Astro Astro Full Wolf Moon in Leo, 28 January 2021 @ 19:16
All Hail & Welcome to our first Astro Full Moon article of 2021. If you were journeying with me on New Moon 13 January, you will know that we were reflecting on all that has been & preparing for what is to come. We were honouring our journey thus far & using reflection as a tool to prepare for the new seeds of intention we have for this year. Although many of us are still restricted in our movements, this doesn’t mean that we have to give up on our dreams. This months Full moon in Leo is going to shake things up a bit by encouraging us to look forward & keep that motion going whilst looking at the bigger picture.
Naming the Moons
The names of the moon vary due to geography, agricultural & ecological differences all over the world. Naming the moon has become a phenomenon which developed over centuries of human movement around the globe. You will notice that the names vary on a geographical level because of different hunting and agricultural events occurring in different geographical areas. These are associated with agricultural, natural cycles or the hunting seasons on each continent.
The January full moon is known by many name worldwide. Names for the full phase of each lunar cycle vary according to geography and agricultural events. The Native American names for the Full January moon are Old Moon, Wolf Moon, Ice Moon, Moon after Yule and Winter Moon. The Montana tribes named this moon Hard Time Moon & the native Canadians call it Dwarf Seal Moon. In China it is Holiday Moon on the approach to Chines New Year which is year of the OX. In Addition, the Indian Solar/ Lunar Calendar places us in the month of Pausa where the celebrations of “Shakambhari Purnima & Paush Purnima” are observed. Back on home ground with the ancient British Celtic and Medieval names for January Full moon are Wolf Moon, Stay Home Moon (how ironic) and Moon after Yule & the Celtic tree month is Birch, Beith, known for cleansing, rebirth, inception, flexibility & new beginnings. Finally, the Druidic Ogham Tree calendar places us in the month of the Alder, also part of he Birch family of Betulceae & known to be a month of transformation, guidance, balance & strong foundations. This month is known for its magical Birch workings to ward off evil, negativity and psychic attack. Furthermore, the Birch is also known as the Lady of the woods, associated with Goddess workings, fertility & protection. As with most beliefs January is known for its extra energies which when harnessed, support new beginnings and creativity.
Non-Bias Spiritual & religious observances
18-25 - Week Of Prayer For Christian Unity -Christian
United services held, dialogue of unity is encouraged; some worshippers visit other people’s churches or invite preachers from denominations different from their own.
25 -Honen Memorial Day- Buddhist
Honen (1133-1212 CE) is one of the outstanding figures in the history of Japanese Buddhism, the founder of Jodo Shinshu, a school of Pure Land Buddhism.
27- Holocaust Memorial Day - National
Day for remembrance of people who suffered, chiefly at the hands of the Nazis during the second World War but also in other persecutions. Its aim is to keep memory fresh and ensure that no such atrocity happens again.
28- Tu B'Shevat - Jewish
Popular minor festival celebrating New Year for trees. Jewish tradition marks the 15th of Shevat as the day when the sap in the trees begins to rise, signalling the beginning of spring. Traditionally Jews all over the world plant young trees & eat fruit produced in Israel.
30- Jashn-E Sadeh - Zoroastrian [Iranian]
Mid winter bonfire festival symbolising longer days. The litany to fire, the Atash Niyayeesh, is recited, and Iranian legends are told of King Hoshang (who discovered the art of making fire). Piping hot stew, dancing and merry making are observed.
1 - Imbolc/Candlemas -Pagan
Imbolc/Candlemas celebrating the resurgence of the land & waxing power of the Sun. Snowdrops, are seen as the heralds of spring.
2 - The Presentation Of The Lord/ Of Christ In The Temple/Candlemas -Christian
Congregations hold lit candles recalingl the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, & Mary’s following Jewish tradition after the birth of a son.
3 - Setsubun/Bean Scattering- Japanese
The day for the Bean Scattering ceremony, performed in homes and in temples.
8 or 15 - Parinirvana -Buddhist
Mahayanists mark the final passing away of Gautama Buddha at Kushinagara, India, aged 80. Pure Land Buddhists call this Nirvana Day.
12 - New Year Festival/Chunjie/Yuan Tan -Chinese
Celebrated for three or more days, with fireworks, dances (e.g. the famous Lion Dance), gifts of paper money, flowers & sweets. Business accounts are settled and all debts paid before the New Year begins.
2021 is the year of the Ox.
