Blue Moon at Year’s End
This year, we’ll enjoy a rather rare occurrence – a blue moon (the second full moon in a calendar month) falling on New Year’s Eve.* Technically any full moon on the 31st of a month (such as on Samhain) will be a blue moon, since the moon’s cycle is 29.5 days – but a blue moon falling on New Year’s Eve only happens every 19 years. Last time this happened was 1990, and next time it happens it will be 2028.
However, to add to the exciting mix, this full moon will come complete with a lunar eclipse (which those of us in the Americas will not be able to see, as it happens in the daytime for us) as the moon is aligned with both Earth and Sun, and will occur when the moon reaches perigee, or its closest approach to earth, making this a “Super Moon.” So all signs point to this full moon packing a cosmic wallop. (Not to mention the fact that both Mercury and Mars are in retrograde…)
You can find further details about the significance of a Cancerian full moon in Capricorn by plugging in “Cancer full moon December 2009” into any Internet search engine. Astrologers have a wide variety of approaches to interpreting the significance of this Super Blue Moon Eclipse, and I’m sure that all the witches and magicians reading this blog will also have lots of personal experience to pull from when applying it to your own lives.
If you’ve taken a long, hard look at this full moon already (or just a fleeting glance), do you have plans this New Year’s Eve to take advantage of this energy and use it constructively to steer your destiny for the next year?
Will you be doing a New Year’s divination? A full-blown Esbat ritual? Will you just take some time for Capricornian logic and list-making to mingle with Cancerian heart-felt emotions and desires? Will it be a time to find balance between maturity and responsibility, and the emotional ties and need for security of childhood? Will you take this energy and resolve to make more spiritual headway in your life rather than making more mundane resolutions relating to diets and paychecks? Honestly, there are so many ways to interpret the various astrological energies and influences at this Blue Moon that I am very interested to know how different witches, Pagans and magicians will be ringing in the New Year this time around! Please share your thoughts here, and have a safe and happy celebration!
* Except in parts of Asia and Australia, where the full moon will actually be on January 1 for them – and thus they’ll have a blue moon at the end of January, whereas those of us in North America, South America, Europe and Africa will get our blue moon now.
Wow! I did not realize this. What a powerhouse.
Actually this Moon is not a blue moon! The error in belief that a blue moon is two full moons in a calendar month was published in Sky and Telescope in 1946 and not caught until 1999.
From Wikipedia:
The Farmers’ Almanac defined blue moon as an extra full moon that occurred in a season; one season was normally three full moons. If a season had four full moons, then the third full moon was named a blue moon.
Recent popular usage defined a blue moon as the second full moon in a calendar month, stemming from an interpretation error made in 1946 that was discovered in 1999.[1] For example, December 31, 2009 would be a blue moon according to this usage.
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I think it is important for those of us in the craft or any metaphysical study to be correct based upon the seasons, not based upon pop culture.
Thanks,
Storm
Actually, if you want to be technical, a blue moon doesn’t have to fall on the 31st of a month. It just has to be a second full moon in a calendar month.
Semantics aside, it is still the 2nd full moon in the month.
Regardless of whether or not this full moon meets the “technical” definition of the term “blue moon” it does provide an extra energy boost because, along with the lunar eclipse, it is a rare occasion.
Sometimes it is good to let go of the technical and just appreciate the magickal energy of nature.
i agree with Storm Cestavani. two full moons occurring in one month (dictated by the Roman calendar) is a rare enough event, but it is not by rights a true blue moon, which is actually dictated by seasons…
Brandi, i agree with you, but let us not cast ‘semantics’ aside… vibration of specific
words, as we know, can be very powerful, and this requires accuracy.
Also, I’d much rather follow the natural seasons over a numerical timeline imposed by an imperial nation.
but you are right… we must look for the special in everything…
Here is more information from Sky and Telescope Magazine.
http://www.space.com/spacewatch/091231-blue-moon-new-years-eve.html
Actually Brandi, its not the 2nd Full Moon in a month. An Astrological month occurs when the Sun moves into another sign. The last Full Moon was when the Sun was in Sagittarius. On Solstice, the Sun moved into the Sign of Capricorn. This full Moon is at 10 Cancer. There has not been two Full Moon occurrence in the sign of Cancer.
Blessed Be,
Storm
I was referring to the Julian calendar month, not Astrological month. I realize there are many ways to interpret the full moon tonight. I guess I’m just not one to overanalyze and get technical about things. I appreciate the uniqueness of what is happening this New Year’s Eve and will use the extra energy boost to help shape my destiny for the best in the year ahead. The beauty of being on this path is that each of us can determine for ourselves how or if we will use the energy that is available to us.
Thank you for the fyi Storm! So when would the actual blue moons in 2010 be??? If you have this info available please share:) I just figure if someone has already done the calculations it could save many others some time…appreciate it as well! Regardless, Have a Wonderful New Year everyone!!!
Brandi, I’m sorry everybody seems to be picking at you with a fine tooth comb, when all you asked was how we were going to celebrate this special New Years. I will be celebrating this special year end by doing a ” Russian Gypsy Fortune Telling Card” reading for the next year. I love these divination cards. I’m also making a spiritual resolution for this coming year. I’m choosing to work on one of the thirteen personality traits any pagan should value and cultivate, this year I’m working on courage. Lastly, to celebrate this special new years eve, I’m planning on crafting myself a new set of rune stones, as the last set I crafted is now missing 5 runes!
Have a great New Years Eve everybody, Blessed Be!
lunar eclipse on 31st eve entering 2010 has great relevance w.r.t severe climatic changes taking place in 2010 and ahead in countries where it was clearly visible..this is my prediction for the blue moon… Lets Almighty have blessings Upon us!!
Spiritual healer!
I like what you are saying Brandi…It’s the energy that is available that is important. I did some inner work that evening and things are now going in a positive direction! Blessed Be!