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As Neil Young’s lyrics encourage us, “There’s a full moon risin’...let's go dancin’ in the night.”  The largest full moon of the year, the Full Snow Moon, is also known as the Hunger Moon, the Small Famine Moon, the Wolf Moon (Old English), the Budding Moon (Chinese), and the Ice Moon (Celtic).  Called the Full Snow Moon because February in the northern hemisphere is usually the snowiest month of the year.  It’s a time when indigenous cultures and the farmers had the hardest time finding food. 

The Chinese call this the Budding Moon.  It is the time when we see the first signs of spring. Friends in Oregon tell me the crocus have already come and gone.  Daffodils are growing along the roadsides on California’s Central Coast and on the hillsides of Oregon’s Coast. The fruit trees are blossoming, with bright pink, white, and lavender blossoms. Yellow Wood Sorrel covers the hillsides of the Central Coast. Lupine, Sunflowers, Morning Glory, and other harbingers of spring are making their appearance.  But tonight, all eyes are on the beautiful bright Full Snow Moon.

According to National Geographic, the Full Snow Moon is approximately, 238, 835 miles (384,400 km.) away from Earth. It will appear to be about 14% wider and 30% brighter than other full moons this year.  The reason for this is that the moon (a Supermoon) is both at perigee (closest to the Earth) and syzygy (in line with the Sun and the Earth).  In addition to creating the illusion of the moon’s size, the Supermoon intensifies the gravitational pull on the Earth by the Sun and the Moon.  This generates extreme tidal shifts and stress on the Earth’s crust as well.  The Moon is passing through the constellation of Virgo, and earth sign.  There is a great deal of movement and energy being generated by this particular full moon and its alignment with the Earth and the Sun.  If you look to the left of the rising moon you will also see the planet Mars, bright and in clear view.

Whether or not you care about why the Full Snow Moon is brighter or how far away the moon is from the Earth, you can enjoy the beauty of this moon.  For those who celebrate the lunar new year, this full moon is one of celebration and anticipation of the new year.  For those who are gazing at the moon tonight, it may be time to put on some good music, open up your heart, and let the magic of the Universe spark a little joy in your life.  Let the moon inspire you to write a poem, sing a song, appreciate its beauty, dance in the moonlight, or dream a new dream.  As Dante wrote, “Beauty awakens the soul to act.”  Let the beauty of this night awaken you to act in a new way.  And Happy New Year to all who are celebrating the start of the Year of the