Martin Luther King, the Blood Moon and Stargazers

The first time I saw my Dad cry, was when Martin Luther King died.  The assassination of the civil rights leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner on April 4th, 1968, shocked the world.  The next morning, in our family kitchen, my Dad spoke a few brief words, and tossed the newspaper onto the counter, before turning and leaving the room.  My Mum whispered, "Daddy's crying".

"Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.  Darkness cannot drive out darkness;  only light can do that.  Hate cannot drive out hate;  only love can do that."   - Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love (1963)

Photographers live in a world of light and dark.  I spent the afternoon photographing these Stargazer lilies, named for the upright tilt of their blossoms.  Tonight, on the eve of Martin Luther King Day, and the night of the lunar eclipse of the Super Blood Wolf Moon, a few thoughts...

It sounds ominous, but Super Blood Wolf Moon is not a scary thing.  A lunar eclipse - the time when the moon is exactly on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun - can only occur during a full moon. Tonight's moon is the closest to Earth in it's orbit, so it will appear extra big, which is why it's called a Super Moon.  Every full moon has a name, and the January full moon is called Wolf Moon, after hungry wolves howling at the moon in the dead of Winter.

The Blood Moon is what so many astronomers and photographers are excited about.  When the moon crosses into the Earth's shadow, it will darken, and sunlight will turn the moon a rusty colour, or even blood red.  That's because red light is more dominant than blue light, which scatters.  You may be lucky enough to see what's called the Japanese Lantern Effect, inwhich the moon will display a large area of red, a smaller blue band, and a sliver of white.

Astrologers say this Super Blood Wolf Moon is very powerful.  It's all about having the courage to step out, and begin something new...and it's about creativity.  In astrology, lunar eclipses are portals, or open doors into a new beginning.  This one, is seen as a breakthrough event, which will culminate sometime this Summer.  Dream big. 

The most powerful speech ever written, was Martin Luther King's I Have a Dream speech given during the March on Washington, in 1963.  It moved a nation.  Take a moment now, or tomorrow, during Martin Luther King Day, to read it:  https://www.archives.gov/files/press/exhibits/dream-speech.pdf

The world is desperately crying for a new vision.  A world that works for everyone.  Great visionaries, it's time to go courageously forward.


Photographs Copyright of:  Ruth Adams Widow's Endorphins Photographic Images Incorporated.