The super blood wolf moon eclipse Sunday night graced the heavens thanks to clear skies. After a grey, low cloud ceiling all day, what a treat to step outside and see the moon, glowing bronze, getting gobbled up by the shadow of earth.
According to many traditional beliefs from around the world, the lunar eclipse symbolized wild animals or beasts swallowing or biting into the moon. Rituals such as throwing stones or banding together in defensive groups accompanied these beliefs. In India, the lunar eclipse marks a time for purification in the Ganges River, and in fact right now over 10 million Hindu devotees are bathing in the sacred river to purify their souls and prepare for salvation.
There are so many names for these variations of moons. The wolf moon term comes from Native American traditions from the eastern seaboard tribes who named each full moon throughout the year. The wolf moon, which is the first full moon of the new year, represents the howling of the hungry wolves that were heard outside encampments during this cold and dark time of year.
The blood moon refers to the reddish glow that appears during a full lunar eclipse. This color can vary depending on one’s the location on earth, but it is the reflected light off the surface of the moon and refracted through the atmosphere where the blues waves are filtered out from the visible light.
Last night I would say the moon was cast in bronze with hints of copper.
In modern fundamental Christian prophecies, the blood moon also represented the blood of Christ as it aligned in tandem with other lunar phases in association with the Jewish calendar. According to these prophecies, they marked the coming of Rapture, which if you remember was supposed to happen in 2015. It caused a lot of hubbub in national news a few years back.
The super moon refers to the largest appearance of a full moon to earth as a result of their proximity. There is some debate as to whether this most recent moon is a true super moon or if the super moon is in February. I will let a Dave Ward (the Methow Valley News’ Naked Eye writer) handle that argument.
Now that we have the eclipse fully covered (ha ha), I will turn my column to a very limited reporting of the Women’s March that took place in Omak on Saturday (Jan. 19).
A few valley residents made the trek over the Loup to participate in the third annual Women’s March. According to the few attendees I spoke to, the march was infiltrated by counter-demonstrators with ambiguous messaging. The presence of a Russian national flag left onlookers confused as to why that had any place in the march. Similarly, “big-government” demonstrators were there to espouse their views.
It was a peaceful clash of cultures, but left participants feeling less inspired than years past.
Meanwhile, the Loup Loup Ski Bowl has seen its best days yet this season on the slopes, with additional snow from last week’s storm. Let’s hope it stays cool. Feb. 2 at the Loup will see the uphill Randonee Race. This is an event where participants strap skins on their skis and climb up and ski down as many times as possible in either one or four hours, depending on their bracket. Come watch them sweat!
Photos by Trevin Leon
Sunday night’s (Jan. 20) blood moon: 7:31 p.m.: a full moon. 7:45 p.m.: The moon starts to change. 8:36 p.m.: The change to a blood moon is underway. 8:44 p.m.: The moon is nearly complete. 8:45 p.m.: A complete blood moon can be seen.
