The Strawberry Full Moon

 Full Moon

18 June

 

Today is Full Moon at 17:30 (5:30 p.m.) GMT/Universal Time.

 

That’s 6.30 pm in London and 12:30 p.m. Central Time in North America, where the moon turns full during the daylight hours today. Typically, the full moon rises around sunset. However, at mid-northern latitudes in North America today, the moon will rise about half an hour after sunset. Refer to this almanac page to find links to the moonrise time in your local sky.

 

Here on the north-east coast of in Brazil just south of the Equator, the moon rose around the same time as sunset at 5.30 pm, and even though it is the rainy winter season, the skies were clear and the air was warm and balmy down at the beach in Praia do Frances, and the rising full moon was gigantic and a beautiful creamy yellow.

The Strawberry Full Moon – a true Blue Moon

Today’s June full moon is the fourth of four full moons to fall between the March 21th equinox and the June 20th solstice. Normally, there are only three full moons in one season, and the fourth of four full moons to fall in one season is correctly called a blue moon, quite different to the popular modern belief that the blue moon refers to the second of two full moons to occur in the same calendar month.

Historically the Native Americans who lived in North America kept track of the seasons by giving distinctive names to the recurring full Moons. Each full Moon name was applied to the entire month in which it occurred. These names, and some variations, were used by the Algonquin tribes from New England to Lake Superior.

 

The Algonquin tribes knew this Moon as a time to gather ripening strawberries and named it the Strawberry Moon, a name which was universal to every Algonquin tribe. Because the relatively short season for harvesting strawberries comes each year during the month of June, the full Moon that occurs during that month was christened for the strawberry! In Europe the June full moon was known as the Rose Moon.

 

Some info from the Aboriginal Cree initiative, based in Ontario, Canada:

Thirteen Grandmother Moon Teachings:

June – Strawberry Moon

The sixth moon of Creation is Strawberry Moon. The medicine of the strawberry is reconciliation. It was during this moon cycle that communities usually held their annual feasts, welcoming everyone home, regardless of their differences over the past year, letting go of judgment and/or self-righteousness.

In Earth & Sky, Bruce McClure explains how like every full moon, the full moon of the month of June has its own special quality. In June, the full moon travels low as seen from the northern hemisphere. It mimics the path of the December sun across the sky, and is this month especially low for those living in the northern hemisphere, because it comes so near the solstice.

 

As seen from both the northern and southern hemispheres, the moon – like the December solstice sun – will rise far south of due east and set far south of due west. North of the Arctic Circle, tonight’s moon – like the winter sun – will be too far south to climb above the horizon.

 

Meanwhile, in the southern hemisphere, where it’s winter now, tonight’s moon will mimic the summer sun, arcing high in the heavens. South of the Antarctic Circle, the moon will simulate the midnight sun – up around the clock.

Preparing for the Solstice on Friday

Use the abundant energy of the full moon to create a clear picture for yourself of how you would like to see your life unfolding during and after this significant period.

 

Whether or not you are joining us for this event and have sent us a focus to “put out there” for you before the start of the treatment process on Friday, it is very beneficial to write down for yourself any health issues or areas of your life where there is a need for the clearing of old energies no longer needed, and the manifestation of another reality. Try to take time over the next couple of days to consciously visualize the manifestation of your reality exactly as though it has already unfolded in the way you would like to see it manifest, for the highest good of all. This will add a lot of power to the efficacy of the Solstice energies for each of us.

Astrological aspects at this time

The astrologer, Mary MacLean, emphasises that the Mercury retrograde and the position of Pluto in the sky adds a certain spice to the way we will experience this full moon:

The Full Moon is in Sagittarius at 27 degrees. Pluto is where? 29 degrees of Sagittarius…..hmmmmm….I expect this to be intense and a direct result of the last 6 months. (I bet you thought I was going to say the last 2 weeks.) The last time Pluto was at 29 degrees was January. Think back, what was challenging you during this period? Well, it’s here now in all its pagan power. Wherever the Full Moon lands in your chart , there will be a change in your everyday life: a change you will have to get used to and a change that lies heavily on your consciousness. It will be interesting to follow the time line of past events to see if they coincide with current transits. Mercury is retrograde and continues to enforce the rule of “always read the fine print”. By June 19th Mercury will be at 13 degrees of Gemini starting its direct motion. What has been going on for the last week is a combination of New Moon in Gemini and Mercury retro at the same exact degree of 13 degrees. You will notice that you have made some important decisions and the results will be forthcoming after July 4, 2008. By the end of the month four major planets will be retrograde. This promises to be very eventful.

 

To read her very interesting full moon forecasts for your rising sign, go to this link.

 

There is still time (24 hours left!) to join us for the Solstice event on Friday. All the info is at the links below this post, or just send us an e-mail with the subject line, “More info please” and we will immediately send all the relevant info to you.

Related links

>> Info about Earth Heal and the work we do

>> Full list of all the links related to the June 2008 Solstice event

>> Page of almanacs showing moon rise times around the world

>> Thirteen Grandmother Moon Teachings

>> Info about the Blue Moon

>> June Moon info from Earth & Sky

>> Mary MacLeans June full moon forecasts according to one’s rising sign 

 

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