Spectacular total lunar eclipse (the blood moon)
Last Tuesday 8th November 2022, we were lucky to witness a magnificent total lunar eclipse. A lunar or solar eclipse occurs when the sun and moon line up directly in front of each other and their paths intersect perfectly on the ecliptic. It is an incredible coincidence that the sun and moon have the same angular diameter from our vantage point on earth and because of this the eclipses can be spectacular! During a solar eclipse, the moon passes in front of the sun, blocking it. A total solar eclipse can plunge you into darkness if it is occurring over your city during the day. During a total lunar eclipse, which occurred last week, the earth completely blocks the sun and this casts a shadow over the moon. This shadow actually throws a red colour over the moon which is why it is called a blood moon. The red colour comes from the diffraction of light hitting the earth’s atmosphere (like it is going through a prism), casting the colours of a sunrise/sunset onto the full moon. Watching it in real time was quite incredible. It was actually more impressive to the naked eye than through the telescope.
Not only is a lunar eclipse like this one quite breath-taking to witness, but it is also significant astrologically. Astrologically eclipses through the tradition have been known to be ominous and dissruptive, bringing change and upsetting the status quo. A solar eclipse which occurs at the new moon can signify new beginnings, and a lunar eclipse which occurs at the full moon can signify an ending. You may not see or feel an affect necessarily right at the time of the eclipse, but it can occur sometime within the 6 months leading up to the next eclipse series. How an eclipse will affect you depends on many factors, one of the most important is where it occurs in your natal chart. The nature of the eclipse is also affected by which zodiacal sign it is in, and also by the other planets and their location relative to each other and to the sun and moon in the sky.
Blood moon
As you can imagine these special eclipse events were noticed and taken very seriously by people in ancient times. In ancient Mesopotamia the priests read the signs given by the gods in heaven and on earth in the form of omens and they used this information to predict the future and advise the kings. They viewed the solar eclipses as a serious omen of grave danger for the king. If an eclipse was to occur in a certain location, the king ruling that region would be removed from public duty and a substitute king put in his place until the eclipse and the danger were over. It is not difficult to imagine danger being associated with the eclipses as a total solar eclipse can turn the day black, and a total lunar eclipse turns the moon blood red. In Duane Hamacher’s book The First Astronomers, he talks about the eclipses and their association with ceremonies and raids in Australian Aboriginal culture.
We have a pair of eclipses twice a year, however not all of these are total eclipses. I hope you had a chance last Tuesday night to look up and admire the blood moon as the next total lunar eclipse is not until March 2025. There will be penumbral and partial lunar eclipses in 2023 and 2024 and these will still have an effect astrologically but will not be nearly as impressive to look at.
*If you would like to learn more about what this recent eclipse means for you please email hello@emmalucy.com.au and book a consultation today!