#Lunar calendar

[maggiecheungs]

MOON PHASES 🌕

[breelandwalker]

Wolf Moon - January 13 2025

Shake off the cold and sing to the sky, witches - it’s time for the Wolf Moon!

Wolf Moon

The Wolf Moon is the name given to the full moon which occurs in the month of January. The name is said to be derived from the sound of wolves howling with hunger while prey is scarce in the midst of winter. Given that we now know that wolves howl mostly for communication, my personal opinion is that people huddled in their homes during a very dark and dangerous time of year probably noticed these sounds a lot more readily with little else to occupy their time as they waited out the winter, and thus were set to worrying about ravenous beasts invading their villages and farmsteads. (It’s worth noting that wolves preying on livestock was a very real concern for most people outside major cities for many centuries, so this isn’t entirely unfounded.)

The name also calls to mind the howling of the wind during winter storms, or whistling around the eaves during the long cold nights. And for those of us who might not have been careful with our spending over the holidays, I might cite a tongue-in-cheek reference to the wolves being at the door when those credit card bills come due.

[For those not familiar with the English phrase, to have “a wolf at the door” is a saying that refers to some imminent hardship or disaster. In modern parlance, this is usually applied to poor finances or looming bankruptcy.]

This month, the moon peaks at 5:27pm EST on Monday January 13th, so the moon may appear to be full on the nights of the 12th or 13th, depending on where you are in the world.

Some North American indigenous names for the month of January and its’ moon are Cold Moon (Cree), Center Moon (Assiniboine), Severe Moon (Dakota), Ice Moon (Catawba), and Spirit Moon (Ojibwe). Other names include Mantis Moon (South African origins), Quiet Moon (Celtic), and Moon After Yule (Anglo-Saxon).

What Does It Mean For Witches?

As a new year dawns, it’s time for rest and reflection before we set out on the next phase of our journey. While the cold weather lingers, take some time to sit by the fire, literally or metaphorically, and take stock of where you stand, what resources are available, and what you plan to do with them.

Check in with your near-and-dear following the mad rush of the holiday season as well. Make sure that friends, family, and community members around you are doing all right. Offer support and kindness where you can, but don’t overextend yourself. It’s your time to recuperate too, and it is good and healthy to set boundaries which allow time and space for yourself.

While it's a bit early to expect progress on our goals and resolutions, the beginning of a new calendar year is a good time to lay the foundation for what we intend to do with the year to come and to reflect on the year that has just ended. It's also the perfect time for self-assessment in your craft. Take a moment to acknowledge where you are, how you've grown, and what you might like to do next. Perhaps do some journaling on the subject, if you're so inclined. You can outline your craft knowledge and beliefs, mark the lessons you've learned, or record your progress. (This is a great way to measure future milestones and personal growth!)

What Witchy Things Can We Do?

Winter is a prime time for storytelling. Back in the days before internet or television or radio, people would often read to each other or tell tales to pass the time. Consider re-reading a favorite book that inspires you or exploring some region of folklore or mythology you’ve been meaning to look into. If you have children who are of an age to enjoy stories, read them some of your favorites or introduce them to something new. Share stories and discussions with your witchy circle too!

While you’re at it, take a moment to examine the role that folklore and stories play in your practice. If you subscribe to a particular mythos, be it through deities or just general belief, consider which parts of it resonate the most with you and why.

Consider also the lessons of the winter season - the necessity of rest between periods of growth and activity, and the role of death, cold, and darkness in the natural cycles of life. What do these things mean to you and your practice? Are they a source of fear or fascination? Do you come alive in the winter or bundle up and wait for spring? How can you best remind yourself to pause for breath as the year goes on?

And of course, the beginning of a new year is an excellent time for goal-setting and divination. You’re making resolutions for your mundane life, so make a few for your craft while you’re at it, and pull out your cards or runes or pendulum for a New Year forecast on how things might go. If you need some ideas or inspiration, you can check out this article on Casting The Bones or try this craft-building exercise to Create Your Own Personal Runes.

