The Moon

Our greatest female influence, she is the source of much mystique.
With her control of the tides and 28 day cycle her reverence is beyond compare.

Since the beginning of days many cultures look to the night and the moon phase to determine... "Time."

It is only relatively recently that we have adopted the modern calender and numbered our days.
(Such is our obsession with time, that more recently we move the clocks back one hour for winter and forward an hour for summer.)

Celtic Moon Names

January: Snow Moon         
February: Moon of Winds  
March: Quiet Moon            
April: Growing/Seed Moon 
May: Bright/Hare Moon      
​June: Mead/Moon of Horses ​

​July: Wort / Moon of Claiming
August: Lightening/Dispute Moon
September: Barley/Singing Moon
October: Harvest Moon
November: Dark Moon
​December: Cold Moon

Elder: Witches/Enchanted Moon

The Druidic Influences

The Druids counted their nights and determined time by the current moon phase and season, one month equalled 28 nights this being 14 nights in to the full moon and 14 nights into the new moon. This can be broken down further from the New Moon to Waxing Crescent completing First Quarter, moving into Waxing Gibbous leading to Full Moon and from there to Waning Gibbous and Third Quarter and returning to complete the cycle with Waning Crescent before the next New Moon.

If we understand or begin to partly understand the influences of the moon in our every day lives then we can begin to enrich our lives with the natural ebb and flow of energies known to our forefathers, "The Druids... The High Priests."
The new moon was seen as the beginning and from here the moon gets brighter as it moves toward the full moon, this being a time for gathering. But not just crops, gathering the people together and a time for worship. The moon is naturally recognised as female across most cultures and is seen as the controller of tides and waters, also recognised by animals and trees alike. During her dark period, the new moon the trees are quieter, the winds calmer and the animals more lethargic and less likely to wander. As she moves around the planet she grows brighter and summons the waters... the winds... the earth... all of what is natural pick up on her moods and new fresh energies are created, it is worth taking note of the trees under a full moon as there is little that can compare to a fully loaded pine tree singing in moon light during the winter months or a fully developed oak almost squatting and spreading out in the summer.

The power of attraction can be felt easily once recognised and you will achieve the best results during the waxing gibbous, the waxing gibbous encouraging all natural energies energies to come together as it leads into the full moon. With most living things having a naturally developed sense they look forward to the full moon, it is probably an obvious but little thought about concept, yet it is the oldest and most natural sense... with todays modern cultural desires sadly for humans it is the least explored. The simple terminology "loon" or "loony" rather crassly demonstrates our knowledge and understanding of the power of the full moon. It is widely recognised within the medical field that the full moon influences people in different ways and yet science is almost afraid to investigate the true potential of this wonderous event.

Moving away from the full moon and towards the new moon the waning gibbous is a time to calm and gently release the unwanted energies or negative energies accumulated. Once the third quarter has passed and we move into the waning crescent then to actively cast away old energy, or stale or inappropriate energies. Another way to look at inappropriate energy is a noisy child in the library or a quiet child in the choir. The third quarter and the waning crescent is a time to address the inapropriate energies and physically cast them away.

It is recognised across most of the English speaking nations that the full moon of Halloween is a time of much mystique and magic, whilst the more traditional celebrations of Samhain have been largely forgotten. This is yet another example of ancient tradition being reinvented to please the populace. A little known fact, but one of equal importance is that unicorns are born under the new moon following Samhain.

HOME