ANTINOUS AND THE STARS

THE BACCHANALIA MOON OF ANTINOUS

THE LEO THIRD QUARTER MOON

TONIGHT's Leo Third Quarter Moon is called the BACCHANALIA MOON in Antinous Moon Magic for its gifts of transcendence. 

This Lunar Phase usually occurs close to the ancient festivals of Samhain, Halloween, All Souls Day, Dia de los Muertos and All Saints Day. This Lunar Phase reflects those festivals of peering into other worlds and states of being.

In ancient times, the Bacchanalia were wild and mystic festivals of the Greco-Roman god Bacchus (or Dionysus) aimed at achieving a transcendent state of spiritual awareness.

Antinous was often associated with Dionysus. Antinous/Dionysus is portrayed alongside Silenus god of wine and revelry in the image above from l'Oracolo della Sibilla, a traditional European oracle card deck created by Italian artist Giorgio Tavaglioni.

The Leo Third Quarter Moon is therefore a restless time of high-spirited indulgence, sometimes fun, sometimes slightly scary and always capable of unleashing powerful spirits.

Each Lunar Phase represents a Divine Spirit or Archetype. The Spirit of the Bacchanalia Moon is the Spirit of Gaiety, Fun, Pretend and Revelry. This Spirit likes to dress up in fancy dress or in a costume and pretend to be someone else. This Spirit likes to transcend other realities and, for a time, actually become someone else.

This Spirit knows that the cosmos is a big toy and that we are here to play a game. We are dervishes dancing ourselves into a trance. We are musicians and singers who use music to gain access to other realms. We are actors on a stage who have an entrance and who play a role and then depart.

There is no end to the performance and nobody actually dies for real. We just undergo a costume change and take on a new role.

In magical rituals, oracles and meditations, the keywords for this Magical Lunar Phase are: Gaiety. Revelry. Joy. Fun. Frivolity. Partying. Playing. Acting. Performing. Dancing. Theater and the Arts. 

This Lunar Phase represents "play time" of all sorts, from sports and games to New Year's Eve partying to shamanistic spiritual trance rituals. Also "playing" an instrument or "playing" a role on stage or on the screen. 

This Lunar Phase represents the transformational power of make-believe and "let's play like" which all performers know how to do.

On a mundane level, it refers to "having a good time". On a spiritual level, it refers to entering an altered state to commune with the divine, thus this Lunar Phase is the best time of the year for trance visions.

In health questions, meditations and rituals during this time can reference chronic substance abuse.