Happy Wolf Moon, witches! 🐺🌕

SOURCES & FURTHER READING:

Bree’s Lunar Calendar Series

Bree’s Secular Celebrations Series

Wolf Moon: Full Moon in January, The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

Why The 2025 January Wolf Moon Is So Insanely Powerful, The Peculiar Brunette.

Casting The Bones: How to Read and Throw Bones, The Peculiar Brunette.

Witchcraft Exercise - Creating Your Own Runes, Bree NicGarran. (Masterlist here)

Moon Info - Full Moon Dates for 2025

Calendar-12 - 2025 Moon Phases

Everyday Moon Magic: Spells & Rituals for Abundant Living, Dorothy Morrison, Llewellyn Publications, 2004.

Image Source: What Is A Wolf Moon?, The Fact Site.

(If you’re enjoying my content, please feel free to drop a little something in the tip jar, check out my monthly show Hex Positive, and find my published works on Amazon or in the Willow Wings Witch Shop. 😊)

[mostpeculiarmademoiselleetmsieur]

Hey all. Just wanted to give my non-Jewish followers who might be curious about our calendar a little note.

I had a friend ask about Passover this morning, because they thought it always overlapped with Good Friday and Easter.

So, here’s the thing: The Jewish/Hebrew calendar is a lunar calendar. It doesn’t follow the Gregorian/English calendar, which follows the sun. Each of our months is 29 or 30 days long, following the lunar cycle, and the holidays fall on different says of the English calendar every year because of that. Also because of that difference, a leap year adds an entire month for us, rather than just a day, so that the seasons in which our holidays occur don’t change, since our holidays are mainly based around the seasons and not just the calendar dates.

So, because it’s a leap year—and, yes, it’s pretty much the same schedule with leap years in the Hebrew calendar as the English calendar—we’re currently towards the end of Adar 1, and Purim, the holiday we celebrate during Adar, will be celebrated during Adar 2. This also moves Passover out to late April this year.

This isn’t a very comprehensive explanation, but I thought it might be helpful or interesting to those of you who might be curious about the difference between our calendars.

[thewitchystuff]

Go outside and see the beautiful moon while you do a quick spell for your positive intentions for this next month!

Remember you can add your own spin to spells to make them more unique to you and what you want to manifest.

[emcheeseman]

Phases of the moon for 2025 🌙 Patreon mail is on its way this week, and the remaining lunar calendars are now available in my shop.

[jamesreads]

know your moons

[k1llerfr0sst]

In ancient Greece, Hekate's Deipnon was observed during the dark phase of the moon, marking the last day of the Hellenic lunar month. This lunar calendar begins with the new moon, when the first sliver of light is visible, and ends with the dark moon, when no light reflects from the moon at all.

Hekate's Deipnon was dedicated to the goddess Hekate, who was associated with purification, expiation, and protection against restless spirits. Her name, according to the Liddell and Scott Greek-English Lexicon, means “bringer or giver of light" (Ekate Phosphoros), although she was most strongly associated with the liminal spaces between life and death and the mysteries of the underworld.

The Deipnon served multiple purposes, including purification of the home and self. This purification process, known as oxuthumia, involved sweeping and cleaning the home, gathering leftovers from previous rituals, and smoking the house with a censer to create a clean, ceremonially purified space.

In ancient Athens, it was believed that restless spirits roamed on the night of the Deipnon. Offerings, including leftover food, ashes, and a clay censer, were left at crossroads to honor Hekate and appease the souls. It was also customary to scrifice a dog if the household felt particularly polluted or if they needed to make amends with Hekate. In this case, the family would touch the dog to transfer any "pollution" onto it before the sacrifice, which served as a scapegoat ritual. (This is just historical. Please don't s4crifice a dog)

Traditional offerings include: sweeping from the house, garlic, eggs, leeks, things you don't want to bring into the next. You could leave it on alter or a three way crossroad. As in antiquity, the Deipnon is a time for clearing out the old and preparing for a fresh start. Some practitioners also perform divination or meditation during the Deipnon to connect with Hekate and reflect on personal intentions and needs.

