Astro: Full Micro, Blue, Hunter’s Samhain Moon in Taurus 31/10/2020 @ 14:49 UTC
All Hail & welcome to the second Astro: Full Moon article for October. A Blessed Samhain to you all. What a title this article has! So much to know & learn from it, so lets just crack on with the names for the moon, in addition a non-bias list of events for the month ahead, astrology connected to Samhain moon & the next two weeks & of course, astronomical events for November. All source credits are listed at the end of this article. If you wish to copy information from this article, Let me know so I can have a read of whatever you've written too & please quote the reference :
S.Adhar, 2020, https://ancientfootprints.wixsite.com/ancientfootprints
Let’s begin with Micro moon. A micro moon is when the our beautiful satellite is at Apogee, furthest point away from the centre of the Earth. This means that the moon will look a little smaller than what we may be used to. A Micro moon is a weather folklore omen, in that it is considered a harbinger of bad weather & natural disasters.
A Blue Moon is the second moon in a calendar month, which is quite rare. Hence the saying “Once in a blue Moon”.
The Phrase ‘Hunter’s Moon’ is part of an international Moon naming phenomenon.
Naming the Moon’s
Firstly, the moon is known by different names the world over. You might ask why we name the full moon phase and the answer is simple. The full moon is a symbol of fruition and to those who lived by agricultural means, the moon was named after flora or fauna indicating what was in season and what season they were in. However, an event, harvest or animal which was in plenty may not have been so in another part of the world. Therefore, the moon is named according to ecological events as well as geographical area. This may seem silly but to our ancestors this was a time to celebrate the fecundity of the world around them, and this may have included spiritual inference.
The Native American names for this moon are Travellers Moon & Blackberry Moon. The Montana tribes named this moon Gophur looks back moon. In Canada, the Inuit peoples called this moon Ice Moon. In China it is the time of the Kindly Moon. In India we are in the month of Kartika where the celebrations of Kartik Purnima & Divali , the festival of lights celebrating the return of Rama & Sita from exile & also observances to Goddess Lakshmi are celebrated. The British Celtic Medieval names for this moths full moon are Hunter’s Moon, Blood Moon & Seed Fall Moon. The Druidic/ Ogham month in the month of the Reed 28 October - 23 November . Reed is a symbol of air & wind, sound of the flute & wind instruments. It is also associated with the underworld & the dead. Referred to as Negetal, Nyettle to the Celts.
This Moon however, is on the day of the celebration of Samhain and we should look on this moon as the moon of banishment, releasing all bad habits and banishing old ways of thinking. This is the last day of the pagan year. The moon carries potential healing, protection, ancestral connection, scrying & farseeing. A very magical time indeed.
Non-bias list of events
31st October
Samhain - Pagan fire festival, turning of the wheel of the year. For more details read my Samhain article.
November
1st
Loy Kratong - Buddhist
Celebration in Thailand which often coincides with a temple's Kathina Day. Degradable baskets made and filled with carefully folded banana leaves, incense sticks, a candle, sometimes a coin are set on rivers, canals ponds or the sea. A wish for good fortune is offered to the spirits of the water.
All Saints Day - Christian (Western Churches)
A day of thanks for the work and witness of all saints, recognising that not all are known or specially celebrated.
2nd
Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) - Mexican
Celebration focusing on relatives & friends who have passed away. Stemming from the ancient indigenous peoples of Mexico (Purepecha, Nahua, Totonac and Otomí), this is an now an internationally highly celebrated festival.
All Souls Day - Christian
The dead remembered on this day. Prayers are offered on their behalf.
Anniversary Of The Crowning Of Haile Selassie I - Rastafarian
One of the holiest days of the Rastafarian year; celebrating Haile Selassie’s accession to the Ethiopian throne.
8th
Remembrance Sunday - National
Sunday nearest to Armistice Day, devoted to remembering the dead of the two World wars & subsequent wars.
8 - 15th
Inter-Faith Week
Inter-Faith week seeks to increase awareness of the different and distinct faith communities, increasing understanding between people of religious and non-religious beliefs in an attempt to strengthen good inter-faith relations.
