~Lunar Standstill~

[vermindaspirit]

The Lunar Standstill

The Lunar standstill ~happens approximately every eighteen and a half years [minor lunar standstills happen every 9.3 years]

Our ancestors knew them to be times of great energy release, when exceptional weather and tides happened. [Flooding in particular]

From an astrological point of view it showed times of great awakening and tremendous personal transformation.

As the Moon experiences the very extreme of heights and depths [of latitude] during this period our dreams take off.

The path of the Sun is called the ecliptic and the Sun never deviates from this path. The Moon in its cycle swings 5º north or south of the apparent path of the sun. This swing creates extremities giving the Moon a most southerly and northerly standstill point. When the Moon is at its most southerly standstill, at extreme latitudes north, it rises and only just skims the horizon.

The influence is considered to last all year long, so already [January] the moon is starting to work its magic. The influence will go with us into 2007, with the height of the transformations happening in the summer of 2006.

The next time of the lunar standstill will be in 2025

The ancients considered the “Lunar standstill” to be so important that stone circles were built in their honour, particularly at the very northern limits of the land where the phenomenon was more remarkable. [the Moon appeared to touch the Earth]

Such a place is the ancient stone circle of Callanish on the Isle of Lewis in North West Scotland. It was built specifically to celebrate the Lunar Standstill. The low Moon hovered directly on the top of their temple. Callanish is older than Stonehenge and may even predate the Pyramids.



The structure is quite complex. A circle of tall stones with the tallest of them all, standing nearly sixteen feet tall, forms the focus of the site. Three stone rows lead off from the circle to the south, the west-southwest and the east-northeast with an avenue heading off to the north-northeast forming a plan shaped almost like a Celtic cross. At the eastern foot of the obelisk, which stands just off centre, is a small chambered tomb, now open to the elements which was added at a later date. The circle is around forty feet in diameter.

For further information on Callenish visit www.henge.org.uk/lewis/callanish.html where this information came from.



During a lunar standstill the Moon is approximately at right angles to the Moon’s Nodes, instead of being on or near the Nodes. The Moon’s Nodes have to be in the signs of Aries or Libra, or Virgo or Pisces. These Zodiac signs are near the equinoctial points. The Moon’s North Node is in Aries or Pisces during the major lunar standstill season and in Libra or Virgo during the minor lunar standstill season.

The Callanish stones lie at latitude 58.12 north

The lunar standstills in the Shetland Islands at latitude 60 plus north become circumpolar, never rising nor setting. Because the Earth’s axial tilt has changed by nearly half a degree since the majority of stone circles were built, the circumpolar Moon was visible in the Shetlands in Neolithic times.

The ceremony involved some sort of ritual which would draw down the lunar power, through the stones, into the earth and on through the ley lines... and into themselves personally. [ley lines~ song lines ~dragons pathways are all the same thing, meridian lines of the Earth]

The temple was built thousands of years ago at a time when man was connected to the meridian lines of the Earth [later we were severed], but this particular Moon alignment is very important because many people have been re-connected again [since 1994 through DR Eric Pearls re-connection ], and those people who are re-connected are going to really feel the energy of the Moon this year.

The Moon will be at its lowest for most of the summer.

It is said that the ley lines become wider in response to the lunar standstill, at least for a few months in the middle of this year, it is said the entire grid will broaden out until it becomes a blanket of energy, covering every inch of the land.

So everyone will feel the effects of this phenomenon. The last time this phenomenon happened was back in 1987/8, I particularly remember this to be a good year when my youngest daughter was born, and interestingly she is particularly intuitive.

The Moon in everyone’s chart will have great significance, during this period, expanding on the basic interpretation of the chart. Themes of the Moon will expand; it will be like Jupiter has suddenly joined in the interpretation. So the feeling of happiness, kindness, benevolence, popularity and generosity are going to enter most people’s lives.

What it will bring up is areas of negligence and injustice, and possibly there will be rebellion and opposition in religious matters, already the leader of the national front party is appearing in court.

