Is this the right sign of the moon? (6/14/04)

I should have listened to my mother.

Last week I commented that my onions won’t stay planted. I assumed it was birds that were uprooting them. A faithful reader suggested that it might be because I planted them in the wrong sign of the moon. She maintains that when she planted onions and flowers in the wrong moon sign the bulbs promptly popped back out of the ground. She also said she had been told fence posts would do the same thing if set on the wrong day. I have read that wood cut on the incorrect day will rot.

I have never given much credence to such things. My mother, who can grow anything, always checks the phase of the moon before she plants. She doesn’t even need to consult an almanac. She just knows that root crops should be planted when the moon is growing smaller while flowers should be planted during the light of the moon.

I have found some sources that specify that onions should be planted not only in the dark of the moon but in the last quarter and during the correct astrological sign as well. Personally, I stuff them in the ground when I have enough time and energy and it isn’t pouring down rain. Maybe that is why I have to keep planting them over and over again.

My mother and others of her generation also believe that getting a haircut during the waxing moon causes hair to grow faster. This logic also applies to fingernails. I haven’t been able to find out if it works the same for mowing the lawn but even if it does, there are certain times of the year when it is not feasible to wait until the lunar signs are favorable to cut the grass.

If I were to suggest to my hairdresser that we schedule an appointment only when the omens are right she would think I was nuts.

The simple truth is that unless I check a calendar, I couldn’t begin to tell you what sign the moon is in. The only time I even notice that light in the nighttime sky is when I can’t sleep.

In ancient Roman mythology, Diana was the goddess of a whole bunch of things that seem to have no relevance to each other. She was goddess of the hunt, woodlands, childbirth and was the personification of the moon.

As her namesake, you would think I would know more about the proper planting times than I do. Perhaps a goddess doesn’t bother with such mundane trivia, instead leaving horticulture to her followers.

The theory is that the gravitational pull of the moon affects the flow of the fluids inside the plant much like it affects the tides of the oceans. In that way it does make sense. I was taught that the flow of fluids is controlled by heat and humidity more than it is by a giant rock circling the earth.

The belief in the power of celestial bodies is one that has been around for what seems like forever. Ancient wisdom and superstition often combine to form a working body of knowledge that gets passed on the succeeding generations until it is accepted as fact.

Those who believe will swear to its accuracy and tell of dire consequences to nonbelievers.

As often as modern science changes its mind about nearly everything, it is comforting to believe in practices that have been around for centuries. We know very little about how our world works and the time may yet be when science proves that planting crops in the proper phase of the moon really does help them grow better, stronger and be more resistant to disease.

Until that day comes, I will continue to keep poking the obstinate onions back into the ground and will ignore the phases of the moon, while those who plant in the proper sign plant their crops only once.

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