Full Flower Moon – May

The Farmer’s Almanac tells us that May’s full moon is known as the Full Flower Moon.  In most areas, flowers are abundant everywhere during this time. Thus, the name of this Moon.  May’s Full Flower Moon, also called Mother’s Moon, Milk Moon, and Corn Planting Moon, marks a time of increasing fertility with temperatures warm enough for safely bearing young, a near end to late frosts, and plants in bloom.

This month, learn about May’s Full Flower Moon, how the Moon’s phases affect when the fish will bite, and the Almanac’s criteria for a great fishing day.

 

According to the Wise Witches Society, this moon is known as the Dyad Moon - The Latin word for a pair refers to the twin.

 

“The earth is becoming fertile again. This was the time for the planting rites. Now is the time for communication with other beings and recommiting yourself to the Gods and the Earth. The zodiac association is Taurus.” [1]

“Hare’s 1st Full Moon” by David Kettley

 

MAY: Hare Moon (May) Also known as: Merry or Dyad Moon, Bright Moon, Flower Moon, Frogs Return Moon, Thrimilcmonath (Thrice-Milk Month), Sproutkale, Winnemanoth (Joy Month), Planting Moon, Moon When the Ponies Shed
Nature Spirits: faeries, elves
Herbs: dittany of Crete, elder, mint, rose, mugwort, thyme, yarrow
Colors: green, brown, pink
Flowers: lily of the valley, foxglove, rose, broom
Scents: rose, sandalwood
Stones: emerald, malachite, amber, carnelian
Trees: hawthorn
Animals: cats, lynx, leopard
Birds: swallow, dove, swan
Deities: Bast, Venus, Aphrodite, Maia, Diana, Artemis, Pan, Horned God
Power Flow: full creating energy; propagation. Intuition, contact with faeries and other supernatural beings. Strengthen connection with supernatural protectors and beings around you. Power flowing from the Greenwood Gods and trees. [2]

 

 

 

Sources:

The Celtic Lady. The Olde Way, ”Individual Moons Explained“.

Farmers’ Almanac, “Full Moon Names and Their Meanings“.

msnbc.com, “That’s not just a full moon, it’s a ‘supermoon’“.

Willow Grove, “The Witch’s Esbats“.

Wise Witches Society, “Full Moon Names and Their Meanings“.

 

 

Suggested Links:

The Fine-Arts and Bluesband & Poetry Press, “The Names of the Moons“

National Geographic, “Full Moons: What’s In A Name?“

The Old Farmer’s Almanac, “Full Flower Moon May 2012 Moon phases, Best Days by Moon, Video“.

What-Your-Sign.com, “Symbolic Native American Full Moon Names“.

 

 

* Check out Mooncircles.com every month, or better yet, subscribe to their monthly newsletter to get the scoop on each month’s Full and New Moons, find out more about Moon Astrology  and read blogs.  They even have a different 3-Minute Moon Ritual for each Full Moon!  How cool is that?

 

Some other interesting links to visit to learn about this Full Moon, visit:

“Planet Vibes: Lunar Eclipse in Sagittarius May 25, 2013, Milk Full Moon, Full Flower Full Moon” by MagicalRecipesOnline.com

“Soul Retrieval: May 25 Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Sag” by Aepril Schaile

“Full Moon / Lunar Eclipse in Sagittarius May 24th, 25th, 2013” by Dipali Desai

 

The Hekatean Prayer and Ritual Book: Call for Submissions

Reblogged from The Crossroads Companion:

Since doing Hoofprints in the Wildwood, I've been wanting to do a devotional for Hekate. However, there are so many Devotionals out there for her already most notably by Avalonia and B.A. So I've decided not to do a devotional proper, but rather a Hekatean Prayer and Ritual book, which I think there is much need for. This will be a book of prayers and rituals only, with images for meditational use.

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"I am currently accepting all submissions for the Hekatean prayer book. I am looking for original Prayers, rituals, and devotional artwork...Please send all submissions to Skyllaros@gmail.com Again the deadline is November 3oth, 2013. I will be the final judge on all submissions. You must also be willing to sign an agreement to have your work included, which will be sent to you by email." - Skyllaros

The Spiritual Journey of Motherhood

Reblogged from Mommy Mystic:

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Two things are asked of us as we move through the journey that is motherhood - that we open our hearts ever wider, and that we let go, let go, let go. Motherhood is a journey of loving and letting go. The same can be said of the journey of awakening, of enlightenment. Historically this wasn't recognized by most of the world's major spiritual traditions, which honored monasticism and retreat from the world as the greatest pathways to spiritual realization.

