While Luna doesn’t vanish from our sight for the whole of winter, many a frosty cold evening of snow cloud-filled skies means that being able to spy her during this chapter of the year isn’t always a given.

As a Cancerian (sun sign), I feel an exceptionally deep connection to the moon, opting to work with lunar energy and archetypes all throughout the year.

Happily, even when the moon is not visible, I can still feel the remarkable pull and energy, light, and guidance it gives to the world.

When I was a young child, the moon beckoned to me instinctively and I spent many a night staying up well past my bedtime to gaze up at, commune with, and feel comforted by the moon’s presence.

As I grew older and officially began practicing as a Pagan witch in my teens, my connection with the moon deepened all the more and has continued to do so in the ensuing decades of my life.

I am far from alone in feeling an extraordinarily strong bond with the moon. Our nearest celestial neighbour has resonated with humankind since time immemorial.

We’ve deified and honoured the moon, woven it into countless legends and stories, turned into a muse for all manner of art and creativity, given each of its fullest monthly days their own names, and found ways to weave the moon into countless areas of our lives.

Many who follow witchy, Wiccan, or Pagan approach – as well as those from various other spiritual paths – opt to work closely with the moon.

We may gather as covens or groves in her loving light, charge everything from crystals to water under her watchful eye, draw down the moon, use her energy to help foster our magickal workings, pray to her, design spells that are in tandem with her monthly phases, or otherwise find creative, meaningful ways to include the moon in our spiritual journey.

It stands to reason then that no shortage of books pertaining to the moon, and its ties to witchcraft, folklore, and spirituality would be penned.

Such is certainly the case and in this post, I’m going to shine the spotlight – or, should I say, the moonlight – on one of the latest to be added to the canon of lunar titles: The moon + You by Diane Ahlquist.

This book was published in 2020 and I purchased my copy of it last year. Somewhat surprisingly given that it is a new title, I picked it up on clearance for a song.

I’ve been familiar with Ahlquist’s work for a number of years and have previously read some of her other books, including the engaging and informative Moon Spells: How to Use the Phases of the Moon to Get What You Want.

An author, psychic counsellor, and professional speaker, Diane Ahlquist is well known name in both the spirituality book realm and that of areas such manifestation and psychic abilities.

I respect her work and have enjoyed the other titles that I have read thus far from this author, so was especially happy to not only add The Moon + You to my witchy bookshelves, but to be able to do so for a great price.  

Book specs:

Name: The Moon + You: Your Guide to Finding Energy, Balance, and Healing with the Power of the Moon

Author: Diane Ahlquist

Page count: 240

Publisher: Adams Media (an imprint of Simon & Schuster)

Binding: Hardcover

What is The Moon + You about?

As you might deduce from both the title and cover image of this book, The Moon + You pertains to finding, connecting, and working with lunar energy and some of the key monthly phases of the moon.

While this book does occasionally make mention of witchery or Paganism, it is not a title that I would place squarely under either of these headers. Instead, it a broader, more far-reaching pairing of the moon and spirituality in general.

This might put off some readers who are aiming for a squarely moon spell or moon magick related title, or a book that approached the moon from more of a straight up Pagan or witchcraft perspective.

However, by the same token, it’s broader degree of inclusivity helps to make this title one that it is open to a wide range of spiritually inclined individuals.

The first thing that greets you upon seeing The Moon + You is its serene and rather beautiful cover, which has a metallic sheen to it that calls to mind the glimmering light of the moon itself.

Once inside The Moon + You, the reader is presented with a brief introduction followed by five good sized chapters.

The chapters themselves are further divided in a number of subsections, most of which span 1 – 3 pages apiece.

For the chapters, the author opted to focus on – in this order – five key phases of the moon: Full Moon, Waning Moon, Dark Moon, New Moon, and Waxing Moon.

Personally, I found this moon phase arrangement to feel a bit discombobulated. I suspect that she opted to start with the full moon because it is arguably the most energy-filled, iconic, and (in some peoples’ eyes) gorgeous of the moon’s phases.

However, I feel it would have been more natural to start with either the Dark Moon or New Moon, working one’s way organically through the phases of the moon, much as Luna herself unfolds in the heavens upon us each month.

Beyond this minor point, the book itself approaches the subjects of self-care, wellness, and spirituality, with some magickal workings woven into the mix, as it pertains to the moon.

Ahlquist guides readers through ways to connect with, harness and put the energy of each of these five key moon phases to work for you personally.

Across the chapters of The Moon + You, one finds a diverse range of suggestions, ideas, and jumping off points if they wish to connect with the moon in any of these ways.

