There’s a full moon coming up in January and so it’s time to celebrate. Well, actually there’s two full moons coming up in January.

Because January is a long month containing thirty-one days, and the lunar month is roughly 29 1/2 days, it sometimes happens that when there’s a full moon right at the beginning of a long month, like January, there’s another right at the end. And this year, that’s the case.

‘The moon looks upon many night flowers; the night flowers see but one moon.’ Jean Ingelow

But, the moon, apart from being Earth’s satellite (though some now call it a binary planet because of its relatively big size)  was, to the ancients,  used to mark time and the seasons – and this is still the case for some today.

And, as its face ‘smiles’ down upon us, doesn’t  it have a mystical and ‘magical’ quality? This is something the ancients were aware of, and even today those who are ‘awake’ look up, pause and ponder at the moon with fascination and gratitude. It calls us to think deeply, to recognise our place in the universe, and to ‘peer beyond the veil’ and consider the origin of all things in nature.

The month’s early full moon is in the early hours (from a UK perspective) of Tuesday, 2 January 2018 in the constellation of Gemini (see header photo) near the star Mekbuda in the western part of the sky.

‘January! The first month of the year,
A perfect time to start all over again.
Changing energies and deserting old moods,
New beginnings, new attitudes.’

Charmaine J Forde

To the ancient Arabs that star, Mekbuda (translates as) the ‘lion’s paw’, was part of a larger Arabic constellation, but today, from our perspective, it’s part of the Gemini constellation – ‘the twins’ – and the star is near the kneecap of one of the pair. You can tell I’m an amateur astronomer, cant you?

Interestingly, Mekbuda is 1183 light years away – so light arriving on the Earth now would have left there about AD834, when King Oengus died and was suceeded by his nephew as ruler of the Picts, when Mo Xuanqining the Chinese philosopher was born, and when Adelchis of Italy died.

‘The Sun, Moon and Stars are there to guide us.’ Dennis Banks

To some this moon is the Winter moon, or the Cold moon, to others its the Ice Moon or Wolf Moon. To many Celts and Druids and others, it’s known as the Quiet Moon. I’m supposing that, whatever er call it, the name should be prefixed with the term ‘early’ to mark it as different to the second full moon of January which is set to occur on Wednesday, 31 January (and which can be called any of those names and prefixed with the word ‘later’ to avoid confusion).

Some celebrate the new moon, but for me I prefer celebrating the full moon (sometimes with the lighting of a candle, sometimes by gazing up at it and drinking one drink in celebration, or in the recitation of poetry or liturgy). What about you?  And, with that in mind, I’d commend some words by Hildegard of Bingen which can be said to yourself or as part of a spoken celebration to add to your moon ritual of gratitide – as you gaze upon the upcoming full moon.

I’m the secret fire in everything,
and everything smells like Me.
The living breathe
My sweet perfume,
and they breathe out praise of Me.
They never die
because I am their Life.
I flame out-
intense, godly Life-
over the shining fields of corn,
I glow in the shimmer of the fire’s embers,
I burn in the sun and the moon and the stars.
The secret Life of Me
breathes in the wind
and holds all things together soulfully.
This is…[the Creator’s] voice.

Hildegard of Bingen

Blessings of the Moon-Spinner to you and yours at this time, Tadhg.