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"In honor of Mother’s Day, I wanted to explore the spiritual journey of motherhood, through goddesses, symbols, and my own thoughts. Whether you are a mother yourself or not, I hope that this speaks to you, as we all – mother or not, man or woman – have these energies within us, and we all have this opportunity to move from our personal loves to universal love to knowing ourselves as love." ~ Mommy Mystic

Creiddylad, Welsh Goddess of Flowers and Love by Judith Shaw

Reblogged from Feminism and Religion:

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May Day/Beltane (Calan Mai to the ancient Celts) is almost here and our hearts turn to thoughts of love, flowers and the bounty of our Mother Earth. Both Beltane and Halloween/Samhain (Calan Gaeaf) were liminal or threshold days, considered to be outside of normal time. These sacred, mystic days were more important than the solstices in the Celtic world view.

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According to Patricia Monaghan, Creiddylad is associated with a Goddess I worked with last year, Cordelia. "Creiddylad, Welsh Goddess of Flowers and Love, is celebrated at this time. (Her name is pronounced cree-THIL-ahd) She is the eternal May Queen, always seeking peace and stability. She remains eternally constant in the face of all change. She is the promise of love, golden glowing moon-flowing love, enduring through all hardship and despair. Creiddylad also shows us the necessity of self-love. Only by truly loving ourselves can we love another." ~ Judith Shaw

Liminal Time and Space by Deanne Quarrie

Reblogged from Feminism and Religion:

The word liminal comes from the Latin word limen, meaning "a threshold." The word threshold has several definitions.  It can be the sill of a doorway or the entrance of a building.  Ultimately, it means any place of point of entering or beginning. In psychology the term limen means the point at which a stimulus is of sufficient intensity to begin to produce an effect.

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More wonderful thoughts on Beltane...""We are in liminal time right now – the Season of Beltane, the beginning of the bright half of the year. The veil is thin between the worlds and this is the traditional time for embracing what is coming in." ~ Deanne Quarrie

Spirit Message of the Moment - Celebrate May Day 2013

Reblogged from Spiritblogger's Blog:

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THE PAGAN HOLIDAY BELTANE - May 1st 2013

Happy Beltane Spiritblogger Fans!
May Day is fast approaching and I wanted to take a moment to thank you for all your love, light, and support for the site! Thanks for all your emails and feedback - I really appreciate each and every message you've sent! I've really enjoyed running this blog for the last four years since my first post in May of 2009.

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Wonderful, delightful and informational! "Message To You From Spiritblogger: May is a good month to let the magic work in your life. Let go of trying to control situations, circumstance, people, and outcomes. Hold new hope without expectation and create new life, projects, perspectives, and adopt new ways of thinking, being, and doing. It is a good time to form unions and bonds with others and with self. Let this be a time to attract new elements into your life so that they can join together for a greater purpose and function and allow you visibility into the unknown; your future; your life which you are actively creating each day." ~ Thank you for your magical message Spiritblogger!!! <3

Pink Moon - April

Reblogged from Journeying to the Goddess:

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The Farmer’s Almanac tells us that the name "Pink Moon" comes 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.

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April's Full Moon is a few days away on the 25th this year. Interestingly enough, we will also be experiencing an eclipse as well. Here are a few interesting links to check out concerning the Full Moon and the lunar eclipse in Scorpio: "Scorpio Lunar Eclipse: Shadows and Truth" at Aepril's Astrology and "Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse in Scorpio - April 25th, 2013" at Celestial Space Astrology by Dipali Desai.  Here is Moon Circle's 3 minute Taurus Scorpio Full Moon Ritual by Dana Gerhardt; "April's Full Pink Moon" by Robert McDowell; and "Scorpio Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse: Snake in the Grass, Dragon in the Heart" by April Elliott Kent.

Hearts and Prayers with Boston Tonight

First off, let me say that my heart and prayers go out to Boston tonight after the tragedy that struck there today.  Despite the unfactual information being put out by the New York Post, we do not know who is behind this or what their motive was, but we do know that 3 people are dead – including an 8 year old boy and 140+ (176 is the last number I just heard in a live press conference) people injured.  Healing energies sent to Boston this night…

From Stifyn Emrys

What makes this even more tragic and seems to send some type of message, is that the 2 bomb incidents that detonated were placed in the last mile of the marathon dedicated to the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting massacre.  Despite the horror of the aftermath, many people pulled together to offer aid and assistance where they could and I wanted to share some of the stories with you:

Stories of Kindness After the Bombing

12 Examples of People Being Awesome After the Attack on the Boston Marathon

Heroic First Responders at the Boston Marathon (PHOTOS)

It’s stories like these of these unsung heroes that give me hope and faith in humanity.

I especially found what Donna Hamilton wrote this evening to be very profound:

“May Boston Be The Moment When The Healing Tide Turns . . .

Perhaps it is time for a massive FEELING FESTIVAL where everyone is brought together to let it all out. The hidden hurt, the guilt, the shame, the need to blame and the desire to be right at any cost . . . So much of what is building in an uncontrollable way is the inner power of love that is pushing all things unloving to the surface so it is transformed. We must honour our feelings and trust them to guide us through the darkest hours. Even when we cannot understand the greater purpose in why we feel what we feel – it must be REVEALED TO BE HEALED.”

