Quickening Moon

The February full moon is tomorrow. Snow Moon, Ice Moon, Hunger Moon; many of its names recall that winter is still upon us. But it's been two weeks since we passed the halfway mark to the next solar event of the year, the spring equinox; and the shift can already be felt. The Front Range has seen a very mild winter thus far, with occasionally dumps of snow but many, many sunny and warm days. February in particular has been very warm. Denver set a new high for the date last week - 73!

http://yourtake.9news.com/media/18442654

It has other names that hint at the coming spring: Rowan Moon, Wild Moon, and the one that caught my eye today, Quickening Moon.

The Earth certainly is quickening. My tulips are beginning to poke above ground. I wish I could be happy about that, but as we all know, winter is not over, and it will certainly snow and turn cold again before spring really settles in to stay. So while it gave me a thrill to see them emerging, it also makes me sad, because they're rather frail, and another hard freeze will mean yet another year with no blooms.

This time of year is about beginnings. An intention planted now that will grow and thrive as spring arrives, and our energy increases along with the lengthening of the days and the warming of the Earth.

Full Moon Spell:

On a slip of paper, jot down, in simple terms, what you want. You can also do this on a bay leaf, with a single word.
Light a candle in the color corresponding to your need.
Consider your desire, really think about what it is you want, what steps you will need to take to get there, and visualize it manifested.
Burn the paper and bury the ashes in your garden, if you have one.

Winter Returning

It's been uncommonly beautiful all week - warm, sunny, near 60 the last few days. Spring fever has set in and I am already anxious to see budding trees and the return of my tulips. I should probably plant some crocus - they start to bloom very early, late February I think.


Of course, it's still winter, and Mother Holle is getting ready to shake out her bed in a serious way. The storm that's tracking is predicted to give us in the metro area anywhere from a few inches to over a foot; much to the disgust of the general populace, the meteorologists have had to concede they won't be able to predict how much we'll get until it gets closer.

In truth, I like winter. I don't mind the cold or the snow; it provides an excellent excuse to light candles (or a fire), and I've got little white lights set up here and there for a nice glow. And I enjoy having a built-in excuse to stay indoors and putter around in the kitchen. The days are already noticeably longer.

The whims of nature are impressive and, to be honest, fun. The possibility that we might get a lot of snow is always exciting - how lovely it would be to get a two-foot blizzard that shuts the city down! Of course, that seldom happens; far more often, it snows enough to make driving unpleasant and slow, but nothing closes down.

It's okay. It's part of the cycle of the Earth, and in truth, weather brings people together. It's more than just something we all have in common for idle chit-chat; I'm always impressed by the way folks will rally to help neighbors and strangers who get stuck in the snow. I'm one of those people who will watch the local news report on the weather all day during a big storm.

Here's hoping for Snowmageddon!