Cold Moon, January

Also known as Quiet Moon, Snow Moon, Moon of Little Winter, Wolf Moon, or Chaste Moon. In January, the nights are long and dark, and many of us are trying to stay warm under a blanket of snow as the Cold Moon approaches. The native tribes of North America called this time the Wolf Moon, because this was when the wolves were howling, hungry, outside lodges where people stayed warm within. This time of year, we’re all feeling a bit slow and “off” as our bodies adjust to chillier temperatures.

Correspondences:

Nature Spirits: gnomes, brownies
Herbs: marjoram, holy thistle, nuts, cones, marjoram
Colors: brilliant white, blue-violet, black, & silver
Flowers: snowdrops, crocus
Scents: musk, mimosa
Stones: garnet, onyx, jet, chrysoprase, hematite
Trees: birch, hazel
Animals: fox, coyote
Birds: pheasant, blue jay
Deities: Freyja, Inanna, Sarasvati, Hera, Ch’ang-O, Sinn
Power Flow: sluggish, below the surface; beginning and conceiving
Protection, reversing spells
Element: Air

**This is a good time to work on magic related to protection, both physical and spiritual. Use this time to develop your inner self, and advance spiritually, becoming closer to the higher aspects of your deities.

Quickening Moon, February

Also known as Storm Moon, Horning Moon, Hunger Moon, Wild Moon, Red & Cleansing Moon, Quickening Moon, Sol Monath (Sun Month), Big Winter Moon, and the Rowan Moon. In February, the nights are cold, and we begin to feel a bit of cabin fever. We’re tired of being cooped up in the house, and there’s a part of us just longing for warmth. This is the season of Imbolc when we know that if we can just hold on for a few more weeks, we might get lucky and see little green shoots peeking out through the snow and slush.

Correspondences:

Nature Spirits: house faeries, both of the home itself and of house plants
Herbs: balm of Gilead, hyssop, myrrh, sage, spikenard
Colors: light blue, violet
Flowers: primrose
Scents: wisteria, heliotrope
Stones: amethyst, jasper, rock crystal, and jasper
Trees: rowan, laurel, cedar, myrtle
Animals: otter, unicorn
Birds: eagle, chickadee
Deities: Brigit, Juno, Kuan Yin, Diana, Demeter, Persephone, Aphrodite, Brighid, Aphrodite, Mars
Power Flow: energy working toward the surface; purification, growth, healing
Element: Fire

**This is a month when new life is beginning, but still lies dormant. Pregnant animals, due in the spring, begin to feel the quickening of their unborn young. The earth itself is quickening, as seeds and bulbs far beneath the soil begin their journey toward the light. We know these things are coming — and we know also that this is a good month to make plans for the future. We can dream and hope and set goals for ourselves. Accept responsibility for mistakes you’ve made in the past and move on. Magical workings this month should focus on personal achievements and advancements.

Storm Moon, March

Also known as the Seed Moon, Moon of Winds, Plow Moon, Worm Moon, Lenting Moon, Sap Moon, Crow Moon, and the Moon of the Snow Blind. March rolls in like the proverbial lion, and if we’re really lucky, it might go out like a lamb. It’s the time of the Storm Moon, the month when spring finally arrives, around the time of the Equinox, and we see new life begin to spring forth. As the Wheel of the Year turns once more, heavy rains and gray skies abound – the earth is being showered with the life-giving water it needs to have a fertile and healthy growing season. This is also a time of equal parts light and darkness, and so a time of balance.

Correspondences:

Nature Spirits: Mer-people, Air and Water beings who are connected with spring rains and storms
Herbs: broom, High John root, yellow dock, wood betony, Irish moss, pennyroyal, apple blossom
Colors: pale green, red-violet, yellow
Flowers: jonquil, daffodil, violet
Scents: honeysuckle, apple blossom
Stones: aquamarine, bloodstone
Trees: alder, dogwood, honeysuckle
Animals: cougar, hedgehog, boar
Birds: sea crow, sea eagle
Deities: Black Isis, the Morrigan, Hecate, Cybele, Astarte, Athene, Minerva, Artemis, Luna, Cybele
Power Flow: energy breaks into the open; growing, prospering, and exploring
Element: Water

**Use this month for magical workings related to rebirth and regrowth. New life is blooming during this phase of the moon, as is prosperity and fertility.

