The full Moon of Dec. 12th is the biggest and brightest full Moon of the year.
It’s no illusion. Some full Moons are genuinely larger than others and this Friday’s is a whopper. Why? The Moon’s orbit is an ellipse with one side 50,000 km closer to Earth than the other: diagram. In the language of astronomy, the two extremes are called “apogee” (far away) and “perigee” (nearby). On Dec. 12th, the Moon becomes full a scant 4 hours after reaching perigee, making it 14% bigger and 30% brighter than lesser full Moons we’ve seen earlier in 2008….
This is both the brightest and (in the northern hemisphere) the highest-riding full Moon of the year. If you go outside around midnight it will be close to overhead and act like a cosmic floodlamp making the landscape absolutely brilliant, especially if there’s snow. Full moons are always high during winter and, indeed, the solstice is right around the corner on Dec. 21st.
I was awakened early this morning by a bright yellow sky at around 3 am and the effect of this Full Moon can already be felt (we generally consider the effect of a lunation to last for a few days before and after the actual lunar event). It ought to be interesting, because this Gemini Full Moon sits right on my ascendant. Astrologer Richard Nolle calls these Full Moons at perigee Supermoons and it is thought that their astrological effect is more powerful, just as the Moon exerts a more powerful pull on the tides at this time.
The opposition of Saturn to Uranus which you have been reading about here and on other astrology sites forms a Grand Cross to the Sun and Moon, which will add to the power of the Full Moon. The Grand Cross is a spectacularly stressful planetary dynamic in which conflict between the planets builds up into a crisis which forces a release and ultimately, a transformative change.
This Full Moon is packed with energy, both mental and physical. Everything within our heart, soul and psyche is moving faster than usual during this Full Moon, and becoming conscious of the need for balance between the internal process and the external drives will help us to get the most out of this lunation. The planetary dynamics here create a powerhouse of dynamic alteration and adjustment that can create some real distress if not focused in a conscious manner. Fortunately, a Neptune forms an exact harmonious aspect to both the Sun and the Moon which helps us to delve across the physical realm into the subconscious in order to find that internal balance in a more intuitive and sensitive way. The potential for verbal conflict during this Full Moon period, which lasts for a few days before and a few days after the actual event, can be softened by balancing the dynamic energy that wants to push out into aggression with a sensitivity and softness in the heart that helps us to maintain the inner connection to Spirit that creates more balance in the world around us.
During a powerful Full Moon, when the conscious Solar principle faces off with the instinctive Lunar principle, it is useful to increase our conscious awareness (Sun) and attention to our lives and how we are reacting (Moon) to situations rather than acting with intention. In any case, the next few days are sure to be exciting!
The full moon rising over Manchester, Maryland. Credit: Edmund E. Kasaitis.
posted December 10, 2008 at 7:46 pm
Good write up Lynn. Happy Holidays to you and yours. Blessings in 2009!
posted December 10, 2008 at 8:10 pm
Hi Lyn,
What will it look like in Southern skies do you know?
Namaste,
Raven
posted December 10, 2008 at 9:36 pm
Yay! Linkasaurus! Finally! Well, not link, but a URL. It’s a start.
I love these giant moons. Unfortunately it’s supposed to be stormy here in NJ on Friday, but hopefully we’ll be able to see it.
posted December 10, 2008 at 11:26 pm
Thanks, Lynn, for the heads-up on this highly significant Full Moon. It is also out of bounds, since it will be a little to the north of the Sun’s northernmost travel. This makes it even more mavericky (sorry, had to do it!) in a sky full of unbridled energies. Hold on to your hats!
posted December 11, 2008 at 2:31 am
This is the 13th Full Moon of the year measured from solstice to solstice. Also, a true Blue Moon, as it’s the 4th moon of this season. Happens every 3 years or so.
The approximate perigee distance at the Full Moon point is 222,000 miles. Pretty close. The “apparent” size of the Full Moon when rising ought to be quite large.
Thanks Lynn for the information about the grand cross and the softening from Neptune. The presence of Chiron nearby offers the opportunity to transmute the Grand cross dynamics into a more harmonious vibration within.
posted December 11, 2008 at 12:43 pm
David – thanks for your kind words!
Raven – I don’t know if it will appear any differently in the skies in the South – it’s been pretty big already so I think it will be impressive.
Jill – I agree, I’m glad to have a place for people to put links! It really helps for us to know who we all are. Folks, please enter your links!
Terry – thanks for the OOB note. We are certainly in a mavericky time!
And Joseph, thanks as always for your illuminating comments. I have the best readers!
posted December 11, 2008 at 5:04 pm
I thought definition of seasonal blue moon was the third full moon in a season of 4. Were there 4 full moons during this Fall?
posted December 12, 2008 at 7:50 am
On Wikipedia there are 3 definitions of what a blue moon is. It can be the 13th moon in a year, which occurs every 2.72 years. Normally there are 12 in a year with 11 days left over which accumulate until approx the 3rd year.