These include options such things as releasing stress with breathwork, journaling your dreams, using a pendulum, and caring for dry skin with herbal remedies – amongst dozens of other ways to work with the phases of the moon.

This book is written in friendly, easily understandable language. The ideas it puts forth are approachable and, in my opinion, may resonate more with those who are newer to working with the moon.

That isn’t to say, however, that more experienced moon workers can’t glean value from this book as well, just that I personally felt it was somewhat basic at times.

In addition, while some of the topics covered in The Moon + You can easily be detailed or even flushed out within the span of 1 – 4 pages, IMO, certain others deserved substantially more focus so as to not gloss over some rather important subjects.

For example, in chapter 3 (the Dark Moon), on pages 117 – 119, one of the ideas put forth is to a do a past life regression.

As a firm believer in past lives, our ability to connect with them in our present iteration, and the profound messages, truths, wounds and healing alike that I feel can come from doing past life regression work, this is a subject I would not personally skim over in the span of just a couple of pages.

However, that said, I do fully acknowledge that past lives are not at the heart of The Moon + You, and can appreciate that this subject was brought up in the context of the Dark Moon. A time when working with past lives, as well as doing shadow work, is a natural fit for many of us.

As you might imagine, plenty of the ideas put forth in this book flow with the energy associated with the moon’s main phases.

Thus, one often does livelier and more outgoing things when the moon is waxing and full, and more introspective, banishing related, and lower-key activities when the moon is waning or dark.

A lot of people who work with the moon do find that their own energy, intentions and magickal activities jive with these energy patterns and archetypes. However, not everyone does and I was a bit surprised that the author didn’t address this point in much detail.

Throughout the book, Ahlquist makes mention of various spiritual practices and beliefs (and occasionally to deities) from numerous corners of the globe.

By and large, I felt that this was done respectfully and that spiritual or religious appropriation was not a standout issue with this title. This is something that I, like many people, very much appreciate.

As the ideas and suggestions put for in The Moon + You are plentiful, this book offers up a solid number of possible ways to work with the moon (including a small handful of recipes).

If some of them are not to your likening, don’t work for your life, or don’t jive with your spiritual path, chances are at least a few of the others may.

Throughout this book, the author makes a point to discuss how the lunar phases can impact and influence our emotional states and overall sense of wellness, as well as how to tap into the moon’s energy for assistance with things such as personal strength and healing.

Some of the key suggestions/themes that ran through the various chapters include meditation, working with one’s chakras, setting intentions, journaling and freewriting, feng shui, and utilizing herbs.

While the term “new age” isn’t used as much these days as it was in previous recent decades, I would say that The Moon + You falls under the header of being a new age book. Especially, again, as it is not geared solely towards witches.

How The Moon + You rates with me

The Moon + You was a quick, pleasant read. While very little of the information presented was new to me and I don’t feel like this is a title I learned a great deal from, I enjoyed exploring the many ways to harness the moon’s energy and symbolism put forth in this book.

Is The Moon + You the most in-depth look at working with the moon that I’ve come across? No, it’s not.

This is a good basic or beginner introduction to the subject, which, again, may also resonate with some more experienced moon magick/healing/intention/etc workers as well.

The Moon + You was a quick read that I started and finished over the course of a single weekend.

I appreciated being reminded of various ways to work with the moon, even if many of them are ones I already know and may have carried out already over the years.

Plus, it’s always wonderful to see and learn more about how others approach working with the moon, be they fellow witches/Pagans or otherwise.

Rating this book took a fair bit of deliberation. Happily, there is nothing glaringly negative that stood about it to me.

By the same token though, it did not absolutely knock my socks off either (personally, I preferred Ahlquist’s Moon Magick and Moon Spells, respectively, more than I did this title).

Not, of course, that I expect everything I read to do just that. I definitely do not and I can appreciate + enjoy a good basic and/or refresher look at various spiritual topics.

The friendly, approachable nature, useful suggestions, and even the pretty cover of this book all helped it to win favour with me.

As did the fact that as a collective whole, I found reading The Moon + You to be a peaceful and inspiring experience – not unlike connecting with the moon itself.

Therefore…

Working on a scale of 1 – 5, with five being the highest possible rating, I would give this book 4 stars out of 5.

★ ★ ★ ★ 

Have you read The Moon + You and if so, what were your thoughts on this lunar energy centred book?

Do you enjoy working with the moon or does the idea of doing appeal to you?

The post Book Review: The Moon + You by Diane Ahlquist appeared first on Witchcrafted Life.

