Full Blood Moon in Taurus November 8 at 10:02 UTC, 3:02 am PST, 6:02 am EST, 10:02 pm AEDT and "true" Samhain, November 7th at 10:36 UTC / 05:36 EST / 02:36 PST
Wow! There is so much to unpack with the coming full moon! Not only will we experience that energetic peak of Grandmother Moon’s energy fuelled by earthy Taurus, we greet the “true” date of Samhain (or Bealtaine, if in the Southern Hemisphere) and experience a total lunar eclipse!
Why do we call this a Blood Moon?
That term usually refers to a full moon eclipse, part of our recent mini eclipse season (there was a new moon solar eclipse on October 25th). The effect of the Earth’s shadow crossing the moon shifts the moon’s reflected light into the red spectrum. That total lunar eclipse is visible in November 7-8 (or 8-9, depending on your time zone) in much of the world. Check visibility and time of the eclipse in your locale in the eclipse map here.
A Full Moon eclipse can feel somewhat chaotic, with its opposing energetic forces. Typically, a full moon is at a time of peak waxing energy, a time of harvesting or endings. But a total lunar eclipse shuts that down rather abruptly, shifting from peak light reflection to … well, nothing!
The full moon energy shifts, raising our awareness to the waxing and waning situations and energies within our own life and our own path. This illuminates our current situation and perhaps gives us the visibility to see what must change, what must be forgiven, what must be let go… and the eclipse supercharges the release.
And know this: the eclipse energy has no sovereignty over you. You always have a choice. Only you can truly close something down. But … this full moon eclipse will whisper in your ear, demanding attention, asking, “Have you closely looked at all aspects of this situation? Do you know what you truly need?”
Taurus energy will support you at this topsy-turvy time, with its earthy elemental strengths of patience, diligence, perseverance and practicality. And it will wrap you in its cozy comforting arms as you process the changes. Taurus is ruled by Venus, so you may feel closer to the passions of your senses, and to what is of true value to you as you reflect and journey at this time of Samhain.
And Samhain! Many of you celebrated on the traditional date, beginning at sunset on October 31st. But unlike a solstice or equinox, the date on which Samhain (or Bealtaine) is celebrated varies by your belief system and traditions. Some choose to celebrate on the precise midpoint between the September Equinox and the December Solstice, which this year falls on November 7 at 10:36 UTC (view in Archaeoastronomy). Some choose to celebrate during the Leonid showers coming November 17-18 (which some historians believe may have been the original timing of Samhain, whilst others see it as the time when the veils between this world and the Otherworld close again). Click here for more info about the Leonid showers.
Inspiration from the bards (In my sleep I dreamed this poem) Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this, too, was a gift. - Mary Oliver, “The Uses of Sorrow” (from “Thrifty”, p. 2007)
Soul Work for the Full Moon
Seanmháthair Gealach (Grandmother Moon) has some wisdom for you:
Wisdom and new life is born from darkness . . . the dark of winter, the dark of the soil, the dark of the womb, the dark of the night, the dark of the moon.
What will you birth from the “box of darkness” (in Mary Oliver’s short poem above) that is the Full Moon Samhain eclipse . . . and what gift did it offer you?