The Farmer’s Almanac says the blue moon is the 4th moon in a season where the quarters of the year are counted from 21 March.
The modern interpretation is that the blue moon is the 2nd full moon in a month.
So you can take your choice between traditional or modern explanations.
posted December 12, 2008 at 11:21 am
Thank you for this article!!! Its quite helpful and clarifies many things that recently have been going through around my life/practice.
I am interested in knowing more about chiron if posible, and its effects in this very blessed time.
Thank you Lynn, I love your work!~
Ivonne Delaflor
posted December 12, 2008 at 12:54 pm
I read somewhere that it’s not a good idea to make large purchases during a full moon. Does anyone know anything about this?
posted December 12, 2008 at 1:01 pm
Hello again Lynn,
Great article on the moon! I can’t wait to run out tonight and see it at its peak! Holy Moon! Myself, being a “CANCER” and one heck of a moon-child — could sure tell this was going to be a significant one. I’ve been very emotional and moody for about 3 days already. I don’t claim to be Wiccan, but know alot about it and the moon is a great source amongst their following. Anchient religions looked to the moon as do alot of our modern day farmers, astrologers, and astronomers.
Thank you Lynn for always writing interesting and very resouceful articles. Love the History!
posted December 12, 2008 at 2:34 pm
Great, informative article on the big moon rising 2nite! And there is truth in a full moon making people act strangely…i work in healthcare and let me tell ya..i’ve learned my lesson working in a hospital ER on a full moon..you see some of everything in the ER, but with a full moon, the real “lunatics” come out! Suffice to say, I will be admiring this big full moon from the comfort of my balcony at home! So my advice is: STAY IN!
posted December 12, 2008 at 2:35 pm
These supermoons are stormy times too. Witness this from the NY TImes site.
Rome on Alert for Tiber Breaking Its Banks
By REUTERS
Published: December 12, 2008
Filed at 5:29 a.m. ET
Italy Drenched ROME (Reuters) – Officials put Rome on a state of alert for the Tiber breaking its banks Friday, after days of unrelenting rain and thunderstorms that the mayor likened to an “earthquake” striking the Italian capital.
Rome’s mayor has already declared a state of emergency after severe storms early Thursday flooded underpasses, disrupted train and flight services and led to the death of one person.
“We’ve been hit by a wave of exceptionally bad weather that has affected all of Italy,” Mayor Gianni Alemanno told La Repubblica newspaper when asked why a torrential downpour was enough to bring the Italian capital to its knees.
“In Rome, it has been like an earthquake, with more rain in one night than normally comes down in all of December.
The Tiber, on whose banks Rome was founded, is expected to overflow its banks Friday afternoon, officials said. The area around a historic pedestrian bridge across the river was sealed off, with evacuations of neighboring areas expected later.
posted December 12, 2008 at 6:05 pm
I am interested in knowing more about chiron if posible, and its effects in this very blessed time.
Thanks Ivonne! Take a look at my article on Chiron: http://www.astrodynamics.net/Articles/Chiron.htm Chiron isn’t really a part of this lunar event, it isn’t tightly aspected to any of the planets at the moment.
posted December 12, 2008 at 6:08 pm
I woke up this morning to the beautiful site of a HUGE moon setting through the trees around 6 am. It was really amazing! The full moon sits right on my ascendant – so far I haven’t noticed much of an effect but since Pluto is exactly conjunct my Mars for the third time tomorrow, that’s taking most of my attention.
posted December 12, 2008 at 10:15 pm
I also commented on this amazing Full Moon in my blog, only not with nearly so much insight and information as you have. I made a trip to my favorite beach today to witness this Moon’s particularly strong pull on the tides. It was breathtaking. Thank you so much for your astrological dialogue. I plan to make it a habit to read your blog daily. You are truly a gifted writer and astrologer.
posted December 12, 2008 at 10:18 pm
My photo of this moon is posted.
posted December 12, 2008 at 10:35 pm
I was outside at 9:30pm EST tonight and I was SO disappointed. All this hype about this being the biggest Perigee since 1993 and it was small. My wife looked at it from home, while I was about 10 minutes away in a different area, and agreed that it was small. I’ve seen bigger moons over the last 2 years – this was VERY disappointing. I think someone miscalculated.
-Scott
posted December 13, 2008 at 11:47 am
I thought the Moon looked larger than usual! This time the sky cleared Thursday evening and I was able to get some photos.
Yesterday we got our first snowfall and of course, there were highway closures. There were a steady stream of vehicles going past our place attempting to drive around those accidents. Yup! Full Moon in Gemini!
posted December 13, 2008 at 5:07 pm
Unfortunately, it was too cold out to go out and observe the moon. But boy was it beautiful!