Category: Moon Journey

Moon Journey: The Cold Moon Arrives Today

by Diane, posted in Moon Journey

Today is the full moon. Where I live, it is at its fullest at 7:48 pm. Last night when I had finished feeding the animals, I stood in the path and stared up at the moon. Its light glowed upon the snow and provided illumination to easily navigate without a flashlight. The skies were clear, and the stars were bright, but the moon dominated the landscape.

Often, the coldest days of the month surround the full moon. This month is no different. Where I live, we’ve hit -19 degrees Celsius with wind chills in the low -30s.

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Moon Journey: The Long Winter Moon Arrives Today

by Diane, posted in Moon Journey

Today is the full moon. Where I live, it is at its fullest at 12:35 am. On a clear night, the full moon easily lights our way and we’ve no need for flashlights. If snow is on the ground, it is almost like day and makes for easy travelling through the forest.

Throughout history, there have been many names for the December full moon. They include Cold Moon, Frost Moon, Winter Moon, Moon before Yule, Oak Moon and the Long Night Moon.

It is easy to determine where most of these names originated from. The Long Night Moon obviously indicates the longest night of the year, giving a nod to Winter Solstice. It is believed Oak Moon comes from druids as they are the ones with the closest relationship to the oak.

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Tracking the Seasons, Sun and Moon

by Diane, posted in Moon Journey

As we approach full moon and winter solstice, I’d like to draw your attention to a website I visit every day: Time and Date. The information I gather from here has been recorded in numerous notebooks over the years. Sometimes I’d record only the times for sunrise and sunset. Other occasions, I’d also record the moonrise, moonset, illumination percentage, daylight hours and the angles of the rising and setting of both the sun and the moon.

There’s lots of other information on the site that pertains to time, including the World Clock and Calendars. If you want to track anything in the sky, including planets, you’ll find information here. The sweet thing is, you can get it as it pertains to your location regardless of where you are in the world.

The illumination of the moon is real time (or at least as real as I’m going to find it). Just before I posted this, the moon was at 98.9% on its way to becoming full. This website says it will be full December 19th at 12:35 am, my time.

The site also tells me when to expect the sunrise on winter solstice: December 21st at 7:50 am. Winter arrives at 11:59 am.

Check it out here: Time and Date.

Day of the Moon

by Diane, posted in Moon Journey, Mythology and Magic

On my journey to realign to the natural world, I’m delving into the names of the week and their origins. Today, being Monday, I’ll share what I’ve learned about this first day of the week, a day many dread because it begins the work week.

My first thought when thinking about Monday was that it originally was Moon Day. Well, I wasn’t wrong. In Middle English it was monedai, which came from Old English mōndæg. This was the contraction of mōnandæg “Monday”.

Mōnandæg translates to the “day of the moon”. It comes from mona and dæg. This compares to Old Norse manandagr, Old Frisian monendei, Dutch maandag and German Montag.

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Moon Journey: The Dark Moon

by Diane, posted in Moon Journey

In my desire to deepen my connected with nature, I’m expanding my knowledge of the moon. While I’ve watched the moon pass through its phases and thought about planting by them, I haven’t given the ever-changing orbiting satellite my full attention or acted on those thoughts.

As I explore the moon further, I’ll share my journey here. Today, I am marking the dark moon. It’s also known as the new moon and black moon.

In garden lore, this is a day to rest, rejuvenate, think about what has transpired since the last dark moon and to meditate. If this was a season for gardening, I’d do no planting, no pruning, no digging. I would observe the garden to see how it has changed, how it grew and how it didn’t grow. I’d not put into action any plans, only observe and make plans.

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