14- 18th
Divali / Diwali / Deepavali - Hindu / Jain
This is a New Year festival, for Hindus, lasting from one to five days. It is a festival of light, celebrated on the darkest night of the lunar month (new moon). Associated with Lakshmi, goddess of wealth and prosperity & triumphant return of Rama and Sita after exile. Divali marks the beginning of the Indian financial year. Celebrated with the biggest fireworks display in the world, which can be seen from satellites, lighting up the whole country.
14th
Divali / Bandi Chhor Divas - Sikh
Sikhs also celebrate Divali. Guru Hargobind, the sixth Guru, was released from Gwalior prison on this day. The Golden Temple in Amritsar is illuminated and firework displays take place there.
15th
Shichi-Go-San (Seven-Five-Three) - Japanese
Girls of seven, boys of five and girls of three are dressed in new clothes, taken to a Shinto shrine to pray for their future well-being.
24th
Martyrdom Of Guru Tegh Bahadur (1675) - Sikh
Under orders from the Moghul emperor, the ninth Guru was executed in public opposite the Red Fort in Delhi. Rather than sacrifice his faith, he sacrificed his head on behalf of Kashmiri Hindus, who had turned to him for help.
29th
Advent Sunday - Christian (Western Churches)
Four Sundays before Christmas, celebrated by lighting the first candle in the advent crown. A further three candles are lit on proceeding Sundays, culminating with the Christmas candle on the 25th December. Signifying the transition from darkness to light.
30th
Birthday Of Guru Nanak (1469 CE ) - Sikh
Birthday of Nanak, the first Sikh Guru. Sikhs gather at the gurdwara to hear sermons and sing hymns about the life of the first Guru. Congregation shares a free meal (langar).
St Andrew’s day - National
Patron saint of Scotland since the 8th century. Andrew was an apostle and brother of St Peter. In the Anglican communion he is associated with missionary activity.
Astrology
Our Moon enters full phase on 31st October 2020 at 14:49 UTC. When moon & Sun transit (move) into exact opposite signs, it is called in opposition & can bring in some conflict between what we want vs what we ought to be doing. This is full Moon phase. Full moon is related to endings, completion & heightened emotional energy. This Moon is in the sign of Earthy Taurus & goes full phase on Samhain/Halloween. It is also the second full moon in October making it a blue moon. The Sun is in watery Scorpio.
The moon represents our inner personality, feelings emotions & past. This moon is in the sign of Taurus, the Bull, an earthy, steady sign which wants to slow the pace down a bit. This fits well with the energy of Samhain in which time seems to stand still for a moment, where we are in a liminal space of reflection, reconciliation, internal movement & ancestral connection. This pause in momentum can come as a welcome break during this moon phase, considering the strength of pace from this years cosmic influences to date. It can become a time of grounding & recentering oneself amidst the chaos of 2020. It offers us a time of reflection & reconnecting to what we feel is missing from our lives. We are being offered an opportunity to re-evaluate the internal image of ourselves & to find the value in ourselves which we may have overlooked. Taurus Moon wants us to stand true to ourselves, speak our truth, set boundaries & stick to them, say ‘no’ when we want to & ‘Yes’ to the things we have been willing ourselves toward. Time to remember our 'self', the power we stand in & our connection to the Mother Earth. What is holding us back? Prepare to release it. What do we want in our lives? Get ready to welcome it in!
The Sun represents our ego, identification, the present moment. Sun in Scorpio tends to be a time of intensity, passions, independence & willpower. There is also a lot of healing & regenerative energy around Scorpio Sun. Try not to get stuck in stubbornness, rather go with the flowing energy, recognise the signs & flow with it.
As this is the second full moon in October, it carries with it an overarching theme of release, or at least preparation to release. By this I mean that the energy of this moon is offset by planetary influences & we may find a lacking lunar energy which is not strong enough for us to feel total release of something big. Therefore we may find ourselves prepping to release but holding on to something for a little longer, perhaps for another month or so. The next Full moon on 30th November is an eclipse, so whatever residual energies are left for us to cling to, eclipse energy will entice it out. Whilst we experience this hold up & unpredictable energy, we are encouraged to find our centre & ground ourselves, to be present. We will need this grounding to be as continuous as can be, because the next few months have some serious planetary alignments, the like of which we witnessed during March / April of this year.
