This is the time of the Quickening Moon. It still feels a lot like winter. Many parts of the world are still covered in ice and snow. Even here in Central Florida we are having stormy winter weather. But winter will soon be over, and the promise of spring is starting to stir. Animals that will be born in the spring are growing inside their mothers right now. Underground, the seeds and bulbs lying dormant are starting to come to life. This "quickening" is like the first small stirrings of an unborn baby in its mother's womb. Not yet visible to the outside world, but there just the same.

This moon is also called the Storm Moon, as this is typically the stormiest time of the year. But even though winter rages around us, spring is just around the corner. The winter months are a time of looking inward, of rest and rejuvenation. As spring gets closer, we get tired of being cooped up inside and long to be outside in the warmth and the sun. This is a good time for "internal spring cleaning". Let go of past disappointments and failures, of unrealized dreams and plans that never made it past the planning stage. Let them melt away like the snow and sink back into the earth to be absorbed and neutralized.

Now that the past has melted away, look ahead to the upcoming spring. Think about the seeds you want to plant. What do you want to accomplish in the upcoming months? Set your goals and make your plans. These don't need to be full-blown plans - just the spark of an idea is a good place to start. Whatever you can dream, you can accomplish - the only one holding you back is you.

Keep that spark alive; let it take root and grow. This year's harvest will be bountiful!

Correspondences for the Quickening Moon include:

Colors: Purple and blue
Gemstones: Rose quartz, amethyst, jasper
Trees: Rowan, Myrtle
Gods: Brighid, Aphrodite, Juno, Mars
Herbs: Hyssop, sage, myrrh
Element: Fire

Magical workings this month should focus on personal achievements and advancement, new beginnings, and new relationships.

 

It's one of those rare times of the year when we are able to witness and participate in the unicity of life. No matter our religious or cultural heritage, all our season festivals celebrate the solstice, the darkest day of the year (in the Northern Hemisphere) and the day the Sun's light starts to return. It's one of several cosmic moments human beings have commemorated since we first noticed solar cycles. You could say — and it would not be a stretch — that the solstice, winter and summer, as well as the equinox, vernal and autumnal, are the first astrological holidays. For they delineate significant cycles within our enduring relationship with the Sun. Great monuments thousands of years old — Newgrange, Stonehenge, Maes Howe, Carnac, Gao Cheng Zhen, Chichen Itza, Chaco Canyon — all celebrate this turning point, when the Sun "stands still," which is what "solstice" means, and the solar cycle begins anew.

Other than from an astrological perspective, we seldom think of the Sun as a powerful symbol. And even from an astrological perspective, we tend to relegate the Sun to a Sign and think of it as an indicator of personality traits. But what the ancients knew and the knowledge that still resonates through modern holidays — Christmas, Yule, or Yalda, no matter how commercial these festivals have become, is that the Sun, in its regular, reliable, consistent, and constant presence, is the source of life. The Sun is eternal and when we celebrate its eternality, we celebrate our own, and not just our individual, particular life, but all of life — life it its entirety. Which may be way the notion of good cheer and fellowship with all sentient beings is integral to the festivities. We invite the light in with trees, logs, candles, and fire of all sorts, and that warmth is shared with family, friends, and in the best of times, with foes.

The Sun shines equally on all of life — something I try to remind myself of when I find myself in an unhealthy polarized stance, and by that I mean a position that's based on egocentricity and self-righteousness. Or in Buddhist terms, ignorant about the true nature of reality, which is that we are all one and what seemingly divides us is born of our failure to recognize the truth of our interconnectedness. The Sun is the primary symbol of our unity. It creates a unified field and holds within its vast and infinite reach all of us from the quark to the elephant, from a grain of sand to Mount Everest. All of us. Everything.

On December 21, celebrate the Sun and allow its eternal celestial fire to light your personal fire. Cultures come and go, traditions change, symbols lose or gain meaning, but the Sun endures. And, through its eternal light, so do we.

