This Strawberry Moon is the first of two full moons in Capricorn - a rare occurrence. The name for this first one was given by the Algonquin people of north- east America as well as the Ojibwe, Lakota and Dakota nations because of the ripening of June strawberries ready to be picked. It is also called the Rose and the Mead moon and as the June moon, is associated with the Roman Mother Goddess Juno and favoured for marriage and making commitments in love.
A moon on the cusp, the melting pot moon as many energies converge, collide and mingle, a Capricorn moon at 1 degree 7 minutes and so claimed by some as a Sagittarian moon, with the kick-start of Sagittarius giving impetus to the more stately focus of Capricorn; moving too around this period zodiac sign-wise from Gemini to Cancer, crowned by the solstice changes in the Northern and Southern hemispheres on June 20 at 20.50 UTC (check www.timeanddate.com for the variation of the precise times and dates you hit full moon rise and the solstice in your region).
However, wherever you live you benefit from the myriad energies, adventurous Sagittarius stimulating ambitious Capricorn, quicksilver Gemini softened and given intuition as he is embraced by Cancer who borrows logic and outward- looking perspectives from her predecessor. A mere webcam eyeblink links the rebirth of the light in the southern world and empowers it with the heightened glory of the Northern Sun.
Remember strawberries are sweetest when ripe and do not retain that sweetness long. Bite deep into life now, forgetting fears, prohibitions; ask the person you like for a date, take the first steps to a new creative business or venture, start the personal or home makeover, dance with the grouchy folk in your life, smile, tell jokes, deal with the overflowing cabinet of must do and should have done.
By the time the moon has faded and the strawberries past their sweetest you are under your own steam, striding along the path to fulfilment and by the time the next moon shines full in July, still in Capricorn, the world will be opening and the possibilities leaping and gambolling towards fruition.
Roses too though fleeting, promise lasting happiness if we enjoy their beauty and fragrance and do not worry about their fading. We must be aware of the thorns but that does not take away from their scented beauty, only making us not take them for granted, not rushing in where angels fear to tread.
Go out in the moonlight around full moon night and fill yourself with the melting pot of energies, the coming together of what might not seem possible, whether nations needing peace between them or the chance to experience the fullness of joy without disregarding what is precious and fleeting.
- Ripple your hands in a glass or silver coloured bowl of water. Say, I wash my hands in the light of Mother Moon, asking she will fill my life with radiance and make each day of the coming month bright and glorious.
- Leave the water, covered till morning, bottle it and splash your Moon Water on your pulse points in the month ahead to fill you with enthusiasm and the reconciliation of opposites within yourself and your life, so all are one.