The Moon in March
March 2012 :
As we’re preparing for the new season, which, this year we’ve so far hardly noticed wintertime, we also are reminded by our full moon that this is a sacred time for many. The Full Moon of March is called the Lenten Moon, a tribute to the 40 days of sacrifice begun this year in mid February. Because this month’s Full Moon is earlier than the first day of spring, our vernal equinox, we have to wait for the end of Lent, the celebration of Easter, to happen next month.
To prepare for the new season, March’s full Moon has many reminders of the awakening of the Earth. The ground is slowly softening, allowing the earthworms to begin their upward movement. This Worm Moon is a reminder to watch for worm eaters, including the return of the robin, for whom earthworms are among their favorite breakfast. As for other birds, the northern American Indians at this time started to hear a regular cacophony of cawing crows, their signal that winter had officially passed; therefore, they paid tribute to them by designating the Full Crow Moon.
And, of course, for us New Englanders, what is a major sign of our part of the U.S., maple syrup, is begun to be collected at this time of year. Most of the maple trees are now clad with a bucket collecting as much of the pre-syrup as the trees are willing to give us, resulting in our looking up at the Full Sap Moon.
In today’s culture, we might think of adding a new name to the March 8th Full Moon. It is arriving just a couple days before the new, earlier time in the year to change our clocks. Three days later, the morning of Sunday, March 11th, don’t forget to “spring ahead” all your time pieces. Perhaps we could begin calling the Full Moon before this weekend as the “Time Change” Moon.
