Tuesday 9 September 2014

Lunar Influence – Full Moon Names (15)

Introduction

Over the centuries many cultures have given very descriptive names to the full moons that appear each month. These names in turn tell us a lot about how the full moon for that month influences nature.

This post describes each full moon and the influence that each full moon has on nature.


Full Moon Names

January: The Wolf Moon

Also called the Snow Moon, where the howls of wolves is heard more frequently than any other time of the year.

February: The Snow Moon

Also called the Hunger Moon, where the snow levels are at their peak for the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Hunting conditions are also more difficult and it is common for tribes living off hunting to pass through hunger.

March: The Worm Moon

Called this because the snow melts and the earthworms begin to emerge from their winters dwellings beneath the ground’s surface. Also called the Lenten Moon, Crust Moon, Crow Moon and Sap Moon, where respectively, Christian’s thought of it as the last moon in winter, crust forms on the snow from constant thawing and refreezing, crows begin cawing and the sap of maple trees are best harvested.

April: The Pink Moon

Also called the Sprouting Grass Moon, Egg Moon and the Fish Moon. At this point spring in the Northern Hemisphere has arrived and the ground is covered with the pink flowers from wild grass such as the wild ground phlox.

May: The Flower Moon

Flowers in the Northern Hemisphere come to full bloom and corn is ready to be planted. It is also called the Corn Planting Moon and the Milk Moon.

June: The Strawberry Moon

In the Northern Hemisphere at this time strawberry picking reaches its yearly high.

July: The Buck Moon

Buck deer start growing hair over their antlers.

August: The Sturgeon Moon

The month where Sturgeon fish are most easily caught. Also called the Red Moon where the August summer hazes slightly colour the Moon red. Also called the Grain Moon where grain is harvested.

September: The Harvest Moon

In the Northern Hemisphere this is the opportune time to harvest many foods such as all types of grain, squash, pumpkins, beans, rice etc.

October: The Hunter’s Moon

This is the best time to go hunting because the winter is coming and stock levels need to be high to pass through winter.

November:  The Beaver Moon

At this time the beavers are preparing for winter, and are easy to trap and build a store of fur for winter. It has also been called the frost moon as frost begins to settle.

December: The Cold Moon

At this time winter has fully set in and temperatures drop severely. This moon is also called the Long Night Moon because the winter nights get longer with there being more night than day.


Full Moon’s Influence

Some of the moon names describe the influence that the full moon has at a particular time of the year. These full moons are really for January, August and October, where the full moon influences behaviour of wolves in January with their more frequent howling, the increased activity of Sturgeon fish in August and the mating of deer in October.

Full Moon Peaks activity

The names given are really season dependent. However, it turns out that the full moon only really represents the peak of the phenomena occurring in that month. For example, in October, the full moon brings about a peak in the mating of deer and so it is easier for hunters to catch deer as they are busy mating instead of moving.


Conclusion

These names are ones that we don’t commonly hear about in everyday life but they have always been there. Knowing them just adds a little bit more to our awareness of what is going on in nature in each month of the year.

Please note, the full moon influence for each month is different for each hemisphere, so that must be taken into account as well.


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