Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Full Moon o're New Year's Eve

Each of us has our our interpretation of the time of year we hold our New Year's Eve celebrations. For some it is in October, for other's it is the month of December, but depending upon where you are located in the world, the dates may vary. Typically though, the majority of the population celebrates New Year's Eve on December 31st, when at midnight, we all marvel at being together in some fashion when the date turns to January 1st.

This year we celebrate not only the ending of the old year and the beginning of the new, but we also will see the ending of a decade. What has the last ten years of life looked like for you? Have you found love? Lost love? Started a family? Changed jobs? It is a time of reflection and resolution most assuredly.

In beautiful fashion, we will have the Full Moon to watch over us and brighten the skies for us if we should be granted a clear and cloudless night. It comes a short 8 days after the Winter Solstice this year, the shortest day of the year. Each passing day we will begin to see more daylight and so the Wheel of the Year continues to turn. It is an excellent time for magick and celebration.

The naming of the Full Moons were given to us by the Native Americans of what is now the northern and eastern United States. It was the Tribes' way of tracking the seasons by giving distinctive names to each recurring full Moon. Their names were applied to the entire month in which each occurred. Since the lunar month is only 29 days long on the average, the full Moon dates shift from year to year.

As taken from the Farmers Almanac's list of the full Moon names is the Cold Moon:

• The Full Cold Moon; or the Full Long Nights Moon - December •
During this month the winter cold fastens its grip, and nights are at their longest and darkest. The term Long Night Moon is a doubly appropriate name because the midwinter night is indeed long, and because the Moon is above the horizon for a long time. The midwinter full Moon has a high trajectory across the sky because it is opposite a low Sun.

So no matter how you are celebrating, remember to take your gaze to the sky and receive your blessings from the magick of the moonlight. Happy New Year to you!

Love and light,
SarahFae