All people with Cancer Ascendants are really going to feel the transformation, so they will have an overlay of kindness and popularity entering their lives.

Just looking through Rex E Bills book on rulerships for further inspiration, the Moon rules allergies, [there is a TV programme next week on the subject], Perhaps just some favourite subjects of the year will be; beaches, bathing, boating and breweries, clairvoyance, crowds, dealing with the public, diets, oedema, flabbiness, health, homes, hotels, houseboats, insomnia, landscape, luminosity, midwives, mucus, nervous system, oceanographers, plumbers, poultry, [avian flu], reservoirs, sailors, shopping, shipping, travel, and water…. There is so much.

Lunar standstill times [greatest declinations]

4th April 2006 from 7.11 am GMT to 8.02 am GMT is when the transit Moon is holding it's maximum declination at 28.42.44 North. [Standstill Moon is conj Mars and opposite Pluto.]

On 22nd March 2006 from 4.42 pm GMT to 5.07 pm GMT the transit Moon holding declination at 28.43.14 South. [Standstill Moon is conj Pluto and opposite Mars]

Date Standstill type Full Moon North Node Declination
22 June Major south 1 Capricorn 20 Aries 28.11S
2005 24 Gemini 11 Aries 28.05N
15 Dec 2005 21 Sagittarius 1 Aries 28.02S
11 June 19 Capricorn 29 Pisces 26.48S
2006
11 July 2006

[vermindaspirit]

What are Lunar Standstills?

Over an 18.6 to 19 year period, the Full Moons nearest the solstices swing much like a pendulum. In 2005 and 2006, these Full Moons will be at their highest and lowest positions in the sky over this approximately 19 year period, reaching declination 28º +/- (north/south). Also the First and Last Quarter Moons around the time of the equinoxes can be seen at their highest and lowest declinations.

In 2015 there will be a minor lunar standstill season, occurring about 9.3 to 10 years after the major lunar standstill season. What occurs now is that the Full Moons nearest the solstices and the First and Last Quarter Moons nearest the equinoxes will reach a minimum declination of approximately 18º+/- (north/south). When this occurs the Full Moon at the winter solstice will be at its lowest in the sky over an approximately 19 year period, while the Full Moon at the summer solstice will be at its highest in the sky over the same period.

If you observed the full Moons nearest the June and December solstices during a major lunar standstill season, you would notice that the height and depth between the two become extreme with an arc of 56∞ or so. When observing a series of minor lunar standstills you would notice that the height and depth between the two are not so great and less than most full Moons around the solstices with an arc of roughly 36∞ between the two.

The following is a diagram showing a major and minor lunar standstill of the Full Moon. It has not been drawn to scale, but is a diagram of the tropical regions of the Earth showing the terrestrial latitudes of where the Full Moon is overhead at the standstills in the northern hemisphere. In the southern hemisphere, the Full Moon is south of the Tropic of Capricorn at the major lunar standsill, and north of this Tropic at the minor lunar standstill.



The current series of major lunar standstills occurring in 2005 and 2006 and the next series of minor lunar standstills occurring in 2015 are listed below. The positions of the Moon and nodes have been given to nearest degrees. The dates given are for the exact Full and Quarter Moons, but lowest and highest declination may occur within a day or two of the exact phases.



The visible Moon, reaching its highest and lowest declination during its First and Last Quarter phases nearest the equinoxes during the major lunar standstill season, seems to have been the part of the cycle that was of most interest to Neolithic peoples. Maybe they were interested in the Full Moon too – it is hard to believe otherwise. A First Quarter Moon rises at noon and sets at midnight. The Last Quarter Moon is visible from midnight and sets at the following noon. It should be noted that these First and Last Quarter Moons are either in the solstice signs of Cancer and Capricorn or in the other signs, nearest the solstice points, Gemini and Sagittarius.

Throughout the major lunar standstill period, the relevant Full Moons lie near the solstice points and the Moon’s Nodes are close to the equinox points. A major one north will be followed by a major one south just under 6 months apart. The same applies to the minor lunar standstills.

