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THE GODDESS ALMANAC:
Gnostic Moon
 

image credit: Back to The Goddess   "Lilith’s garden was one of destructive transformation, decay, and death. It smelled of sulfur fire. It was where the dark feathers of carrion birds fell, and where magic, shadow, and twilight mingled into one. Hers was a garden of an eternal, moonless night." - from You Are Woman, You Are Divine by Renée Starr I love the night. So much so, that I once thought about changing my first name to Lilah (which means 'night' in Hebrew) so that I could honor dark, mysterious nighttime, and the goddess Lilith - who is one of my most treasured personifications of The Goddess. While writing her chapter in my book, I could not stop, and wondered if perhaps the whole book should be about Lilith. She finally stepped aside, however, and I was able to bring in the other 8 goddesses. Lilith is a 'dark goddess' of the night who reminds us of our deep - and often dormant primal, sexual, feminine, and magical woman-power. She is also one of the goddess-keepers of the Lunar Blood mysteries (you'll learn all about them when you sign up  here), and she is the teacher of the more esoteric and the most hidden of all the ancient, gnostic, Divine Feminine teachings. Lilith reminds us that within every woman is the magical witch, the dark goddess and the sacred priestess. In the heart of my heart, and the soul of my soul, I recognize these aspects within me...perhaps you do, too.   Lilith was the first wife, or mate of Adam in the Judeao-Christian story of creation. She fled from Eden after a terrible argument with Adam, and refused to return, even after God sent three powerful angels to bring her back. She turned herself into a screech owl and flew far away, to live alone in another garden, one of shadow and darkness, where she would spend the rest of her days grieving, healing, and receiving the teachings of women's mysteries from the serpent/wise woman who would also eventually tempt/initiate Eve into these teachings as well. Lilith calls to us still, and especially during this blood red moon. Obliterated and demonized by Western, patriarchal religions , the story of Lilith has all but  disappeared  from the world, and many of us do not know of her. I chose to speak of her now, in association with this powerful moon, because it, too is about to be 'obliterated' by the shadow of the earth as it moves in front of the sun during the total lunar eclipse this evening. When this alignment occurs, the moon can take on a reddish hue,  hence its name, 'Blood Moon'. This moon is also a Super Moon, which means that it will orbit very close to the earth, and appear very large in the night sky.  Like Lilith, the blood moon has been demonized and feared for centuries, most often thought of as the beginning of the end of days, but it is in no way demonic, nor is it anything to fear. It, is however, something to pay close attention to. The  Blood Moon is  a very potent, powerful, transformative and revealing time  for everyone, but most especially for women due to the sacredness of our menstrual blood, and our connection to lunar essence .  The blood of the womb is a special substance, a goddess elixir, and if treated with reverence, can reveal to you again and again, deeper and deeper and more and more who you are as a female - something that Lilith also often does, as well. Even while in menopause, your lunar blood is still flowing, teaching you and guiding you -  except  during this time its flow is being directed inward rather than outward. Like the blood of the womb, the essence of this moon comes from the deepest, most hidden parts of the Great Feminine Mystery, and it brings forth ancient knowledge, a clear understanding of your path here on earth, and almost instant clarity as it illuminates the path of  transformation that you have been on over the last several months - or perhaps several years .  Traditionally associated with the dark moon, I found it very interesting to be sharing Lilith with you now, on the eve of this full moon, but she is a wonderful goddess to call upon whenever you are seeking knowledge about your womanness, shedding what no longer serves you, and whenever you are opening to receive that which does. She can also assist you with all of the emotions, loss, grief and letting go that is sometimes associated with full moons and their call to release.  This full moon is called the 'Harvest Moon' by native peoples of the North Americas, which is in reference to the time of year when the season of sowing has completed, and the season of reaping has begun. It is a time of celebration, ceremony and reverence for the gifts of the earth, and also a time when everything is coming to a close; the year, the seasonal wheel and your own personal transformation for your own personal cycle at this time. I like to call this a 'gnostic' or knowing moon, as it is best spent doing some deep soul diving, seeking for inner, deeper knowledge. Gnosis means: to know, and gnostic means:  of or relating to knowledge, especially esoteric and mystical knowledge.   Esoteric means:  private and secret.  The Gnostic Moon, with its super, blood essence and the goddess Lilith dancing in its light, offers us a rare opportunity to work with our esoteric shadow-self, and explore our most private, and secret thoughts and the desires we are most  hesitant , and afraid to manifest. This moon, and this goddess invite us to seek out the more mystical, esoteric and hidden places that reside within the deeper parts of our psyche, and to heal them, protect them, strengthen them and move them up and out.  Now is a time to seek life's deeper teachings, fill yourself with ancient, long ago wisdom and bring forth from deep inside of you, something quite magnificent.  This super blood moon has been building in momentum for a while now, as it is the last in a series of four that started in 2014. Alternating between Libra (balance and harmony) and Aries (initiation and action), we have been prepared for this time of powerful re-birthing, and (finally!) the realization and manifestation of our wildest dreams - all of which are culminating now.  As we have been experiencing these moons, we have been subject to such incredibly  powerful, transformational energy that it  may have felt like you have been going through a  death-birth-death-rebirth cycle over and over again...and quite honestly, you have been. This difficult, challenging and wrenching cycle is ending, right now, and so I encourage you to settle in for the last turbulent wave  of it, release all of  your resistance to it, flow with the deep, dark waters of it, look i nto the goddess Lilith's eyes  and just...let...go.  If you are able to, watch the skies at 1:07 AM Greenwich , or Universal Time (UT)  tonight, September 27th to witness the gnostic, super, blood moon. Calculate your time against UT time here , and refer to the chart below for watching the event, and for timing your lunar workings during this special eclipse. Please note that the penumbra is the outer edge of the shadow that the earth will cast upon the moon, and the umbra is its full shadow. Expect to experience going in and out of your own shadow-self as this occurs.

