Micro Blood Lunasa Full Moon & Lunar Eclipse, Friday 27th July

Friday 27th July is the second in a trilogy of Eclipses, starting with a partial solar eclipse on Friday 13th July and ending with a lunar eclipse on 11th August. This middle eclipse on 27th July (Saturday 28th in some parts of the world) is a total lunar eclipse visible, at least partially, pretty much worldwide except in the Americas.

The Full Moon will be at it's brightest at 21.22 UK time, but it won't be as bright as usual because it's a Micromoon.  

A Micromoon is when the moon appears smaller and weaker in the sky because it is reaches the furthest proximity to Earth (known as the apogee*) coinciding with the New Moon or Full Moon. 

*The moon orbits around the Earth in an ellipse which takes just over 29 days, meaning that it reaches points in the year when it is at its closest (perigee, when it is about 363,000 km away) and furthest (apogee, when it is about 405,500 KM) from our planet. When the Full Moon or New Moon coincides with the Perigee it's known as a SuperMoon and we've had two of those recently with a third happening in August with the final eclipse of the trilogy. The image (left) shows a Supermoon over Hungerford Bridge, London in August 2014. See Lunarplanner.com for more about perigees and apogees. Those old enough might be reminded of Bed Knobs and Broomsticks when Angela Lansbury mentions the perigee and apogee in one of her invocations!

However as it's the Celtic celebration of Lunasa on 1st August too, this moon is close enough to carry the energy of Lunasa, which is the start of the harvest, season of pregnancy, ripening, transformation and peace. This marks the height of the northern summer, when the Earth is most alive. It's also the Egyptian New Year!

And finally we have a Blood Moon, because we have a total lunar eclipse visible in some parts of the world which may make the moon appear a red or orange colour. During a total eclipse, the sunlight shining through Earth's atmosphere gets refracted towards the red part of the spectrum, then casts onto the moon's surface. Hence the grey colour of the partial eclipse can become red/orange during the totality phase. Certain particle sizes in the atmosphere, say from a volcanic eruption, can make the moon like a very deep red, but this year a dramatic bright orange is anticipated.

Sadly, we won't see much in the UK and most of Europe due to some of the timing of the eclipse taking place before the moon will have risen in the sky here (moonrise in London on 27th July is 20.49), but - weather permitting - we will see the maximum eclipse at 21.21 and the partial eclipse thereafter. See timeanddate.com for full timings and details of the experience elsewhere in the world. Skygazers in the US won't see anything at all, whereas onlookers in the parts of Africa and the Middle East, Eastern Russia and parts of Asia, New Zealand and Australia will see the entire eclipse. Totality (i.e. full eclipse) will last for 103 minutes, peaking at 20.21 GMT/UTC (UK is at GMT +1 at the moment so an hour later here). This makes it the longest eclipse of the 21st Century

Anyway, whatever the weather conditions, it's a fantastic excuse to get people of all ages outside in the fresh air and re-connecting with nature. Something our modern lifestyles and obsession with technology can distract us from doing. Weather permitting, outdoor moon bathing can be very therapeutic, simply breathe the silver energy in and out and, if the mood takes you, undertake an outdoor meditation. It’s a wonderful time to put crystals (don’t put out any soluble crystals if it might rain) outside to be recharged by the lunar energy.

Furthermore, whether the eclipse is visible or not, energetically we are all affected. Astrologically (summarised with thanks from astrostyle.com), lunar eclipses illuminate our shadow self, as defined by Carl Jung. This can be a challenging experience, as many of us are not keen (or even open) to acknowledging and addressing our faults. However, facing our suppressed emotions (such as anger, jealousy, greed) and confronting our fears provides a great opportunity to move forward in life; past what may have seemed to be insurmountable obstacles. Accepting that we have faults and integrating this knowledge internally is very beneficial for our personal spiritual development.  

The Full Moon has a gravitation effect on the Earth, hence leading to a tidal impact on our oceans. Whilst it is has not been scientifically proven, it is logical to assume that this also has an impact on us as we are largely comprised of water (60-80% supposedly).