Major Lunar Standstills and Megalithic Sites

It is believed by some that much emphasis was placed on lunar standstills by the builders of the megalithic sites on the western fringes of Europe and in the British Isles. Perhaps they had an understanding, on some level at least, of the Metonic Cycle (when the Moon reaches the same phase and same degree of the Zodiac every 19 years); the 18.6 year Nodal cycle, the cycle of Eclipses and possibly the Saros cycles. There are at least two eclipse seasons per year. A Saros starts with one Solar eclipse, followed by another one in the same series 18 years, 9 – 11 days later. The Solar eclipses which take place in one year each belong to a different Saros series. A Saros series is made up of roughly 72 Solar eclipses over a 1300 year period.

Some of these megalithic sites are believed to be about 5000 years old, older than the development of astrology and astronomy in the Mesopotamian civilisation and much older than Meton, the Greek (c.430 BCE), who was accredited with the discovery of the Metonic cycle. Robin Heath has explained how the Aubrey holes, the first phase of Stonehenge, were used to predict eclipses and has done much work generally in helping us understand ancient archeoastronomy in relation to stone circles. The 56 Aubrey holes were likely to have been used to predict lunar standstills as well. It is unlikely that the builders understood these cycles in the same way as we do now, but their observations over long periods of time may have enabled accurate predictions of lunar standstills and eclipses. Considering that Neolithic people did not live very long lives, this would have been an amazing achievement and knowledge must have been passed on from parent to child.

The lunar standstills, whether they were being observed during the Quarter or Full Moon phases, were apparently prominent events observed from some stone rows, such as the Merrivale Stone Row on Dartmoor in the south west of England, from stone rows on the Isle of Mull off the west coast of Scotland and at Temple Wood stone circle near Kilmartin in Argyle. Other examples are rings of standing stones west of Aberdeen, Scotland. There are many others throughout the western fringes of Europe. The combination of stones and prominent hill tops, with their notches, were one of the major ways Sun and Moon positions were noted at significant times.

The Callanish stones, at latitude 58.12 north, are famous for picking up the lunar standstills at their most southerly positions against the hills on the horizon. There is about five hours of darkness in midsummer. It is worth pointing out too that at this latitude during the major lunar standstills north the Moon hardly sets. You can observe these standstills from anywhere although it would be better to be in the country with a good view.

According to Service and Bradbery in their book, The Standing Stones of Europe, in the Shetland Islands at latitude 60 plus north, the major lunar standstills north become circumpolar, never rising nor setting. Because the Earth’s axial tilt has changed by nearly half a degree since the majority of stone circles were built, the circumpolar Moon was visible in the Shetlands in neolithic times. It is not quite circumpolar today - according to the formula in Philip’s Astronomy Dictionary – polar distance of 90∞ less Moon’s declination should be less than the observer’s latitude for the Moon to become circumpolar. Result is 62∞ - 2∞ out. So terrestrial latitude would have to be 63∞ north for a lunar standstill north to be truly circumpolar today. The reverse would be the case in the southern hemisphere.

Summary
What I have tried to do in this article is to show how the lunar standstills are part of a whole cycle of the Moon, in its fullness and quarter phases over an 18.6 to 19 year period. I have not given dates when the Moon is literally at its lowest or highest declination as I do not have software adequate enough to find these exact dates and time quickly.

© Jean Elliott, DFAstrolS., RCAstrol., 2005.
Jean works as an astrologer in Leominster, Herefordshire (www.starwaves.co.uk) and is a Director of astrologycollege.com which provides correspondence courses (distance learning) in astrology from beginners to advanced level (www.astrologycollege.com). astrologycollege.com is a member of the Astrological Guild of Educators International (www.theastrologicalguild.co.uk). Jean is also involved in the Wheel of Astrologers, a group of friends united by a love of astrology who hold outdoor gatherings and camps and work at outdoor events such as Glastonbury Festival and the Big Green Gathering (www.wheelofastrologers.co.uk).

[Jen]

Thanks for posting that V - it's fascinating stuff!