And speaking of glowing things, tonight, as we gaze skyward – wondering if maybe, just maybe, we really did see something flash across the sky on a broom – we will be doing so under the light of a blue moon.

Not any blue moon – rare as they are unto themselves – but an extra uncommon October 31^st blue moon at that.

The combination of an event that transpires once every two or more decades on a day that is, for many of us, already an extremely spiritually and/or meaningfully charged time is nothing short of incredible.

What is a blue moon?

The expression “blue moon” has been in use since at least 1528, when it appeared in a religiously focused pamphlet that was penned by two friars.

These days we generally use the term “blue moon” to refer to when two full moons take place in the same calendar month. However, earlier on, this expression was applied to times when an extra full moon appeared in a given season.

We’ve been using the term “once in a blue moon” and referring to two full months in a single month as blue moons since at least 1946, when the expression was discussed in the March 1946 edition of Sky and Telescope magazine.

While blue moons themselves are fairly uncommon – with one happening, on average, every 2.5 – 3 years or so – the occurrence of blue moons on Halloween is much, much less frequent.

This rare and exciting event, which takes place today, is not slated to return again until 2039 (followed by three more Halloween Blue Hunter Moons this century, in 2058, 2077, and 2096, respectively).

Talk about living up to its name!

Is the blue moon actually blue?

Despite its name, blue moons – which, again, refer to times when two full moons occur in the same calendar month – are not actually blue in colour.

That said, depending on the atmospheric conditions, degree of visible light, weather, and cloud cover, the sky around the Halloween full moon – be it an actual blue moon or otherwise – can sometimes have a marvelously spooky blue, black, purple, orange, yellow, or white colour to it.

Again though, the moon itself will not be a glowing blue orb of light in the sky this Halloween – as cool as that would surely be!

Interestingly, it is possible – though exceedingly uncommon – for the moon itself (be it full or otherwise) to take on the appearance of having a blue cast to it.

This is most likely to occur when there is a sizable amount of dust particles or smoke in the atmosphere, such as during some major wildfires and following the 1883 eruption of the Krakatoa volcano and various other large volcanic events (including Mount St. Helen’s in 1980).

Cold weather, especially that of the winter months in both far north and far south climates can also sometimes cause the moon to take on the appearance a subtle blue tinge.

This is aided all the more so if the sky around it is inky blue and/or if the moon is partially full or obscured to a degree by cloud cover (as seen in the gorgeous photo above, which was taken in the winter of 2017 by my husband, Tony, who is a talented and passionate photographer.)

When is the next blue moon?

We will all be waiting a good long while until the next Halloween blue moon. However, as far as non-spooky season blue moons go, we will experience a second full moon in the same month come August 2023.

To be precise, the next blue moon will take place on August 31, 2023 – and not only with it be a blue moon, but it will be a blue super moon.

An event that is, much like a Halloween blue moon, a rare and wonderful happening unto itself.

(A super moon is the full moon that is the closest and, accordingly, largest of a given lunar year.)

Can a year have two blue moons?

While we’re on the subject of rare moon occurrences, you may be wondering if it is possible to have more than one blue moon in a single lunar year.

Delightfully, the answer is yes.

Though an uncommon happening, some years do house two different blue moons. This can occur if a given February (the shortest month of the year) has no full moon of its own in a particular year.

For those who like to mark their calendars really far in advance, we’ll get to enjoy the next double blue moon year in 2037, when a blue moon will appear in both January and March of that year.

Two blue moons is the largest number of blue moons that can occur in a given year, and indeed, more years lack a blue moon than includes one (or two).

What is the name of the October full moon?

Each of the full moons of the year is known by various names across different cultures and time periods.

The moon following the Harvest Moon, which took place this year on October 2^nd, is commonly called the Hunter Moon.

Its name refers to times when – and to this day still for some people, too, of course – following the harvest season or in conjunction with its final days, hunting and forging were carried out to help load up one’s caches of food for the coming long, cold winter months ahead when easily obtained food sources were/are often scarce.

What do you call it when there are two new moons in one month?

Much as how a single month can, occasionally, house two blue moons, so too do some months include two new moons (the time when the moon is positioned between the earth and sun leading to a dark moon or “no moon”, though the later is factually inaccurate, as the moon is always in the sky, whether we can see it at or not).

When this happens, it is called a black moon.

Black moons, much like blue moons, are rare events.

Those whose spirituality and/or connection to nature is aided by the actions of the heavenly bodies above will be keen to watch out for and connect with the highly charged energy of black moons.

