Seen on the Backroads...

Fun With New Moon

Here is a comment on II of the Twilight saga of fanciful vampires, "New Moon."

ALICE: Bella, Edward thinks you're dead, and he's going to kill himself! It's just like the end of "Romeo and Juliet," which you happened to be reading earlier in the movie! Who could have foreseen that it would come up again??

BELLA: Well, you, with your psychic powers.

ALICE: Yes. Also, anyone who's ever seen a movie before.

ARO: Edward, your girlfriend knows too much. She must be killed.
ALICE: Wait! I had a vision! In the future, Bella is a vampire, too.
EDWARD: Spoiler alert!
ARO: Well, why didn't you say you were thinking of converting? That changes everything! Mazel tov!
BELLA: My parents will be disappointed, but it's for the best. Interfaith marriages are so difficult.

Sometimes nice to have a summary if you don't have time to attend the film.

Werewolf Moon

We are currently at 96% full of the Waxing Gibbous Moon, which means that the danger of werewolf attack is at its height. For those who are not adequately briefed on the current phase of the moon, moonconnection.com offers a fairly simple diagram and description:

...the new moon occurs when the moon is positioned between the earth and sun. The three objects are in approximate alignment (why "approximate" is explained below). The entire illuminated portion of the moon is on the back side of the moon, the half that we cannot see.

At a full moon, the earth, moon, and sun are in approximate alignment, just as the new moon, but the moon is on the opposite side of the earth, so the entire sunlit part of the moon is facing us. The shadowed portion is entirely hidden from view.

The first quarter and third quarter moons (both often called a "half moon"), happen when the moon is at a 90 degree angle with respect to the earth and sun. So we are seeing exactly half of the moon illuminated and half in shadow.

Once you understand those four key moon phases, the phases between should be fairly easy to visualize, as the illuminated portion gradually transitions between them.

An easy way to remember and understand those "between" lunar phase names is by breaking out and defining 4 words: crescent, gibbous, waxing, and waning. The word crescent refers to the phases where the moon is less that half illuminated. The word gibbous refers to phases where the moon is more than half illuminated. Waxing essentially means "growing" or expanding in illumination, and waning means "shrinking" or decreasing in illumination.

Thus you can simply combine the two words to create the phase name, as follows:

After the new moon, the sunlit portion is increasing, but less than half, so it is waxing crescent. After the first quarter, the sunlit portion is still increasing, but now it is more than half, so it is waxing gibbous. After the full moon (maximum illumination), the light continually decreases. So the waning gibbous phase occurs next. Following the third quarter is the waning crescent, which wanes until the light is completely gone -- a new moon.

Precautions are in order from the night before through the night after the full moon.

Preternatural Immigration

A reader dissents:

How can you possibly believe it is a good idea to open our borders to groups like the German werewolf clans? Despite what you liberal-types believe, there ARE people who are so different from us that inviting them into our country puts us in DANGER. The werewolves are violent, over-emotional, and clannish. They have weird hunting and eating practices. They WON'T assimilate into our society--just look at how "well" they've been getting along with their neighbors in the Schwarzenwald! So lately they've been the victims of "ethnic cleansing," well, in my opinion it's probably JUSTIFIED. They fought against us in WWII, in case you forget. Seventy years ago they were TERRORISTS. The leopard doesn't change its spots, and neither does the WEREWOLF, imho. Sometimes I think that they have the right idea up in Alaska, hunting them from helicopters.

Of course that doesn't mean we shouldn't accept other, more peaceful preternaturals into our country. I am not a bigot. It's just that werewolves DESERVE to be prejudiced against.

I don't even know where to start with this. The werewolf clans fought against the US nearly a century ago, and that is reason enough to keep them out today, when they are in danger of genocide. Further, the genocide is their own fault because of their weird cultural practices. They won't assimilate, despite the evidence of our own perfectly assimilated American werewolf clans. We should not only not accept them as refugees, we should participate in the genocide ourselves.

But I am not a bigot, because I like faeries.

