Why Some People Feel Emotionally Heavy During Full Moon Nights

You have definitely noticed you feel a strange sense of heaviness in yourself on some nights and for no apparent reason. Your chest feels slightly tighter; past memories begin to emerge, and sleep simply isn't coming. Outside you see a full, bright moon. For whom it may concern, is it merely a coincidence that this full moon is really affecting you?

You are not alone. A full moon night on the earth is like this to millions of people not only in India but in the whole world. Your grandmother would have said “Purnima ki raat” and warned you not to go out late. It was mentioned in the ancient texts. And now even science as it is today is starting to ask the same questions. So what is happening? Let's discuss it on a plain and simple basis. 

Full Moon occurs when the Earth is in the middle of the Sun and Moon. The entire face of the moon is bright with the sun. This occurs approximately every 29.5 days and is the source of the approximately 12 full moons per year. It is called Purnima in India, and nearly all cultures in the world have given this day a special significance.

Here's something interesting to read. Just a pretty little glowing ball in the sky is not the Moon. It has a real measurable attraction, a gravitational force. This pull is observed on the oceans every day as tides. The gravitational force is at its strongest during a full Moon. It affects the oceans. The question is, do our bodies react to it as well?

This is a fact that most people don't consider: The human body consists of about 60 – 70% water. So why is it strange if the Moon's gravitational pull had absolutely no impact on the water within us when it can pull millions of tonnes of ocean water to produce ocean tides?

This concept is indeed as old as the Vedic astrology that has been practiced for thousands of years. The Moon represents our mind/emotions and is the planet that rules our fluid energy within the body. This fluid energy is said to be in motion when the Moon is full. The result? Our feelings go up as well. All the emotions that we've been holding down during the month begin to rise up. Old scars that we believed were healed open up and start to bleed. It is like a secret worry that we silence on a busy weekday suddenly becomes loud on a quiet Purnima night.

It is like a pressure cooker. There is a buildup of emotions throughout the month. When the whistle blows, the full moon is present. 

In the Vedic Astrology, the Moon is not a normal planet. It is named Chandra, and it has a very special position as the ruler of the mind, Manas. The outer personality is what your Sun sign tells the world, but the inner personality, your emotional patterns, your deepest fear, your childhood habits, and your instinctive reactions are revealed by your Moon sign.

The Moon can spend only 28 days in the entire Zodiac, approximately two and a half days in each sign. That's why you can sometimes feel very different from one week to the next. And when the Moon is full, the Moon is directly across from the Sun in the sky. Opposition in astrology indicates conflict. Sun and Moon are in opposition to each other. There is a conflict between your outer world (Sun) and your inner world (Moon). This inner frustration is the reason why a lot of people feel uneasy during a full moon.

Strong, well-placed Moon in the birth chart usually indicates emotional strength, level-headed thinking, and sound sleep. However, if your Moon is weak and/or ill, you may experience anxiety, mood swings, and sleep disturbances. The energy of your Moon is so much stronger on a full moon night that it doesn't matter what your Moon's condition is in your chart!

Everyone doesn't have the same emotional reaction to the full moon. It is observed that on Purnima nights some people sail without feeling a bit tired, while others feel completely exhausted. Much of this will depend on your birth chart and your Moon sign. 

• Water signs: Water signs such as Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces are the most sensitive in the emotional aspect. These signs already experience these near the surface of their emotions, and when the full moon turns up the volume, they really hear it. 

• Cancer: In particular, cancer has a special relationship with the Moon, as the Moon rules Cancer. Cancer individuals are most overwhelmed or nostalgic during this time of Purnima. 

• Scorpio and Pisces: Scorpio and Pisces tend to soak up the feelings they come across. This sensitivity becomes amplified when the moon is at its full phase, and they may experience feelings they don't even recognize. 

• Air signs: For Air signs such as Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius, the full moon is usually a period of mental instability. They can't stop thinking. Their mind is racing, and it's hard to get sleep because the brain is just not going to shut off. 

• Fire signs: Fire people may experience a burst of energy or frustration that they cannot explain, such as Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius. They may get swept up in old arguments or be overly emotional or reactive. 

The next time you are feeling emotional on a full moon night, it may be a good idea to find out what your Moon sign is. The solution might make a lot of sense. 

Science has actually discovered something very practical that there is some evidence for. During a full moon, there is an inclination to sleep less. Researchers have reported that people fall asleep later and have more light, non-REM sleep during the full moon phase. The night is lighter, and the brain is more alert.

