Flower Moon
Night of the Trifecta—Full Moon, Supermoon, Lunar Eclipse
“Super Flower Blood Moon” photo taken at 11:42 p.m. on May 15, San Marcos, Texas.
Betsy Cross
Super Flower Blood Moon
Flower Moon is a Native American name for the May full moon. It speaks to the arrival of spring and all that it entails. “Flower Moon” is attributed to the Algonquin peoples and has been confirmed by Christina Ruddy of The Algonquin Way Cultural Centre in Pikwakanagan, Ontario. The Old Farmer’s Almanac
May’s Flower Moon was more than just a full moon; it coincided with a total lunar eclipse. And the event occurred near lunar perigee, the moon’s closest point to the Earth in its elliptical orbit, causing it to appear slightly larger than usual. Therefore, it was also termed a supermoon. Some have called May 15-16, 2022, the “Night of the Trifecta.” Wikipedia
During a total lunar eclipse, the sun, Earth, and moon line up so that Earth blocks the sun’s rays from hitting the moon. When this happens, the only light reaching the moon’s surface is from the edges of the Earth’s atmosphere. Most of the blue light is scattered out and diffused by air molecules in our atmosphere, and the remaining light reaching the moon’s surface causes a reddish hue—a phenomenon known as “Blood Moon.” NASA
From the edge of my street in San Marcos, I photographed the eclipse.
May’s lunar eclipse was visible over most of North and South America and lasted for 1 hour and 25 minutes—the longest total lunar eclipse in 33 years. The timing of the eclipse depended on your location. In San Marcos, the partial eclipse began at 9:28 p.m. The maximum eclipse occurred at 11:11 p.m., and the partial eclipse ended at 12:44 a.m. https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/lunar/2022-may-16
In the article A Total Lunar Eclipse in Prime-Time, The New York Times noted that it was “…one of the longest lunar eclipses in recent memory.”
And without question, it was the best lunar eclipse in my forever memory—perfect temperature, gentle breeze, not a cloud in the sky, an ideal time of night (though I did not get to bed before 1:30 a.m.), Chuck-will’s-widow calling in the background, along with an occasional Yellow-billed Cuckoo (which I was surprised to hear, but have since confirmed can be expected), a chorus of frogs, deer silhouettes in the moonlight, mystery creatures moving through the leaf litter, here and there a dog barked—all of it was pretty spectacular!
Phases of the Flower Moon Eclipse
I shot all the moon photos in this article with a Nikon Coolpix P950 super-telephoto camera set on moon scene mode.
From the Science to the Magic
What melancholy mood inspired the artist to paint a masterpiece of the starry sky where, from his window at the asylum in Saint-Remy, he stared into the night and then painted by day?
“In creating this image of the night sky—dominated by the bright moon at right and Venus at center left—van Gogh heralded modern painting’s new embrace of mood, expression, symbol, and sentiment…[he]assigned an emotional language to night and nature that took them far from their actual appearances.” Publication excerpt from MoMA Highlights: 375 Works from The Museum of Modern Art, New York (New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 2019)
What magic moved the French poet Paul Verlaine to pen Clair de lune (Moonlight, in English), which later became the inspiration for Debussy’s most famous piano movement?
“Your soul is the chosen landscape, where charming masquerades and dancers are promenading. …and their song blends with the light of the moon, with the sad and beautiful light of the moon, which sets the birds in the trees dreaming…” Read the full text here: Wikipedia
And still one more—what dark night inspired a young composer to develop over 20 nocturnes and other works in his short life?
“A nocturne means ‘night-piece.’ Like the night, Chopin’s nocturnes are filled with mystery and melancholy, with stars and romance, with agitation and remorse. Chopin’s first night-piece was composed when he was 17 years of age.” Chopin Nocturnes for the Piano, 2nd Edition, Copyright MCMXCII by Alfred Publishing Co., Inc., p. 2.
What moonlit night has inspired you? Do you have a special full moon memory or dark night experience that fills your heart with mystery or drives your curiosity?
Have you shared one of these moments with someone—a friend, a loved one, your children, a grandchild?
My friend Master Naturalist and night sky visionary Cindy Luongo Cassidy shared a small book with me, Walk When the Moon is Full by Frances Hamerstrom written in 1907. It is a beautifully rendered autobiographical reflection about Fran and Hammy, who take their two children, Alan and Elva, on full moon walks each month throughout an entire calendar year. Regardless of the weather or the temperature or their location, they explore their world under the full moon. Each walk reveals something new and delightful about the natural world.
Cindy challenges each of us to adopt such a practice, committing to spending an hour just sitting quietly (no talking please) in the dark of night, once a month, and without any artificial light.
Cindy speaks to me in a gentle tone, “Listen, what do you hear? What are the trees telling you? Can you hear a leaf fall? How does the breeze feel on your skin? What happens to your breath when you take a full minute to notice it? Focus for a moment on the smells around you. Can you sense the fragrance of the Earth and her precious plants? Can you pinpoint the source of the sweetness? What’s the brightest thing you see?"
She continues, “Do this with a friend, a loved one, a child. Make your observations, and then write about your experience in a nature journal.”
Cindy explained that when you are surrounded by darkness, your cells know it. They may go into repair, restore, reenergize, regenerate, or rest mode. It’s all good. Your blood pressure will normally go down. “Allow yourself to bask in the moonlight or the darkness, breathe deeply, and feel the changes in your body."
As I read and reread my scribbled notes from this conversation with Cindy, I could literally feel the tension in my body subsiding, and a memory rose up in my mind. It was July, 1969. I was camping with my mom and a friend at a lake in Oklahoma. The moon was full, the sky was clear. It was hot, muggy. I lay on my back looking up at the full moon and thought about three astronauts, two of whom were taking their first steps onto its surface. It was breathtaking and beautiful, mysterious and magical. Over 50 years later, the feeling is easily conjured up. Stressors and life’s distractions begin to fade.
Cindy, I am all in for your challenge. Think of how this practice could inspire a child’s understanding and respect for nature and the importance of reclaiming the gifts of the night.
Let’s do this! Let’s see what magic manifests from this one simple practice. Just imagine the benefits!