Wind Moon, April

Also known as the Hare Moon, Seed or Planting Moon, Planter’s Moon, Budding Trees Moon, Easter Monath Moon (Eostre Month), Ostar Manoth Moon, Pink Moon, and the Green Grass Moon. In April, the thunderstorms are beginning to subside, and the wind picks up. Seeds are being blown about on the breezes, spreading life all around from one place to the next. Trees have buds on them, spring daffodils and tulips abound, and the birds are nesting once more. Much like March, this is a time of conception, fertility, and new growth.

Correspondences:

Nature Spirits: plant faeries
Herbs: basil, chives, dragon’s blood, geranium, thistle, dandelion, milkweed, dogwood, fennel, dill
Colors: crimson red, gold, yellow, blue
Flowers: daisies, sweet pea
Scents: pine, bay, bergamot, patchouli
Stones: ruby, garnet, sard, quartz, selenite, Angelite
Trees: pine, bay, hazel, forsythia, lilac, and willow
Animals: bear, wolf
Birds: hawk, magpie
Deities: Kali, Hathor, Anahita, Ceres, Venus, Bast, Tawater, Herne, and Cernunnos
Power Flow: energy into creating and producing; returning balance to the nerves. change, self-confidence, self-reliance, and take advantage of opportunities. work on temper and emotional flare-ups and selfishness
Element: Air

**This is a good time to work on magic related to new beginnings. Looking to bring new love into your life, or conceive or adopt a child? This is the time to do those workings. It’s the time to stop planning and start doing. Take all those ideas you’ve had brewing for the past couple of months and make them come to fruition.

Hare Moon, May

Also known as the Merry or Dyad Moon, Bright Moon, Flower Moon, Frogs Return Moon, or the Planting Moon. Because many flowers bloom in May, after the April downpours, May’s moon is called the flower moon. This is a good time for working on commitments, both in spirit and love.

Correspondences:

Nature Spirits: faeries, elves
Herbs: dittany of Crete, elder, mint, rose, mug wort, thyme, yarrow
Colors: green, brown, pink
Flowers: lily of the valley, foxglove, rose, broom
Scents: rose, sandalwood
Stones: emerald, malachite, amber, carnelian
Trees: hawthorn
Animals: cats, lynxes, leopards
Birds: swallow, dove, swan
Deities: Bast, Venus, Aphrodite, Maia, Diana, Artemis, Pan, Horned God
Power Flow: full creating energy; propagation, intuition, contact with faeries and other supernatural beings, strengthen your connection with supernatural protectors and beings around you
Power flows from the Greenwood Gods and trees
Element: Air

Strong Sun Moon, June

Also known as the Moon of Horses, Lovers’ Moon, Strong Sun Moon, Honey Moon, Strawberry Moon, and the Rose Moon. June, the sun has taken over and the fields are growing. Flowers have bloomed, we’re beginning to see some early summer fruits and vegetables (a great time for strawberry crops!), and the days are getting longer and longer. It’s a far cry from the darkness of winter, and we typically try to spend as much time outside as possible. It’s a time for bonding with friends and family and forging what connections we can. Nurture your relationships, your garden, your career, and your soul this month.

Correspondences:

Nature Spirits: sylphs, zephyrs
Herbs: skullcap, meadowsweet, vervain, tansy, dog grass, parsley, mosses
Colors: orange, golden-green, yellow
Flowers: lavender, orchid, yarrow
Scents: lily of the valley, lavender
Stones: topaz, agate, alexandrite, fluorite
Trees: oak, maple
Animals: monkey, butterfly, frog, toad
Birds: wren, peacock
Deities: Aine of Knock Aine, Isis, Neith, Green Man, Cerridwen, Bendis, Ishtar, Persephone
Power Flow: full but restful energy; protect, strengthen, and prevent
Element: Earth

**This is the month when magical workings are well suited to maintaining and enhancing things you already have. Weed your garden, prune the bushes, and give your lawn all the tender loving care it needs. Take time to let your personal life blossom as well — focus on things that improve your job or education, as well as your relationships with family and friends.

Blessing Moon, July

Also known as the Wort Moon, Moon of Claiming, Moon of Blood (because of mosquitoes), Blessing Moon, Maedmonat Moon (Meadow Month), Hewi Manoth Moon (Hay Month), Fallow Moon, Buck Moon, and the Thunder Moon.

