Blessings of the Seed Moon
Graphic by me. DO NOT TAKE!!!!
Also Known As: Storm Moon, Moon of Renewal, Moon of Winds, Plow Moon, Worm Moon, Hrethmonath (Hertha's Month), Lentzinmanoth (Renewal Month), Chive Moon, Troll Moon, Lenting Moon, Lenten Moon, Sap Moon, Hawk Moon, Crow Moon, Moon of the Snowblind
Element: water
Nature Spirits: mermaids and mermen, air and water beings who are connected with spring rains and storms
Herbs: broom, High John root, yellow dock, wood betony, Irish moss, pennyroyal, apple blossom
Colors: pale green, red-violet, green, yellow, light purple
Flowers: jonquil, daffodil, violet
Scents: honeysuckle, apple blossom
Stones: aquamarine, bloodstone
Trees: alder, dogwood, honeysuckle
Animals: cougar, hedgehog, boar
Birds: sea crow, sea eagle, hawk
Deities: Black Isis, the Morrigan, Hecate, Cybele, Astarte, Athene, Minerva, Artemis, Luna
Power Flow: Energy breaks into the open; growing, prospering, exploring. New beginnings; balance of Light and Dark. Breaking illusions. Seeing the truth in your life however much it may hurt.
THE ABOVE COURTESY OF DJ CONWAY'S MOON MAGICK.
Mantra: I embody the power of growth.
THE ABOVE COURTESY YASMINE GALENORN.
Info on This Moon From About Dot Com: March rolls in like the proverbial lion, and if we're really lucky, it might go out like a lamb. It's the time of the Storm Moon, the month when Spring finally arrives, around the time of the Equinox, and we see new life begin to spring forth. As the Wheel of the Year turns once more, heavy rains and gray skies abound -- the earth is being showered with the life-giving water it needs to have a fertile and healthy growing season. This is also a time of equal parts light and darkness, and so a time of balance.
Use this month for magical workings related to rebirth and regrowth. New life is blooming during this phase of the moon, as is prosperity and fertility.
BY THE BOOKS
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Wicca and Witchcraft by Denise Zimmerman and Katherine A. Gleason
Also known as the Seeds or Worm Moon, the Chaste Moon is a time to plant mental seeds-- thoughts of success and hope. This is also a time of purity and newness. It's the time to bless the magickal herbs and plants in your garden and to start preparing the soil for the seeds that you will plant. It's also the time to mentally prepare yourself for new experiences, a new job, pregnancy, taking a trip, or bringing a new animal into your home.
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Paganism by Carl McColman
MARCH (Innocent Moon)-- Honor nature in one's yard and garden, the first stirrings of spring.
The Craft - A Witch's Book of Shadows by Dorothy Morrison
Name: Seed
Cakes & Ale: milk and sesame seed rolls or poppy seed bread
Colors: green
Altar Decor: wildflowers and spring greenery, green candles
Incense soft floral
Esbat Purpose: Celebrate new life, new purpose, the earth's energy
Try Drawing the Circle With: a newly budded tree branch
Witch's Brew: Good Spells for Peace of Mind by Witch Bree
March's Sap Moon heralds the death of winter and the rebirth of nature.
Witches Datebook [ADAPTED BY ME] by Yasmine Galenorn
During March we hunger for the scent of freshly-plowed earth. The winds come sweeping through, and the electricity of new life fills the air.
This Full Moon take a hard cooked egg and, on the shell, paint runes and symbols to represent something you want to see happen in your life. When dry, take the egg, a small clay pot, a packet of nasturium seeds, and a trowel out into a patch of woods.
Cast a circle and invoke your Gods. Fill the pot with soil. Hold the egg and focus on the creative force, the strength of your desire. Place it in the pot. Next, hold the nasturtium and focus on the generative force of nature. Circle the egg with seeds. Cover with soil and say:
Egg and seed, bring to me what I desire.
Quicken now my wish and will, by powers of earth, air, water, and fire.
When the flowers begin to grow, plant them in your garden. Affirmation for the Storm Moon: I embody the power of growth.
Witches Datebook by Edain McCoy (2002)
The Alder Moon brings out our inner psychic. European folklore tells us an alder's energy is eternal, and it should never be cut down. Alder has been used to assist in divination rituals, and wind instruments made of the wood have aided in summoning spirits and working with weather magic. In Celtic mythology the alder is sacred to the God Bran, whose severed head became an oracle.
Witches Datebook by Edain McCoy (2003)
Wood that has come from the psychically potent alder tree has been used since ancient times to summon spirits from the otherworld and to bring about desired weather patterns, particularly storms or rain.