The Super Blood Moon will be passing through the fiery, intense and highly emotional sign of Aries during its spectacular show of events - which as you can guess, may cause much upheaval, conflict and upset. Waxing moons pass through the sign of Aries from October to April and waning moons visit Aries from April to October.
Our sun sign is how we experience our outer self  and our moon sign is how we experience our inner self (find your birth moon sign here).  My  sun sign is in  Aquarius and my birth  moon sign is in Aries. Aquarians can be emotionally 'cool', and are often reserved and contemplative, while Aries folk are highly emotional and very quick to react, so you can imagine  how terribly uncomfortable this combination can be!
All this week I have been experiencing an emotional meltdown, as this super charged, high powered Aries blood moon has been making its way towards my moon sign, stirring me up like crazy. Just like Lilith leaving the garden of Eden to be alone , I have also been deeply craving privacy, and inwardness, which is strange to experience during a full moon - but I keep reminding myself that a total eclipse can cause dark moon-like  tendencies and cause the dark goddesses to come forth, bringing with them a call to enter the 'cave' . Perhaps you, too have noticed that your emotions have been swinging like a pendulum from one side to the other, and that you want to curl up into a ball, and retreat deep inside of a cave. Take heart, eclipses also bring balance, alignment and calm as the moon, earth and sun form a perfect alignment. During an eclipse, The Divine Feminine (moon), The Divine Masculine (sun) and human soul (earth) come into perfect harmony for a short while.   
Because of this moon's intense, spectacular energy, we'll be departing from our usual almanac format to focus only on this moon for our lunar workings. Below are some inspirations for you to work with this super, blood, eclipsing moon in a special way. 
SABIAN SYMBOL MEDITATION
Sabian Astrology is an esoteric, mystical version of Western Astrology that utilizes obscure riddle-like descriptions of scenes or symbols to describe the essence of the degrees of the planets in your chart. It is a complex, difficult to understand system, and one that could take a lifetime to unravel. Many books have been written about it, however there is still very little explanation for the strange, cryptic descriptions.
If you are interested in the origin and history of the Sabian symbols, click here . If you'd like to calculate your astrological chart with the Sabian symbols, click here . And here is really wonderful Sabian Oracle that will intuitively answer your questions with the click of your mouse - it's incredibly accurate, and very mysterious at the same time.
When I researched the Sabian symbol for the moon in Aries (specifically 5 degrees Aries), I found that it is "a triangle with wings". I felt instantly inspired to create the image you see at the top of this post, which is designed to elevate and activate your feminine essence during this blood moon/lunar eclipse. I saw in my minds eye a moth for the deeper, darker hidden aspects of the blood moon's transformative qualities, and an inverted triangle, rather than the upwards triangle, to call upon the sacred yoni and the feminine, blood mysteries (read about the yoni  here ) . The image of the woman and the moon are to remind you of your innate, special connection to this lady of light, and that you move as she does through the world; cyclically.
Something you may find interesting, is that another goddess moonlogist , whom I enjoy following, created an image quite similar to mine, or perhaps I created one quite similar to hers...the cosmic essence of this symbol is so very powerful this does not at all surprise me, although it does delight me. 