On average, black moons occur every 32 months or so. They are the opposite of full moons and the next one will grace the sky come April 30, 2022.

What else is going on in the sky tonight?

Depending on where you live, the weather today might be anywhere from roasty-toasty to snowflake filled, rainy to calm and mild.

We’ll be lucky if we stay above freezing on this end. But, given that we’ve already had multiple snow days this year, I really cannot complain so long as the flurries stay at bay!

No matter where you reside, the moon will have some lovely company today, as the red planet of Mars comes the closest to earth it has been in two years.

Talk about one heck of a celestial power couple!

What does the blue moon represent spiritually?

The answers for this are vast and varied. The moon has been a meaningful, often highly referred part of many peoples’ lives since time immemorial.

Many a book has been penned on the subject of the moon’s history, moon magick, moon folklore, and the astrological science surrounding the moon – and for good reason!

This mythical and magnificent glowing orb is a universal nightlight that shone down upon the earth since before the dawn of life on this planet.

The moon itself is a highly symbolic and important cosmic body.

Countless religions and faiths, belief systems, magickal workings, and good ol’ legends alike have involved the moon over the course of human history.

Likewise, scores of meanings and connections have been linked to the moon.

Some of the most common and widespread include feminine energy and the divine feminine, mystery, spirituality, psychic connections, traditions, cyclical nature, birth, death, the afterlife, reincarnation, balance, strength, patience, energy, fertility, power, beauty, reverence, nighttime, shadows, darkness, water, oceans, the key stages of life, witchcraft, magick, serenity, healing, the natural ebb and flow of life, and personal growth – to name but a few.

A blue moon can house, convey or personally symbolize any or all of these things for a given individual.

It also has the added element of rarity, which lends it an extra special energy and sense of wonder.

And while not technically blue in colour, a blue moon is a great time to honour the name of this second full moon and work magickally/spiritually with the colour blue in whatever ways feel right to you.

As well, if you work with crystals or any other items you wish to charge by the light of the moon, the Halloween 2020 blue moon is a truly apt and awesome time to do just that.

Living the blue moon life

The expression “once in a blue moon” is used quite frequently. Chances are many of us say it more than we even realize.

Once in a blue moon can be applied to situations or events both positive and negative, as well as those that are simply especially uncommon.

For me, the fact that I wasn’t able (for health reasons) to post quite as many Halloween and Samhain related entries here and over on Instagram alike as I would have ideally liked was a bit of a blue moon event unto itself.

Many who have known me for long – be it via IG, back in the days of my vintage blog, or elsewhere online – likely know that I live for October (Halloween/Samhain is my favourite and most sacred day of the entire year). And that, whenever possible, I post up a storm in celebration of this deeply meaningful chapter of the year.

Some years though, no matter what we plan or hope for, there are forces bigger than us at play.

A lifetime of experience has taught me that, while it’s wonderful to try and better situations or elements that aren’t ideal, fighting tooth and nail against those we have little to no ability to alter is often a recipe for heartache, stress, and a host other undesirable states.

And that, dearest friends, is the furthest thing in the universe I want when October 31 returns to our world – which it has done today.

This Samhain/Halloween is different in a lot of other ways, too.

How could it not be given the unique, challenging, often difficult, continually uncertain year that has been 2020?

Yet, no matter what, no matter where in the world we reside, at some point on the final day of October, a rare second full moon will shine down upon us.

Its solid, yet ethereal nature and haunting beauty, a powerful reminder that even in the darkest of times, a little extra light is out there, waiting to help guide our paths onto better, more stable times ahead.

This October 31^st, whether you observe Halloween, the final Pagan harvest season sabbat of Samhain, both, something else entirely, or nothing at all, I encourage you to connect in your own poignant ways with the energy and radiance of the 2020 Halloween blue moon.

Events like this truly do not come along every day. Indeed, it will be another 19 years before the time a blue moon falls on All Hallows’ Eve again.

Go forth or stay put, party or keep the celebrations mellow, work magick, connect with the departed, rewatch your favourite Halloween flicks, feast on festive eats, or head outside and bath in the beauty and intense energy of this poignant celestial event.

However you spend this day, I hope that it is a positive, safe, meaningful, and memorable one for you.

And remember that, like rare blue moons themselves, tough and uncertain times such as the year we’re collectively experiencing, do not last forever.

Happiest Halloween, joyful Samhain, and blessed blue moon wishes from my heart to yours!

The post Every Once in a Blue Moon: Fun and Fascinating Halloween Blue Moon Facts appeared first on Witchcrafted Life.