Life Off the Mountaintop and Up to the Moon! Working with the Energy of the Moon Part 2 – Full Moon Names

As a follow-up to my last blog on working with the energies of the phases of the moon in a given month, I’ll be talking about the names of the full moons for 2017 in this post. Many cultures have their own names for the full moons that occur. The ones that most people are familiar with come from the Native Americans who used the names to keep track of the seasons by giving the full moons distinctive names that reflected events occurring in nature at that time.

The Algonquin tribes that lived in New England and west to Lake Superior had a large effect on the early colonists who adopted the Native American way of naming the full moons. And now…on to the names…some may seem familiar, some not. Remember that there are probably other names associated with the full moons. These are the most popular.

January – Wolf Moon, Old Moon, Moon After Yule, Full Snow Moon
The January full moon is named the Wolf Moon after the wolf packs that howled outside of the villages at night in the cold deep snows of midwinter January. Other names for this full moon are Old Moon, Moon after Yule or Full Snow Moon.

February – Snow Moon, Hunger Moon
This name refers to the heavy snow falls that occur in February. Among the tribes that call the January full Moon the Snow Moon this full Moon would be called the Hunger Moon referring to the harsh hunting conditions that occurred with the heavy snow falls.

March – Worm Moon, Crow Moon, Crust Moon, Sap Moon, Lenten Moon
As the temperatures increase in March, the snows begin to melt, the earth warms up and the earth worms begin to appear. This full moon has also been named after some other signs of spring: Crow Moon for the cawing of the crows in spring, Crust Moon after the crusts of snow around and Sap Moon as this is the time that the Maple trees are tapped to make maple syrup. The European settlers also referred to this full moon as the Lenten Moon and was considered to be the last full moon of winter.

April – Pink Moon, Sprouting Grass Moon, Egg Moon, Fish Moon
This Moon derives its name from the wild flowers which were the most widespread in colonial times and were the earliest blooms noticed. The herb moss pink and the wild ground phlox are blooming at this time and so inspired the name. Other names for this full moon are Sprouting Grass Moon, Egg Moon and Fish Moon.

May – Flower Moon, Corn Planting Moon, Milk Moon
This name is probably obvious as in May the blooming flowers are abundant and are in full bloom. Other names include Corn Planting Moon and Milk Moon.

June – Strawberry Moon, Rose Moon
This moon is named for the strawberry harvest that occurs in June. The European Settlers also called it the Rose Moon, for the roses beginning to bloom at this time.

July – Buck Moon, Thunder Moon, Hay Moon
The new antlers on the deer begin to grow in July, hence the name Buck Moon. Other common names are Thunder Moon for the frequent thunder storms and Hay Moon as the first cutting of hay that happened in July.

August – Sturgeon Moon, Red Moon, Green Corn Moon, Grain Moon
The fishing tribes named this moon for the sturgeon that were most easily caught during this month. Other names are Red Moon, Green Corn Moon and Grain Moon.

September – Harvest Moon, Corn Moon
This name refers to the crops that were ready to harvest at this time. Most were Native American staples and were gathered at this time. The Harvest Moon sometimes occurs in October as traditionally the Harvest Moon is the full moon that occurs closest to the Autumnal Equinox which falls on 23 September. Another name for this moon was Corn Moon because this was when the first harvest of corn was supposed to happen.

October – Hunters Moon, Blood Moon, Sanguine Moon
The Hunters Moon refers to the time when the harvest is complete, the leaves begin to fall and the deer are gaining fat to make it through the winter. The hunters can maneuver over the harvested fields and game is easier to spot. Other names are Blood Moon or Sanguine Moon because of its red color at this time.

November – Beaver Moon, Frost Moon
The beaver during this time of the year begin actively preparing for winter, hence the name. Another name is Frost Moon for the frost that appears.

December – Cold Moon, Long Night Moon, Moon Before Yule
The winter cold tightens its grip and the nights are the longest during December. Another name associated with this moon is Long Night Moon, because of the long nights and the name Moon Before Yule is used most often by the early Christian settlers.

Next time off the mountain – Explaining a Night Garden