Blue Moon Me

Neil Armstrong died recently, so along with everyone else on the web, let's talk about the Full Moon tomorrow [Aug 31 2012 -although it's also payday which is weighing more on my mind.]

Yellowhammer would like to see Neil's ashes taken into Space to be scattered, I wonder if anyone will oblige. Im sure Nasa can utilise his death for some kind of publicity. Ouch.

A blue moon is commonly thought of as a second full moon within the same solar calender months we use today . Obviously if we just used a lunar calender this wouldnt be relevant.

Blue moons occur every 2.7 years on average under this definition. However, 1999 had blue moons in January and March. As astrophysicist Neil Degrasse Tyson points out, presidential elections happen less often but we don't call them rare. 

 

The modern definition of a twice-in-a-month full moon comes from a 1946 Sky and Telescope magazine article. That article misinterpreted the usage of the term in The 1937 Maine Farmers' Almanac. 

That publication put the "blue" label on the fourth full moon in the season as there are usually just three.   Conflicting websites muddy the definition, but no one can really thwart the mystical moon, it just looks silly arguing about a definition against a non compatable calender.

 Whatever definition you want, why is it Blue ? Well let's see if it is. Moons can be white, grey, green even - the blue I read is just to express rarity, but I have no idea if the colour has other significance in folklore - probably.

Yellowhammers favourite moon relates to Endymion and Selene (Moon Goddess)

Instead of retelling the tale, this beautiful artwork reveals a lot 

 

Traditional works passed through to us some usage of Sun , Moon and Stars imagery.

The Sun  represents the desire for light and betterment, to seek truth, and gain riches- think bountiful.

Solar cults are rumoured to exist to this day (Illuminati) - however philosophically they would pervert the above ideas, and use others for betterment of selves, instead of putting in the work -  and they would desire gain material riches - instead of genuine Enlightenment. 

But bad luck them, for they shall remain on the wheel of fortune , going in circles for ever. 

The Stars represent the group or relation to others. Stellar Cults were rife in Ancient Greece.

Stars can mean the realisation of possibilities or unexpected help from others .

The Moon represents the introspective, possibly feminine, or left pillar aspects of the soul and life's adventure. It is also associated with Hunting and Lunar cults.

{ The Moon guides in the dark, so YH reckons She is ultimately one to keep on side in order to prevent lunacy }*

* That's your signal to go and light a joss stick...(-:

The rising and setting Sun.

The Sun rises in the East and sets in the West, yes?...NO.  It only does this at two points in our year.

Equinox - sun rises due east and sets due west.  

These are around 21 MAR and 21 SEP in the Northern Hemisphere - they are the days of equal day and night hours.  In between it gets darker and lighter as the tilted earth moves one cycle around the sun. If the earth did not tilt we would not have Seasons.

Winter solstice - Shortest Daylight hours at midwinter around 21 DEC....There is a  low arc as we tilt away from sun in northern hemisphere - sun rises nearer south east and sets nearer south west - ie it arcs over the south - at midday the sun will indicate which way is south.

Summer solstice - Midsummer is around 21 JUN . There is a higher arc so sun seems higher overhead at midday - rises nearer north east, sets nearer north west.

winter solstice sun arcs

The earth is tilted at 21degrees as it cycles in a loop around the sun over the year...winter solstice is the shortest day of the year because the northern hemisphere is tilted away from the sun, so the proportion of day light to shadow night as the earth turns it's 24 hour cycle is lowest...

 

excellent glossary : Journey North