Course Four: Rites 185
- (Alchatay)—Safe return from a journey; aid to
scholars; health and good will; winning favor of
teachers, rulers, and bosses. - Little Star of Great Light—Good hunting;
revenge; enchanting one into love. - Arm of Gemini (Pollux)—Friendship and love;
manifesting good desires. - Misty (Cancer)—Love, friendship, companion-
ship; victories. - Eye of the Lion—Discord, illness; troubles to
travelers.
10.Neck of Leo (Regulus)—Strengthening man-
made things; bringing love, happiness, protection
against enemies; curing illness. - Hair of the Lion—Good for journeys, material
gains, childbearing.
12.Tail of Leo—Good harvests; trouble at sea;
separation of lovers.
13.Dog Stars (Virgo)—Benevolence and agreement
in all things.
14.Flying Spike (Spica)—Love in marriage; good
for all to do with sea but not of land; curing many
illnesses.
15.Covered Flying (Libra)—Finding treasures in the
Earth; bringing destruction and discord.
16.Claws of Scorpio—Bringing troubles to jour-
neys, marriages, harvests.
17.Crown of Scorpio (Antares)—Strengthening and
improving love, workers.
18.Heart of Scorpio—Discord, conspiracy, and
revenge.
19.Tail of Scorpio (Cat’s Eyes)—Driving away
others, destruction.
20.Arrow (Sagittarius)—Aid in hunting; destroying
wealth of others; making another go where you
say.
21.The Desert (no stars)—Good for gain, traveling,
harvests.
22.Head of Capricorn— Escaping bondage; curing
disease.
23.Swallowing (Aquarius)—Liberty, divorce, and
health.
24.Star of Fortune (Aquarius)—Benevolence and
victory.
25.Butterfly—Revenge against others.
26.First Drawing (Pisces)—Health, union and love.
27.Second Drawing (Pisces)—Gains and health;
mischief to others.
28.Pisces—Increasing business; safe journeys;
happy marriages.
Lesson 8: Lunar Lore
Full Moon Names
It’s fun to devise our own Moon calendar in much the
same way as the ancients. For example, the full moonof May will be Barefoot Moon for me (when we start
being able to wear no shoes!). June will be Barbecue
Moon since by then my mini fire festival is in full swing,
and so on. Think about the natural cycles in your own
life and region, and then honor those by giving names
to the full Moons. — Patricia TelescoThe tradition of naming the year’s full Moons
began during the era of Roman occupation in England.
A few reflect Roman influences, but most relate to
farming activities. These correspond to the zodiacal
months, rather than our modern civil calendar, and
begin at Spring Equinox.Seed (Aries) Sowing season and symbol of the new
year.
Hare (Taurus) In Roman lore, rabbits were associated
with springtime and fertility.
Dyad (Gemini) The Latin word for “pair” refers to
the twin stars of Gemini: Castor and Pollux.
Mead (Cancer) During late June and most of July,
the meadows (meads) were mowed for hay.
Wort (Leo) Now the worts (from Anglo-Saxon wyrt,
“plant”) were gathered to be dried and stored.
Barley (Virgo) Persephone, maiden goddess of
rebirth, carries a sheaf of barley as symbol of the
harvest.
Blood (Libra) At this season, domestic animals were
sacrificed for Winter meat. (Libra’s full Moon
became the Wine Moon if a good grape harvest
was expected to produce a superior vintage.)
Snow (Scorpio) Scorpio heralds the dark season
when the first snow falls.
Oak (Sagittarius) The sacred tree of the Druids and
the Roman god Jupiter is most noble as it
withstands Winter’s blasts.
Wolf (Capricorn) The fearsome wolf represents the
dark of the year.
Storm (Aquarius) A storm is said to rage most
fiercely just before it ends, and so does the year.
Chaste (Pisces) This archaic word for pure reflects
the custom of greeting the new year with a clean
slate.Native American Names for Moons
The Old Farmer’s Almanac gives the North
American Indian names for the full Moons:Wolf Moon: Amid the cold and deep snows of
midwinter, the wolf packs howled hungrily outside
Native American villages. Thus, the name for
January’s full Moon. Sometimes it was also
referred to as the Old Moon or the Moon After
Yule. Some called it the Snow Moon, but most- Rites.p65 185 1/15/2004, 9:09 AM