Oh the moon, the splendid moon. When I was a kid, I had the fortune to grow up on a farm in the country, far from lights. On balmy summer nights, (yes this was before the invention of electronic devices), my brother and I used to lay under the stars and the moon. Being in the country, the stars were magnificent, so many, so distinct in the sky. Then there was the moon and the nights of the full moon. We used to think it was made out of cheese and how we loved cheese. We used to make up stories of going up in our space ship just to be able to eat unlimited amounts of cheese. Now I am grown up, I don’t live in the country anymore nor do I think the moon is made out of cheese. But the moon still holds so much fascination for me. When there is a special lunar event, I mark it on my calendar. I try to see the moon in all its different glories and stages. Full moon, new moon, waxing, waning, red moon, snow moon, lunar eclipse, you name it, I am there trying to see it. I love the sun too, but there is something extra special about the gentle moon. Since I have been into crystals, it has taken on a new meaning for me, and that means time to gather all my crystals together (except the ones that don’t really benefit from the moon’s subtle energy) and get them out there under that full moonlight (or others out there during the new moon) to cleanse and charge (but that is a whole other subject).
This month, on the 21st March, we have an extra special moon. We have the splendor of a supermoon, which is the last for 2019 (although this year we have already had 2 supermoons). What is a supermoon? Well it just means that the moon appears fuller and brighter than usual because it is closer to the earth. The other exciting thing about this moon is that it is happening on the March equinox. What is the March equinox, I hear you ask, well that is when the sun passes directly above the equator making the length of the day and the night pretty much equal in both hemispheres. The March equinox in the southern hemisphere is when the days will start getting shorter and the night longer. I know, that is a bit sad isn’t it. Not something to be joyful about, you might think at first. But what a lovely coincidence of seeing the supermoon at the same time. Plus in the northern hemisphere, it signals the beginning of spring, thus the name there of the full worm moon (as the soil is thawing and worms are coming back to the surface). Back to the southern hemisphere though, as well as being a supermoon, here it is also the harvest moon, as this is the beginning of autumn. The time to harvest, collect and gather and ready ourselves for the coming cold season. The coinciding of the full moon and the March equinox has not happened since 2000 (although some sources say 1981) and won’t happen again for another 11 years.
What is the significance of the supermoon, worm moon or harvest moon coinciding with the March equinox? According to Women’s Health, the full worm moon is all about finding your place in the world and it signifies the time where we need to retreat and think deeply about changes we can make for our lives to become better. This is certainly true of the time of year as Autumn and spring are traditional transition markers. The full moon together with the equinox signals a new start/a new cycle. According to Forever Conscious, the supermoon coinciding with the equinox will be a source of inspiration and new joy and excitement. It is a time to let go or let things die (the symbolic meaning of autumn) in order to let ‘the new’ in to our lives. We need to go within and self-reflect in order to know what it is that we need to let go of. In the next blog we will go into this transition a little more deeply and look at aromatics oils and rituals to support us during this time. In the meantime, enjoy the supermoon.