Correspondences:

Nature Spirits: hobgoblins (small, grotesque but friendly brownie-type creatures), faeries of harvested crops
Herbs: honeysuckle, agrimony, lemon balm, hyssop, mug wort
Colors: silver, blue-gray, green
Flowers: lotus, water lily, jasmine
Scents: orris, frankincense
Stones: pearl, moonstone, white agate, opal
Trees: oak, acacia, ash
Animals: crab, turtle, dolphin, whale
Birds: starling, ibis, swallow
Deities: Khepera, Athene, Juno, Hel, Holda, Cerridwen, Nephthys, Venus, Lugh
Power Flow: relaxed energy; preparing; succeeding
Element: Water

**This is a great time to do divination and dream work. Find a way to incorporate the watery energy of the Blessing Moon into your spell crafting and ritual. Enjoy the relaxing feeling of July’s full moon and use it in your personal meditation.

Corn Moon, August

Also known as the Barley Moon, Dispute Moon, Weod Monath Moon (Vegetation Month), Harvest Moon, and the Moon When Cherries turn Black. In late August, we celebrate the beginning of the Corn Moon. This moon phase carries on the associations of grain and rebirth that we saw back at the Lammas tide. August was originally known as Sextilis by the ancient Romans but was later renamed Augustus (Octavian) Caesar.

Correspondences:

Nature Spirits: dryads
Herbs: chamomile, St. John’s wort, bay, angelica, fennel, rue, orange, rosemary, chamomile
Colors: yellow, gold, ted
Flowers: sunflower, marigold
Scents: frankincense, heliotrope
Stones: cat’s eye, carnelian, jasper, fire agate
Trees: hazel, alder, cedar
Animals: lion, phoenix, sphinx, dragon
Birds: crane, falcon, eagle
Deities: Ganesha, Thoth, Hathor, Diana, Hecate, Nemesis, Mars
Power Flow: energy into harvesting; gathering, appreciating
Element: Fire

**Harness some of the Corn Moon’s fiery energy for your ritual and spell work. This is a good time to focus on your spiritual and physical health. It’s the time to harvest what you can now to put aside for later use. What sacrifices can you make today that will benefit you further down the road?

Harvest Moon, September

Also known as the Wine Moon, Singing Moon, Sturgeon Moon, and the Moon When Deer Paw the Earth. September brings us the Harvest Moon, sometimes referred to as the Wine Moon or the Singing Moon. This is the time of year when the last of the crops are being gathered from the fields and stored for the winter. There’s a chill in the air, and the earth is slowly beginning its move towards dormancy as the sun pulls away from us.

Correspondences:

Nature Spirits: trooping faeries

Herbs: copal, fennel, rye, wheat, valerian, skullcap, Witch hazel

brown, yellow-green, yellow

Flowers: narcissus, lily

Scents: storax, mastic, gardenia, bergamot

Stones: peridot, olivine, chrysolite, citrine, bloodstone

Trees: birch, bay, hawthorn

Animals: snake, jackal

Birds: ibis, sparrow

Deities: Demeter, Ceres, Isis, Nephthys, Freyja, Ch’ang-O, Thoth, Brighid, Vesta

Power Flow: rest after labor, the balance of Light and Dark

Element: Earth

**This is a month of hearth and home. Spend some time preparing your environment for the upcoming chilly months. If you don’t already have one, set up a hearth or kitchen altar for those times when you’re cooking, baking, and canning. Use this time to clear out the clutter — both physical and emotional — before you have to spend the long winter days inside.

Blood Moon, October

Also known as the Harvest Moon, Shedding Moon, Winterfelleth Moon (Winter Coming), Windermanoth Moon (Vintage Month), Falling Leaf Moon, Ten Colds Moon, and the Moon of the Changing Seasons. The hunting season begins in October, thus the name hunter’s moon. This is a good time to align yourself with nature and conduct magical rituals concerning animal issues, such as finding your personal animal guide, or totem animal, or relating to your birth totem.