At the time of the Full Moon the Sun and Moon are in opposition. The solar (sun) energy influences our masculine/yang archetypal attributes (our outer world) such as strength, courage, identity, self-esteem, expression, conscious beliefs and determination together with our logical outlook. Whereas the lunar energy (moon) influences our feminine/yin archetypal attributes (our inner world), such as our unconscious beliefs, hidden emotions, nurturing feelings, creativity and intuition. The Full Moon is a powerful and appropriate time to show gratitude for life and the riches and bounty bestowed upon us by Mother Earth (Gaia).

Additional aspects brought in due to the astrology of this particular Full Moon, which is Moon in 4.45o Aquarius and Sun in 4.45o Leo (courtesy of universallifeforms.com and Angela McGerr’s Harmony Angel Cards for the angelic guardians). During the Aquarius Full Moon, the moon reflects the light of the Sun in Leo.

Sun represents past, feelings, intuition, emotions, unconscious, nurturing.

The Angelic Guardian of the Moon is Gabriel bringing hopes, dreams and aspirations.

Moon represents, present (now), expression, self-esteem, consciousness, identity.

The Angelic Guardian of the Sun is Raphael bringing healing, science and knowledge.

Aquarius (air) brings humanitarianism, individualism, rebellion, pioneering determinism, independence. 

The Angelic Guardian of Aquarius is Cambriel overseeing ambition, principles and ideals. 

Leo (fire) brings leadership, affection, generosity, extraversion, stubbornness, authority, courage, compassion.

The Angelic Guardian of Leo is Verchiel overseeing courage, leadership and loyalty.

When the moon is in Leo (a fire sign ruled by the sun) and when the moon is in Leo, we connect deeply with our hearts and unleash our passions. This leads us to seek creative inspiration and emotional fulfilment. 

Other influences on the planetary alignment coinciding with this Full Moon Lunar Eclipse are the Moon (and Lunar South Node) is in strong conjunct with Mars (retrograde) and the Sun is in weak conjunction with the asteroid Pallas (representing feminine wisdom).

Mars being a masculine and driving force but when in eclipse and also retrograde this could result in impatience, irritability and explosive outbursts. Anyone with repressed anger issues or victims of sexual violence might find this eclipse especially stressful; try to offer forgiveness to the past and use water to sooth emotional hurts. A salt or Epsom salt bath on the night of the eclipse is recommended for tender or sensitive individuals.

Lunar South Node represents previous experiences and North Node represents future opportunities. Hence it will be difficult to hide away or detach from the truth, offering the chance to shine and accept our vulnerability. Pallas Athene (after which the asteroid Pallas was named) sprang from the head of Zeus and being connected with the snake and owl is associated with independence and wisdom. So this brings up any issues relating to our fathers or other key masculine influences on our lives. This planetary/asteroid alignment will bring the energy of Divine Femininity and Pallas is urging us to claim our feminine inner warrior, stand our ground and believe in ourselves.

Furthermore, with this total eclipse lasting 103 minutes, it is the longest eclipse of the 21st Century and with a partial eclipse preceding and following the total eclipse the whole event will last almost 4 hours! The longer an eclipse lasts the greater intensity will be felt and with the Moon conjunct with Mars this is further amplified. The angelic Guardian of Mars is Camael who urges self-empowerment, justice and courage through forgiveness.

Further energetic aspects are brought in by the lunar eclipse and the numerology of year 2018 which is a 11 year = enlightenment.

The word eclipse is derived from the Greek ekleipsis, meaning abandon or vanish. This is very relevant for the emotions experienced during an eclipse; as it brings the desire to let go of the superfluous parts of ourselves which are limiting our greater potential. 

If you are an angel fan, the angel of the Moon is Gabriel. See link for instructions on Angela's Angelic Meditation with Gabriel.

The time between any Full Moon and the next New Moon is a good time, energetically, to detox the body. 

In view of this being a Micro Lunasa Blood Moon, I would say it's an even better time than usual for a detox. 

I recommend an oil pulling technique, with coconut oil, which must be from a glass container for best taste.

First published in Joanna's Harmony Healing Blog, to subscribe to Joanna's Blog updates, complete the name and email boxes at the top of the Harmony Healing Contact Us Page.