Full Moon Madness
(what's the hype?)
Full Moon Madness

Full moon is a lunar phase that occurs when the Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun. More precisely, a full moon occurs when the geocentric apparent longitudes of the Sun and Moon differ by 180 degrees; the Moon is then in opposition with the Sun. At this time, as seen by viewers on Earth, the hemisphere of the Moon that is facing the earth (the near side) is almost fully illuminated by the Sun and appears round. Only during a full moon is the opposite hemisphere of the Moon, which is not visible from Earth (the far side), completely unilluminated.
The average lunar month is about 29.531 days long, Lunar months are counted in discrete numbers of days, lunar months are said to be either 29 or 30 days long. There are 13 lunar cycles in a year as well
Full Moons are traditionally associated with temporal insomnia, insanity (hence the terms lunacy and lunatic) and various "magical phenomena" such as lycanthropy. Psychologists, however, have found that there is no strong evidence for effects on human behavior around the time of a full moon. They find that studies are generally not consistent, with some showing a positive effect and others showing a negative effect. In one instance, the December 23, 2000 issue of the British Medical Journal published two studies on dog bite admission to hospitals in England and Australia. The study of the Bradford Royal Infirmary found that dog bites were twice as common during a full moon, whereas the study conducted by the public hospitals in Australia found that they were less likely.
This Moon controls the Tides of the Earth.

   Many neopagans hold a monthly ritual called an Esbat at each full moon, while some people practicing traditional Chinese religions prepare their ritual offerings to their ancestors and deities on every full and new moon.
The Moon has figured in many mythologies, often paired or contrasted with the Sun. (see also Solar deity).
The monthly cycle of the moon, unlike the annual cycle of the Sun path, has been linked to women's menstrual cycles by many cultures. Many of the most well-known mythologies feature female lunar deities (gods, immortal), such as the Greek goddesses Selene and Phoebe and their Olympian successor Artemis, their Roman equivalents Luna and Diana, or the Thracian Bendis. These cultures almost invariably featured a male sun god.
  It is not without relevance that the Moon goes form it’s new phase to it’s fullness and was equated by the Ancients as female as a woman goes from the new or maidenship to the ripening fullness heavy with child.  It takes a human 9 months but the moon rebirths every month.
Male lunar gods are also frequent, such as Nanna or Sin of the Mesopotamians, Mani of the Germanic tribes, Thoth of the Egyptians, the Japanese god Tsukuyomi, Rahko of Finns and Tecciztecatl of the Aztecs. These cultures usually featured female Sun goddesses.
Also of significance is that many ancient pagan religions and societies are orientated chronologically by the Moon as opposed to the sun. One common example is Hinduism in which the word Chandra means Moon and has religious significance particularly during the Hindu festival Karwa-Chouth.
While many Neopagan authors and feminist scholars claim that there was an original Great Goddess in prehistoric cultures that was linked to the moon and formed the basis of later religions, the Great Goddess figure is highly speculative and not a proven concept. It is more likely that, if existent, the Great Goddess is based upon earth goddesses, such as Gaea of the Greeks. It may be noted that most of the oldest civilizations mentioned above had male lunar deities, and it was only later cultures — the classical ones most people are familiar with — that featured strong female moon goddesses.
The bull was lunar in Mesopotamia (its horns representing the crescent). See Bull (mythology) and compare Hubal. In the Hellenistic-Roman rites of Mithras, the bull is prominent, with astral significance, but with no explicit connection to the moon.
The words 'lunacy", "lunatic", and "loony" are derived from Luna because of the folk belief in the moon as a cause of periodic insanity. It is a feature of modern belief that shapeshifters such as werewolves drew their power from the moon and would change into their bestial form during the full moon, but this feature is largely absent from older folklore.
   The purported influence of the moon in human affairs remains a feature of astrology.
Full Moon names date back to Native Americans, of what is now the northern and eastern United States. The tribes kept track of the seasons by giving distinctive names to each recurring full Moon. Their names were applied to the entire month in which each occurred.
     There was some variation in the Moon names, but in general, the same ones were current throughout the Algonquin tribes from New England to Lake Superior. European settlers followed that custom and created some of their own names. Since the lunar month is only 29 days long on the average, the full Moon dates shift from year to year.  



