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The Llewellyn Encyclopedia

Term: Blue Moon

DEFINITIONS

Blue Moon: The earliest reference to the concept of a Blue Moon appeared in 1528, where it simply meant something absurd or impossible. Later, because of a difference between the physical world and the Catholic church’s calendar, an extra full moon occasionally appeared at the “wrong” time. They referred to this as a “betrayer” moon, and in Middle English, the word for “betray” sounds similar to “blue.” By the 19th century, a Blue Moon was associated to the seasons. Each season—summer, fall, winter, and spring—generally lasts three months, meaning that there are usually three full moons during a season. Because a solar year does not coincide with the lunar year, occasionally a season will have four full moons. When this occurs the third full moon of the season is called a Blue Moon. In 1946, Sky and Telescope magazine ran an article that misinterpreted the seasonal understanding, and stated that in any month of the calendar year that has two full moons, the second full moon was called a “Blue Moon.” This error caught on and is now the most popular interpretation for the source of the expression. Metaphorically, “once in a blue moon” means something that rarely happens.


ARTICLES

Divinatory Practices
There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of different forms of divination and clairvoyant practice. The following lists organize some of the more familiar by the major styles. It is a preliminary effort. Analytical Tables of Clairvoyant & ...
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Celtic Religion
Druidism can be used synonymously with the phrases Celtic religion and Celtic magic. In order to enter into this magico-religious system, a familiarity with mythology is necessary. Celtic mythology is best represented in the Irish Book of Invasions ...
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Secrets of the Conscious Mind
The conscious mind is the "middle" consciousness—the "ordinary" consciousness, the "objective" consciousness, the "aware" consciousness—with which we exercise control and direction over our "awake" lives. With your Conscious Mind you ...
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Svadhisthana - The Seat of Life
Element: Water Color: Orange Verb: I feel, I want Attributes: Polarity, movement, sexuality, pleasure, emotion We have come from the Earth, energy that is still, solid, dense. We have gained an understanding of our bodies, our grounding, and things ...
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Taking the Door Without A Key
Door Without a Key is an expression used by Dion Fortune in Moon Magic, London, Aquarian Press, 1956, page 91: “I will tell you what I did, putting all my cards on the table, for it shows how we used the Door Without a Key to escape the Lord ...
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Tarot of the Dream Enchantress Review
Summary: The Tarot of the Dream Enchantress will sweep you away on flights of fancy where you will see many strange and marvelous things, and where you will find yourself along the way. For readings and experiences that are anything but ...
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Ajna - The Vision Center
Element: Light Color: Indigo Verb: I see Attributes: Clairvoyance, memory, dreams, vision, color Chakra 6, located at the level of the forehead, is also known as the third eye. A lotus with only two petals, it is visualized as a deep indigo blue. ...
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Witchcraft: What is it?
Candles gleam. Incense smoke swirls. Robed figures, chanting in a long-dead language, whirl around a rustic wooden table. On it sit sacred images—a robust female wearing a crescent Moon on her forehead, a horned male holding a spear in his upraised ...
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The Aura
An interesting law of science is that wherever there is an electrical current there is a concomitant magnetic field. The human body is filled with electricity, especially in the nerves and muscles. It follows, therefore, that there is a field or ...
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Review of The Manga Tarot
Summary: The Manga Tarot is a beautiful and insightful deck. It skillfully combines the evocative and fantastical feel of Manga with the equally evocative format of Tarot. Add to the mix some creative changes and juxtapositions and you’ve got a deck ...
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Uses of Crystals
Perhaps the greatest value of crystals is their use in healing. They have long been known for their curative effects when used in the preparation of tinctures; for their protective characteristics when worn as amulets and talismans; and for their ...
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"The soul comes from without into the human body, as into a temporary abode, and it goes out of it anew…it passes into other habitations, for the soul is immortal." - Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-82) Have you lived before? The answer to that question is yes. As a human soul you have lived before; many of us have even experienced many lifetimes... read this article
Seven Flower Magic Rituals
A Quick Guide to Literary Character Creation with Mercury
Using Apatite in Your Crystal Spells
Exploring the Dark Side: Identifying 3 Types of Negative Paranormal Phenomena
Evolutionary Astrology: How Our Nodal Axis Defines the Soul's Path

Most recent posts:
Sedona: A Mystical Place of Wonder
Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Douglas de Long, author of Ancient Healing Techniques, Ancient Teachings for Beginners , and the new...

The Future of Tarot
Today's post is more of a long, rambling kind of question rather than tips or ideas.  It's something I've been thinking about for a long time. As an...

On Gematria
One of the most popular and successful aspects of working magick involves what is known as Gematria (pronounced with a hard G as in "good":...


One of the questions I often receive is a request for contact with an occult group, order, coven, etc. As a policy, I don't recommend such...



Llewellyn's 2013 Moon Sign Book Llewellyn's 2013 Moon Sign Book
Conscious Living by the Cycles of the Moon

By: Llewellyn
Price: $10.99 $5.50 On Sale!
Llewellyn's 2013 Witches' Datebook Llewellyn's 2013 Witches' Datebook
By: Llewellyn
Price: $10.99 $5.50 On Sale!
Llewellyn's 2013 Magical Almanac Llewellyn's 2013 Magical Almanac
Practical Magic for Everyday Living

By: Llewellyn
Price: $10.99 $5.50 On Sale!
Llewellyn's 2013 Herbal Almanac Llewellyn's 2013 Herbal Almanac
Herbs for Growing & Gathering, Cooking & Crafts, Health & Beauty, History, Myth & Lore

By: Llewellyn
Price: $10.99 $5.50 On Sale!
Llewellyn's 2013 Witches' Calendar Llewellyn's 2013 Witches' Calendar
By: Llewellyn
Price: $13.99 $7.00 On Sale!