Super New moon January 1st and 30th 2014, how will this affect us?

This January we are promised a lot of wonderful activity in the skies above us, which may have an impact on what we do and how we are feeling.

Firstly we have a New Moon occurring on New Year’s day. This will make the 1^st January 2014 a particularly auspicious time to plan any changes you want to take place in your life. A New Moon is all about new beginnings and this coupled with it being the start of a new Calendar year means many of us will be looking toward changes we wish to make and projects we wish to start. Try and make any promises to yourself easily achievable, it is not good for our soul to promise to do something that we only stick to for January. Try and word your goals in a positive manner, for example rather than ‘I want to lose weight’ try ‘I am going to eat a healthier diet this January New Moon’ Any New Years resolutions that you do set in motion will be much more likely to reach fruition than previous years due to the added advantage of the New Moon.

This January New Moon will have even more impact in our lives due to the fact that it is a Supermoon or Perigree Moon. A Supermoon or Perigree Moon occurs when the moon is closer to our earth than usual. The moon appears bigger to us at the time of a supermoon. Obviously this is much more prominent at the time of a full moon as we will be more able to see the increase in size. However we will be affected at this New Moon by the fact that it is a super new moon! Super moons are known to bring higher tides than usual and the effect that they have on human and animal behaviour is heightened at the time of a Supermoon.

“The moon may seem bigger although the difference in its distance from Earth is only a few percent at such times,” says Dr. James Garvin, chief scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center on the space agency’s website. “It is called a supermoon because this is a very noticeable alignment that at first glance would seem to have an effect. The ‘super’ in supermoon is really just the appearance of being closer.”

Supermoons can appear as much as 14% larger in the sky and 30% brighter to our eyes than at their smallest size and brightness.

Diagram from earth sky.org

Richard Nolle, the astrologer, is credited with coining the term supermoon. He defines them as:

“a new or full moon which occurs with the moon at or near (within 90% of) its closest approach to Earth.

“By this definition, a new moon or full moon has to come within 361,863 kilometers (224,851 miles) of our planet, as measured from the centers of the moon and Earth, in order to be a super moon”

“Each month, on the day of the new moon, the Earth, moon and sun are aligned, with the moon in between. This line-up creates wide-ranging tides, known as spring tides. High spring tides climb up especially high, and on the same day low tides plunge especially low.

The January 1 and 30 extra-close new moons will accentuate the spring tide, giving rise to what’s called a perigean spring tide. If you live along an ocean coastline, watch for high tides caused by the two January 2014 new moons – or supermoons.” Earthsky.org

With the amount of rain we are having at the moment it is worth keeping an eye on the weather in case of flooding at the perigrean high tide.

Around each new moon (left) and full moon (right) – when the sun, Earth, and moon are located more or less on a line in space – the range between high and low tides is greatest. These are called spring tides. Earthsky.org

You won’t be able to see the new super moon on January 1 or January 30. At the time of the new moon, the moon hides in the glare of the sun all day long, rising with the sun at sunrise and setting with the sun at sunset. Just because you can’t see this new supermoon doesn’t mean you won’t be able to feel the effects. However in the days following the new moon you will be able to see a small sliver of the moon at dusk in the Western sky.

We have actually got two Supermoons in January as the next new moon will be a supermoon too. This makes January 2014 the only month with two supermoons until January 2018! The second new supermoon occurs on 30^th January, only just making it into the month of January! In addition to having super moons in July, two weeks after the year’s nearest new moon on January 1, it’ll be the year’s farthest and smallest full moon on January 16, 2014. This sort of moon is often termed a micro moon.

We will have five supermoons in total during 2014, the latter three moons will be full moons so we will enjoy their full ‘super’ effect! The other supermoons in 2014 will be on July 12, on August 10, and on September 9. The full moon on August 10, 2014, will be the closest supermoon of the year (356,896 kilometers or 221,765 miles from our earth to the moon). The  two super new moons on January 1 and January 30 will not be all that far behind, featuring the year’s second-closest and third-closest supermoons, respectively.