European folklore tells us alder trees must never be cut or their power will return to the ground. You will need, instead, to find a small alder branch that has fallen to the earth. When you have one, empower it to use in weather rituals.
On a sunny afternoon during the Alder Moon, go outside to an isolated place and twirl the branch in the air until it whistles. Mimic the sound as you summon the wind or rain. Winds from the four elemental directions can be catalysts for specific magical needs, and rain can be used for water magic or to nourish the land.
Keep your alder wand wrapped in cloth and hidden from view when not in use. Recharge it each year on the full Alder Moon.
Witches Datebook by Edain McCoy (2004)
The alder tree is a highly water-resistant, and as such was sued by ancient Europeans to build edifices near or under water. Its power in magic is its resiliency. It teaches us to bend but never break, to go with the flow and accept positive change.
If you find yourself in a rut, or it you are having trouble accepting that which you cannot change or control, alder can give you the courage to move forward.
Find, make, or buy yourself a simple alder limb and consecrate it as your wand of changes. When you find yourself resisting that which cannot be changed, take your wand and tap it on each of your chakra centers while saying:
Alder stronger than waters flow,
Help me lean that I must grow;
Not all things can be my way,
Let me learn this lesson today.
Witches Datebook by Dallas Jennifer Cobb
The Full Moon of March rains upon us, fertile and strong. Cold soil and soul, warm and awaken, softening in innocence with the first stirring of spring. Reflecting on the future we prepare for the time of fertile readiness by cleansing and blessing the growing ground, sanctifying the soil. The earth is prepared for planting, and the self is readied for change and growth. In the days before a birth, the mother cleans the nest, preparing for the soon-to-arrive innocent. Operating from instinct and cleansed of illusion, truth guides our choices. The primal self knows what to sew and what to cull. Anticipation, inspiration, and imagination grow, their magical strength beckoning to the seeds of future harvests.
Seed Moon, Plow Moon, Moon of Winds,
Illusions ends as true growth begins,
Hecate, Athene, Astarte, Morrigan,
In pure inspiration the cycle begins again.
Witches Datebook by Elizabeth Barrette
According to the Cherokee, March is the Windy Moon. As winter turns to spring, storms sweep in and damage trees and homes. The Choctaw call this the Big Famine Moon as reserves have been exhausted, but the renewal of life has yet to produce new foods to eat. The Dakota Sioux call this Moon When Eyes are Sore From Bright Snow. On the plains, snow still falls, reflecting the strengthening light of the sun.
March holds the transition between winter and spring, a turbulent time of both hope and danger. Keep a wary eye out for severe weather. On the first warm day, avoid the temptation to run out in light clothes. Instead, dress in layers so you can respond to rapidly changing conditions-- you'll catch fewer colds. Watch for the first signs of returning life, and rake mulch away from spring flowers as they sprout. Offer food to wildlife as long as it's consumed; put out scraps of fabric or string when birds begin to build nests.
In Ritual space, honor the quickening life all around you. Use its burgeoning energy to work magic to empower new projects-- plant young trees, launch a life-oriented business, or explore educational opportunities.
Witches Datebook by Elizabeth Barrette (2016)
March bring the Hawk Moon. As the sun warms the soil, rising thermals attract the attention of soaring birds, who used them to conserve energy. Hawks hunt by scanning the landscape for motion, and then swoop down from high above. This month you may see these birds of prey circling overhead as they look for food. Hawks symbolize insight, vision, and foresight.
The March spell focuses on keen sight, both physical and metaphysical. You'll need a telescope or binoculars, paper, and pencil. Go somewhere that you can see the horizon. Notice how it looks from a distance. Then call on the spirit of the Hawk to grant you vision. Look at the horizon through the telescope. See how different it looks. Imagine the coming year and your plans for it. Jot down your ideas for pursuing your goals. You may also want to sketch the horizon, comparing the distant and magnified images. Look at the horizon again without the telescope.
Afterwards, thank the spirit of Hawk for aiding you. Keep your notes on your altar so you can refer back to them during the year.
Witches Datebook by Alaric Albertsson
The Angle-Saxon people celebrated the third month of the year as Hrēþmōnaþ, or "Hrethe's Month." As an adjective, hrēthe means "fierce," which aptly describes Mother Nature's temperament at this time of year. Hrethe is an earth goddess whose name my be a variant to the continental Germanic goddess Hertha, known to the Suebi as Nethus. Hrethe's name is also similar to the Old English hriþer, meaning an ox or heifer, recalling the heifers that carried the image of the continental earth mother on her annual procession, according to Tacitus.