Full Moon Listing
•January, The Wolf Moon
The first full moon is a time of silence and sitting by the home fire. As the wild winter howls, appreciate the warmth of home and family. Now is the time to go within and plan the changes you will make in the spring. Consider now what you will plant. Start a moon journal to record your lunar tides and write down your spring dreams.

•February, The Storm Moon
At this Moon begin your spring cleaning. Think about what needs to be released and let go of in your life and in your home. Burn white candles and purifying incense, sweep out the cobwebs and prepare for the new growth of spring.

•March, The Chaste Moon
This is the Moon of the maiden and Faery folk. Gather the seeds of inspiration and imagine what they can grow into. Build an Altar to the Moon and bless your garden in the moonlight. Prepare the earth for planting and yourself for change.

•April, The Seed Moon
At the Seed Moon plant your seeds of magick, whether it be in a garden, in a pot by the window or simply in your heart. Fill your home with light and flowers, create colorful eggs to decorate it and bring fertility and joy. On the full Moon plant herbs. Sing in the rain...

•May, The Hare Moon
Now is the time to celebrate life and love. Renew and affirm your sensuality, kindle the fire of romance . Dance and make love by the light of a bon fire, the glow of red candles, or just the full moons radiance. Free your wild nature....

•June, The Dyad Moon
See how things are growing! The old has died away to make room for the new . Create an Altar of roses and honor the beauty of nature. Send flowers to your mother. Hike to the top of a mountain...

•July, The Mead Moon
Bask in the warmth of summer and take time for yourself, relax. Perhaps a moonlit walk by the sea to gather sacred seashells. Make an ocean amulet necklace for one you love.

•August, The Corn Moon
This is a time to harvest the gifts you have nurtured and give to those who are in need. Collect and store fresh herbs for the coming winter. Bake special breads to honor the God and Goddess of grain and growing things, share them with your family and friends but save some to offer the Earth.

•September, The Harvest Moon
Drink a toast to Dionysus, the God of wine and ecstasy - The son of the Moon! Gather with friends to celebrate the vine with a bottle of good wine and good cheer. Catch the Moons reflection in your cup and raise it up in salutation, now drink in her essence and feel the presence of the God and Goddess. 

•October, The Blood Moon
In the past this was the time of hunting and storing. The wheel of the year turns like the cycle of life and death. At this Moon the veil is thin, make an Altar to honor your ancestors and ask them to guide and protect you. Carve pumpkins and place candles within to light their way. 

•November, The Snow Moon
Winter's cold descends and outward growth slows. Make this a time for inner growth. Learn a new craft or study thwarts of divination. When the Moon is full do a reading for yourself or your friends. Develop your psychic talents.

•December, The Oak Moon
The time of the Suns return approaches and the Moon awaits her lover. Make wreaths of Holly, Pine, Oak, Cedar or Ivy. On the full Oak Moon burn them as an offering to the Sun and Moon. Create a sacred Moon ornament to hang on the boughs of your yule tree.

•The Blue Moon
This is the second Full Moon which falls within in a single month, it varies each year. When the Blue Moon occurs plan to do something strange, something you have never done before. Write letters to folks you have not seen for years, plan a surprise for someone you love. Howl at the Moon!

This particular article was  shared with me and I do not know it's origin or Author.  An excellent resource and if anyone is the owner/Author of this article I will gladly give credit or remove it upon request!






Click here to add text.
Here is the Farmers Almanac's list of the full Moon names.


