Blue Moon - What is it?

The catch phrase, 'Once in a Blue Moon' is used to express a rare and often special event. This is because a Blue Moon occurs just once every 2 1/2 years or so.

This special Moon occurs when a SECOND Full Moon falls in any ONE calendar month.

Usually months have only one Full Moon, but occasionally there can be a second one - named a Blue Moon.

Full Moons occur every 29 days, but most months are 30 or 31 days long; so it is possible to fit two full Moons in a single month. This happens rarely. The coming Blue Moon is December 31 2009, and you'll have to wait until August 31 2012 before the next one occurs.

The Moon phases are seen as important for many established and traditional religions, often marking special significant dates in the religious calendar.

Both the Islamic calendar and Jewish calendar are Lunar. Christianity sets its most important event of celebrating Easter on the first Sunday following the first Full Moon after the Spring Equinox. Buddhism, Sikhism, Hinduism and Jainism also follow the Moon cycles to mark significant festivals.

Pagans/Wiccans place significance on the Moon and its phases. Of particular importance are the Full Moons which are celebrated and honoured and known as 'Esbats'.

There are 13 Esbats per year (based upon the Full Moons) and 8 Sabbats (major festivals/holy days) per calendar year.

The full Moon, or Esbat, is seen as a potent and special time to celebrate, reflect, give thanks, and ask for change for any positive purpose - love, money, health and happiness for example. This rare Blue Moon event is considered an exceptionally potent time to focus these energies.

This year this special Blue Moon also coincides with the celebration of New Year's Eve, which is always seen as a time to bid the past farewell and look with hope, anticipation and optimism to a brighter and better New Year.

So do not miss out on this 'Once in a Blue Moon' opportunity to mark this special event and do something monumental.

Here are some fun "traditions" that some people do during this special time:

Magically Charge a Lucky Talisman

On the evening of the Blue Moon take any piece of silver jewelry or a silver coin, make a special wish and say it aloud 3 times. Place the jewelry or coin outside under the full Moon overnight. Silver is associated with the Moon and the Goddess and is the best material for use in a Blue Moon ritual.

Don't worry if you cannot physically see the Moon, as its special energy is still present. Once the jewelry or coin has been charged by the energy of the Blue Moon, some say it will act as a lucky talisman to allow your wishes to come true.

Wishing Well

Some say, on the evening of the Blue Moon, to take a silver coin, concentrate on the wish you want fulfilled, repeat aloud your wish and toss the coin into any body of water. This could be a wishing well, a river, the ocean or a lake.

The element of water is associated with the Moon and is utilized in directing positive energies.

Plough Monday

Plough Monday


When and What is Plough Monday?

The first Monday after Twelfth Night is Plough Monday, a day when English ploughmen traditionally blackened their faces and wore white shirts.

Plough Monday was the day when villagers in many agricultural areas dragged a decorated plough thru town and they would knock on doors and ask for money, food and drink. They were accompanied by someone acting the Fool. The fool would often be dressed in skins and a tail, and carry a pig's bladder on the end of a stick.

Farmers return to work on Plough Monday after the 12 days of Yuletide.


FireHawk

A word on Twelfth Night

A word on Twelfth Night

In a nutshell, Twelfth night is the night when Yuletide/Christmas decorations are taken down. However, Twelfth night has always been open to much debate but it can be summarized with the following:

Pretty much, you can either count 12 days/nights after Christmas or 12 days/nights after Yuletide and that will give you the window for 12th night. Old traditions say that it is very unlucky to take down Decorations later than the 12th night after Yuletide.

Using traditional Yuletide (the actual Winter Solstice or longest night of the year) as a reference then 12th night would have occured on Dec 21st at 12:47pm EST this year 2009. 12 nights after that day would be January 2nd. However, many people reference the Yuletide SEASON as being 6 days before the new year thru 6 days after the new year,the last six days of the old year (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 December ) and the first six days of the New Year (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 January).

Many strongline conservative Christians disallowed such "partying" on the 25th as it was considered a holy day and not one for partying.

In ancient tradition, however, especially in the cold dead winter of western medieval europe, this was indeed a time for celebration. This was the time to celebrate the return of the SUN as the days cease to shorten and more sunlight could be observed, giving hope that spring and new life was to come. Indeed a time for mumming, singing and dancing.

The twelve days of Yule would have been a most welcome break for the workers on the land, which in medieval times would have been the majority of the people. All work, except for looking after the animals, would stop, restarting again on Plough Monday, the first Monday after Twelfth Night. More on Plough Monday later.

Old traditions burned the Yule log and it, lit on the longest night of the year(solstice), remained burning until Twelfth Night in order to bring good fortune to the house for the coming year. Its charred remains were kept, both to kindle the next year's Yule log, as well as to protect the house from fire and lightning.

Generically, January 6th is marked as the observed day by most of the modern world. Marked on some calendars as 3 Kings Day...others Boxing Day or Epiphany.

Regardless of what the fine detail of your belief is, now is the time to give thanks to the returning of the sun. It is okay to put away those lights that represented the energy of the sun since the sun has returned with its true energy. You can do this any time between the solstice and 12th night. Cleanse your space, put the decorations away, and enjoy the new energies of the new year.

FireHawk
http://www.archaeoastronomy.com/2009.shtml
CHART OF SOLSTICES,EQUINOXES and CROSS QUARTER MOMENTS