The Moon and Lore

Written by Madame Aradia

Friday, 17 July 2009 17:46

The moon has long been a base for superstitions and lore. Farmers and gardeners followed the moon phases closely when planting or harvesting. Certain groups consider the moon a great goddess...the moon being the feminine aspect of nature while the sun is masculine. Other people thought the phases of the moon caused madness...hence the word lunacy was what you might call someone who was “driven mad” by the moonshine. The gemstone known as Moonstone was given this name because ancient Indian cultures noted this stone (particularly the rainbow moonstone) was colored like the moon.

Two unique full moons are the Harvest Moon and the Blue Moon. The harvest moon is the full moon in the autumn which is very often red or orange..the color is caused by dust in the air, perhaps stirred up by the harvest. This moon would be followed by harsh, unpredictable weather. The blue moon is a unique occurrence when there are two full moons in one month. This phenomenon happens every 2 to 3 years...this rare event no doubt spurred the saying “once every blue moon”. This is a year of a blue moon, happening December 2nd, 2009 and again December 31, 2009.

Old weather predicting lore are as follows:

-A ring around the moon is a warning...and quite possibly rain or snow.
-A red moon is a warning of rain, clouds, heat....generally unpredictable weather.
-If a star is caught in soft clouds around the moon, a blessed rain will fall.
-A rainbow or “bloody” halo around the moon is a sign of danger and death.
-Clear moon, frost soon. Halo around the moon, rain soon.