Hello, Reader,
If you found yourself in front of the pantry multiple times throughout the day this week wondering why your self-control evaporated...
Your biology is being dragged around by an external tide.
In the week before a full moon, our brains often navigate a triple whammy: a 30% drop in deep sleep, a surge in cortisol, and a 17% drop in leptin—the hormone that tells your brain you’ve had enough to eat. No wonder we may feel a bit crazy.
Tonight is a full moon and a lunar eclipse, the last one in Pisces until 2034. Five thousand years ago, the Sumerians (the first people to write anything down) called the moon Nanna and made him chief god of the pantheon, lord of wisdom, the god who lit the night and measured time. Their calendar was based on the lunar cycle.
Moonlight changed what was safe at night, when people moved, and when they gathered. The moon set night vision for hunting, tides for foraging, and the seasonal shifts that governed planting.
We might have covered our world in screens and artificial lights, but our cells haven't forgotten the power of the moon. Learn more about what the moon is doing to you....
The Moon as a Goddess
Across ancient traditions, the moon was revered as a personified deity linked to feminine wisdom, transformation, and internal timing. Some of the goddesses included:
● Chang'e: In Chinese mythology, the goddess Chang'e resides on the moon, representing deep reflection, beauty, and internal power.
● Ratri: In Vedic Hindu tradition, the goddess Ratri personifies the night sky and the gentle illumination of the moon, invoked for protection, deep sleep, and peace during the dark hours.
● Mama Quilla: The Incas honored Mama Quilla as the protector of women, calculating time and health around her cycles.
● Mēztli: The Aztecs recognized Mēztli as the force holding power over night, tides, and human vitality.
● Selene: In Greek mythology, Selene is the titan goddess of the moon who drives her silver chariot across the night sky, symbolizing the illumination of hidden truths, intuition, and passage through darkness.
● Luna: The Roman divine embodiment of the moon, Luna complements the sun god Sol, representing the rhythmic tracking of time, cyclical renewal, and feminine strength.
Embracing the Lunar Cycle
Y'all know I believe in science meets soul, so instead of resisting sleeplessness or feeling frustrated by the moon, you can use biomarker awareness and daily habits to work alongside celestial rhythms:
● Darken Your Evening Environment: Because melatonin drops during the full moon phase, eliminate artificial blue light and install blackout shades to protect your remaining melatonin production.
● Support Satiety with Protein: Anticipate the drop in leptin five days before the full moon by prioritizing dense protein and essential fats at every meal to keep blood sugar stable.
● Regulate the Nervous System: Offset stress load through evening magnesium baths, breathwork, and early exposure to morning sunlight to reset your central circadian pacemaker.
● Move the Heavy Work Earlier: Put the hardest workout, the biggest meeting, and the long travel day in the stretch after the new moon while your sleep is still intact, and treat the days before the full moon as your taper rather than your failure.
● Honor the Sensitivity: Treat sensitivity as an expanded capacity for intuition. When emotional or raw feelings arise around a full moon or eclipse, view them as valuable data rather than a symptom to suppress.
We are not separate from the cosmos. The moon moves the oceans, influences our hormonal signaling, alters our sleep architecture, and calls us back to our true nature.
The eclipse is tonight. Go outside and watch the Earth's shadow cross the Moon, and remember that even in shadow she still holds the tilt of the Earth steady, moves every ocean on the planet, and reaches your cells. The shadow starts at 10:34 p.m. Eastern, 7:34 p.m. Pacific, and it is deepest about 90 minutes later.
Yours under the same moon,
Julie
