moon, the old Greek connected it to the moon goddess Selene.
In June or July of each year, students commemorate their spiritual teachers (Gurus) with a big festival in India, but also in many parts of Asia. This festival is always celebrated at a full moon (Purnima):
3rd July 2012 [*]
22nd July 2013
12th July 2014
31st July 2015
In Hinduism, this day is also dedicated to the wise Vyasa who is connected to vital Indian writings, like the Vedas, a significant collection of religious scripts.
We all grew up with stamps. Those small, delicate images which tell stories of countries and events and which can decorate an envelope quite wonderfully. Nowadays, letters are increasingly stamped with bar codes or rolling stamps. Still, the stamps are surviving and occasionally, the moon is to be seen on them. Mostly when a historic space travel event is being celebrated.
The exploration of foreign celestial bodies is particularly interesting for science, when there is the possibility of life could exist. An important condition for this provides the evidence of water (mostly in frozen form, because it contains oxygen). One may simply say that where water exists, life could develop, or is already present.
We are looking again at China, where next to the moon festival in autumn, an event is celebrated at the beginning of the year, which is also connected to the full moon: the Lantern Festival (»Yuanxiao«). This celebration is traditionally held on the 15th day of the first moon month of the old Chinese calendars and therefore coincides (more or less exactly) with the full moon. The Lantern Festival indicates the end of the Chinese New Year ceremonies.