April Pink Full Moon
12.12pm BST (11.12am UTC)
Stargazers will not be able to see the April Pink Moon until after 8.05pm BST (7.05pm UTC) when it slowly creeps over the horizon.
Pink Flowers
The name Pink Moon comes from one of the first spring flowers, Wild Ground Phlox, also known as Moss Phlox (Phlox subulata) covering the ground like a pink blanket. These brightly-coloured flowers are native to North America, and they often bloom around the time of April's Full Moon.
Paschal Moon
You will have read in the March Full Worm Moon blog, that the first Full Moon after the Vernal Equinox is known as the Paschal Moon in the ecclesiastical (Christian) calendar, used to calculate the date for Easter, being the first Sunday after the Paschal Moon. Also known as Hare Moon, the Anglo Saxon name for this April Moon is Egg Moon, so understandable that a connection has been made with the modern Easter Bunny laying Easter eggs.
Arriving close on the heels of the Spring Equinox, you may be finding that you are clearing out a great deal more than just your cupboards. Old patterns are being brought back to the surface for us to finally obtain completion, providing a perfect opportunity to react in a different way. If you find yourself thinking “here we go again”, then do something different. Focusing on an outcome that is for everyone’s “highest good”, will balance the energy of the drama and be the positive step needed to launch yourself off the never ending roller coaster.
It’s almost as if you’ve taken a “truth pill”, voicing concerns that have been buried deep down for years, with an urgency to start a fresh page. If you can imagine sap rising in the trees after months of lying dormant, it’s like an upsurge of energy breaking you free from your “old ways” and “bad habits” and an opportunity to “branch out” into pastures new! Connecting with nature can help considerably at such times – even if it’s just sitting in a courtyard in a busy town.
The Fae folk (or faeries or simply Fey), have been cooped up all Winter too and it may seem as if they are playing games with you… as soon as you put something down, it goes missing. You had it in your hand just a moment ago and it’s nowhere in sight. You look all around the house, all around the garden, but it’s completely disappeared and although you retrace your steps, it is nowhere to be found. If you don’t ask you don’t get, so ask out loud where it is and wait for a picture to appear in your head. It definitely works, similar to manifesting car parking spaces, although before you leave home, remember to ask for a space that is big enough for you to get your car into it!
As I finish writing this blog, there is a beautiful clear night sky and the moon is resplendent in all it’s glory and orange glow. On a scientific note, when I asked Google why the moon is orange, the “Independent” website explains “When Friday's full moon appears above the horizon, Rayleigh scattering will cause the moon to appear orange to observers on the ground. The higher in the sky it rises, the lighter it appears.”
Having no idea what “Rayleigh scattering” means, Wikipedia explains: “Rayleigh scattering of sunlight in Earth's atmosphere causes diffuse sky radiation, which is the reason for the blue colour of the daytime and twilight sky, as well as the yellowish to reddish hue of the low Sun.” So now you know too!
Last but not least, I do love a reference to “The Old Farmer’s Almanac”:
”According to folklore, the period from the full Moon through the last quarter of the Moon is the best time for killing weeds, thinning, pruning, mowing, cutting timber, and planting below-ground crops”.
... and to leave you with an “Inspirational Quote”: The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched – they must be felt with the heart.” Helen Keller.