Philip's Crystal Blog

The biggest full moon in years! This weekend will see the biggest full moon for two decades. On Saturday the moon will be the closest it's been to Earth in 19 years and will appear 14% bigger and up to a third brighter than a normal full moon. She'll actually be 221,567 miles from us (someone has a long tape measure!) and the brightness is disproportionately enhanced brining a midnight twilight if the sky is clear.

Some people say "supermoons" can cause all sorts of natural disasters and are historically linked to many such events. The last supermoon was 10 January 2005, around the time of the Indonesian earthquake that measured 9.0 on the Richter scale and hurricane Katrina in 2005 was also associated with an unusually large full moon. But this one will be much bigger still.

We all know the moon can move the tides in the ocean and is linked to fluids in us, hence the idea of lunacy. Did you know that police departments the world over run their staff rotas on the lunar cycle? New York's finest and the Sussex Constabulary are just two examples.

Some more interesting facts are that in England the Lunacy Act of 1824 stated that people were likely to go mad when the moon was full. "The moon is made of green cheese" from John Heywood's proverbs 1546 means that it is new, or not aged and acts like a child. The full moon is also associated with lycanthropy where a man (or woman) becomes a werewolf (or Mrs Werewolf). And if you are scared of things that go bump in the night, then this weekend you'd be safer indoors! If you need a crystal to protect you as you venture out then wear a tourmaline crystal pendant or take a tourmaline crystal with you. Just pop the stone in your pocket or bra and it's protective crystal energy with wrap round you and you'll look just like the "Ready Brek" kid. There are many alternatives for example lapis lazuli and golden topaz which also keep you safe or aquamarine and turquoise that both traditionally protect travellers - and we all travel along our path...

But going back to the moon, these special supermoons can also be powerful times to complete a project or make a final step towards starting something new too and tourmaline can help here as it promotes change. It is a wonderful time to cleanse your crystals in the moonlight. Just pop your crystals outside and let the moon shine on them through the night. Even if it's cloudy your crystals will still pick up the powerful energy of the full moon.

Right that takes care of Saturday and in case you haven't had enough celestial happenings, Sunday is the Spring equinox, also known as the Vernal equinox. It is the New Year for a majority of ancient cultures, some of which are still going today! In fact even in the UK it was celebrated as the New Year up to 1751. It's the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere. The time when life is renewed after its winter death. It is a time of renewal and re-birth and a perfect moment to start new projects and let new ideas flow freely through your mind. The equinox is at 11.21pm (UK time); a perfect time for your crystals to be bathed in the light of the silvery moon.

Of course the Spring equinox also links to Easter as the season of re-birth and this is represented by the giving (and let's not forget the eating) of Easter eggs. The ovoid form being a symbol of fertility and birth.

Enjoy the changes that the season brings and welcome the changes into your life.

The night of Wednesday 19th January...
I didn't sleep at all. And the weird thing is that several other people have mentioned that they had a bit of a time with the full moon too. Then two other facts were rammed into my consciousness. Firstly it was the first full moon of 2011 and secondly that it wasn't just my energy aware friends who were noticing their reactions but some neighbours and friends who do not usually comment on these esoteric matters at all. One person emailed that they were leaving their dream research for another time and another asking which crystals they could carry to calm them down and help them cope. Well if you're suffering with the full moon try carrying or wearing aquamarine, moonstone, tourmaline or rose quartz to help balance the effects of the full moon and ruby to enhance the shifting energy for your benefit. Or you can place any or all of these crystals under your pillow at night.

 I noticed that this first full moon in 2011 has affected so many people, that something just has to be happening. One friend suggests that we are entering exciting times and the beginnings of energy shifts in so many people are a sign of this. I think these shifts have been occurring for a while and that more and more people are beginning to be aware of this reality. But it doesn't matter which way round you look at these events; more people are raising their consciousness to a higher level.

For more information on important 2011 dates click this link and scroll to January 2011 and  January 2011 update
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