Next, imagine what is different when you don't sleep well. You feel unwell in the morning; you are emotionally raw and sensitive. You are easily irritated by small things. Old regrets seem greater. The feeling of emotional weightiness that people experience on full moon nights could be in some way related to this physically simple fact: bad sleep makes all the emotions heavier than they actually are.

In the old astrology system of the Vedas, the Moon is also connected with the nervous system and fluid balance in the body. During Purnima, both the Moon and the mind can be overstimulated, causing the sleep rhythms to get thrown off and the mind to be more reactive than normal. So, here the body, the mind, and the planets are all talking the same language.

This is the most fascinating aspect of the whole discussion. Full Moon does not bring on new emotions. It shows the ones that were there.

Imagine that the Moon is a torch in a dark room. There were always things in the room. It is only the torch that illuminates them. In the month, we are all so busy, working, and with family and screens and everyday stress, we don't have time to sit with our feelings. We trample them down and walk past them. However, in a full moon, when the lunar energy is the strongest, all those blocked feelings are brought to light.

Hence, there is a tradition of crying out without knowing the reason on Purnima night. They have a heavy heart or are emotionally sensitive for no apparent reason. They ponder about a former friend they have lost in years gone by. They are not happy with their present condition, although there is nothing changed. The full moon is only lighting up what was already there.

This is also the reason for many traditions, which ask for rituals, prayers, and reflection during Purnima. It's quite powerful, but the energy of the full moon is a powerful force to let go of what is not working for you.

You might be an empath if you are a person that can feel the emotions of others around you, feel deeply touched by music or nature, or often feel emotional burdens that are not your own. Full Moon is a time when the Empaths experience emotional heaviness, in particular.

It's simple why. Empaths are already attuned to subtle energies. The lunar energy shift that occurs at Purnima is real and tangible, a collective change in the emotional climate. Sensitive individuals will pick up this without even realizing. They internalize the emotional, swirling storms of others, giving them to themselves as inner experience. It is a sort of emotional overload that can't be communicated to someone who wouldn't feel it.

But in the realm of astrology, a well-aspected Neptune or a strong 12th house in your horoscope may also render you more psychically attuned to lunar changes. These people can really benefit from knowing about their chart, as it provides them with an explanation for why they feel things so intensely as compared to others. 

Once we see why certain full moon nights are so emotionally charged, let's look at some ways that we can actually use it, rather than go against it.

• Spend time in moonlight: The practice of sitting outdoors during Purnima and letting the moonlight fall on the person is mentioned in ancient Indian texts. It is relaxing and allows you to go through the feelings instead of burying them. 

• Drink water from a silver or copper vessel: It is an ancient Indian remedy and one that is in line with Vedic principles of bringing the water energy of the Moon into balance in the body. 

• Write in a journal. It can be so cathartic to release your emotions onto paper during a full moon. The answer is you don't have to understand it all. Just write. 

• Avoid making big decisions or having heated conversations on Purnima night: Try not to make any major decisions or get into any arguments on Purnima night. Dramatic feelings are intensified, and what is spoken during this time may seem more intense than it really is. 

• Meditate or do deep breathing: The full moon is considered one of the most powerful times for meditation in many traditions. Slow, calm breathing can help to calm the nervous system in a big way. 

• Chant or pray: Mantra chanting's vibration has always been considered to calm the energy of the Moon. Even just silently chanting "Om Chandraya Namah" can have a grounding effect. 

The following thought could actually alter your view of Purnima nights. So what if you didn't look at the emotional stuff as a problem and instead looked at it as information?

The full moon is actually your body and mind's monthly report card. It's the universe asking, "So what do you have that is no longer serving you?" What emotions have you suppressed? What do you know to be true that you are not facing?" The weight is not meant to be punishment. It's an invitation to look inwards.

When many people begin to follow their feelings on the lunar cycle, they start to see definite patterns emerge. They are more sensitive and restless to sleep during the full moon. Afterwards, they feel more energized with an outward focus. They are more introspective when the moon is close to the new moon phase. When these patterns begin to become apparent, it will feel like you're less at the mercy of your moods and more in dialogue with them.

This is the same as what Astrology has been saying for centuries in Vedic astrology. Knowing your Moon sign and the lunar cycle's movement through your birth chart provides you with a sort of emotional calendar. You are no longer caught off guard by your emotions and begin to wisely plan for them.