Tag: #Equinox

Autumnal Equinox – Saturday, 23rd September

The autumnal Equinox occurs in September each year.  This year, the autumnal equinox occurs on 23rd September at 7:50am BST.

At the time of the autumnal & spring Equinoxes – the Sun will illuminate the northern and southern hemispheres equally. It is a time of balance – to discard the unwanted and take on the new. 🙂 Deciduous trees undergo huge transformations by shedding their leaves. They trust that this needs to happen in order for renewal and more growth. Letting go is necessary and important in order to sustain life. There can be a sense of loss during this season too, so it’s important for families to spend more time with each other and develop closer, stronger, more loving and supportive bonds.

For many, this Equinox marks the end of summer and the beginning of autumn.  However, there are three main different ways of defining autumn: astronomical, meteorological and phenological.

  • Astronomically, the four seasons centre around the equinoxes and solstices. However, there is disagreement between those who see the equinox or solstice as the start of the season, and those who hold that it represents the middle of the season.
  • By contrast, meteorologists tend to divide seasons into periods of three whole months based on average monthly temperatures, with summer as the warmest and winter as the coldest. On this basis, for most of the northern hemisphere the autumn months are usually September, October, and November.
  • The third way of defining autumn is to use what are known as phenological indicators. These cover a range of ecological and biological signs, such as the leaves falling off the trees and the migration of birds to warmer climates. These events of course are greatly influenced by weather and climate, and so changing climate could cause autumn to start earlier or later than the standard astronomical or meteorological definitions.

Mabon is a modern Pagan ritual marking the autumnal equinox. The ritual gives thanks for a plentiful harvest and recognises the need to share the Earth’s fruits in the coming winter months.

In Japanese culture, the autumn equinox is celebrated with the tradition of Higan. It is a time to remember deceased relatives, as well as mark the passing of the seasons.

Harvest MoonThe Harvest Moon is the name given to the Full Moon that occurs nearest to the autumnal equinox. The Full Moon this month falls on Friday, 29th September.
Historically the light of the Harvest Moon was said to enable farmers to work late into the night, helping them to bring in the crops from the fields.

 

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Full Moon – Tuesday, 7th March

Today’s Full Moon at 12.40pm is known mainly by the Farmers’ Almanac as the Worm Moon, referring to the earthworms that appear as the soil warms in spring, inviting robins and other birds to feed. Europeans may know March’s Full Moon as the Lenten Moon, according to NASA, after the Christian period of fasting before Easter, which coincides with this period in the lunar cycle.

There are other names for this particular Full Moon all of which herald the transition from Winter into Spring.  Such names include:

  • Crow Comes Back Moon.
  • Sugar Moon – marking the time of year when the sap of sugar maples trees starts to flow.
  • Wind Strong Moon – referring to the strong windy days that come at this time of year.
  • The Sore Eyes Moon – from North Dakota where the blinding rays of sunlight reflect off the melting snow of late winter.

Traditionally, each Full Moon name was applied to the entire lunar month in which it occurred, not only to the Full Moon.

For Hindus, this March’s Full Moon marks the festival of Holi, a celebration of the love of the god Radha Krishna and the triumph of good over evil. During Holi, revellers light bonfires and douse each other with colourful powders or dyed water.

For many Buddhists, March’s Full Moon is the Full Moon of the third lunar month, the time of the festival Māgha Pūjā in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Sri Lanka. This festival celebrates an ancient gathering of disciples with Buddha.

 It’s a period of new beginnings. Look for the spectacularly bright Moon as it rises above the horizon this evening! Planets Venus and Jupiter, will continue to dominate the western sky.


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Full Moon – Friday, 18th March

March’s Full Moon is known as the Worm Moon, which was originally thought to refer to the earthworms that appear as the soil thaws in Spring. This itself leads to the appearance of robins, chats and other worm eating birds.

An alternative explanation for this name comes from Captain Jonathan Carver, an 18th-century explorer, who wrote that this Moon name refers to a different sort of “worm”—beetle larvae—which begin to emerge from the thawing bark of trees and other winter hideouts at this time.