The New Moon on 1^st January will be at 10degrees in Capricorn. It will line up with Pluto and Mercury (in Capricorn) whilst squaring Mars in Libra, and Uranus in Aries.

The New Moon in Capricorn may cause feelings to run pretty high and emotions to be a little on the turbulent side. This will be an an energetic new moon, a perfect time for taking action on things that have been lying dormant for a while!

The fabulous Simone Butler from Mooncircles.com has the following to say regarding our Capricorn new super moon.

“The Capricorn New Moon (Jan. 1, 3:14 a.m. PST) catalyzes a grand cross between Mars in Libra, Jupiter in Cancer, Uranus in Aries and Pluto in Capricorn.

“The planets involved represent strong yang forces, intensified by their presence in action-oriented cardinal signs. Do-or-die Pluto conjuncts the Sun, Moon and Mercury and exactly squares headstrong Mars. This forceful call for evolutionary change can prompt a fresh start, but it can also trigger antagonism and impatience if we’re not careful to channel it wisely.

“Because this powerful energy colors the entire year ahead, we can expect 2014 to be a magnificent, make-it-or-break-it year. 

“The good news is, if you’re inclined to cut ties with the past, launch new projects or begin running marathons, this alignment will give you the push you need. The bad news is, if you persist in clinging to old patterns or being less than your authentic self, you’re apt to suffer.

“Complicating the planetary picture, Venus is currently retrograde in Capricorn (Dec. 21 – Jan. 31). Pleasure-loving Venus can feel weighed down in that serious earth sign, but she’s also able to devise effective plans for change, and cement healthy habits in existing relationships (not a great time to start new ones, though).

“Don’t rely overmuch on others’ financial or emotional support during this retrograde, as it’s meant to guide you into your own depths to reclaim your talents, power and self-esteem (although it is a good time to recoup losses or receive money owed to you).

“Through the end of January, you may have to dig deep to find the softer side of love, to unconditionally accept yourself and others—but your efforts will be richly rewarded.”

© Copyright 2013-2014 ~ Simone Butler  All Rights Reserved

www.yourdictionary.com

The new supermoon isn’t all that is happening in our skies during January 2014. Our earth will come the closest to the sun for the year on Jan 4^th. At this point we willl be about 91.4 million miles away, this is called perihelion. On average, the distance between the sun and ourselves is about 93 million miles. During this time therefore we may find ourselves more influenced by the male Sun energy. This would be a fabulous time to make some super charged sun water.  Earth reaches aphelion (the farthest distance from the sun) in July.

We will also experience the wonder of a meteor shower in January. The quadrantid meteors reach their peak on January 3^rd and will be easily visible as our moon will still be relatively new at this point. At their peak the quadrantids are expected to reach 120 shooting stars an hours so they should make an amazing spectacle.

All in all then January 2014 should be an amazing time. There will be a lot of high energy around so it’s important to channel that energy in ways that are useful to us. As the moon waxes during January we can tune into the energy that is emanating from this source and use it to ensure our thoughts and inspirations started at the new super moon in January reach their fruition.

There are a number of really good books around you can get to find out more information about moon cycles and living in harmony with the moon. One I like is Thomas Poppe:

Moon Time: The Art of Harmony with Nature and Lunar Cycles

Another great guide is Raising With the Moon -- The Complete Guide to Gardening--and Living--by the Signs of the Moon Planting "by the signs" is an ancient tradition carried on by millions of people. This book explains the logic of gardening by the signs of the moon and shows how it works, giving clear and complete instructions for calculating the moon's effect on every aspect of gardening--preparing the soil, cultivating, planting, fertilizing, transplanting, pruning, crafting, controlling weeds and pests, and harvesting. It also explains how the moon effects many other areas of life. No almanac user should be without this comprehensive one-source reference.