Correspondences:

Nature: Spirits, frost faeries, plant faeries

Herbs: pennyroyal, thyme, catnip, uva ursi, angelica, burdock

Colors: dark blue-green

Flowers: calendula, marigold, cosmos

Scents: strawberry, apple blossom, cherry

Stone: opal, tourmaline, beryl, turquoise

Animals: stag, jackal, elephant, ram, scorpion

Birds: heron, crow, robin

Deities: Ishtar, Astarte, Demeter, Kore, Lakshmi, Horned God, Belili, Hathor

Power Flow: to let go, inner cleansing, karma, and reincarnation

Element: Air

Mourning Moon, November

Also known as the Dark Moon, Fog Moon, Beaver Moon, Mourning Moon, Blotmonath Moon (Sacrifice Month), Herbistmanoth Moon (Harvest Month), Mad Moon, Moon of Storms, and the Snow Moon. In November, the Mourning Moon is upon us. Some Native American tribes referred to it simply as The Moon When Deer Shed Antlers (although in most regions it’s more accurate to say they’re shedding their velvet – a buck doesn’t usually lose antlers until later in the winter unless you’re very far north).

Correspondences:

Nature: Spirits, subterranean faeries

Herbs: grains of paradise, verbena, betony, borage, cinquefoil, blessed thistle, fenne

Colors: gray, sea-green, blues

Flowers: blooming cacti, chrysanthemum

Scents: cedar, cherry blossom, hyacinth, narcissus, peppermint, lemon

Stones: topaz, lapis lazuli, turquoise

Trees: alder, cypress, hazel

Animals: unicorn, scorpion, crocodile, jackal

Birds: owl, goose, sparrow

Deities: Kali, Black Isis, Nicnevin, Hecate, Bast, Osiris, Sarasvati, Lakshmi, Skadi, Mawu

Power Flow: take root, prepare the transformation

Element: Water

*This is a time of washing away the baggage of the past and letting it go. Once you’ve done that, you’ll be able to focus on the joys of the future. During the Mourning Moon phase, say goodbye to bad habits and toxic relationships, and get a fresh start for the New Year. Work on developing and strengthening your connection with Deity.

Long Nights Moon, December

Also known as the Oak Moon, Wolf Moon, Long Night’s Moon, Wintermonat Moon (Winter Month), Big Winter Moon, and the Moon of the Popping Trees. December’s full Moon is also sometimes called the Moon Before Yule, in honor of the ancient European festival celebrating the return of the sun foreshadowed by the year’s longest night.

Correspondences:

Nature: Spirits, snow faeries, storm faeries, winter tree faeries

Herbs: holly, English ivy, fir, mistletoe, ivy, cinnamon

Colors: blood red, white, and black

Flowers: holly, poinsettia, Christmas cactus

Scents: violet, patchouli, rose geranium, frankincense, myrrh, lilac

Stones: serpentine, jacinth, peridot, obsidian, ruby

Trees: pine, fir, holly

Animals: mouse, deer, horse, bear

Birds: rook, robin, snowy owl

Deities: Hathor, Hecate, Neith, Athene, Minerva, Ixchel, Osiris, Norns, Fates, Persephone

Power Flow: to endure, die, be reborn

Element: Fire

*As the days get shorter and Yule approaches with the longest night of the year, we force ourselves to get through the darkness because eventually, we will see the sunlight and warmth again. Think about the things in your life that you’ve had to endure. Sometimes, a part of us must die in order to be reborn. Now is the perfect time for spiritual alchemy – a time to evaluate your life, and know that you’ll survive the dark times. If you’ve already put the darkness behind you, take your good fortune and share it with others. When it’s cold outside, open your heart and home to friends and family. Reach out to people who might be suffering from the chill of winter, either spiritually or physically.

Monthly Moon Rituals

January / Wolf Moon – Plan a ritual of protection around your home and family.
February / Storm Moon – Plan a ritual to ask the Elders for help in planning your future.
March / Chaste Moon – Plan a ritual to plant your desires.
April / Seed Moon – Plan a ritual to physically plant your seeds of desire in Mother Earth.
May / Hare Moon – Plan a ritual to reaffirm your goals.
June / Dyad Moon – Plan a ritual to balance your spiritual and physical desires
July / Mead Moon – Plan a ritual to decide what you will do once your goals have been met.
August / Wort Moon – Plan a ritual to preserve what you already have.
September / Barley Moon – Plan a ritual of Thanksgiving for all of your accomplishments
October / Blood Moon – Plan a hunting ritual to prepare for the cold season ahead
November / Snow Moon – Plan for a ritual to work on ridding yourself of negative thoughts and vibrations.
December / Oak Moon – Plan for a ritual to help you remain steadfast in your convictions.