If you so feel moved to do something or help, please visit this link to see what you can do - Boston Bombing Aftermath: How You Can Help.

From SHARIng (Sunshine & Love) with SHARI

Saturn is Still in Retrograde…

Saturn went retrograde February 18 this year and will continue to be so until July 7.  As I was picking runes yesterday and today, I was reflecting on what I was told at February’s Full Moon, about how during Saturn in retrograde “gives us the opportunity to go back and reorganize or renegotiate any activities or commitments that seem to be a source of frustration” [1].  Yesterday, again - Sowilo; also Tiwaz and Algiz.  I initially thought that these had to do with my recent decision to treat my current medical condition naturally vs with hormone injections.  While yes, I do think they have been indicating to go that route, I feel as though they have been trying to tell me to finally sit down and submit VA claim paperwork (especially Tiwaz yesterday dealing with courage, honesty and justice) as issues stemming from my time spent on Active Duty also have been causing me much frustration from my subconscious.

“Valkyrie” by ~Edli

Before I started the claim process today and digging through old paperwork to find supporting medical documents, etc., I drew a single rune – Algiz: rune of protection and opportunity, rune of strengthening of hamingja; ”the image of the Valkyrie in mythology is fully representative of the way in which the energies of Algiz work to protect you. Meditating on the image of a Valkyrie in her teacher, swan and warrior forms is a powerful method of invoking Algiz energy” [2].

So, with hands shaking and heart pounding as I recounted events and put them into words on the computer screen, I hit the “submit” button and have more documents to scan and fax.  On one hand, it is a relief, but on another it’s kind of nerve wracking because I don’t know what else the VA will want as far as further examinations and/or paperwork and documentation other than what I have or what the outcome will be.  I’m hoping that facing these “demons” (and hopefully not having to have a confrontation with one who has caused so much strife) will melt the ice – Isa – that has been popping up here and there, especially back in early February.

Again referring to Saturn in retrograde, “Saturn is in a fixed water sign Scorpio, and this can portend a time of self discovery, with more inner show downs during the retrograde period. Don’t forget that Scorpio is a sign of emotional courage — this bodes well for profound healing, facing what we’ve been too afraid to face.”

One way this can manifest is by becoming aware of these parts of the self that are in deep freeze. With Saturn so close to Neptune, for much of the retrograde, the arts and spiritual practices are tools for self-transformation. The gift there is the release, and more of the soul’s energy is with you, in the present. If you’ve felt that a part (or parts) of you are out of range somehow, this is a good time to gently coax them out of the shadows…” [3]

And now, I wait…

Altars Are Springing Up!

I thought I’d share these projects with you…altars happen to spring up all over the place!

First, an altar to Frigga.  I decided to set this one up in the dining room on the buffet.

Altar to Frigga

There is a covered offering bowl for liquids; a plate to burn incense; blue tea-light candle holders; a piece of blue lace agate, a piece of unakite, moonstone pendant and a small quartz crystal ball – these just felt right.  Also, a Glade glass candle holder as an offering bowl – I just really liked the spirals etched in the metal – reminds me of spinning and wyrd.  I plan to add other items later to include flowers, keys, maybe some representation of ducks or geese (my pair of pink quartz Mandarin ducks now that I think about it…) and a small distaff and/or a small replica of a spinning wheel.  I’m also waiting on a hand-crafted Frigga soy blót candle I had ordered several weeks ago adorned with a Perthro rune hung on handspun Blue Moon baby camel and merino yarn.  I’d also like to incorporate 12 small white tea-light candles around Her to symbolize Her 12 handmaidens.

Next up is an altar to Odin.

Altar to Odin

I had originally thought to set this up above my computer desk upstairs as that is where I spend a lot time seeking knowledge.  When I set Odin’s statue up on the window sill, I had a rock knickknack/paper weight there that said: “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” – totally reminded me of Odin.  So, I went back downstairs and set Odin’s altar up above my Ancestor altar.  There is also a wood carved raven; a smokey quartz; a piece of black obsidian, and a blue optic crystal ball – totally reminded me of the eye he sacrificed at Mimir’s Well for a single drink of enchanted water that granted him wisdom and fore-sight.  Also, an offering plate and a cup in back with depictions of  pinecones and evergreens on it.  I am also waiting on a hand-crafted dark blue soy candle charged with Baltic Amber and 9 sacred herbs of Northern Tradition shamanism including Mugwort, Plantain, Nettle, Fennel, Chamomile, Sweet Cicely, Watercress, Crabapple Wood and Viper’s Bugloss adorned with a raven charm.  

Knife unsheathed

So yeah, some neat things in the works