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This is the time of the Quickening Moon. It still feels a lot like winter. Many parts of the world are still covered in ice and snow. Even here in Southern California we are having stormy winter weather. But winter will soon be over, and the promise of spring is starting to stir. Animals that will be born in the spring are growing inside their mothers right now. Underground, the seeds and bulbs lying dormant are starting to come to life. This "quickening" is like the first small stirrings of an unborn baby in its mother's womb. Not yet visible to the outside world, but there just the same.

This moon is also called the Storm Moon, as this is typically the stormiest time of the year. But even though winter rages around us, spring is just around the corner. The winter months are a time of looking inward, of rest and rejuvenation. As spring gets closer, we get tired of being cooped up inside and long to be outside in the warmth and the sun. This is a good time for "internal spring cleaning". Let go of past disappointments and failures, of unrealized dreams and plans that never made it past the planning stage. Let them melt away like the snow and sink back into the earth to be absorbed and neutralized.

Now that the past has melted away, look ahead to the upcoming spring. Think about the seeds you want to plant. What do you want to accomplish in the upcoming months? Set your goals and make your plans. These don't need to be full-blown plans - just the spark of an idea is a good place to start. Whatever you can dream, you can accomplish - the only one holding you back is you.

Keep that spark alive; let it take root and grow. This year's harvest will be bountiful!

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The Wolf Moon is the first Full Moon of the calendar year. Also called the Cold Moon, it occurs in the middle of the cold winter season, a time of death and desolation in nature. Food supplies for predators are scarce, and wolves are on the prowl for prey, often coming into towns in search of food.

Wolves and dogs are associated with death and reincarnation in many cultures, guarding the gates to the underworld. Since so many died in the dead of winter, when survival depended on the hearth fire and dwindling food stores from the fall harvest, naming this Full Moon the Wolf Moon makes sense. But wolves are also pack animals who, like humans, keep the same family for life. Wolves depend on their families for wisdom, support and love, just like we do. Without their pack, many wolves would not survive the winter. This is the perfect time to honor hearth, home and family. Pay attention to the lesson of the wolf and spend some quality time with blood relatives and family of choice, and thank them for all they have given you.

The word "January" comes from the Roman God Janus, who had two faces. He is the God of the past and future, beginnings and endings. Put aside the old and the bad in your life and start fresh with new thoughts and goals.

So tonight, honor the Wolf and howl at the moon! Give thanks for your family, your home, and all that you have. The days are getting longer and spring is near. Winter will soon be over and you have survived!

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"Once in a blue moon" . . .

We use this phrase to mean something rare, something that doesn't happen very often. A "Blue Moon" is the second full moon in one calendar month. It only happens about once every 2.5 years. The last one was in May 2007 and the next one is August 31, 2012.

The Blue Moon is not really blue in color though - it's just a name given to the 13th full moon in the years where it occurs. The phase period of the moon is 29.5 days and there are usually 12 full moons each year. But some years we end up with 13 full moons. Back in the days before calendars and watches, full moons were given names relating to the weather and crop needs of the season (Seed Moon, Harvest Moon, etc.). That 13th full moon meant that the monthly "seasons" would come too early, so the early moon was called a "blue moon", thus re-aligning the year's moons and seasons.

The term "blue moon" goes back to the 1500's and meant something absurd, and evolved to mean never. During the 19th century there were some fairly rare occurances of dust from volcanic eruptions and/or smoke from forest fires making the moon appear blue in color. Of course, the moon wasn't actually blue - how absurd!

Tonight's Full Moon is truly a "once in a blue moon" occurance. It takes place on New Year's Eve. This only happens every 19 years; the next one won't be until December 31, 2028!

To Wiccans, the Blue Moon is known as the "Goal Moon", meaning, of course, a time to set goals for yourself. And what could be a more perfect time to set goals and plan fresh starts and new beginnings than New Year's Eve? Use the power of this night to set meaningful and achievable goals for the upcoming year.

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The Green Man Blog is written to spread environmental awareness and appreciation of the natural world around us. Thank you for visiting! Stay green, support the organic movement, and be sure to visit www.greenmantshirts.com or www.robjuszak.com for the best in organic cotton and bamboo t shirts!

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Tonight's Full Moon is the Long Night's Moon. The nights are long and dark and the cold of winter is upon us. This Moon is also known as The Moon Before Yule. The days get shorter and the nights longer as the Winter Solstice approaches with the longest night of the year.

During these long cold nights, even when things are darkest we know that the darkness is only temporary and the sunlight and warmth will return soon. This is the perfect time to evaluate your life and think about the things you have had to endure and have survived. In Wiccan/Pagan traditions, the grain has been reaped and the God has journeyed to the underworld, awaiting the time of His rebirth at Yule. Just as the God has embraced death so that he can be reborn, sometimes part of our own life must be discarded to make way for a new beginning.

