I did a post nearly a year ago for 2018. Last year, the Strawberry Moon appeared after the Summer Solstice. It’s also referred to as the Flower Moon and this year, it is also a Fathers’ Day Moon (I just made that up). Full illumination occurred at 4:30am EDT. Howl for me! ~Vic
Standing in my driveway.
I supposed my photos could be impressionist like Monet.
The colorful name is closely linked with the spread of warmer weather across the Northern Hemisphere and many Native American and, First Nations peoples, have special names for this full moon. The Algonquin tribes of what is now New England coined the nickname Full Strawberry Moon because the phase marked the best time of year to harvest the wild fruit. Similarly, the Cherokee of the southeastern woodlands knew the moon as the Green Corn Moon, the time of year when fresh corn ears grow best.
The sweetest full moon of the year is June’s full moon […]. While the full moon itself is inedible, despite how round and delicious it may seem, the Full Strawberry Moon marks strawberry harvesting season in North America. Most Algonquin tribes understood that it was a sign that wild strawberries were starting to ripen and ready for the harvest. Delicious though ripe strawberries may be, June’s full moon has another name that’s even sweeter. What could possibly be sweeter than strawberries? Try honey. In Europe, June’s full moon was actually known as the Honey Moon. Other European names for it included the Hot Moon, signifiying the beginning of hot summer days, or Hay Moon, because of the first hay harvest. Those names aside, European names for the Full Strawberry Moon overall tend to have sweet, romantic connotations, a good example [being] the name Full Rose Moon. June’s full moon is also called Mead Moon, which could refer to the mowing of meadows during summer but, there’s another more romantic interpretation as well.
Power lines always get in the way.
In Europe, it’s traditional to gift mead or honey to a newlywed couple during their first moon of marriage. The name Honey Moon, itself, has now become a common word in the English language, used to refer to the honeymoon holiday that couples go on right after they’re married. It used to be that newlyweds in ancient Europe would go on a sweet romantic holiday around the time of June’s full moon because the moon phases were seen as a symbol for the phases of a marriage with the full moon signifying the fullest and happiest part, the wedding itself. The Full Strawberry Moon is tied to romance and marital bliss all around the world. In India, for example, June’s full moon is celebrated as Vat Purnima where married women perform a ceremonial ritual to show their love for their husbands. Vat Purnima is based off a legend from the Mahabharata about a beautiful woman, Savitri, who is determined to save her husband, Satyavan, who is doomed to die an early death. Savitri fasts for three days before Satyavan dies, upon which she successfully negotiates with the King of Hell for the resurrection of her husband. Similarly, married women nowadays dress up in beautiful saris, fast and tie a thread around a banyan tree seven times to wish that their husbands will lead long, happy lives.
Peaking through the Willow Oak.
It is no wonder, then, that the Pagans also call June’s full moon the Lovers’ Moon. This is an excellent time to work on the connections in your life, romantic or otherwise, by showing affection to your loved ones and allowing yourself to be vulnerable to encourage intimacy in your relationships. During this Honey Moon, some Hoodoo practitioners will even use honey in magic rituals to sweeten other people’s feelings towards the practitioner. An example of a sweetening ritual is to pour honey into a saucer containing the target’s name before lighting a candle on top of it. Another example of a honey ritual is to tie two poppets together with honey between them in order to heal a broken relationship between two people. Honey rituals aside, true magic may happen when you invest your time and effort during this month to work on your relationships and, appreciate the love you have in your life.
Great post, I’ve read before on full moons, but learned even more here, thanks, Vic! The moon is beautiful. My son has a high-power telescope and I’ve seen the moon through it, I was so amazed at the detail I was seeing. (No, I didn’t see NASA’s flag, lol) When he lined up Saturn, OMG, I was blown away seeing the rings!
You know, in this area, strawberries peak in May. We get some around Christmastime because a farm about 40 miles away grow them in solar tunnels. A solar-grown, fresh, Christmas strawberry is a treat. Organic, pesticide-free and they grow long, almost tubular, because of the tunnel and angle of the sun. Very sweet…
It’s a shame we never returned to the Julian calendar. We’ve been f***** up, rhythm-wise, since the 1500s.
June 17, 2019 at 11:47 PM
I love the moon.
June 18, 2019 at 1:09 AM
Me, too. I am Lunar Piscean. I was born in the late morning of a full moon that night.
June 18, 2019 at 1:15 AM
When I was little my dad had a small telescope and he’d take us out to see the moon on nights like tonight.
June 18, 2019 at 1:35 AM
That’s wonderful. Wish my dad had done the same.
June 18, 2019 at 9:53 AM
Very interesting. We started picking strawberries last week but it is too soon to harvest honey. ☺
June 18, 2019 at 2:42 PM
Our strawberry season is over. It peaked in mid may.
June 18, 2019 at 5:10 PM
Despite our odd weather this year strawberries seem to be right on time and the yields are not bad. I just picked 4 1/2 quarts. ☺
June 18, 2019 at 5:29 PM
Wow. YUM.
June 18, 2019 at 12:33 PM
Very will done!! I love your photos!!!
June 18, 2019 at 2:45 PM
Thank you. My moons are always blurry. I can’t get a clear, camera-like shot. The phone just can’t do it.
June 18, 2019 at 3:57 PM
Your photos are great!
June 18, 2019 at 4:17 PM
😊🤗😁❤❤❤
June 20, 2019 at 7:26 AM
Great post, I’ve read before on full moons, but learned even more here, thanks, Vic! The moon is beautiful. My son has a high-power telescope and I’ve seen the moon through it, I was so amazed at the detail I was seeing. (No, I didn’t see NASA’s flag, lol) When he lined up Saturn, OMG, I was blown away seeing the rings!
June 20, 2019 at 4:47 PM
Wow. I’d love to see Saturn’s rings.
I love Moon. I was born in the late morning of a full moon that night. I am a Lunar Piscean. 🌚♓
June 23, 2019 at 12:27 AM
Yet another moon…wow. The pic from your driveway is great.
I want strawberries and cream now.
June 23, 2019 at 5:58 PM
You know, in this area, strawberries peak in May. We get some around Christmastime because a farm about 40 miles away grow them in solar tunnels. A solar-grown, fresh, Christmas strawberry is a treat. Organic, pesticide-free and they grow long, almost tubular, because of the tunnel and angle of the sun. Very sweet…
It’s a shame we never returned to the Julian calendar. We’ve been f***** up, rhythm-wise, since the 1500s.
June 23, 2019 at 6:08 PM
I do love strawberries and picking them. The places you pick them that charge you by the load.
Isn’t that calendar around two weeks off from us?
June 23, 2019 at 6:20 PM
Shoot. Thirteen years are missing. They had to invent the leap years to account for the normal Lunar time we were on.
June 23, 2019 at 6:35 PM
Oh… where did I come up with 2 weeks lol. That’s why I shouldn’t reply without research lol
June 23, 2019 at 11:54 PM
LOL! You dingy…
June 23, 2019 at 11:58 PM
Yes mam I am! I’m either right on the mark or far off.
June 24, 2019 at 2:32 AM
LOL!