From the Secret Circle Archives, April 2024:
Did you know that every Full Moon has a nickname? Multiple, even! People have been naming Full Moons since basically forever as a way to guide their farming practices and describe the seasons, and I personally love the extra-specialness of an occasion with a title. According to the 2006 Witches' Almanac, some of those names are:
April: Seed, Pink, Grass, Green Grass, Egg
May: Hare, Flower, Planting, Shed
June: Dyad, Rose, Strawberry, Make Fat
July: Mead, Buck, Thunder
August: Wort, Sturgeon, Grain, Cherries Ripen
September: Barley, Harvest, Fruit, Hunting
October: Blood, Hunter's, Falling Leaf
November: Snow, Fever, Frosty, Mad
December: Oak, Cold, Long Night
January: Wolf, After Yule, Snow
February: Storm, Snow, Hunger
March: Chaste, Worm, Sap, Crow, Sore Eye
I like to incorporate these themes into my Full Moon rituals in even the smallest ways. Just last week I treated myself to a bag of gummy worms in silly honor of the Worm Moon!
There are some Moons that stand out as special for other reasons, like the Sagittarius Full Moon of 2023 when I adopted my cat Louise (that timing makes sense- she is SO a goddess of the hunt!) So for me, June's Sag Full Moon will always be the Louise Moon, and you can bet she's gonna get allllll kinds of treats.
As a fun little exercise, think about what YOU would name each moon and how you'd celebrate. You can look up a lunar calendar to see exact dates, or just think about what that time of year invokes for you. Which Full Moon falls during your favorite fruit's harvest season? You can even make them up as you go: which Full Moon marks the official beginning of Windows Open season or New Season of The Bear Night?
