February Full Moon

We have finally seen a full moon. It rose shimmering through the atmosphere and now beams on high, lighting the way for all the wakeful creatures stirring in air or on earth.

The sky is sparkling clear tonight. That has been a rare occurrence here this winter. We missed the full moon in January, and in December. I'm pretty sure we missed it in November as well. But the brightness of the moon tonight makes up for all that.

According to The Farmer's Almanac, the most common native american name for the February full moon is "Snow Moon." Another common name, marking the consequence of persistent snow in late winter, is "Hunger Moon." Neither name fits our current situation here.

I really like the Wishram Native American name, "Shoulder to Shoulder Around the Fire Moon," but that, too, doesn't reflect our reality. That was true in December and January, but now we're feeling restless, eager to get up and go outside, to be waking up in an awakening world.

So I choose the Zuni name for our full moon: "No Snow in the Trails Moon."

We've made it through the hardest that winter could hand out. From here the journey to spring will be easier. We won't need snow to mark the trails in the darkness. The bright moon will light the way.

No Snow in the Trails Moon, February 22, 2016

Weather Word

Waxing Crescent, 14% of full, February 21, 2015.

Moon lore says that a crescent moon with its points up will hold water like a bowl, thus causing a dry spell. Not what we need out here in the West, but good news perhaps for folks in the Midwest and East desperate enough to grasp at any hope for an end to the onslaught of snow. Good luck.