New Year Lunar Eclipses of January 2019 and Jupiter-Venus Unions
As the heavens open with a celestial fireworks show for the New Year of 2019, there is a notable lunar theme in the air! In this first blog of 2019, we are highlighting two lunar eclipses in the first 3 weeks of 2019, including a Partial Lunar eclipse Jan. 5-6, and a Super Blood Moon on Jan 21st. This is part of a Super Moon series in 2018-19. A Super-Moon takes place when the Moon reaches peak fullness during its closest approach to Earth. Super-Moons appear up to 14% larger and 30% brighter than normal. Super-Moons can occur multiple times yearly, as we are seeing with the current Super-Moon Triad.
With two Lunar Eclipses in January, on the 6th and 21st, the final lunar sign in this Super-Moon series pulls a trifecta, also being a Total Lunar Eclipse, as a rare Super-Blood Moon.
A most notable recent Super-Blood Moon happened back in Sept. 2015 concluding the 2014-15 Blood Moon Tetrad, with the 1st known Super Blood Moon on a Hebrew feast. This Blood Moon Tetrad wrapped up with a Super Blood Moon on Tabernacles Feast, Sept. 28, 2015.
The Jan. 31st, 2018 Blood Moon was also be visible in Israel as the moon in rising. It is the first of 3 consecutive Blood Moons visible in Israel. The 2nd occured on July 27/28, 2018 and the 3rd Jan. 20-21, 2019. This Blood Moon lunar triple of 2018-2019 follows 7 years after the lunar triple of 2010-2011 Blood Moons also visible in Israel. As we find in Fig. 1 below, these two sets of Blood Moon Lunar triples framed the 2014-2015 Blood Moon Tetrad, marking Hebrew Feast and holy days in 2014-15.
Figure 1. Lunar Triads and Solar Eclipses framing the Blood Moon Tetrad 2
The 2014-2015 Blood Moon Tetrad was centered between the saddest days on the Hebrew Calendar, the days of Av marked by two lunar triples framing this Tetrad between 2010-11 and 2018-19. These Lunar triples or triads are Blood Moon lunar eclipses that do not fall on Hebrew Feast or holy days, bracketing the Blood Moon Tetrad that did. These lunar triples recall the Jerusalem Temple being destroyed on two key occasions in history, during Hebrew Sabbath years of 586-587 BC and 69-70 AD. The Jubilee calendar also marks 27-28 AD as a Jubilee year, denoting the year Jesus opened his ministry to Israel, as seen in [Isa. 61:1ff & Lk. 4:18-19].
The 2010-2011 Lunar triple dates prior to the Blood Moon Tetrad and Eclipses of 2016 are seen below:
12/21/2010
6/15/2011
12/10/2011
The 2018-2019 Lunar triple dates after the Blood Moon Tetrad and eclipses of 2016 are seen below:
1/31/2018
7/27/2018
1/21/2019
All the solar eclipses on either side of the 2014-15 Blood Moon Tetrad are spaced equi-distant from the center of the Lunar Tetrad. For example, we find this with two solar eclipses closest to the center of the Blood Moon Tetrad, Oct. 23, 2014, and Mar. 20, 2015, are the same distance on either side of the center date [Jan. 5, 2015] of the Lunar Tetrad. The dates for the Partial Solar Eclipses before the Blood Moon Tetrad are listed below:
The Partial Solar Eclipse dates before the Blood Moon tetrad:
1/4/2011
6/1/2011
7/1/2011
11/25/2011
Partial Solar Eclipse Dates with the Second Lunar Triple:
2/15/2018
7/13/2018
8/11/2018
1/5-6/2019
It is interesting that the mid-point date Jan. 5, 2015, of this Blood Moon Tetrad is almost exactly 4 years to the day of the 4th Partial Solar Eclipse on Jan. 5-6 2019, during New Years week 2019. This Jan. 5-6 Partial Solar Eclipse Eclipse is the 58th eclipse in the Solar Saros Series 122. During the first week in January, we will see the Moon by passing Jupiter and Venus in Ophiuchus leading up to its Jan. 5-6 Partial Solar Eclipse. As it reaches the Super-Blood Moon on Jan. 21st, Eclipse totality will last 63 minutes.
Figure 2. The Moon passing by Jupiter and Venus New Years week Jan. 2019.
Generally, a conjunction of Venus and Jupiter happens once a year. But this year, in 2019, Venus and Jupiter will not only rendezvous the day after the Super-Blood Moon, on Jan. 22nd as seen in Fig. 3 below, but also for a 2nd notable conjunction in 2019 on the evening of November 24th, 2019.
Figure 3. Jupiter-Venus union aligned with Antares the Scorpion’s Heart Jan. 22nd, 2019.
There has been notable activity with the unions of Jupiter-Venus both at the birth of Christ and again linked to the 2014-15 Blood Moon Tetrad, two years ahead of the Sept. 23rd, 2017 Rev. 12 sign.