If you have already put the darkness behind you, take the opportunity to reach out to others who are still suffering from the chill of winter, whether physically or spiritually. Open your heart and share your good fortune with others.

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November's Full Moon is known as the Mourning Moon. In the Wiccan Wheel of the Year, Samhain has just passed and a new year has begun. Use the magic of this Full Moon to celebrate new beginnings. It is time to mourn and release the parts of your personal harvest that did not manifest - let them go so that you can welcome the new changes that did manifest. Focus on the joys of the future, not the disappontments of the past. Let go of bad habits and toxic relationships and get a fresh start for the new year.

This Full Moon is also known as the Beaver Moon or Snow Moon. Winter is coming and it is time to prepare. This would have been the time to trap beavers to ensure a good supply of warm winter furs, and also the time to turn from agriculture to hunting as our source of sustenance. Nowadays, we can always run to the grocery store or the mall, but even with all our modern conveniences we still need to prepare for winter. How about checking the tires on your car? Are there are fresh batteries in your smoke alarms? Do you have a working flashlight and candles in case of a power outage? Even in sunny San Diego we get winter storms. Stock up on extra food, supplies, medicines and pet food just in case.

With the holidays coming up, do some magical work to remove stress and negative energy from your life, and strengthen your bonds with family and friends. Back in the days before grocery stores and central heating, those bonds could be the difference between surviving the winter or perishing. Even though that may not be case today, having a support system of friends and family can make a real difference in getting through what can be a dark, lonely, and depressing season.

As the weather turns colder and the days get shorter, this is the perfect time to turn within and strengthen your connection with the Divine. Learn, study, reflect, and grow. Let inner growth be your focus. Practice divination and exercise your intuition and psychic skills. In this time of darkness, look inside to the brightness within.

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Tonight at 11:10 p.m. PDT (EDT 2:10 a.m. tomorrow) is the Harvest Moon. This is the name given to the Full Moon closest to the autumnal equinox. The Harvest Moon usually occurs in September, but this year October's full moon is closer and so gets the honor.

On average, the moon rises 50 minutes later each day than it did the day before. But near the equinox, the narrow angle of the ecliptic (the path of the sun, moon, and planets) to the horizon means that the moon rises less than 30 minutes later than the previous day. So during the Harvest Moon and just before and after, the moon rises very shortly after sunset. Nowadays, that doesn't seen like such a big deal. But in days of old, having no long period of darkness between sunset and moonrise for several days meant farmers could work in the fields much later, harvesting by moonlight. Hence the name Harvest Moon.


The Harvest Moon supposedly is especially big, bright and orange. But it's not really any bigger or brighter or oranger than any full moon. After sunset around any full moon, the moon has just risen and is near the horizon. When you look toward the horizon you are looking through a greater thickness of Earth's atmosphere than when you look up and overhead. The atmosphere scatters blue light (that's why the sky looks blue). When the atmosphere is thicker, it scatters blue light most effectively, but also lets red light pass through to your eyes. This makes a moon near the horizon look yellow or orange or reddish. The large size of the moon near the horizon is a trick your eyes are playing called the Moon Illusion. It's really not any bigger, it just looks that way!



In Wiccan traditions, this is the perfect time to clear the clutter in both your mind and your personal life. Go deep within and sort through your own strengths and weaknesses. The full moon represents the Goddess at her most fertile. This is the optimum time for creating change.

This month is a time of hearth and home. As cold weather arrives, our thoughts turn to the comforts of home. Set up a hearth or kitchen altar for when you are cooking and baking. Use that time for contemplation and to clear out both emotional and physical clutter before winter forces you to spend the days inside.

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This year, the September Full Moon is the Barley Moon, also known as the Corn Moon or Fruit Moon. September is usually associated with the Harvest Moon (the Full Moon closest to the Autumnal Equinox), but about every third year September's Full Moon is early in the month and too far away from the Equinox, and so is known as the Barley Moon.

Early September is the time to harvest the ripe corn and fruit and to reap the grain fields. Although the days are still warm and sunny, we are moving toward the Autumnal Equinox and the dark time of the year. The fields are full of the abundance that will sustain us through the winter months.

In Wiccan traditions, the grain symbolizes the mysteries of the cycle of life, death and rebirth. Each kernel of grain is descended from the first grain ever grown. Though the grain may die when it is cut down in the fields, the seeds it yields carry new life to grow again. Like the grain, the blood of our ancestors runs through our veins. Different though we may be, we are all related, products of this ancient, fertile life force.

Celebrate this Full Moon with a bottle of wine (the fruit of the vine) and with good friends. Raise up your cup of wine to salute the Moon, and as you catch the her reflection in your cup, drink in the essence of the Goddess and the God.