May the Blessings of the Flower Moon Find You
GRAPHIC MADE MY ME, DO NOT TAKE!
Also Known As: Dyad Moon, Bright Moon, Merry Moon, Hare Moon, Deer Moon, Frogs Return Moon, Thrimilcmonath (Thrice-Milk Month), Panther Moon, Sproutkale, Moon When Leaves are Green, Winnemanoth (Joy Month), Planting Moon, Moon When the Ponies Shed, Bee Balm Moon, Thoughtful Moon
Element: fire
Nature Spirits: faeries, elves
Herbs: dittany of Crete, elder, mint (and members of the mint family), rose, mugwort, thyme, yarrow, cinnamon
Colors: green, brown, pink, red, orange, yellow
Flowers: lily of the valley, foxglove, rose, broom
Scents: rose, sandalwood
Stones: emerald, malachite, amber, carnelian, ruby, garnet, Apache tear
Trees: hawthorn, rowan
Animals: cats, lynx, leopard
Birds: swallow, dove, swan
Deities: Bast, Venus, Aphrodite, Maia, Diana, Artemis, Pan, Horned God, Kali, Priapus, Cernunnos, Flora
Power Flow: full creating energy; propagation. Intuition, contact with faeries and other supernatural beings. Strengthen connection with supernatural protectors and beings around you. Power flowing from the Greenwood Gods and trees.
*IT HAS COME TO MY ATTENTION THAT THE ABOVE IS COURTESY AUTHOR DJ CONWAY*
Mantra (via Yasmin Galenorn): I am filled with strength and passion.
Info on This Moon From About Dot Com: Once April's rains and winds have subsided, the sun begins to warm up the earth and we're able to get the gardens planted. Typically, May is the month we begin to sow our crops. Get out in the garden under a Flower Moon and put your hands into the soil. Spring is a time of fertility, and May is a fiery month indeed -- full of lust and passion! It's sometimes called the month of the Hare Moon -- and we all know what hares are busy doing in the spring.
This is a good time to work on magic related to careers and jobs. Thinking about switching to a new position, or perhaps trying a new field altogether? Want to take a class or get your degree? Take the seeds you've planted last month, and allow them to bloom and grow in your favor. Do some fire divination this month to help guide you on your way.
BY THE BOOKS
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Wicca and Witchcraft by Denise Zimmerman and Katherine A. Gleason
The Hare Moon, also known as the Flower or Planting Moon, is a time of health, love, romance, and wisdom. This is a great time to plant the seeds that you have empowered. As the seeds begin to grow, the energy you have filled them with will start to manifest in your life. It's also a great time to rekindle the magic to help your career, now will probably be the time to decide which of your job offers to accept. And you might want to do some divination magic to help you make that decision.
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Paganism by Carl McColman
MAY (Hare Moon)-- Sensuality, love, and the power of life. Celebrate your body.
The Craft - A Witch's Book of Shadows by Dorothy Morrison
Name: Dyad
Cakes & Ale: cake and champagne
Colors: bright colors
Altar Decor: gold and silver candles, fresh flowers
Incense: jasmine
Esbat Purpose: Celebrate divine marriage, productivity, and goals
Try Drawing the Circle With: a bouquet of fresh flowers with colored ribbons (leave as libation)
Witch's Brew: Good Spells for Peace of Mind by Witch Bree
May brings the Flower Moon when the Muses give inspiration and beauty prevails.
Witches Datebook by Edain McCoy (2002)
Hawthorn is sacred to the old Gods of Ireland known as the Tuatha de Danaan. Long ago driven below the ground by foreign invaders, today the Tuatha de Danaan are the fairy folk of Ireland. This is an excellent Moon for fairy contact as you explore the unity of polarized forces that is the Hawthorn Moon.
Witches Datebook by Edain McCoy (2004)
Over a century ago, the musical play H.M.S. Pinafore debuted on the London stage. One of the songs from the score insisted that, "Things are seldom what they seem." These words personify the hawthorn-- a tree that, in folklore, is much more than what it seems. Even in modern Ireland you'd be hard-pressed to find someone willing to move or harm one for fear of upsetting the capricious fairy spirits who call it home.
When you need to know what is what, call upon the spirit of the hawthorn to assist you:
Fairies of the hawthorn, of you I ask,
A favor and a simple task;
Show to me what is false and true,
And I shall give a gift to you.
When you've received a vision of your answer, tie a pretty ribbon on the bush or plant a coin near its base in thanks.