The following dates, also show elements of the Celestial Sphinx in the Regulus unions in Leo, while the Jupiter-Venus conjunctions took place in Virgo in 2016-2017:
July 30th, 2016 Mercury-Regulus Conjunction
Aug. 5th, 2016 Venus-Regulus Conjunction
Aug. 26-27th, 2016 Jupiter-Venus conjunction [Jupiter enters Virgo]
Feb. 26th, 2017 Jupiter-Venus conjunction
Sept. 23rd, 2017 [Virgo clothed with the Sun/Moon @ feet]-Rev. 12:1-2
Nov. 13th, 2017 Jupiter-Venus conjunction
The two brightest planets –Venus and Jupiter –teamed up to provide the closest planetary conjunction of 2014, which had been the closest Venus- Jupiter conjunction during the six Lunar Eclipses of 2014-2016, until August 27, 2016, when Jupiter entered Virgo to be eventually“birthed” in 2017. This Venus-Jupiter union on August 27, saw these two planets three times closer than during their 2015 union when they were separated by only 1/3 of a degree.
With this celestial context in mind it lends a deeper meaning for the Venus-Jupiter conjunctions of 2019. The upcoming morning conjunction on January 22, 2019, has very favorable sighting conditions, because Venus is near its maximum distance from the sun. The stellar backdrop for the two Jupiter-Venus unions in 2019 is Ophiuchus/Scorpius. We find Jupiter in retrograde in 2019 near the foot of Ophiuchus that was bruised by the Scorpion’s sting, [Gen. 3:14-15] depicting the spiritual conflict between Satan and Christ.
Figure 4. Jupiter in Ophiuchus’ foot near the star Saiph.
Jupiter appears in front of the stars of Ophiuchus’ foot, during its 2018-2019 appearance. (Starry Night Pro)
Ophiuchus is identified with Christ in the triple conjunction of Saturn with the star in the serpent-holder’s left foot, called Saiph, meaning “bruised.” This of course is linked to the first prophecy of the promised seed in Gen. 3:14-15.
Saturn began its retrograde in Ophiuchus March 26th, then Saturn entered Sagittarius for 84 days prior to returning to Ophiuchus May 18th, 2017. Around August 21st, 2017 Saturn reached its Western stationary point North of the star Theta Ophiuchi, the day of the Total Solar Eclipse across America. Saturn’s retrograde ended a week later on August 28th, 2017. After returning to its regular motion, Saturn completed its 3rd union with Saiph on Sept. 6th, 2017, as Mercury was in retrograde, circling Mars and Regulus in conjunction in Leo, on Sept. 4th. Saturn remained in Ophiuchus till November 18th, 2017, before heading back into Sagittarius.
Figure 5. Jupiter in retrograde in 2018-201 with Venus conjunctions
This sequence of the triple union of Saturn with the star Saiph in 2017 was a precursor of Jupiter’s retrograde motion also leading to the same bruised foot of Ophiuchus in 2018-19. But there is another element of these Jupiter-Venus unions of 2019 that directly links these celestial events, that being the heart of the Scorpion the Red Star Antares. Antares means “the wounding” as a description of the temporary wound the adversary inflicted on Christ at the Cross, as the very death that Christ conquered in defeating the enemy eternally, [Heb. 2:14].
Prior and during the Jupiter-Venus conjunctions of 2019, we find three unions of these planets with Antares in 2018-19.
1. December 23rd, 2018; Jupiter-Antares conjunction.
2. January 15th 2019; Venus-Antares conjunction.
3. November 9th, 2019; Venus-Antares conjunction.
Here we see the King Planet Jupiter and Venus the bright and Morning Star which embody different aspects of the Lord Jesus Christ effectively crushing the Head/Heart of the Serpent/ Scorpion leading up to the final death blow our Lord will execute in this titanic struggle of the Ages.
Figure 6. Mercury, Jupiter, and Antares Dec. 21st 2018
The preceding separate triple unions of Jupiter and Saturn are a prelude to the upcoming Jupiter-Saturn triple conjunction in 2020.We find secondary elements of this theme just prior to the December 23rd, 2018 Jupiter-Antares conjunction, because on December 21st Jupiter and Mercury-Gabriel are less than a degree apart. Mercury, Jupiter, and Antares are nearly aligned in a 6° range, as seen in Fig. 6 above. Mercury-Gabriel heralds the coming Jupiter-Saturn conjunction as Dec. 21st marks two years until their Great Conjunction, when they appear only 0.1° apart! 7 Of course it was their triple union in 7 BC as part of the Celestial Prelude that helped the Magi recognize the traits of Jupiter as the Bethlehem Star bringing them to the birth of Christ.
What a great way to wrap up the 2018 Holiday Season and kick off the New Year!!
God Bless!!
Footnotes
1. Figure 1 graphic by Alexander Lawrence
2. Figure 2. Picture credit from Bruce McClure-Tonight Jan. 2019.
3. Figure 3. picture credit from [https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2018/10/24/2018-2019-jupiter-dances-with-the-snake-handler/]
4. IBID Figure 4 picture credit.
5. IBID Figure 5 picture credit.
6. IBID Figure 6 picture credit.
7. Ibid
