peanuts(hint:  probably not!!)

As I wrote last week, the upcoming Full Moon this weekend is not only a SuperMoon (occurring when the Moon is at its closest point to Earth and therefore wields a more powerful influence) but also a Blood Moon eclipse (so called because of the red color that infuses the Moon during the eclipse.  It is also the final event of a Lunar Tetrad – a group of four total eclipses that occur within a six month period (read this earlier article for all the details).

(Geeky astro detail:  a lunar event is said to be an eclipse when the soli/lunar relationship (Sun and Moon) aligns with the lunar nodes.  When the alignment to the nodes is very tight the eclipse becomes a total eclipse and is more powerful astrologically.  The lunar nodes represent the flow of life from past to future, and eclipses therefore carry with them the ability to create profound change in our fate and our destiny.

This NASA article points out that in the 21st century we have had a fair number of total eclipses, but this has not always been the case.

“During the 21st century, there are 8 sets of tetrads, so I would describe tetrads as a frequent occurrence in the current pattern of lunar eclipses,” says Espenak. “But this has not always been the case. During the three hundred year interval from 1600 to 1900, for instance, there were no tetrads at all.”

The evangelical rumor mill has jumped on the bandwagon, claiming that at the end of this current Tetrad the world will end, or Christ will return, depending on who you read.  Some writers have linked their conspiracy theories to the fact that these eclipse tetrads often fall on Jewish holidays; however, since Jewish holidays are tied to Full Moons it’s not surprising that we see this effect.

All of this leads to the Full Moon lunar eclipse in Aries on September 27th.  This is another SuperMoon – in fact, it is the closest SuperMoon of the year and therefore most powerful.  It is also a powerful eclipse astrologically because the nodes of the Moon are in a tight conjunction to the lunation (within four degrees) and in the same sign.  Eclipses occur when a lunation (New Moon or Full Moon) are within 15 degrees of the lunar nodes, but the closer they are, the more powerful the effect.

Because the lunar nodes are connected to fate and destiny, an eclipse which is tightly connected to the lunar nodes will often bring with it an event or an eruption into consciousness of a lesson that will affect us for many years to come.  These occurrences aren’t always obvious when they occur – sometimes they take quite a while to manifest.

With an Aries Full Moon eclipse (Aries Moon opposite Libra Sun), the drive for individuality that is the hallmark of the Aries influence is eclipsed by the Libran need for niceness and harmony at all costs.  Aries’ ruler Mars is in humble Virgo where it is not permitted to achieve all desires instantly as Mars is meant to do, and it is further hemmed in by the challenging square from Mars to Saturn described above.  This Full Moon will require a conscious effort to identify and clarify our needs and desires (Mars/Aries) and develop a plan (Virgo/Saturn) to fulfill them in a way that maintains balance and harmony in our personal relationships and our relationship to the outer world (Libra/Venus).

 

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