12 - 13- Losar- Buddhist
Tibetan New Year festival, often celebrated in Nepal too. I also includes the rededication of the country to Buddhism. Particularly celebrating the miracles performed by the historical Buddha at Sravasti, the capital city of the kingdom of Kosala.
14- St Valentine'S Day- Christian/ National
16 -Shrove Tuesday - Christian (Western Churches)
‘Shrove’ relates to absolution from sin. In Britain it is called ‘Pancake Day’, as pancakes use up all the rich foods before Lent. Elsewhere it is known as Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday), and is a time for carnivals and fairs.
16 / 17 - Sarasvati Puja/Vasant Panchami -Hindu
North Indian festival marking the beginning of spring. For Hindus it is usually linked with Saraswati, the goddess of learning and the arts. Yellow is her colour.
17- Ash Wednesday - Christian (Western Churches)
First day of Lent recalling temptations Jesus faced for forty days in the wilderness. Catholic & some Anglican churches, worshipper’s foreheads are marked with a cross of ash made from burning the palm crosses of the previous year – hence ‘Ash Wednesday’.
17 February - 1 April - Lent Christian (Western Churches)
Forty days fasting and self-discipline (not counting Sundays) leading up to Easter. Traditionally Christians give up something during this time to mark the forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness.
26- Lantern Festival/Yuanxiaojie/Teng Chieh- Chinese
Lantern Festival marking the first full moon of the year & lengthening of the days. Strings of lanterns in various designs are hung up in & outside as decoration.
26 - Purim- Jewish
Purim is a carnival festival, recalling the saving of the Jewish community of Persia, retold in the Book of Esther (the Megillah), which is read through twice in each synagogue. The name of Haman is drowned out with rattles and hooters and boos by the congregation whenever it is read.
26- Magha Puja -Buddhist
1,250 enlightened disciples came to the Bamboo Grove on the full moon of Magha. The Buddha predicted his death, gave a summary of his teachings & a code of discipline which all monks recite every fortnight. The day is observed with meditation, chanting and listening to sermons.
Astrology
Full Moon is a time of fruition, reaping the seeds sown at New Moon (13 January). In the case of this Full Moon in Leo, we will be experiencing a sense of completion in some areas of life. This is because Full Moon Leo is the last Full Moon of the zodiac wheel before we begin a new cycle. Our next Full Moon will be opposite an Aries Sun. When we experience a Full Moon, the moon is in one sign and the Sun is in an opposite sign on the other side of the zodiac wheel. This can cause us to be unbalanced in certain areas of our lives. The need to find balance is within the qualities & aspects of the the equation of Sun v Moon. This brings into focus our relationships with everyone & everything & can cause disruption & tension into these areas. For example what we want v what we need, our work life v our home life.
This Full Moon is in fiery Leo & the Sun is in the sign of airy Aquarius. What does this mean?
The Sun represents our ego, our present, the personality we use in public. In Aquarius, this carries the qualities of revolution, inventiveness, humanitarianism, innovation. So, we may have been feeling hopeful & full of new ideas, raring to get into the year & to begin the new projects or journeying we have planned for ourselves. However, Aquarius can also be a ruthless component if not tethered. It can become irrational & inconsiderate of others. Aquarius’ skills, leadership qualities & progressive thinking can sometimes lead to extremism. Everything has a flip side to it. It pays to know the positives & negatives of each sign to understand where certain energies & reactions are originating from.
The moon is our representation of emotion, inner personality, intuition & past. Leo is fiery & creative, so there is a need to be aware of emotions over-spilling causing chaos or embarrassment. In a negative way this can be aggression, anger, irrationality. In a positive way, gushing pride which can lead to embarrassment. So, a balance needs to be found to keep on an even keel emotionally. In addition, Leo is a heart centred energy, So tethered to Aquarius humanitarian & innovation, we are looking at an optimistic, opportune time. Leo also offers us courage, determination, ownership, independence & leadership. We are being encouraged to own our hearts desires & reveal what our passions are. A Leo Moon & Sun in Aquarius wants us to strive forward using our gifts & talents, owning our story, rather than following others advice or opinions, like a sheep. The flip-side is Leo’s want for personal glory as opposed to Aquarius’ personal glory for the good of the group. This is where visualising the ‘bigger picture’ comes into play. Allow yourself that before you equate with the negatives & you will be connecting to the more positive energies that this Full Moon has to offer. Understand that what is happening to us as individuals is part of a bigger picture, where we are small cogs in the grander machinations of life. In this we must find balance.