It seems like this type of reactionary, anti-immigrant thinking is gaining ground here in the US, particularly as the enonomy falters and people are fearful for their jobs. It is true that the werewolves, with their physical advantages, do tend to be particularly good at jobs that require strength, speed, stamina, and a sort of contained aggressiveness--jobs which might otherwise go to less educated Americans. But surely we all benefit from those abilities. Despite the falling dollar, we are still the land of opportunity and ingenuity. Surely we can figure out how to help these people who are facing destruction in their homeland find a better life with us.

Welcoming Werewolf Immigrants and Refugees

Those who follow news of preternatural communities at home and abroad will be aware that relations between werewolf clans and their human neighbors in central Europe have been strained if not adversarial ever since the end of WWII.

The original conflicts were over the clans' unfortunate support of the Nazis up to and through the end of the War and into the occupation.  Since then, problems have arisen over migration of weres from the east as the Soviet Union dissolved; other conflicts have been due to the difficulties inherent in merging former East and West Germanies.

Recently, the difficulties have flared into open conflict, and clans in rural areas are being forced to leave their homes. As Americans, in a country formed by immigrants, I hope we can accept these political refugees and help them find new homes among us.

Correction

A reader reminds me that not all—or even most—werewolves consider their lycanthropy to be a diagnosable condition or disease. Rather, “we find our lives transformed, the Change an existential challenge which we face and survive triumphant to become both truly human and truly wolf,” as he eloquently puts it.

And I agree, to an extent. Why assume that a person’s challenges, no matter how difficult, are a handicap, or that they are necessarily regretted? At the risk of sounding like a second-grade lesson on citizenship, we should not make the assumption that different equals bad.

On the other hand, if a woman is missing work that she cannot afford on a monthly basis, breaking up the furniture when she can’t find the Cadbury, and scaring the neighborhood children (to say nothing of her own), maybe it’s OK to look for a palliative. Especially if she asks for help.

I agree that words have meaning, however, and “diagnose” can (or does) have negative connotations.

Werewolf Referral

I had an email question from a colleague the other day which I share here with her permission:

Hi Dr. Wallace:

I ran across your interesting and informative blog recently, and remembered it when I had a call from a potential patient yesterday. She is thirty-something, a working mom, a werewolf, and dealing with severe PMS. Even with medication (for the PMS and to prevent the Change), she is having breakthrough episodes whenever the full moon falls during the week before her period. The only solution she has found so far is to curl up for three days with a romance novel and a box of chocolates--which is obviously playing havoc with her job.

Although I'm not really qualified to deal with this type of preternatural question, I remembered your site and told her I would query you about her problem(s). What can you suggest?

Thanks in advance,

name deleted

And here is my reply:

Dear Dr. deleted:

Thank you for your inquiry.

These sorts of breakthrough episodes are of course very disconcerting to the patient and to everyone around her. As her psychotherapist, I would first establish communication with her prescribing MD (hopefully one trained in treatment of the preternatural) to make sure he or she is aware of the problem and is using the optimal class and dosage of both the PMS med--usually an antidepressant such as fluoxetine or paroxetine--and her anti-Change medication.

Sometimes, however, werewolf patients are reluctant to use the stronger medications, or--as seems the case with this patient--the meds are not (or are no longer) effective. As you know, before the development of anti-Change pharmacological therapies, many weres were still able to live active, happy and productive lives even during full-blown lycanthropic episodes.

There has recently been a return to the traditional or natural treatment of werewolves. Several associations and support groups have arisen, including: the Association of Homeopathic Lycanthropists; the NAAAP/National Association for the Advancement of Animal-People; Wolf, Cat, and Bear; and HOWL (Heralds of Wolf Liberation, a somewhat more radical political action group).

In my opinion, one of the best groups is sponsored by Utah's own People of Ammon Clan. They host modified 12 Step meetings at their colony headquarters near Fish Springs (west Juab County), and for urban weres who are unable to travel so far, a weekly meeting is held at their Clan Hall in West Valley City. The Clan has lived peacefully in Utah since its formation in 1857.

I would be happy to consult with you in your treatment of this patient, or if you would rather refer her, she can contact me at the phone number below.

Again, thank you for your question,

Claire