Four Blood Moons

A Lunar Tetrad



Dramatic planetary and lunar activity, overwhelming to say the least, has left me with more questions than answers. However, I shall do my level best to translate their complex interactions into some sort of meaning.

    Earlier in the week I put down the bones of this blog, addressing the total eclipse of the Moon on Tuesday 15^th at 07h43 (GMT) and its association with the already much discussed Cardinal Grand Square. At a glance, I was delighted with the positive, creative force of the eclipse, ordinarily shrouded in a reputation of all things bad.
    The influence of the eclipse and the square alone is a mouthful and worthy of a book, so imagine my astonishment when I discovered that Mars, from its corner in the Grand Square, forms a perfect alignment with the Sun & the Earth on Tuesday 8^th April. Then on the 15^th April, the day of the lunar eclipse, it makes its closest pass to us. Each evening Mars can be seen in the eastern sky just after sunset, its reddish glow bigger and brighter than any other time during its two year orbit of the Sun.
    What’s more, the total eclipse of the Moon is not your average garden variety type of eclipse, but is part of something rather special called a Lunar Tetrad. A Lunar Tetrad is a sequence of four total eclipses, separated by six months. During a lunar eclipse the Moon moves through the Earth’s shadow and the colour of the golden full Moon changes to a burnt orange or a deep red, hence its name, blood moon. The hue is dependent on the amount of volcanic activity affecting the earth’s atmosphere. The dates of the four blood moons are:

·         15^th April 2014

·         8^th October 2014

·         4^th April 2015

·         28^th September 2015

Lunar Tetrads do not occur in a set pattern and their occurrence is fairly rare. None occurred at all during the 17^th, 18^th and 19^th century but eight will occur during the 21^st century. There is so much to explore with these great cosmic events, so much I don’t yet understand, hence my prudence in sticking to what I am confidently able to interpret. I shall tackle two major themes, one pertaining to the Grand Square/Cross and the other to the lunar eclipse.

    Before diving into their symbolism, I would like to draw attention to the fact that this Grand Square and its accompanying lunar eclipse, do not stand alone. They are part of a greater cycle of growth and link to other planetary configurations that occurred in the past:

·         1999

·         2003/2004

·         2010

The Grand Square/Cross

We are on the home stretch, soon arriving at a place of accomplishment. After months of hard work (inner and outer), overcoming obstacles and frustrations, structuring and restructuring our personal worlds, the time for reward is upon us. Naturally the level of accomplishment and reward is dependent on the amount of effort that was put into restructuring vulnerable support systems and relationships.

    On the 22^nd, 23^rd and 24^th April 2014, the four planets, Mars, Uranus, Jupiter, and Pluto, in a dramatic finale, lock into a perfect square on the 13^th degree of each of the four signs the zodiac – Libra, Aries, Cancer, and Capricorn. It is my sense that this is the moment when things click into place, when the real reason for the Grand Square/Cross is evident – major accomplishment. So now is the time to question, very seriously, what it is that we want to build in our personal worlds. This, in my view, is the wisest way to navigate the square and the eclipse. The questions relevant to the Square are as follows: 

·         Who do I most want to be?

·         Who do I most want to spend my life with?

·         To whom do I belong?

·         Where do I belong – what ground do I want my feet to walk upon?

·         Where do I most want to go?

·         What do I most want to build?

·         How do I most want to spend my time?

The answers to these questions will bring focus to the four cornerstones of our existence on the Earth and how best to stabilise and strengthen our personal worlds.

Blood Moon

Firstly, let me get the challenges associated with eclipses out of the way. The reason they have a reputation for bringing disaster or being a harbinger of bad things is because they reveal what is out of balance or out of alignment. They throw well-hidden shame or fear into view. An eclipse is not a bad sport; its job is simply to highlight what is out of kilter and to reveal subversive subconscious patterns that repeatedly sabotage happiness and fulfilment. Our job is then to cleanse or eliminate them from our subconscious.

    Each and every eclipse is about alignment. The four eclipses of the upcoming Lunar Tetrad specifically highlight all relationships – the alignment between ourselves and others. The best place to start is to check how well aligned we are as individuals, how well the inner core is aligned with the way in which we express that core, not only in relationships but also in daily life. How well aligned is our behaviour, within our important relationships, with the personal core? If we falsely represent who we really are, we draw the kind of people who resonate with that fabrication and that relationship inevitably ends in friction and strife.
    Perhaps the following questions will assist in finding appropriate alignment during the next two years:

Who in my life do I most want to align with?

·         Friends

·         Work colleagues

·         Family members

·         Neighbours

·         Inspirational role models, Madiba comes to mind

What kind of people do I want in my life in the future?

·         What kind of friend

·         What kind of love relationship partner

·         What kind of boss

·         What kind of working associates

What principles / philosophies do I most want to align with?

What kind of activities do I most want to align with?

·         Hobbies

·         Projects

·         Goals

·         Dreams

·         Leisure activities

·         Sport

·         holidays

How do I most want to behave in my relationships?

·         Spouse / partner

·         Children

·         Parents

·         Work colleagues

·         Friends

 Then lastly these following questions will help with personal alignment:

·        Is the way I present myself to the world in alignment with who I  am?

·        Is the face of my business adequately reflecting what it is genuinely about?

·        Is how I look (hairstyle, choice of clothes) a true reflection of who I am?

Whew, it all feels rather exhausting, but it is a task that will bring focus to the restructuring of relationships and our personal worlds to make the most of the eclipses and grand squares.

The degrees of the zodiac upon which the Sun and the Moon fall during the eclipse are delightfully positive. They hold qualities with which to create and build. They inspire the inventor, the builder, the writer, the artist. They inspire the ability to convert dreams into reality, the imagination being a precious tool. These two degrees simply burst with creativity and imbue confidence. There is a kind of boldness that dares us to step out of stagnation and into action, to create with abandon and to love with passion.

With love for the beautiful sky,

Sharron.