Modern offerings include: clean out the refrigerator, tend to the worm composter, dispose of the previous month's contents of Kathiskos (I’ll make a post on this) while cleaning out or taking stock of what's in your kitchen pantry, fulfill your previous month's obligations, duties, promises, pay off all debts (financial and emotional) etc.

For many modern polytheists, Hekate's Deipnon is a monthly devotional act of honoring Hekate rather than focusing on appeasing restless spirits. Rituals are adapted to fit contemporary lifestyles and spaces, but the emphasis on purification, transition, and renewal remains central to the practice.

There are differing theories as to if Hekate's Deinon is solely a meal offered to Hekate, or if there is a secondary intent of the meal offering going to the less fortunate. For example: Aristophanes, Plutus 410 ff (trans. O'Neill)(Greek comedy C5th to 4th B.C.): "Ask Hekate whether it is better to be rich or starving; she will tell you that the rich send her a meal every month li.e. food placed inside her door-front shrines] and that the poor make it disappear before it is even served."

Check for dates at Hellenion.org/calendar or watch out for the lunar cycles.

Sources:

1. Liddell, H. G., & Scott, R. (1940). A Greek-English Lexicon. Clarendon Press.

2. Johnston, S. I. (1990). Hekate Soteira: A Study of Hekate's Roles in the Chaldean Oracles and Related Literature. Scholars Press.

3. Aristophanes. Plutus 410 ff. Trans. O'Neill, 5th-4th century B.C.

4. Kearns, E. (1989). The Heroes of Attica. Center for Hellenic Studies.

5. Burkert, W. (1985). Greek Religion: Archaic and Classical. Harvard University Press.

6. Parker, R. (2005). Polytheism and Society at Athens. Oxford University Press.

7. Ogden, D. (2002). Magic, Witchcraft, and Ghosts in the Greek and Roman Worlds: A Sourcebook. Oxford University Press.

8. Hellenion.org and other Hellenic polytheism blogs/texts

(These sources are the same for the other posts I’ll make for noumenia and agathos Daimon)

[babka-enjoyer]

I found this MAGNIFICENT circular depiction of the Jewish calendar by Claymil on Redbubble (link is in their ig bio) and bought it immediately. I love that it’s sandwiched between celestial elements and includes the agricultural cycle.

I’m going to put 6 sawtooth hangers around the frame so the current season is always oriented up-ish. It would be even cooler if I could attach it to something that mounts to the wall and spins but I haven’t seen anything that fits the bill yet.

Edit: Also I cut it into a circle. It definitely did not come like that.

[vieneinpace]

Lunar calendar 2024

[pagan-stitches]

All turtle shells have 13 moons and 28 days. This is equivalent to 364 days plus one day of rest.

My turtle shell was one of my coolest finds.

The plastron of a turtle (=belly part of the turtle shell) has essentially 6 scutes (from head to tail)

This reminds of the structure of hexagrams, with two pairs of trigrams on top of each other.

[witch-with-scissors]

