Astronomy/Astrology Lesson 2

She cries when he leaves, now getting over her fit.

He walked back to class fustrated

She cried the whole time he was gone.

He walked back into class and sat in the far back

Alucard looks bored & yawns, "So what are we doing today?"

"We are learning about moon phases and star signs."

"I give up" He says to himself

Selene came back to class after being in the hot spring and was feeling a bit better, so she sat where ever when she got into the classroom and listened.

"The full moon has been linked to crime, suicide, mental illness, disasters, accidents, birthrates, fertility, and werewolves, among other things. And yes Werewolves do exist." She said beginning the class lecture. She didn't know how she was going to transition. "Many studies have been done to try to find a link between moon phases and human behavior but no correlation has been found." She looked at each of her students. "If so many studies have failed to prove a significant correlation between the full moon and anything, why do so many people believe in these lunar myths?"

"There are several different things that could be to blame. The media is one of them. There is also folklore and traditions from past cultures. There is also the common misconceptions."

"All of those are completely correct. But we will explore each on their own. Which do you wish to learn about first?" She was leaving almost all of the control up to the students.

"I'd say we learn about the folklore," Selene suggested.

Eva smiled. "Alright. Many lunar myths are rooted in folklore. The belief that there are more births during a full moon persists today among many educated people. Scientific studies, however, have failed to find any significant correlation between the full moon and number of births. Despite the fact that there is no evidence of a significant correlation between phases of the moon, the menstrual cycle, and fertility, some people not only maintain that there is, they have a "scientific" explanation for the non-existent correlation. Furthermore, the average menstrual cycle is 28 days but varies from woman to woman and month to month, while the length of the lunar month is a consistent 29.53 days. Some of us have noticed that these cycles are not identical. Some mythmakers believe that long ago women all bled in sync with the moon, but civilization and indoor electric lighting have disturbed their rhythmic cycle. This theory may seem plausible until one remembers that there are quite a few other mammals on the planet that have not been affected by firelight or civilization's indoor lighting and whose cycles aren't in harmony with the moon. In short, given the large number of types of mammals on our planet, one would expect that by chance some species' estrus and menstrual cycles would harmonize with lunar cycles. It is doubtful that there is anything of metaphysical significance in this." She paced the room as she spoke. She stopped then, however and looked at her students. "What we do know is that there has been very little research on hormonal or neurochemical changes during lunar phases. James Rotton's search of the literature "failed to uncover any studies linking lunar cycles to substances that have been implicated as possible correlates of stress and aggression. One would think that this area would be well-studied, since hormones and neurochemicals are known to affect menstruation and behavior." She paused again. "Sorry for babbling on about that. What should we cover now?"

"Star signs," Selene said.

"The four cardinal signs, Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn, have in common the impetus to initiate or create, or to counter one initiative with another. The four fixed signs, Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius, are inclined to sustain or stabilise what has already been created, or to resist or practise endurance in the face of another's initiative. The four mutable signs, Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces, take what has been created and attempt to alter or adapt it. Combine the four elements with the three quadruplicities, and we find that each of the zodiac signs has a unique combination of the two. For instance, Taurus alone is fixed earth, Sagittarius alone is mutable fire. These four links will take you to a very brief sketch of the characteristics of each element, and of the differences between each sign of that element on account of the varying quadruplicities. The fire element desires freedom. The earth element needs security. The air element, like fire but with a different emphasis, desires freedom. The water element, like earth but with a different emphasis, needs security. Fire elements are Aries, Leo and Sagittarius, Earth are Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn, air are Gemini, Libra and Aquarius, and water are Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces. Are there any questions?" She asked summingup the lesson.

"How do the signs relate to those born under them?" Selene asked.

Eva smiled. That was a big question in society. "Star signs aren't always accurate to the person they discribe. Certain signs say that all of the people born under tem have certain qualities. But as everyone in the world is different, there is no way that it can be true. Sure people can say that they have one or two of the qualities, but I doubt that you can find someone with all of them." She smiled. "Is there anymore questions?"

Selene shook her head.

"Well, if there aren't anymore questions then class is dismissed. Be sure to be here for my next class because there will be a twist and you will like it, I guarantee it."

Selene nodded and stood, leaving.