Worm MOON - March 25th
Herstory
The early Native Americans did not use the Julian or Gregorian calendar months as our modern times do. Many tribes kept track of time by observing the seasons, and, most importantly the lunar months. We see that Colonial Americans adopted many of the Native American names and incorporated them into their calendar.
It seems that most full Moon names today are a combination of the Native American, Anglo-Saxon, and Germanic cultures merging together.
The first full Moon in spring is known as the Worm Moon.
At first it was thought that the name referred to the earthworms emerging from the soil that the birds love to eat during spring. But, with further digging, it was found that the name referred to a beetle larvae, that looked like worms, emerging from the thawing bark of trees, which was given by the Dakota and other Native American tribes.
Worm Moon Ritual
This full Moon is all about coming out of your hiding place. Winter is a time of going inward and spring is a time of emerging from hibernation.
For this full moon ritual, wake up with the sunrise and go outside.
You can add to your ritual by planting seeds in your garden or simply being outside writing down the seeds of your intentions that you would like to grow this season.
You can set the intention to invite in new energy into your life. Whether that is a new relationship, a new creative project, a new job, a new home, a new way of relating to the world, etc., this full moon ritual has more to do with coming out into the sun than staying hidden in the dark.
Bring your desires into the light with the dawning of the new day this full Moon and use this fresh new energy to invigorate your heart and soul!
Additional Names for this full Moon:
Since ancient times, it was common to follow the lunar month rather than the solar year. Other cultures named the months after features they associated with the seasons.
The additional names that refer to this transition from winter to spring refer to the appearance of certain animals, such as the Eagle Moon, Goose Moon (Algonquin, Cree), or Crow Comes Back Moon (Northern Ojibwe), while others refer to signs of the season:
The Sugar Moon (Ojibwe) indicates this period of time when the sap from the sugar maples start to flow.
The Wind Strong Moon (Pueblo) refers to the strong, windy days that come at this time of year.
The Sore Eyes Moon (Dakota, Lakota, Assiniboine) refers to the bright rays of sunlight that reflect off the melting snow.
The Paschal Moon
March’s full Moon plays a significant role in Christianity.
This Moon is known as the Lenten Moon if it is the last full Moon of the winter season (if it occurs before the spring equinox) or as the Paschal Moon if it is the first full Moon of spring (if it occurs after the spring equinox).
This year, March’s full Moon (March 25, 2024) occurs after the spring equinox (March 19, 2024), making it the Paschal Moon.
This is the first full Moon of the spring season and, therefore, determines the date of Easter this year.
Southern Hemisphere Moon Names:
The full Moon names used today refer to the seasons in the Northern Hemisphere, so it doesn’t work to flip the names to fit the calendar in the Southern Hemisphere.
As far as I have researched, full Moon names are not common in Australia and New Zealand. However, like the Native Americans, Māoris have their lunar calendar. It’s called the maramataka, meaning both the moon and lunar month.
For February to March the Māori’s called this Poutū-te-rangi - the crops are now harvested.
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