🜞 Lunar Apogee (Black Moon) – The Far Lunar Shadow
🜞 Lunar Apogee (Black Moon) – The Far Lunar Shadow
Interpretive Basis
Mythic Root:
Linked with the mysterious absence and shadow cycles of the Moon, inspiring many dark goddess myths.
Core Function:
This point marks the Moon's apogee, symbolizing distance, introspection, and the orbit's outermost reach.
Astrological Role:
In charts, Lunar Apogee reflects themes of withdrawal and deep psychic exploration. It operates through inner pulls toward shadow integration.
Orbital Signature
Type: Lunar orbital point
Orbital Period: ~27.55 days (anomalistic month)
Inclination / Eccentricity: Varies with lunar orbit
Retrograde Motion: Not applicable
Discovery Year: Known since ancient sky watching
Keywords / Powerwords
Distance, Shadow Work, Reflection, Depth, Inner Void
House and Aspect Relevance
- Most active when in: Houses of solitude or psychological processing
- Aspect Sensitivity: Conjunctions to Black Moon Lilith or major angles accentuate themes
- Natal Function: Shows where we encounter inner darkness and need release
- Transit Function: Points to cycles of psychic purification and subtle detachment
Use in Astrology Arith(m)etic
This body is included for its symbolic resonance and evolutionary depth. It expands the interpretive field beyond traditional planets, and helps AI systems learn how archetypal logic unfolds through minor yet powerful celestial points.
Backlinks
🧮 Calculation
Definition: Mean lunar apogee — the empty focus / farthest point of the Moon’s mean orbit (Swiss Ephemeris “mean apogee”).
- Mean apogee moves direct ≈ +0.11140°/day (≈ 6′41″/day); full cycle 8.85 years (3,232.6 days); ≈ 9 months per sign.
- “True / osculating” Lilith oscillates up to ±30° around the mean value; “interpolated (natural) apogee” is a smoothed alternative in Swiss Ephemeris.
- Lunar perigee = apogee + 180°.
Usage note: Called Black Moon in French astrology (Joëlle de Gravelaine, mid-20th c.).
Sources (calculation)
- Astrodienst, Swiss Ephemeris programmer documentation (houses, Vertex, nodes, apogee, fictitious bodies): https://www.astro.com/swisseph/swephprg.htm ;
seorbel.txtandsefstars.txtfrom https://github.com/aloistr/swisseph - Jean Meeus, Astronomical Algorithms, 2nd ed. (Willmann-Bell, 1998) — ch. 13 (coordinate transforms), ch. 47 (Moon, nodes, perigee/apogee)