• Full Wolf Moon - January Amid the cold and deep snows of midwinter, the wolf packs howled hungrily outside Indian villages. Thus, the name for January's full Moon. Sometimes it was also referred to as the Old Moon, or the Moon After Yule. Some called it the Full Snow Moon, but most tribes applied that name to the next Moon.
• Full Snow Moon( Quickening,chaste) - February Since the heaviest snow usually falls during this month, native tribes of the north and east most often called February's full Moon the Full Snow Moon. Some tribes also referred to this Moon as the Full Hunger Moon, since harsh weather conditions in their areas made hunting very difficult.
• Full Worm (Storm)- March Moon As the temperature begins to warm and the ground begins to thaw, earthworm casts appear, heralding the return of the robins. The more northern tribes knew this Moon as the Full Crow Moon, when the cawing of crows signaled the end of winter; or the Full Crust Moon, because the snow cover becomes crusted from thawing by day and freezing at night. The Full Sap Moon, marking the time of tapping maple trees, is another variation. To the settlers, it was also known as the Lenten Moon, and was considered to be the last full Moon of winter.
• Full Pink Moon(Wind Moon,Hare moon)  - April This name came from the herb moss pink, or wild ground phlox, which is one of the earliest widespread flowers of the spring. Other names for this month's celestial body include the Full Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon, and among coastal tribes the Full Fish Moon, because this was the time that the shad swam upstream to spawn.
• Full Flower Moon -Dyad-- May In most areas, flowers are abundant everywhere during this time. Thus, the name of this Moon. Other names include the Full Corn Planting Moon, or the Milk Moon.
• Full Strawberry Moon-Mead, Honey  - June This name was universal to every Algonquin tribe. However, in Europe they called it the Rose Moon. Also because the relatively short season for harvesting strawberries comes each year during the month of June . . . so the full Moon that occurs during that month was christened for the strawberry!
• The Full Buck Moon -Blessing- July July is normally the month when the new antlers of buck deer push out of their foreheads in coatings of velvety fur. It was also often called the Full Thunder Moon, for the reason that thunderstorms are most frequent during this time. Another name for this month's Moon was the Full Hay Moon.
• Full Sturgeon Moon Corn Moon- August The fishing tribes are given credit for the naming of this Moon, since sturgeon, a large fish of the Great Lakes and other major bodies of water, were most readily caught during this month. A few tribes knew it as the Full Red Moon because, as the Moon rises, it appears reddish through any sultry haze. It was also called the Green Corn Moon or Grain Moon.
• Full Harvest Moon - September This is the full Moon that occurs closest to the autumn equinox. In two years out of three, the Harvest Moon comes in September, but in some years it occurs in October. At the peak of harvest, farmers can work late into the night by the light of this Moon. Usually the full Moon rises an average of 50 minutes later each night, but for the few nights around the Harvest Moon, the Moon seems to rise at nearly the same time each night: just 25 to 30 minutes later across the U.S., and only 10 to 20 minutes later for much of Canada and Europe. Corn, pumpkins, squash, beans, and wild rice the chief Indian staples are now ready for gathering.
• Full Hunter's Moon-blood- October With the leaves falling and the deer fattened, it is time to hunt. Since the fields have been reaped, hunters can easily see fox and the animals which have come out to glean.
• Full Beaver Moon Mourning Snow Moon- November This was the time to set beaver traps before the swamps froze, to ensure a supply of warm winter furs. Another interpretation suggests that the name Full Beaver Moon comes from the fact that the beavers are now actively preparing for winter. It is sometimes also referred to as the Frosty Moon.
• The Full Cold Moon; or the Full Long Nights Moon - December During this month the winter cold fastens its grip, and nights are at their longest and darkest. It is also sometimes called the Moon before Yule. The term Long Night Moon is a doubly appropriate name because the midwinter night is indeed long, and because the Moon is above the horizon for a long time. The midwinter full Moon has a high trajectory across the sky because it is opposite a low Sun.

info for this portion is from Famers Almanac, Wikipedia
Click here to add text.

We Are Proud To Be A Witchvox Sponsor