Tuesday, April 15, 2014

April 15: Pink Moon

I don't know if I'm paying more attention in life, or if we are experiencing more events that are publicized and social media simply gives them a louder voice. 

An example is the polar vortex we experienced this winter. Another is the blood moon occurring via the eclipses happening now. Terms I hadn't previously heard but are now common vernacular. The media decides the terms that roll from our tongues.

One term I stumbled upon that is relevant today is Pink Moon. Tonight's full moon is literally called a pink moon. So I did some digging on what that means, in an effort to add my own knowledge to the mix so that self-realized terms may flow from my tongue along with these placed there by the media.

Apparently, Native American tribes would use moon phases to track the seasons, giving each full moon a name. Here's the cliff notes on the most common (and widely accepted) name for each moon:

January - Wolf Moon. Wolves howling in the cold. Makes perfect sense.
February - Snow Moon. Need I say more?
March - Worm Moon: Earthworms emerging and robins returning to gobble them up.
April - Pink Moon: One of the earliest growing wildflowers is moss pink (or wild ground phlox).
May - Flower Moon: April showers bring?
June - Strawberry Moon: Looking forward to this one!!
July - Buck Moon: Deer begin growing their antlers.
August - Sturgeon or Red Moon: The northern fishing tribes called it the Sturgeon Moon. Others called it the red moon as it rose through the sultry haze.
September- Harvest Moon: Time to bring in the corn.
October - Hunter's Moon: Time to store some deer meat for the winter to come.
November - Beaver Moon: The Native Americans trapped them.
December - Cold Moon: Long nights. Cold Earth.

Nick Drake released Pink Moon in 1972. He was dead (at 26) by 1974. What a tragedy. He didn't receive acclaim during his lifetime. It took a Volkswagen commercial in the late 90's to resurface his sound and introduce him to the world. I'm grateful the name Nick Drake can roll off my tongue, along with the explanation of what a pink moon is.

Nick Drake - Pink Moon


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