When last month's full Moon rose over Florida, onlooker Raquel Stanton of Cocoa Beach realized that something was up. "The Moon was stunningly gorgeous--and it looked bigger than usual!" she says. "My whole family noticed and watched in awe." Like millions of others around the world, she had witnessed the biggest full Moon of 2008--a "perigee Moon," 14% wider and 30% brighter than lesser Moons she had seen before. "I'll never forget it." Alert: It's about to happen again. This Saturday night, Jan. 10th, another perigee Moon is coming. It's the biggest full Moon of 2009, almost identical to the one that impressed onlookers in Dec. 2008.
Above: The perigee full Moon of Dec. 2008. "The moon was very bright and BIG! Just watching it with my telescope was exciting enough, but I had to take this picture for the records," says photographer Ron Hodges of Midland, Texas. Johannes Kepler explained the phenomenon 400 years ago. The Moon's orbit around Earth is not a circle; it is an ellipse, with one side 50,000 km closer to Earth than the other. Astronomers call the point of closest approach "perigee," and that is where the Moon will be this weekend. Perigee full Moons come along once or twice a year. 2008 ended with one and now 2009 is beginning with another. It's the best kind of déjà vu for people who love the magic of a moonlit landscape. January is a snowy month in the northern hemisphere, and the combination of snow + perigee moonlight is simply amazing. When the Moon soars overhead at midnight, the white terrain springs to life with a reflected glow that banishes night, yet is not the same as day. You can read a newspaper, ride a bike, write a letter, and at the same time count the stars overhead. It is an otherworldly experience that really must be sampled first hand.
Above: The perigee full of Dec. 2008. "A cold wind was blowing as the Moon set over a neighbor's farm," says photographer Eric Ingmundson of Sparta, Wisconsin. "Next time (Jan. 10th) I plan to use a tripod." Another magic moment happens when the perigee Moon is near the horizon. That is when illusion mixes with reality to produce a truly stunning view. For reasons not fully understood by astronomers or psychologists, low-hanging Moons look unnaturally large when they beam through trees, buildings and other foreground objects. This weekend, why not let the "Moon illusion" amplify a full Moon that's extra-big to begin with? The swollen orb rising in the east at sunset may seem so nearby, you catch yourself reaching out to touch it. You won't be the only one. Even at perigee, the Moon is 360,000 km away, yet the distant beauty beckons to poets, stargazers and NASA with equal force: "Come back," it seems to say, "I'm really not so far away." More Information: Perigean tides: A perigee Moon brings with it extra-high "perigean tides," but this is nothing to worry about, according to NOAA. In most places, lunar gravity at perigee pulls tide waters only a few centimeters (an inch or so) higher than usual. Local geography can amplify the effect to about 15 centimeters (six inches)--not exactly a great flood.

Solar Eclipse today... of course I won't be able to see it (only those in the extreme southern hemisphere), but we should be able to feel the effects. Then on the 20th there is a total eclipse of the moon starting around 8:43 PM (EST), becoming total around 10:01 PM (EST) During a total lunar eclipse, we experience what might be called a "micro month". The moon is full, then partially or completely hidden, and then visible again. Within just a few minutes, an energy similar to a complete cycle of full, waning, new/black,waxing and full once more. The lunar eclipse is the symbol of the Crone, called by such names as Hecate, Hel, Mother Hulda, the Snow Queen, Bone Mother, Demeter (as seen searching for Persephone while the earth's vegetation dies) and Sekhmet. It is significant that the eclipse is not related to the Crone as the Lady of Wisdom, who is part of the Crone image with the waning crescent-moon part of the lunar cycle, but focuses on the Lady as Passage. Now is a fine time for Dark magic and Sidhe magic. Eclipses generally bring things either into fruition, or to a halt. That particular area of your life will be affected depending in which house of your natal chart the eclipse falls. The dark red color of the moon has caused many cultures to equate the lunar eclipse with blood and magic. As always there are the light and dark sides of the magiks involved and many will yield to the temptations of using a darker and harmful magik rather than a greater light magik for the benefit for all. Fertility rites are very popularly held under the eclipsing full moon. It has been said many strengths and great powers are given to the birthed of those conceived at that time. Chanting a Mantra just once during a lunar eclipse proves as powerful as chanting the same Mantra a hundred times in ordinary conditions. Great Tantriks and Yogis remain waiting for such moments for they are well aware of their significance. On the other hand the common/muggle/mundane person being unaware of this significance wastes these moments. The common/muggle/mundane family provider person has more problems and worries in her/his life due to which s/he remains ever anxious. If only s/he knew, s/he could make use of these moments and solve many problems of life. Simply put an eclipse is a boon for people to make great successes in their lives. Good for relationship magic. Eclipses rapidly bring everyone's emotions to the extreme in order for you to see them and understand them better—that's the shock effect of an eclipse. It is as if an eclipse turns up the volume in your heart so you can really hear the message inside. Most often people holding dark or harsh emotions in check all time are unusually disturbed and lash out uncharacteristically. More so than with just a full moon an eclipsed full moon brings out the (lunacy) raw emotions. Eclipses represent special opportunities to heal old patterns and to make major shifts in your life. Fears, emotions and feelings are closer to the surface. The very real concern for the safety of home and family has created new goals for greater protection and assertiveness in your private lives. During these turbulent times, the world is teetering on an unprecedented evolutionary edge. The future is up to you,me we US – this time, everyone counts. It is so important to choose, speak, and live your lives more fully and more honestly everyday. The full moon Lunar Eclipse illuminates the need to act from the heart, to show compassion and concern for others, to recognize personal and collective power and to face the fears which hold us back. As you let your light shine, you give others permission to do the same. As you exude the confidence of inner security,and serenity you allow yourself and others to create a world of peace and abundance. The rewards are yours to define and reap. The veils of illusion lift, making it possible to create greater magic in our lives. What you seek and what you dream for yourself and your world can more readily be. Your happiness and success can have greater depth and meaning. You can discover your true more spiritual self. A wonderful exercise to help you conquer your inner resistance and to accept greater love and prosperity would be as follows: If you can't have an open fire, visualize yourself sitting by a campfire. Take a deep breath and slowly exhale. Now take another slow cleansing breath. Open all your senses. Hear the crackling wood and smell the earth, all the scents of the life forces and energies around you. Feel the air touching you and the surface on which you sit. See the flames dancing and lose yourself in the rhythm of their dance. Know that with the flames, your fears burn into ashes and reunite with the earth. You may see in the flames what the resistance is, or you may find yourself just gazing into the fire. Keep your focus. As you continue taking long slow breaths, see your dreams manifest before you and feel the power of new beginnings. By bringing yourself here, know that Deity, Spirit Energy, all that is, will take you the rest of the way; and that you can chose to anchor your new vision and agree to fulfillment in your life; if you follow the vision and let it be. At this time, more so than ever before, as we move into uncharted territory, we must make the efforts to heal the hearts and minds of all the people and the living heart of our Mother Earth will continue giving us all we need to have that incredible abundant life each of us work toward and hope to have. I will meditate for all of you to move beyond your personal resistance ~ to remember the effortless ways of the flow of creation and the ease of manifestation, to marvel at the wonder and allow the magik we call life to flourish in peace, joy and prosperity.

