What was all that fuss about the Blue Moon?

Sept. 2, 2023

Generally speaking, most people don’t think a lot about the lunar cycle. Pagans do – at least most Pagans. It’s hard to be part of a Nature-based tradition and not be aware of the various celestial happenings.

So, with all the talk this week about the recent Blue Moon, it might be natural for a Pagan to think, am I missing something here? Should I be doing something different, something more than my usual observation of the lunar cycle? Those new to Paganism might be wondering if the Blue Moon holds some sort of special magickal significance.

The short answer is, no – no there’s no reason to do anything more during a Blue Moon and no, there is no special magickal significance to a Blue Moon.

The Blue Moon is a phenomenon created by the Gregorian calendar, named after Pope Gregory XIII (1502-1585). Under this calendar, 11 months were set up with 30-31 days and one, February, got 28 days. Except once every four years when February has 29 days.

Since the moon cycles every 29.5 days, it stands to reason that periodically a year will have 13 full moons instead of the usual 12.

A Blue Moon used to mean the third full moon in a season that has four full moons, according to Space.com. These days, it more commonly means the second full moon in a month. Following the second definition, we get Blue Moons about every two-to-three years.

Regardless, for Pagans whose faith is based in European traditions, a full moon celebration by any other name is an esbat. Actually, you can also consider a new moon celebration an esbat. So, in any given lunar cycle, you could hold two esbats. Honestly, I’ve known Pagans who periodically hold dark moon esbats. It’s all up to you and what you feel you need to acknowledge in your spiritual life.