Every year I open my Llewellyn Witches’ Datebook and plan out my Great Work of Magick Astrological Calendar, like this one for 2023 that I posted here. Just about every year, I roll my eyes in disbelief that such an esteemed metaphysical publisher determines “Blue Moons” incorrectly. They make the common (stupid) mistake of determining blue moons as the second full moon within a calendar month. We’ve got one of these contested full moons happening Wednesday, August 30th, 2023. For magickal purposes, Blue Moons are the second full moon to fall within the same zodiac sign. There are no blue moons in 2023. On August 30th, celebrate the Harvest Moon because it is the only opposition of the Sun in Virgo to the Full moon in Pisces to occur this year.
My 35 years of witchcraft practice informs me that The Powers That Be don’t give a tinker’s damn about what “month” anything falls within. The Gregorian Calendar is a man-made construct put into use by a Catholic Pope. That calendar is great for use by banks, schools and governments. But I ask you, what does this man-made naming convention have to do with the greater energetic tides of the cosmos? Nothing! Astrology provides the most accurate system with which to predict how the energetic tides will flow throughout the year.
I wrote more about my contrary opinions here. The witchiest thing we can ever do is to challenge convention and dig for a deeper truth. So, please allow me to make my case…
Historically, there have been Three Rival Conventions Determining Blue Moons.
Let’s take a stroll through the history department together so you can decide for yourself which of these three rival naming conventions makes the most sense for magickal timing.
- The Pruitt Mistake: Two full moons within the same Gregorian calendar month, second is the Blue Moon.
- The Maine Rule: Four full moons within one season, the third is the Blue Moon.
- The Astrological Witchcraft Rule: 2 full moons during one zodiac sign, the second is the Blue Moon.
Where did this two moons in a calendar month misinformation come from?
In brief, Farmers’ Almanacs use astronomy to calculate all manner of natural events that will impact agriculture, including lunar movements. Originally, the blue moon convention was based on “The Maine Rule.” Then, in the May 1950 issue of Sky and Telescope, a new “second full moon in a calendar month convention” was adopted, thanks to an error made by an amateur astronomer in Oregon named James Hugh Pruitt. <Gee thanks, Pruitt!>
The “Maine Rule” for Blue Moons
According to Olsen, Fienberg and Sinnott in their 2006 article, “What Is A Blue Moon?” fhere was a lot of maneuvering involved in determining blue moons, based on ecclesiastical calendars around Easter, and astronomical calculations within a tropical year, and their preferred moon naming conventions. Sufficed to say, it is convoluted. Here are the important bits for our witchy purposes:
“At last we have the “Maine rule” for Blue Moons… When a season contains four full Moons, the third is called a Blue Moon. Why is the third full Moon identified as the extra one in a season with four? Because only then will the names of the other full Moons, such as the Moon Before Yule and the Moon After Yule, fall at the proper times relative to the solstices and equinoxes.” Source
The Pruitt Mistake in Sky and Telescope Magazine
This seasonal “Maine” rule was the way blue moons were calculated in Farmer’s Almanacs, up until a mistake was made in print by Pruitt in March of 1946, which unfortunately was adopted in 1950, and then repeated ad nauseum since then.
“During the period 1932 to 1957…the Maine Farmers’ Almanac consistently listed Blue Moons derived from the convoluted (Maine) seasonal rule…So where did the modern convention — that a Blue Moon is the second full Moon in a calendar month — come from? Sky & Telescope has, and is, the answer!
Laurence J. Lafleur…discussed Blue Moons… in Sky & Telescope, July 1943, page 17, citing the 1937 Maine Farmers’ Almanac as his source… This commentary notes that the Moon occasionally “comes full thirteen times in a year,” … he did not mention the specific dates of any Blue Moons and never said anything about two full Moons in one calendar month…
Some three years later, in March 1946, an article entitled “Once in a Blue Moon” appeared in Sky & Telescope (page 3). Its author, James Hugh Pruitt…mentioned the 1937 Maine almanac and repeated some of Lafleur’s earlier comments. Then, unfortunately, he went on to say, ‘Seven times in 19 years there were — and still are — 13 full moons in a year. This gives 11 months with one full moon each and one with two. This second in a month, so I interpret it, was called Blue Moon.’
Pruitt must not have had the 1937 almanac handy, or he would have noticed that the Blue Moon fell on August 21st (obviously not the second full Moon that month) and that 1937 had only 12 full Moons. But only in retrospect is his error so obvious.”
Sky & Telescope adopted Pruett’s new definition, using it in a note entitled “‘Blue’ Moons in May” on page 176 of the May 1950 issue.” (1)
Astrological Witchcraft Rule:
By the Astrological Method of auspicious timing for Lunar Witchcraft: Blue Moons are the SECOND occurrence of the full moon opposition within the same zodiac sign, granting the witch a chance to work with that same elemental pairing for a second time. Additionally, a special lunar cycle within that zodiac pairing is then formed around the dark (conjunct) moon between them. This additional “Blue Moon” becomes like a hinge-point, and switches the lunar leadership for the following year or so to being led by the dark moons. (see the linear leadership graphic for 2024 further down this article for a visual aid.) In short, the astrological Blue Moon provides several very magickal, very cool, very real shifts of power that have meaning within witchcraft practices.
Moral of this tired old Story:
The “second full moon in a calendar month” thing was a stupid mistake made by an amateur astronomer named Pruitt in 1946. That error was made just 77 years ago, and I KNOW how little magickal folks appreciate the mistakes made by modern witches these last hundred years! So, I’m begging the magickal, pagan, occult and witchcraft communities to PLEASE stop mindlessly repeating the errors of a NON-MAGICKAL person for our magickal timing. Pretty please? This is the hill I’m ready to die on.
So, what auspicious magickal tides should we celebrate August 30th?
From my Witches’ 2023 Astrological Calendar for Magickal Planning post, this is the most potent way to celebrate the moon this week:
Harvest Moon, Summer Mutable
Ritual Function: With the mutable energies of a moon in Pisces/Virgo opposition, conclude your Summer’s work of cultivating your Great Work of Magick intention made this year.
Sun: Virgo ♍︎
Moon: Pisces ♓︎
Exact Calendar Date: Wednesday, August 30, 2023, 9:36 pm (Eastern Time Zone)
Suggested Celebration Planning: Wednesday, August 30, 2023, after moon enters Pisces at 9:56 am and before exact full that night at 9:36 pm.
Planetary Magick by Day of the Week: For magick spells, utilize this waxing lunar tide with planetary Mercury. As Mercury is currently retrograde, appeals for resolutions from old miscommunications would be ideal.
The next blue moon falls during the 2024 Wheel while the Sun crosses through Cancer. See that teal colored heart on the graphic below?) Then we have two different oppositions of the Full Moon in Capricorn to celebrate. This blue moon cycle switches the lunar leadership to the dark-moon within lunar pairings. Here is a sneak preview of my next wheel of the year poster, now available for purchase from my shop here.
Hopefully, this clears things up!
Harvest blessings!
~Heron
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