Snow Crust Moon / Lenten Moon
February 27th 18:44 CST / February 28th 00:44 GMT
Hello All,
Welcome to my first newsletter. I will be sending one of these out in the lead-up to each new moon.
The imminent new moon will reach its full phase in March. This moon goes by many names, and most of them are all about the first signs of spring. Its other appellations include the Plough Moon, the Worm Moon, the Sap Moon, the Sugar Moon, and the Crow Moon. For those of you following along with your 2025 lunations calendars, you will find it as the Snow Crust Moon in the Americas, and the Lenten Moon in Europe.
American History
The Anishinaabeg people of The Great Lakes Region in the US and Canada have dubbed this month’s moon the Snow Crust Moon. The lengthening days at this time of year bring longer hours of sunlight, melting the top layer of the snow. But, it’s not that warm yet. When the sun sets the temperatures drop back down to winter digits and the melted snow refreezes, forming a hard crust on top.
British History
In terms of the Lenten Moon, I have often wondered about the conspicuous Christian ring of this one. It stood out to me among the other names listed in the British Almanac, which are all direct references to nature and farming or, in the case of “Yule”, a pagan celebration. However, it turns out that it was the Anglo Saxons who named the Lenten Moon, and that the word “lenten” itself is of Germanic derivation and means “spring”. “Lenten” is also related to the word “long”, and so spring was named in regard to its lengthening days.
From a Christian perspective, “Lenten” is only the name of the March moon if it is full before March 21st (the ecclesiastical day of the spring equinox, irrespective of the astronomical event). If the moon is full on or after the 21st, then it is called the Paschal (Easter) Moon. The Paschal moon is used to determine the date of Easter in a process called computus paschalis (Latin for ‘Easter computation’), placing Easter on the first Sunday after the first ecclesiastical full moon falling on or after March 21. This is a complex process involving tables and “golden numbers” and, again, the resulting date doesn’t even necessarily coincide with the astronomical full moon.
Lunar Eclipse
This lunar month we also have a total eclipse of the full moon, or, what has been lately dubbed a “full blood moon”. This is due to the reddish hue it takes on during the event. The epithet was popularized a little over a decade ago by two Christian pastors who used a bestselling book to peddle their end-of-times prophecies centered on a series of eclipses. As ominous as this all sounds, we have all lived through many of these eclipses, and so, we must conclude that they portend nothing in the vein of apocalypse.
During a total lunar eclipse, the Earth blocks most of the sun’s light from reaching the moon, but not all of it. Some light still reaches the lunar surface after traveling through Earth’s atmosphere. After being filtered in this way, it is only the orange and red light wavelengths that can reach the lunar surface, giving it its alarming color.
The pastors that popularized the term “blood moon” aren’t the only ones who have ever thought these events were a bad omen. The Inca believed that the moon had turned red because a jaguar had attacked and eaten it. Thinking that they might be next, they put on a ferocious display of spear throwing and shouting, even getting their dogs in on it by whipping them up into a frenzy of howling and barking. Hindus believe that both food and pregnant women are at high risk during this time and so food and water are covered and no food preparation happens until the eclipse has passed. Pregnant women are not to eat or move around until the eclipse is over. In ancient Mesopotamia, the king, believing he was in great danger during an eclipse, would replace himself with a double for the duration.
I personally prefer the ideas held by others that an eclipse is a time of healing. Some Native American groups in California believed that the moon was wounded and in need of medicine. They would perform healing rituals to aid in its recovery. In Benin, it is believed to be a time of conflict between the sun and moon and so, in turn, it was time to resolve old conflicts among themselves. And in Islam, it is seen as a time to ask Allah for forgiveness.
Lunar Astrology
For the astrologically curious, the late-February new moon occurs in Pisces. In mid-March, the moon reaches its full phase in Virgo. Pisces and Virgo are “opposites”, but in astrology that means more counterparts than contraries. Think two sides of the same coin, and in this case it is the coin of acts of service. Any new moon is a great time for any new beginning, but if you have a project that fits this theme, this new moon in particular is a great time to begin. You can hope to see some results in the full phase.
Additionally, the Pisces new moon means a fresh start in particular with all things Neptunian (Neptune is the ruler of Pisces). Think of religion, the collective, music, dreams, psychic powers, inspiration and imagination, and even illness, hospitals, and prisons.
At the full phase, things Virgoan may come to a head - at least momentarily - with an extra umph from the eclipse. Think work matters, organization, daily life and its practicalities, cleanliness, health, and wellness.
All my best, and until the next lunar month,
Claire