Simply looking at the mystical image of the winged triangle will activate you, but I do suggest that you look at it several times a day as the full moon begins to wane and diminish, perhaps meditating after staring at it for a few minutes, and also looking at it just before you go to sleep. You may want to keep a journal nearby to record any insights or messages that you receive after meditating or dreaming. You can either print the image via this link, or view it digitally on your computer screen.
I'd love to hear from you about your experience with this, as it will help me when I create my Lunar Goddess cards...and because I just love hearing from you! 
MOTH TOTEM MEDICINE
The moth is cousin to the butterfly, which is a potent symbol for transformation, and the cycles of birth-death-rebirth, however it is also a solar/sun totem and so it's medicine is best used for the outer, more physical aspects of life.
The moth, which appears mostly at night and is known to fly in circles around and around, higher and higher, trying to reach the light of the moon, offers us her lunar/inner medicine of reaching higher, trusting the darkness to reveal the light, and using the darkness to travel deep into the unknown of your shadow-self. Moth is a shape-shifter being, just like the goddess Lilith when she turned into a screech owl, and I have witnessed moths changing into hummingbirds and woodland faeries right before my eyes. Shape shifting is useful when traveling between the realms, as moth does, and it can help you to explore the inner realm of your psyche more easily, for deep within the subconscious you can recreate yourself, rebirth yourself and revision yourself with ease.
If you are able to, stand outside on the night of the lunar eclipse and spread your arms out wide, at your side as if they were wings. Look up to the moon. Then close your eyes and imagine that you are flying high into the night, silent as a moth, with the night air ruffling the delicate fur of your wings. Imagine that you have large, jet black eyes that can see the night world as if it were a dreamscape, surreal and magical. Breathe deeply, relax and allow yourself to enter into a meditative, trance state. Shape-shift yourself into a moth, and fly to the moon and then back to down earth. Ask moth to fly with you, to guide you with her wisdom, and her lunar ways. You may even receive a special message from her, so  keep a journal nearby to record any insights or messages that you receive after flying with moth.
LUNAR WATER
Don't let the opportunity to make some lunar water during this spectacular super blood moon eclipse pass you by . You can use the lunar water after this moon has passed, savoring its essence for a while; two weeks for spring water if kept refrigerated, and about four weeks for distilled.    http://www.backtothegoddess.com/meet/ You Will Need:

• a clean bottle or jar filled with spring or distilled water

Leave the bottle or jar of water where the light of the moon can shine upon it, and let it stay there during the eclipse. You can sip from this water, sprinkle it in a bath, apply it as a facial toner or use it to anoint your crystals, ritual tools, altar, womb, yoni, breasts, third eye or heart chakra. 

GODDESS GIFTS
Sadly, I am not immune to the wily ways of mercury retrograde, and was unable to complete the anticipated sample page of the upcoming Lunar Dream Journal that I am working on, so I hope you will forgive me and hold space for it to arrive next month with the dark moon installment. 

October's Lunar Goddess Calendar, however is available to download using the button below.