The August 31, 2012 Full Moon is a Blue Moon, Maybe…

“Once in a blue moon” is another colloquial expression used in America to mean “a rare event.” In reality, the moon isn’t depressed or shaded blue, it’s the second full moon in one month as we perceive it to be, and originally it was the third full moon in a season with four full moons. Yet, the moon can sometimes have a bluish cast, “once in a blue moon” of course.

Well, I don’t intend to break the cycle, but personally I think an orange moon has more charm and it appears more often in our night sky. “Once in an orange moon” doesn’t fit the cultural pattern of speech, but that orange moon is eery and beautiful.

What about once in a “black moon?” This one might put you in a Wiccan school of thought, since the term could be used by the witch next door. “Dark Moon” or “Lilith,” are other terms that astrologists use for a Black Moon. Finding Lilith has confused me I must say.

A Wet Moon (Cheshire) is a lunar phase when the “horns” of the crescent moon point up at an angle, away from the horizon. You have a “Dry Moon” in the summertime.

The phrase “once in a blue moon” became noted in 1821. The earliest recorded English usage of the term “blue moon” was in 1524. Belewe, or blue, can also mean betray. You could call it a “Betrayed Moon.”

What is a Blue Moon? The second full moon in a month could actually be a mistake when referred to a blue moon. Any good philosopher knows that language does contain mistakes, and any rational person knows that people are predictably irrational.