Babes, we’ve got a real show in the skies to talk about this month!

Tomorrow night is the October full moon. You might be hearing a lot about this moon because it’s been widely talked about as a Blood Moon because of a lunar eclipse that will also be happening.

Actually the October full moon is already known as the Blood Moon.  It’s also known as the Hunter’s Moon, Shedding Moon, Falling Leaf Moon and Vine Moon.

Astronomically it’s called a Blood Moon because during the full lunar eclipse the moon  catches the Earth’s shadow, which happens to appear red.  We had another Blood Moon by astronomical definition earlier this year in April.  We’ll have two in 2015, one in April and one in September.

 

 

This particular lunar eclipse tomorrow is considered an anomaly because it will happen at the same time as the sun is rising {known as a selenelion}.

So that’s something!

Magically and spiritually the October full moon is known as the Blood Moon because this is the time agriculturally for the final harvest, the meat harvest.  This is the time that animals who will be used for food during the winter would be slaughtered and it’s also a time for any final vine or grain crops to be brought in.

It’s also known as the Hunter’s Moon because by the light of this final harvest season full moon hunter’s would go out and do their final bit of hunting.

This Eclipse Energy

I know a lot of people today see the eclipse as a great and powerful moon to work magic.  And it certainly can be!  When an eclipse happens we experience a full 29 day moon cycle in a matter of a few hours.

It’s interesting to consider that there was once a time that an eclipse was seen as a time of dread.  People saw a lunar eclipse as an omen that would foretell the death of kings and other major figures, the start of wars and destruction that was sure to come.

The eclipse energy is focused on the life and death cycle.  When you work magic during and eclipse you need to make sure that you are covering all those aspects and not just working with one.  If you do magic to release something you need to also make sure you’re addressing the issue of what you want to take it’s place.   It should be very carefully planned, phrased and well thought out.  Because of this life/death cycle energy almost any magic can be done now.

Eclipse energy also brings up a lot of energy and emotions that might have otherwise been buried for a while.  Given that we’re also in the beginning of a Mercury Retrograde this can complicate emotionally charged communication, so be aware of your emotions and how you express them.

Lots of people love to use the lunar eclipse as a time for doing “special” magic but there is another school of thought – since the eclipse causes the moon to be “blocked” by the earth’s shadow then you magic may also be blocked and end up being ineffective.

The best I can suggest is to try working now, track your progress and then ask yourself these questions over time:  How has you magic worked in the past during and eclipse? Have you noticed it to be more effective, less effective for kind of meh?

 

Blood Moon Magic

The main energy of a Blood Moon is that of shedding and release in order to start something new and more ideal.  It’s also a time for gratitude for those who have scarified themselves for your life and survival.  This initially was a time for giving gratitude to the animals who were slaughter and to the earth for the crops that were gathered.

Today we might take this a step further and use this as a time to give thanks and gratitude for others who have scarified themselves for our lives, like those who have died in military service or even those who are still in service, sacrificing their home lives in order to defend their country and keep you safe.

This is a time for cutting away bad habits, ending relationships that are no longer working, general separations, healing that involves work on the removal of something, setting goals that focus on decreasing something and preparing for the new beginnings that come as the result of an ending.

Under the Blood Moon even activities that we might do during Samhain, which is still a few weeks away, can be done now.  Lighting candles named for your dead loved ones to guide them through the veil and leaving offerings for the dead such as apples or pomegranates.

 

But then there’s THIS Blood Moon…

This October’s Blood Moon with it’s lunar eclipse will be in the sign of Aries…kind of.  I say that because the moon will be Void of Course from 10:21am on October 8th to 7:45am October 9th {Eastern Time}.  

When the moon is Void of Course that means that it’s not fixed to one sign and is actually shifting from one sign to another, in this case from Aries to Taurus.

How does this affect your magic?   Magic worked during a VoC doesn’t have the same kind of hold or lasting power as magic worked when the moon is in a specific sign. It makes it not the best time for working magic and instead a really great time for going inward. Meditation, journaling, getting clarity and focus on your goals and what you need to let go of to make those goals happen are all things that would be ideal right now.

Something like either my Road Opening or Celebrating Samhain Meditation kits are perfect for this moon. 

 

 

Still Want To Give Magic A Go?

If you want to work magic for this Blood Moon a simple candle ritual would be ideal.  Using a red candle, carve into it the name of something you wish to shed and release.  Also know what it is that you wish to take it’s place. Anoint the candle with an oil like Cut and Clear condition oil or even a single note essential oil like lemongrass. Light the candle and out loud say something like:

As this candle burns,
Red wax runs like blood.
May ______________ be released
and ____________ enter like a flood.

 

 

A few other Blood Moon correspondences…

Colors: dark blue, deep purple, black and blood red
Crystals + Stones: amethyst, bloodstone, black tourmaline, obsidian
Herbs: apple blossom, chrysanthemum, rose, rosemary
Working: letting go, shedding, blood magic, ancestral work, scrying, divination, dreamwork, looking toward the goals you have for your spiritual and personal growth.

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