Blue Moon

I get asked, What is the Blue Moon good for?

The concept of the Blue Moon as being the second Full Moon in one month seems to date all the way back to the 80's. A defunct medeival definition had to do with getting rid of the 13th moon so as to keep the ecclesiastical calendar straight, so that moon-date determined holidays like Easter, etc., would stay at about the same solar time of the year. Songs and some legends seem to refer to rare occasions when things like volcano spew would make the Moon look blue to the eye.

So how to figure out what modern pagan observation should make of the modern definition, which happens about every 2 1/2 years? Look at some correspondences. Also, layering on more tradition is that this July's Blue Moon falls on Lammas or Lughnasdagh, the Irish/Celtic feast of Lugh, the grain harvest.

Blue: truth, throat chakra, blue faerie fire; Full Moon: maximum fulfillment potential; Blue Moon: rare, unusual, special occasion; Lughnasdagh: the sacrificial Corn God, usually associated with the harvest in temperate old world paganism, here in central TX the fact is it is the starting point for new fall crops and gardens. Lugh comes back in a Fall crop for us by mid-November, so maybe our cycle of fulfillment is quicker here!???

Traditional for Lugnasdagh is the baking of a Corn Man, which is passed around to take secrets to the underworld (confessions?) before he is sacrificed, usually not eaten eaten but buried.

How to weave this together? My suggestion is to use the Blue Moon power for special, even outrageouse requests, dreams and hopes of the biggest order, that we use our Throats, Voices to seng them into being, petitioning Lugh, god of light, the working man's god, craftsman, warrior. Perhaps a Cornbread Man of blue cornmeal could be infused with Blue Faery fire, and this blue fire could be used to animate our speaking of truth and dreams into being.

Many people feel very shy about using their voices, speaking their minds, much less asking for what they want. Those of us who are not shy about speaking have an obligation to help make safe place for them to practice.