An ancient method of assigning names is based upon seasons and quarters of the year. For instance, the Egg Moon (the full moon before Easter) would be the first moon after March 21, and the Lenten Moon would be the last moon on or before March 21. Modern practice, however, is to assign the traditional names based on the Gregorian calendar month in which the full moon falls. This method frequently results in the same name as the older method would, and is far more convenient to use.

 

Full Moon Names

January ~ Storm Moon
A storm is said to rage most fiercely just 
before it ends, and the year usually follows suit.

February ~ Chaste Moon
The antiquated word for pure reflects the 
custom of greeting the new year with a clear soul.

March ~ Worm or Crow Moon
As the earth begins to warm the earthworm casts appear, inviting the return of the robins. Some tribes called this Moon the Full Crow Moon, because the cawing of crows signaled the end of winter.  Others knew it as the Full Crust Moon, since the snow cover becomes crusted this time of year from thawing by day and freezing at night. Another name was the Full Sap Moon, as it marked the time of tapping maple trees. To the settlers, this moon was also known as the Lenten Moon, and was considered to be the last full Moon of winter.

Sowing season and 
symbol of the start of the new year.

April ~ Hare Moon

the grass pink or wild ground phlox is one of the earliestwidespread flowers of the spring. other names were the full Sprouting GrassMoon, the Egg Moon, and — among coastal tribes — the full Fish Moon, when theshad come upstream to spawn.

The sacred animal was associated 
in Roman legends with springtime and fertility.

May ~ Dyad Moon
The Latin word for a pair refers to the twin 
stars of the constellation of Castor and Pollux.

June ~ Mead Moon
During late June and most of July the 
meadows, or meads, were mowed for hay.

July ~ Wort Moon
When the sun 
was in Leo, the worts 
(from the Anglo-Saxon wyrt plant)
were gathered to be dried and stored.

August ~ Barley Moon
Persephone, virgin Goddess of rebirth, 
carries a sheaf of barley as a symbol of the harvest.

September ~ Blood Moon
Marking the season when domestic 
animals were sacrificed for winter provisions. 
Libra's full moon occasionally became the Wine Moon 
when a grapeharvest was expected to produce a superior vintage.

October ~ Snow Moon
Scorpio heralds the dark season when 
the sun is at it's lowest and the first snows fly.

November ~ Oak Moon
The sacred tree of the Druids and the Roman 
God Jupiter is most noble as it withstands winter storms.

December ~ Wolf Moon
The fearsome nocturnal animal 
represents the "night" of the year.

 The Blue Moon ~ Variable
A Blue Moon occurs when  the moon with its 28 day cycle appears  twice within the same calendar month, due to that  month's 31 day duration. Many consider the Blue Moon  to be a goal moon where you set specific goals for yourself.

The Black Moon ~ Variable
A Black Moon occurs when there  are two dark cycles of the moon in any given 
calendar month. It is believed that the second dark moon of a time of great power within the spiritual world  and any magick worked during this time is especially powerful.
 

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