Hrēþmōnaþ is a good time to reconnect with the earth. Get outside and do some yard work. Start a compost pile to transform a winter's accumulation of leaves and other natural debris into fertile humus. If you do not have a yard of your own, go out to a local park and clean up any trash you find there. Observe the trees growing in your vicinity. If you do not know what species they are, get a tree identification book and find out! Set out a birdbath and put a sloped rock in the center so bees and other insects can drink without drowning. The nature spirits will thank you.
Witches Datebook by JD Hortwort
Just when we think we can't take a moment more of winter's abuse, lovely chive breaks forth. In fact, in midtier and far southern states, chive may never have actually left.
In warmer US climates, chive should be blooming about now, though it tends to flower a bit later in northern climates, offering up globular tufts of lavender, pink, or white blossoms. All parts of the chive plant can be eaten. The flavor is more delicate than that of onions or garlic. However, chive, like all alliums, does supply a dose of sulfur. In Pagan traditions, that bit of sulfur is what gave chives power to chase away evil spirits and negativity.
Sulfur was important in folk medicine, too. As winter drew to a close, wise women would often dose their kin with sulfur combined with molasses or cream of tarter to "thin" the blood. The thought was that traditional winter diet thickened the blood with toxins. Sulfur took care of that, it was believed, by purifying the blood. Well, we don't line up for sulfur and cream of tartar tablets anymore. But sulfur does help cells to regenerate, and chives can provide that on a salad or baked potato or garnish to any dish.
Witches Datebook by Natalie Zaman
Trolls are creatures of betwixt and between. As magical beings they often cause trouble for humans, but not without great reward: in one traditional Scandinavian tale, a peasant girl had the good hap to be wed to a prince in disguise. Had she been able to keep faith for a year and a day, all would have been well, but she insisted on seeing her lover's face. The price was whisked away to a castle that lay east of the Sun and west of the Moon, doomed to become the husband of the troll princess who lived there. Of course, our heroine manages to rescue her prince, and through her determination and clever dealings with the troll princess, she achieves her greatest potential. In this tale, the Moon is a compass point that emphasizes the in-betweens of the girl's place in the world. We've all been in this state of limbo- it's rarely pleasant, but once experienced, it often ushers in a new phase of life. Honor the trolls in your life under March's Full Moon. Remember, those who test us make us stronger:
Tricks and traps under Troll Moon's gaze,
Help me to greatness in all ways and always.
Witches Datebook by Blake Octavian Blair
The Celtic Month of Alder brings us the Alder Moon and a chance to wade in the emotional waters within. Alder is a water-loving tree found in such wet environs as swamps, riverbanks, and marshlands. Lore holds that alder is good for protection against high winds and storms. The alder's bridging of the elements of earth, air, and water perhaps is what lends it to be associated with faerie realms in Celtic culture. The alder's branches were often used to make flutes that have an enchantingly evocative tone. This gained alder the folk name whistlewood. The airy and watery qualities associated with the alder make the Alder Moon a perfect time to seek clarity on any turbulent emotions that may be swirling in us currently. This month, when you bask in the Full Moon's light, perhaps listen to alder flute music as you ask,
Alder Moon, please carry upon your airy currents and watery ripples a greater vision of clarity of the tumultuous winds and waves that swirl within me. May it bring me toward peace!
Witches Datebook by Deborah Blake
As we approach spring and the start of the growing season, it is the perfect time to work on your own growth and forward movement. If you set goals back in January, you can pull them out and see if you are making progress. Goals don't have to be complicated, just the things you want to grow and blossom in your life.
You will need a small pot and some potting soil, a packet of seeds (any easy-to-grow herb or flowers will do, although it is a bonus if you can use the plant later for your magical work), a small cup of water, a slip of paper, and a pen. Write your goals or intentions on the paper, fold it up, and put it in the pot. Add the soil. Then plant the seeds and water them as you say the following,
With these seeds, I plant my own future.
With these intentions, I grow the seeds of potential.
Water and soil, air and spirit.
With these seeds, I manifest my will.
Witches Datebook by Monica Crosson
MARCH MOON OF AWAKENING
March is a fickle month. One day the world feels anew. The very air is tinged with the promise of green that lulls us into a false sense of spring's arrival, only to be sent retreating to the warmth of our fires the next day when winter's cruel breath makes a sudden return.
We are the same-- one day, enthusiastic and confident in our ability to take on the world, only to feel enveloped by doubt and hesitation the next day. Be kind to yourself if this happens, as awakenings are not an easy thing.
March's Full Moon asks us to tend the roots of our soul with tenderness. Too much too soon can disturb our growth. Plant seeds as ritual to remind yourself that all good happens at its own pace.
A safe and happy holiday to all who celebrate~!