If there were no external influences aspecting this moon, I would say ‘Yay, lets go!’, However, there are some very difficult hard aspects within the parameters of this Full phase, which will make it harder to connect to this enormous energetic potential. These come in the guise of a planetary alignment concerning The Sun & Jupiter; 2 squares connected to Mars energies; Needy love manifestations with Venus. I have picked out aspects which I believe are less confusing to explain, but over all will give you a grand view of what energies are playing out whilst we traverse Full Moon Leo & into the next couple of weeks.
At the point of Full Moon Leo, the Sun aligns with expansive Jupiter. Jupiter expands everything that we focus & pay attention to. Now, this could be fantastic for beginning new projects, starting anew, working on dreams to fruition. Jupiter will expand the areas we are concentrating on exponentially. On the other hand, Jupiter can play out the more serious negative aspects encouraging laziness, overconfidence/ arrogance, lack of consideration / risk taking. So this is a perfect opportunity to step up & into an area you wish to expand & feel joyful about.
In addition, let's add the big kick to this whole arrangement. Mars! Mars squares Jupiter. A square is known as a hard aspect which adds much more energy to negatives. So whilst I am attempting to get us all on the bigger picture, staying calm & focusing on the areas we wish to feel expansion & elevation in, Mars is attempting to throw a big fiery boyish tantrum into the equation by adding a sense of tension & making it more difficult for us to connect with the more harmonious side of this Moon phase. If we can tap into Mars’ enthusiastic approach, Leo’s courage, Aquarius’ initiative & Jupiter’s expansion, this is where we really want to be focusing our attention, all will come good. Having said that, its a good idea to know thyself, learn the flip side of the planetary influences so that we can recognise & react in a harmonious manner, rather than letting our emotions boil over. Mars offers determination, drive, courage & action, much like Leo, Mars brings a sexual heat to the arrangement too. On the flip side, Mars can bring about tension, arguments, rage, brutality & brashness. Mars is the zodiac partner of Venus.
Venus is in play too, given what may be occurring, we may feel a ‘phew’ moment, but listen up! Knowing thyself as I have mentioned, refers to recognising these aspects within ourselves & how we react to them, or changing how we react to them. Having said this, Venus conjuncts Pluto, which can add to the difficult emotions we may be picking up on & not wanting to connect with. This combo may have you feeling rather needy in the love department. There may be a need for more love & attention than you have been getting. This desire is great & I mean that in an expansive way! We may be wishing for a deeper level of companionship, a deeper love. This magnetism could make for neediness, leading to being taken for granted, so watch the heart-space & illuminate the right way of getting that love satisfaction, rather than falling for the guilt trip. Being aware of which way this situation is going will benefit the outcome. Lets find a lovely, lusciousness, rewarding love which benefits our sexuality & mental health rather than a moment which leaves us bereft of real emotion & love.
Let us summarise, there are a lot of energies which want us freaking out & getting angry rather than focusing on our more harmonious capacities to discover & reveal our truest nature, through our talents & gifts. There are also some finer qualities which want us to step into who we really are & want to be at a time of expansion. There is love ready & waiting for us if we know how to react in an honourable manner, respecting ourselves & others concerned. Which way we go individually, depends on recognition, reaction & vibration. That gold which we hold within ourselves has been battling to get out, to be seen & validated. Allow it some space to glow, its time to go with that glorious flow.
Astronomy
February 11 - New Moon.
The Moon will be located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun & will not be visible in the night sky. This phase occurs at 19:08 UTC. Best time to observe faint objects such as galaxies & star clusters .There is no moonlight to interfere.
February 27 - Full Moon.
The Moon will be on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun, its face will be fully illuminated. This phase occurs at 08:19 UTC.
Thank you for accompanying me on this journey through the Full Moon. My gratitude to you for reading this first Astro: Full Moon of 2021 . Happy Full Moon to you. I wish for you to shine like an eternal Star, thrum like the Earth’s heartbeat, Be who you are supposed to be, fearlessly. Blessed be my friends.
Merry part until New Moon February & a Blessed Imbolc to you all.
In gratitude, love, light & all betwixt
Shee
x
Credits
Publications:
Hidalgo, S. 2019, Celtic Tree Rituals, Llewellyn Publications, Minesota
Kindred, G. 2019, Walking with Trees, Permanent Publications, Hampshire
Online sources:
accessed 20-26/ 01/2021
http://www.ecoenchantments.co.uk/mynaming_of_moonspage.html#
https://www.prokerala.com/general/calendar/hinducalendar.php
http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-calendar-2021.html
Images:
Everythingsoulful.com
NASA
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