~~ January: Wolf Moon ~~

~~~~~~

The first collage from my new series: "13 full moons". 🌕 January's full moon is named Wolf Moon (after the howling of hungry wolves). The long list of names for this month's full moon also include: Ice Moon, Stay Home Moon and Quiet Moon. 🌕🐺🏠

[voraciouskingdom]

🔥❤️‍🔥

[breelandwalker]

Snow Moon - February 2025

Boots and mittens on, witches - it’s time for the Snow Moon!

Snow Moon

The Snow Moon is the name given to the full moon which occurs during the month of February. Despite what certain groundhogs will tell you, February is the month that sees the highest rates of snowfall across much of North America, according to the National Weather Service, and many alternative names for the moon and the month in which it falls reflect this.

As with many full moon names, we find the roots of the Snow Moon among the indigenous peoples of North America. In this particular case, a colonist explorer noted in 1760 that the Naudowessie (Dakota) people called this month Snow Moon specifically due to the tendency for snowstorms to come during that month. Some other indigenous names for this moon and month refer to commonly-sighted animals. Some examples include Eagle Moon (Cree), Bear Moon (Ojibwe), Groundhog Moon (Algonquin), and Goose Moon (Haida). Another notable example is Hungry Moon (Cherokee), denoting the scarcity of available food in deep winter.

The moon will be at peak illumination at 8:53am EST on Wednesday, February 12th. It will be below the horizon at this time, meaning the moon may appear to be full on the 11th and the 12th, depending on where you live. It should be highest in the sky around midnight EST on the 12th - the perfect time for magic!

What Does It Mean For Witches?

February is a month of change and transition. Though winter still holds on, many places may be showing early signs of spring. Little buds may be coming out on the trees, certain species of birds are beginning to migrate back, and hibernating animals start to wake up and reappear.

As we begin to turn toward the end of our long winter’s rest, it’s a good time to think about how we prepare for oncoming change and how we care for ourselves and our practices during times of stagnation.

We might also contemplate the concept of distance and stasis as it relates to our practices, be it keeping long-distance bonds fresh, doing things remotely either alone or as part of a larger group, or feeling distant from your craft or your deities. And yes, such things are normal and cyclical. Our inspiration and motivation wax and wane just as the moon does. If it feels like you’ve been far away from your craft for too long, perhaps it’s time to bring it back into your orbit.

What Witchy Things Can We Do?

Gather fresh snow or icicles for moon water, or make your own moon ice by leaving a bowl of water out overnight to freeze, if the temperature drops low enough.

If it snows in your area, you can wish upon a snowball. Grab a handful of powdery snow, whisper your wish to it, and throw the whole thing up in the air to release the wish into the universe

With winter scarcity in mind, practice creating a minimalist spell as an exercise. Create a workable spell with as few components, words, movements, or ritual elements as possible. This is more of a challenge if you’re used to using material components or rituals in your spellwork. Many witches cast spells with focused thought or energy work alone.

You can also try creating a spell with only components and materials that you already have on hand. Explore your home and see how many items you can identify a magical purpose for and brainstorm different ways they could be used in your craft.

Explore the concept of self care as magic. Use your routines to create moments of rest and harmony, make a point of being kind to your body and your mind, and cultivate a more positive relationship with yourself - it’s the only one guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Connect with your local biome by looking for any early signs of spring in your area. Feed the returning birds and identify the plant and animal species you see around you as they appear one by one.

Happy Snow Moon, witches! 🌕❄️

SOURCES & FURTHER READING:

Bree’s Lunar Calendar Series

Bree’s Secular Celebrations Series

Snow Moon: Full Moon in February 2025, The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

Snow Moon: The Extraordinary Full Moon of February 2025, The Peculiar Brunette.

Witchcraft Exercise - Home Brews, Bree NicGarran. (Masterlist here)

Moon Info - Full Moon Dates for 2025

Calendar-12 - 2025 Moon Phases

Everyday Moon Magic: Spells & Rituals for Abundant Living, Dorothy Morrison, Llewellyn Publications, 2004.

(If you’re enjoying my content, please feel free to drop a little something in the tip jar, check out my monthly show Hex Positive, and find my published works on Amazon or in the Willow Wings Witch Shop. 😊)

[felinewanderer]

2025 Animal of the Year:

The Snake, of course.

I am born in the year of the Snake. I am an Earth Snake and while the snake gets a bad reputation, it actually stands for so many positive things.

Luck, healing, eternal love, good fortune, protection from harm, personal growth, and the cyclical nature of life and death.

This is the Year of the Wood Snake.

2025 is a year of reflection, recalibration, and renewal, offering a mix of calm energy and intellectual challenges. The Snake’s intuitive wisdom, paired with the nurturing Wood element, creates a time to refine your long-term goals and strengthen personal and professional relationships.

Major Themes:

Transformation: A year for letting go of what no longer serves you and embracing meaningful change.

Strategic Growth: Success will favor those who plan meticulously and act wisely.

Deepening Connections: Introspection and emotional intelligence will help navigate relationships, promoting empathy and understanding.

[greygalaxie]

2025 Lunar Zodiac Calendar

[gorrus]