Witches Datebook by Dallas Jennifer Cobb
Celebrate life and love under the May Full Moon, as you honor the sacred union of the Gods. Kindle the coals of sensuality, fan the fire of romance, dance around the bright flame of love during this Moon of fertility, growth, and wisdom. Whether you light a candle at home or a bonfire on the beach, enjoy the heat that helps us flower. Celebrate your body, the fertile vessel that you inhabit, and celebrate the earth in which your seeds flourish. Witness their growth and flowers, and bless the youthful fruits of your knowledge and wisdom in action. Work powerful creative magic as you reconnect with the eternal cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth. In this season, we are all born anew, and know the magical energy of spiritual rebirth.
Merry Moon, Dyad Moon, Bright Moon be,
Let life spring abundant and grow within me.
Diana, Venus, Artemis, Pan,
Bless the union from which all life began.
Witches Datebook (2010) by Elizabeth Barrette
In Cherokee tradition, May is the Planting Moon. In most temperate climates, the soil is warm enough for tender seedlings and seeds to prosper in the gentle sun and rain. The Choctaw call this the Panther Moon for the big cats native to the land. To the Dakota Sioux, this is Moon When Leaves are Green. Grass grows vigorously on the prairies; in forests and along riverbanks, trees unfurl their leaves.
Plants and animals put out a burst of energy in the mild weather between winter's cold and summer's heat. This is a peak gardening month for many. The earliest crops that grow in late winter or early spring-- such as asparagus-- deliver the season's first edibles. Many plants that yield summer crops have set their fruit. People also focus on exuberant outdoor pursuits. Picnics, parades, sports, and other outdoor activities foster family and community bonds.
Magically, use this time to foster growth and expansion. Work hard and play hard. Store some of that energy in magical artifacts. Gardeners bless their crops and cast spells to repel hungry pests. Fill rituals with lively activities such as dancing, singing, and acting out myths in sacred theater.
Witches Datebook (2016) by Elizabeth Barrette
With May comes the Deer Moon.
The deer is graceful and quick, always alert to the environment and ready to respond. People who follow deer energy have a deep awareness of the world around them, so they are great observers. In nature, May is a time of burgeoning life, so it's important to watch for opportunities to grow.
For this ritual, you need several small tea lights in candleholders and at least one image of a deer. Light the candles and places them in safe spaces around the room, so that you are surrounded. Focus on the deer icon and say,
"Spirit of Deer, teach me to look.
Spirit of Deer, teach me to listen.
I would learn the ways of the wild."
Meditate on how a deer in the forest may go unnoticed and yet observe everything. Conclude the ritual by blowing out the candles. Then hide your deer image somewhere, such as inside a book.
Afterwards, remain alert. See how many signs of deer energy you can spot-- pictures in a magazine, a documentary about deer on television, a deer beside the road, et cetera. Your observational skills will grow the more you hone your subtle senses.
Witches Datebook by JD Hortwort
A balm is something that soothes.
Bee balm is a native North American herb that is so soothing when taken as tea that Europeans gladly took it back to the continent in the 1700s. This pleasant herb with its scarlet flowers (Monarda diddyma) is often called Oswego tea after the Native American tribe in the New York area that showed colonists how to use it. Also referred to as bergamot, it should not be confused with orange bergamot (Citrus aurantium).
For a refreshing, minty start to the morning, make some lunar tea under the bee balm Full Moon. Pick a handful of the monarda leaves for each cup of tea. Put them in a glass or ceramic bowl and place where the Moon's rays will hit the bowl. Cover the leaves with cool water and cover the bowl with a glass plate or a pieces of clear food wrap. In the morning, strain and sweeten to taste, or use to ground yourself after a Full Moon ritual. If you like, float a few of the scarlet petals of the flower in your cup. Like cold-brewed coffee, this gentle method of making a tea unleashes the delicate oils that hot water can sometimes evaporate away.
Witches Datebook by Natalie Zaman
One evening a long time ago, Sun, Moon, and Wind went to dine with their cousins, Thunder and Lightning. Selfish Sun and Wind brought nothing back for their mother, Star. Moon, however saved a bit of each dainty dish to share with her. For their thoughtlessness, Sun and Wind were cursed to burn and bite, but the Moon was-- and is-- celebrated and blessed for her gentle light.
In May we enter the Goddess seasons with the celebration of Beltane, and for over one hundred years, we've honored her mother aspect (albeit commercially) on the second Sunday of the month, Mother's Day. Gentleness, inner strength, and thoughtfulness are all aspects of the Divine Feminine and embody great power. The Indian tale "How the Sun, Moon, and Wind Went to Dinner" illustrated that a simple gesture can have long-lasting and indelible results. Soak in the soft simple gesture can have long-lasting and indelible results. Soak in the soft beams of May's Full Moon with a mantra to honor the mother in all of us:
Thoughtful, caring Moon above,
Illumine gentle ways to live.
A safe and happy holiday to all who celebrate~!