Total Lunar Eclipse After Midnight Tonight

As August draws to an end, watchers of the night sky will be in for a treat. In the early morning hours of August 28, sky watchers across much of the world can look on as the Moon crosses in to the shadow of the Earth, becoming completely immersed for one-hour and 30 minutes, a period of time much longer than most typical lunar eclipses. In fact, this eclipse will be the deepest and longest in 7 years. The event begins 54 minutes past midnight PDT (3:54 a.m. EDT) on August 28. At first, there is little change. The outskirts of Earth's shadow are as pale as the Moon itself; an onlooker might not even realize anything is happening. But as the Moon penetrates deeper in to the Earth’s shadow, a startling metamorphosis occurs. Around 2:52 a.m. PDT (5:52 a.m. EDT) the color of the Moon changes from moondust-gray to sunset-red. This is totality, and it lasts for almost 90 minutes. With the Sun blocked, you might expect utter darkness, but instead the ground at your feet appears to be aglow. Why? Look back up at Earth. The rim of the planet seems to be on fire. Around the Earth's circumference you will witness every sunrise and sunset in the world—all at once. This incredible, colorful light beams into the heart of Earth’s shadow, transforming the Moon into a landscape of copper moondust and golden hills. The eclipse will be visible from Australia, parts of Asia and most of the Americas, but not from Africa or Europe. The view is different from each location on the planet. Here in the United States, Pacific observers are favored. For them the entire eclipse will unfold high in the post-midnight sky. However, on the East Coast, totality will be cut off early by sunrise. Image above: This map shows the start times for viewing the eclipse for the time zones of the United States. Image credit: NASA Here is some of what you can expect to see from various locations across the country:

• Viewers on the West Coast will get the best show. For them the entire eclipse will be visible from start to finish before moonset in the early morning hours of Tuesday, August 28, 2007.
• Hawaiians will be able to see the full eclipse, or totality, around midnight.
• For viewers on the East Coast and in the Great Lakes States, the eclipse will start around dawn and will still be occurring when the Sun rises and the Moon sets that morning.
• Finally, across the Mid-West, Plains, and Rocky Mountain States the totality has already ended before the Moon sets and viewers there will only see a partial eclipse as the Moon emerges from the shadow of the Earth.

While sky watchers focus their attention on the eclipse, NASA scientists and engineers are looking at the Moon for a different reason. NASA is getting ready to take its first steps back to the Moon, nearly 40 years after the first human Moon landing.