The Lunar Months

To each Lunar month the ancients assigned a name in accordance with the nature of the activity that took place at that time.

January: Wolf Moon

The moon in deepest of Winter. In earlier times a time when the wolf came close to the villages to seek food.

Celtic - Alder - Masculine Moon of Completeness Exorcism; Prosperity; Banishing; Healing

Ritual - January is the time to conserve energy by working on personal problems that involve no one else. It is also a time for protection rites and reversing spells. During this month the energy flow is sluggish and below the surface.

February: Storm Moon

The storms come in silence. They blanket the world in coldness.

Celtic - Willow - Feminine The Witches' Moon; Moon of Balance Romantic Love; Healing; Protection; Fertility; Magick for Women

Ritual - February is the time for loving the self, accepting responsibility for past errors, forgiving yourself, and making future plans. At this time the energy flow is working toward the surface; good for purification, growth, and healing.

March: Chaste Moon

Like Diana, all of Nature at this moment is pure potential waiting fo be fulfilled.

Celtic - Ash Feminine Moon of Waters Prosperity; Protection; Healing

Ritual - March is the time for new beginnings, breaking illusions, and seeing the truth in your life however much it may hurt. The energy flow breaks into the open, a good time for growing, prospering, and exploring. Light and Dark are in balance now.

April: Hare Moon

Rabbits leap and play carefree in their mating and joyful in their games.

Celtic - Hawthorn Masculine Moon of Restraint; Moonof Hindrance; Summer Moon Fertility; Peace; Prosperity; Binding

Ritual - April is the time for working on your temper, emotional flare-ups, and selfishness. The energy is flowing into creating and producing; a good time for change, self-confidence issues, taking advantage of opportunities, and realizing self-reliance.

May: Dyad Moon

Sacred Marriage of the God and Goddess. When all meet their opposites in perfect balance and in perfect harmony. Let there be beauty strength, power and compassion, honor and humility, mirth and reverence, within you"

Celtic - Oak Masculine Moon of Strength; Moon of Security; Bear Moon All positive purposes; Magick for Men; Fidelity

Ritual - May is the time for strengthening the connections with supernatural protectors and beings around you. The energy is in full flow making this a good time for intuition, propagating, and connecting with faeries and nature spirits.

June: Mead Moon

After the bees have gathered their pollen and nectar the hives are filled with honey that is waiting to be gathered.

Celtic - Holly Feminine Moon of Encirclement; Moon of Polarity Protection; Prophecy; Magick for Animals; Sex Magick

Ritual - June is the time for decision making, taking responsibility for present happenings, working on personal inconsistencies, and for strengthening and rewarding yourself for your positive traits. The energy is in full, but restive, flow, the Earth tides are turning making this a good time for protection, strengthening, and prevention spells.

July: Wort Moon

Gathering of herbs, the word wort is old Anglo Saxon for "herb".

Celtic - Hazel Feminine Moon of the Wise; Crone Moon Manifestiation; Spirit Contact; Protection; Fertility

Ritual - July is the time for dream-work, divination, and meditation on spiritual goals and plans. The energy is slower and more relaxed, proper for success and prosperity spells. This month is the time to start preparing for the colder and darker months ahead.

August: Barley Moon

A time to contemplate the eternalness of life. The grain in the bread we eat are descended from the first grain ever gathered.

Celtic - Vine Androgynous  Moon of Celebration  (Property dependent on the type of vine) Blackberry - Prosperity; Protection; Sacred to Brid Blueberry - Spirituality; Dream Magick, Grape - Fertility; Inspiration; Prosperity; Binding, Thistle - Courage; Protection; Strength 

Ritual - August is the time for harvesting, gathering, and appreciating. The energy flow is slowing more and now is the time of vitality, health, and friendships.

September: Wine Moon or Harvest Moon.

A time of true spiritual initiation. Since wine was, and is, such a sacred fluid, the Pagans of old named this Lunar month the Wine Moon.

Celtic - Ivy Masculine Moon of Buoyancy; Moon of Resilience Healing; Protection; Cooperation; Exorcism

Ritual - September is the time for organizing and straightening up physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual clutter. The energy flow is resting and Light and Dark are in balance.

October: Blood Moon

In days past a time for gathering food for the winter. The harvest supplemented by hunting wild animals or by slaughtering domestic ones.

Celtic - Reed Feminine  Moon of the Home; Hearth Moon; Winter Moon; Moon which Manifests Truth  Fertility; Protection; Love; Family Concerns

Ritual - October is the time for inner cleansing. Meditate on the laws of Karma and thoughts of reincarnation. This is the time of letting go, justice, balance, and inner harmony.

November: Snow Moon

Ahead are the dark months of winter. The Spirit is most active when the body is still.

Celtic - Birch Feminine - Moon of Inception; Moon of Beginning, Protection of children; purification; creativity

Ritual - November is the month of transformation. It is time to prepare for the coming winter and a time to strengthen communication with the god or goddess closest to you. The energy flow is taking root and preparing to flow once more.

December: Oak Moon

The moon nearest the Winter Solstice. Like the Divine Child who is born to die and dies to be reborn anew, the ancient Oak has its trunk and branches in the material world of the living, while its roots, the branches in reverse, reach deep into the Underworld, symbolic land of the Spirit.

Celtic - Rowan Masculine Moon of Vision; Spirit Moon; Astral Travel Moon, Healing; Personal Empowerment; Divination

Ritual - December is the time of Spiritual Paths. The Earth tides are turning and it is time to reach out to friends and family, the lonely, and the needy. This is the month of death and renewal. Spells should should be aimed at endurance and provision.

Blue Moon

Comes but once a year The moon that occurs second in a one month period.

MOON PHASES

  • NEW MOON - Used for personal growth, healing, the blessing of a new project or venture, etc. If done correctly, success should be obtained by the first Full Moon. The Crone is transformed into the Maiden. It is a time of renewal and new beginnings. The Maiden is the continuation of all life; her color is white, denoting innocence and newness. She is the springtime, the dawn, eternal youth and vigor, enchantment and seduction, the new and waxing moons.

  • DARK MOON PHASE - The three days before the New Moon is the time called the dark of the moon. This is when you can't see the moon in the heavens. Traditionally, this is a time when no magick is performed. It is a period to give yourself rest. Meditation and vision questing can be performed now, but without a specific magickal purpose. However, The Crone, or the Dark Mother, rules this time, and if her magick is needed, now is the time when you should use it.

  • WAXING MOON PHASE - Between the New Moon and the Full Moon. This is a good time for attraction magick, especially between the New Moon and the First Quarter. The Waxing Moon is the time for invoking the Goddess in her guise of Maiden.

  • WANING MOON PHASE - Between the Full Moon and the New Moon. A time for banishing and rejecting things in our lives that we no longer wish to carry around with us. Negative emotions, bad habits, diseases, and ailments can successfully be banned during this time. The Mother Goddess is transformed into the Crone or Dark Mother, black is her color, the color of darkness where all life rests before rebirth. This aspect of the Goddess is Winter, night, wisdom, counsel, the gateway to death and reincarnation.

    • This has been found at numerous sources online, attributed to many different authors and sometimes listed as anonymous. If this is your work, please let us know so we can properly credit you.