A blue moon is what people call the second of two full Moons that appear during the same month.

A second full Moon can appear within the same month because full Moons occur about every 29.5 days. So if a full Moon occurs in the first day or two of a month, except for February, a second full Moon can occur during one of the last days of that month as well. It doesn't actually look blue.

Although blue moons aren’t necessarily blue, they are rare and happen on average once every 2.7 years.

Folklore has defined two different kinds of Blue Moons. A Blue Moon can be the second full moon in a month. Or it can be the third of four full moons in a season. 

This rarity in the sky has been the basis of myths, legends, and superstitions throughout the world for centuries. Here a story and superstitions I have picked up or heard tell of in my travels as a spiritual advisor and reader.

There is an old Eskimo legend. In the tale, the Sun is a woman, draped in golden light. She is optimistic and creative and warms the earth with her powerful glow. She brings life to the earth and is loved and revered by many stars and planets in the sky.

The moon was a man, passionate, dark, and handsome. He hid in the shadows admiring the sun from a distance. It was a time when the moon had no light, but just watched and waited in dark shadows of sky and worshiped the sun from afar.

Then one day as lady Sun was putting on a brilliant set of morning clothes, she felt she was being watched. She looked around and noticed the handsome moon starring at her from a deep corner of space.

“Why do you stare at me so, somber moon ?”, asked the Sun.

“I’m overwhelmed by your beauty and you leave me speechless so I can only watch you from a distance, because if I touched you I would surely die of ecstasy.”

The Sun went closer to the moon and said, “You will not die if you touched me, come closer and kiss me.”

The Moon went to her and kissed her fiery lips that morning and the fire was so strong it left him glowing all day and into the night. And every morning she would kiss him again and he would rise up glowing so brightly he lit up and the light filled his whole being and the night sky was full of light.

Then one day the Sun came out and said he would not receive a kiss from her that morning because he was becoming too bright, and the people on earth would have two Suns instead of one and it would break the natural course of things. “But I will kiss you and love you as much as I can, just not every day.”

The Moon was sad to miss the morning kiss and in his sadness he began to grow cold and dark again. But he did not become black as the night as he once was. The hope and anticipation of being with the sun once more kept a few embers glowing leaving the moon to look as if he had put on a blue cloak.

And so is the legend of the blue moon.

The blue moon has sparked the imagination of many cultures.

• In some cultures it is unlucky for girls to stare at a blue moon or they will become pregnant by the moon and the child will be a monster.
• It’s a great idea to pick flowers and berries during a blue moon as it will bring more abundance, love and beauty into your life.
• If you see a full moon and it is blue, take a coin in your pocket and turn it over for good luck.
• There is an old English tradition that if you are a housewife and see a blue moon you are to go turn the bed because it will make you more fertile.
• A Welsh tradition holds that if a member of the family dies during a blue moon, three more will follow.
• In the gypsy culture, if you sleep with the moon on your face, particularly a blue moon, you may go insane, so blinds were drawn or windows closed during all full moon phases.
• If you attempt a robbery on the third day of a blue moon it will fail. Best not to rob anything at all.
• If a person becomes ill during a blue moon phase he will die in 8 days.
• Looking at a blue moon through glasses or any glass item is considered bad luck for 30 days.

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