A gorgeous big moon followed me home tonight, even though she technically won’t be full until the afternoon of New Year’s Eve.  This is a Blue Moon because it’s the second Full Moon in a month, something that doesn’t happen very often (hence the term “once in a blue moon”).  It’s also an eclipse, because the lunar nodes are involved; however, it’s a partial eclipse and not very powerful astrologically.

The Full Moon occurs when the lunar principle of the subconscious inner world overpowers the solar conscious mind with its brilliance as the Moon opposes the Sun in the sky, with the Earth between them.  At the Full Moon we earthlings are sandwiched between these two archetypal forces, and the experience of the Full Moon can be intensely emotional and unexpected.

This particular Full Moon is in the sign of Cancer, its own sign, suggesting that our sensitive emotional natures will be highlighted at this time.  The emotions of Cancer are vulnerable and tender and easily hurt, and the Moon now is opposed to four planets in the pragmatic and rather rigid sign of Capricorn.  The Capricorn lineup includes a tight conjunction of the Sun, Venus (relating) and Pluto (transformation, death, and rebirth).  There is a feeling now that every emotion we experience is critical and can act as a doorway, and a need to create balance in our own emotional world as well as in our relationships. 

A lunar event becomes an eclipse when the nodes of the Moon become involved.  The Moon’s nodes represent the evolutionary direction of the soul, so when the nodes are tightly connected to a Full or New Moon there is a sense of destiny that is imparted.  However, astronomers give the nodes a very wide orb of 15 degrees, and this particular eclipse finds the nodes 11 degrees from the Sun and Moon, which is rather far to have much astrological effect.

Still, Saturn is the fulcrum of what we call a “T-square,” challenging both the Moon and the Capricorn planets.  Saturn demands discipline and focused attention, so in the midst of the New Year’s Eve celebration we might be wise to do a little planning for the New Year as well. This will help us to be prepared when the Moon aligns with Saturn on the 6th, creating the potential for depression and sadness as the two face off in a square with Pluto and that sense of finality that Saturn and Pluto bring.  

The message here is that our lives are a gift that we need to take seriously.  Celebrations and parties are a wonderful thing, but this Full Moon/Blue Moon Eclipse wants us to take a look at our life and create something wondrous.