Remaining grounded in ourselves, we can touch on the realms of the unknown, as we do during this season of ancestral commune. This is a good time for Chakra realignment & connection to higher realms. The veil is at its thinnest with full moon amplification, so there is nothing to stop us seeing, walking, talking through to other dimensions & experiencing visual, aural & physical manifestations of communication. Don’t be scared if this is a development you find in yourself, it is evolutionary & necessary for change, seek help if you are worried by feelings of awakening. Remember to ground yourself regularly.
As I mentioned, there are planetary influences we must consider. The strength of which gives our blue Samhain moon a bit of wobbly energy. Uranus (Rx) retrograde is our protagonist. Uranus is the planet of Chaos! And here we go again! This unpredictable planet is telling us to expect the unexpected. There is potential for shocking news to be revealed. Uranus is conjunct (in the same sign as/ aligned) the Full moon, so we may experience a sense of looming change, a want to break free & rebel. We may experience difficult emotions, strange behaviour, rapid change & possible unnerving within even the most connected relationships. With the heightened emotions of full moon, we may find it hard to relax or focus on what is in front of us. We may feel a rage rise against the injustices of this life & the world in which we live. There will be an extra focus on the future too, on change, hopes, coming together for a shared cause, which will feel slightly unsettling & is what Uranus does! We are being encouraged to be practical, go slowly & productively rather than race ahead blindly. There is quiet but extreme power in the steady progression of the Taurean hoof. Remember also the story of the Hare & the Tortoise.
Astronomy
October 31
Uranus at Opposition.
Uranus at closest approach to Earth, its face fully illuminated by the Sun, brightest of the year, visible all night long. Due to its distance,it appears as a tiny blue-green dot in all but the most powerful telescopes.
November 10
Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation.
Mercury’s greatest western elongation, 19.1 degrees from the Sun. Best time to view Mercury as it is at its highest point above the horizon in the morning sky. Look low in the eastern sky just before sunrise.
November 11, 12
Northern Taurids Meteor Shower.
Northern Taurids, a long-running minor meteor shower producing only about 5-10 meteors per hour. This shower is famous for producing high levels of bright fireballs. Northern Taurids is created by dust grains of Asteroid 2004 TG10. The shower peaks on the the night of the 11th and morning of the 12th. Dark skies due to crescent moon means a really good show. Best viewing just after midnight. Meteors radiating from constellation of Taurus, can appear anywhere in the sky.
November 15
New Moon.
Moon located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun, will not be visible in the night sky. Phase occurs at 05:08 UTC.
November 16, 17
Leonids Meteor Shower.
Leonids produces up to 15 meteors per hour at its peak. This unique shower has a cyclonic peak every 33 years where hundreds of meteors per hour can be seen. That last of these occurred in 2001. Leonids is produced by dust grains left behind by comet Tempel-Tuttle, discovered in 1865. Shower from November 6-30, peaking this year on night of 16th and morning of 17th. Crescent moon will set early in the evening. Dark skies for an excellent show. Best viewing after midnight. Meteorsradiate from constellation Leo, appear anywhere in the sky.
November 30 - Full Moon.
November 30
Penumbral Lunar Eclipse.
Moon passes through the Earth's partial shadow, penumbra. Moon will darken slightly but not completely. Eclipse visible throughout most of North America, the Pacific Ocean, and north-eastern Asia including Japan.
And there you have it! Another Astro: Full Moon article comes to an end. I am sure that there is a lot to digest & I encourage you to re-read the article, to let it really sink in and resonate. There is a lot of magic in the air on Samhain & with Full Moon & Uranus Rx energies, it can seem a bit of an uneven surface, but advice is to remain grounded, be present and flow with the energetic frequencies of the cosmos, taking revelations at a steady pace.
My gratitude to you all for joining me on this journey. Please join me again for New Moon at mid November. I wish for you all a blessed Samhain, A wonderful few weeks, until next we meet, Merry meet, Merry part & Merry Meet again.
In gratitude, love, light & all betwixt
Shee
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Credits
Images
Adobe royalty-free images
Astronomy magazine
NASA