There are other names for this particular Full Moon all of which herald the transition from Winter into Spring.  Such names include:

  • Crow Comes Back Moon.
  • Sugar Moon – marking the time of year when the sap of sugar maples trees starts to flow.
  • Wind Strong Moon – referring to the strong windy days that come at this time of year.
  • The Sore Eyes Moon – from North Dakota where the blinding rays of sunlight reflect off the melting snow of late winter.

Traditionally, each Full Moon name was applied to the entire lunar month in which it occurred, not only to the Full Moon.

 It’s a period of new beginnings. Look for the spectacularly bright Moon as it rises above the horizon this evening!

#Broadwindsor,#Burstock,#Blackdown,#Hursey,#Kittwhistle,#Seaborough,#Drimpton,#Dorset,#Community,#Village,#FullMoon,#Worm,#Spring,#Equinox,#EcclesiasticalCalendar,#NewBeginnings,#LookUp,#SocialDistancng,#BeKind,#BeSafe,#StaySafe

 

Full Moon – Saturday, 28th March

March’s Full Moon is known as the Worm Moon, which was originally thought to refer to the earthworms that appear as the soil thaws in Spring. This itself leads to the appearance of robins, chats and other worm eating birds.

An alternative explanation for this name comes from Captain Jonathan Carver, an 18th-century explorer, who wrote that this Moon name refers to a different sort of “worm”—beetle larvae—which begin to emerge from the thawing bark of trees and other winter hideouts at this time.

There are other names for this particular Full Moon all of which herald the transition from Winter into Spring.  Such names include:

  • Crow Comes Back Moon.
  • Sugar Moon – marking the time of year when the sap of sugar maples trees starts to flow.
  • Wind Strong Moon – referring to the strong windy days that come at this time of year.
  • The Sore Eyes Moon – from North Dakota where the blinding rays of sunlight reflect off the melting snow of late winter.

March’s full Moon often plays a role in religion too. Specifically, in Christianity, this Moon is known as the Lenten Moon if it is the last Full Moon of the winter season (i.e.: if it occurs before the Spring equinox) or as the Paschal Full Moon if it is the first Full Moon of Spring (i.e.: if it occurs after the Spring equinox).  This year we have a Paschal Full Moon.

Easter is a different date every year and some remember the date as 3 weeks after Mother’s Day. Another way to remember when Easter falls is that Easter is always observed on the Sunday following the Paschal Full Moon, which is the first Full Moon that occurs on or after the March equinox…. well almost…

Broadwindsor village churchThe ecclesiastical dates of the Full Moon and the March equinox are those used by the Christian Church. They were defined long ago in order to aid in the calculation of Easter’s date, which means that they may differ from the astronomical dates of these events.
In A.D. 325, a Full Moon calendar was created that did not take into account all the factors of lunar motion that we know about today. The Christian Church still follows this calendar, which means that the date of the ecclesiastical Full Moon may be one or two days off from the date of the astronomical Full Moon.
Additionally, the astronomical date of the equinox changes over time, but the Church has fixed the event in their calendar to March 21st. This means that the ecclesiastical date of the equinox will always be March 21st, even if the astronomical date is March 19th or 20th.

This year, the March equinox occurred on Saturday, 20th March. The first Full Moon to occur after that date is March’s Full Worm Moon, on Sunday, 28th March. This makes March’s Full Moon the Paschal Full Moon as well. Therefore, Easter will be observed on the first Sunday after March 28: Sunday, 4th April! 🙂

 It’s a period of new beginnings. Look for the spectacularly bright Moon as it rises above the horizon on Saturday evening!

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Madron – the Autumn Equinox

The Autumn equinox occurs on Tuesday, September 22nd*.  Summer has come to an end.
Madron, sometimes called Mabon is the time of year when crops are harvested and a time where once again light and dark are in balance. The wheel of the year turns: the sun is rising later now, and nightfall comes sooner.
Themes of celebration include grain, balance, thanksgiving and gratitude for what you’ve “harvested” – and abundance 🙂 Prepare your chutneys, jams and preserves and store for winter. It is a time to throw out the old and take on the new although it is also the feast of the healer, bringing justice. This Sabbat is marked by the release of symbolic prisoners such as old arguments or regrets,
Madron is very much about healing and putting mistakes behind us so we can move on and learn from the lessons we have had and move on with lessons yet to be learned.

*By the meteorological calendar, the first day of Autumn is always 1 September; ending on 30 November.

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