The second full moon of 2021 light up our skies with ferocity! Did you get to see it? The February snow moon was originally given its name in ancient times due to the snow that often settled on the ground around this time of year. The snow would bring with it a whole bunch of challenges that indicated to old civilizations that the time for adversity had arrived.
Other names of the snow moon and where they come from
Other cultures have other names for the full moon that rises in February. The Native Americans called it the Hunger moon due to the sparse access to food that there was during this part of winter. It also adopts the name the Storm moon, again in reference to the weather that is often experienced during winter in the northern hemisphere, making it harder to hunt, forage and forcing tribespeople to gather closer together to preserve warmth. The February moon is also referred to as The bone moon. Food supplies had reduced so much by this point in winter that tribes would cook using the bones of the animals, for bone marrow nutrients and to use up every bit of the food supply that they had, before they could hunt efficiently again in spring. For the same reasons there have been reports of groups who refer to it as The little famine moon as well.
It seems that no matter where you are in the world, it was widely recognised that February was the hardest month for survival among our ancestors due to more harsh conditions and fewer recourses. They named the moon after something that would indicate this, so that they could best track the lunar cycle and prepare for a difficult month.
How to best get a good look of the snow moon
The full snow moon reached its brightest illumination in the UK at 8.19am on the 27th of February 2021. Because the sky was filled with sunlight at that time, the best time to view the fullness of the moon was in the evening of the 26th of February. The forecast was clear skies it was quite the show, we hope you enjoyed it.
Rituals for the snow moon
This full moon arrived in the sign of Virgo which is a really good time to set some clear, practical intentions, and steps for moving forward toward your goals. As well as setting intentions, it is just as important to release what no longer serves you. You can meditate upon your intentions and things that you want to release, or you can write these things down on paper and dispose of them though ripping or burning the paper.
Also, a great time to reflect. If you keep a journal, you can look back over intentions that have been set in the recent months to observe if steps truly have been taken. If not, you can rectify that by setting small, clear goals in the form of a list.
As Virgo is also all about health and wellbeing it’s a great time to check in on your body and your mind. Take steps to intercept any negative thought patters that may have been popping up for you, and observe how best you can nourish yourself.
