Milk Moon

[Flar's Freyja]

Stage: Growth

Range of Dates: The Milk Moon may begin as early as December 25 and as late as January 24. It ends as early as January 24 and as late as February 22. Total range of dates over which this moon can occur is from December 25 to February 22. The Feast of Imbolc normally occurs during this moon. Imbolc is the beginning of spring in the old calendar. The equivalent fest on the Christian calendar is Candlemas (February 2).

The earth shows the first signs of the coming renewal of spring. The Mother will nurture us. The cold may be bitter today but a blanket of snow insulates the waiting seeds from its full force. Winter flowers, such as snowdrop and crocus, greet us like a promise in the mostly barren landscape. The first birds begin to return from their winter homes and some species sound their mating calls. Spring-bearing animals begin to deliver their babies and life begins to stir once more.

Related Energies:

Father's Moon: fatherlove
Mother's Moon: motherlove
Feast of Imbolc: a promise of renewal
Zodiac signs:
Capricorn: material productivity
Aquarius: love of humanity
Planets
Capricorn: responsibility
Uranus: interconnectedness of all things
Tarot:
The Empress: bounty of the Mother
Strength: lifeforce
Threes: creative flow, preparing to manifest in the world

Primary Energies:
Recognition of Self/Others
Nurturing/Not Nurturing
Generosity/Selfishness
Independence/Dependence

Taken from: Earth Time, Moon Time by Annette Hinshaw

[Flar's Freyja]

The energies of the Milk Moon revolve around two issues: we must find what we need to continue - not just what we need to survive, but what we need to thrive. We must also discover how to pass on the nurturing we received to a new generation and to all humanity. This moon deals with both giving and receiving and with the appropriate balance of this exchange on our journey.

We manifest these energies whenever we seek what we need to grow and develop and also when we provide a loving and caring environment to those around us, especially our children and others we care for. Hopefully, in our maturity we have achieved the skills and knowledge that allow us to be independent and are able to pass those skills on to the new generation and all of humanity. To effectively nurture others, we must operate from a place of wholeness; i.e., to ensure our own well-being, we must first nurture and take care of ourselves.

The balanced energies of this moon include both generosity and the wisdom to know when to be selfish. In other words, know when to say no. This moon teaches us that we are all valuable and sacred to the Divine, no matter what we do. The Lord and Lady love us for what we are rather than who we are.

[Flar's Freyja]

The most important task in working with this moon's energies is to recognize that both our own desires and the desires of others are valid and that they are connected rather than separate. We must begin with nurturing ourselves and to learn to distinguish between what we must have to thrive (needs) and what we simply desire (wants). We must consider how our choices in relation to these needs and wants affect not only our own lives but the lives of those in our circle. For instance, if I have $100 to spare but feel that if I give it to my son to pay his bills or buy something he needs he will just waste it, I decide to keep my money. I have not only the right, but the responsibility to make that judgement. By giving him the money to waste, I am in effect wasting the money myself. This is a useful guideline to help balance between my own needs and what others want from me.

All that lives is one continuum and the choices we make to meet our own wants and needs must be tempered by the needs of others - who are really just remote parts of ourselves. "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts," "a change in one part of the system affects the entire system," etc. Each of us has our own string of notes in the universal song and our task is to harmonize with the other notes rather than sing all or part of the song that is another's life.

[Flar's Freyja]

I got a little smile out of Annette talking about giving her son money and his wasting it - I wonder if he's read his mom's book all the way through and picked up on that ;) For those of you who haven't read the other threads, Annette Hinshaw was the person who founded our Tulsa pagan community and her son is still a large part of it.

The strength of people born under the Milk Moon is likely to lie in their ability to love and nurture everyone they meet. People balanced in these energies manage to be non-judgemental and nurturying but also lovingly help others recognize where they need to make improvements. Their greatest weakness is likely to be their difficulty in setting boundaries and in knowing when to refuse some of the souls that reach to them for love and to choose to nurture themselves instead.

Those born under this moon tend to be farsighted, with a clear perspective of how all of us are interconnected - yet also myopic about how the good of the whole depends on each of us taking care of business at home, within our own selves. Their greatest gift is loving, their greatest challenge is loving wisely.

[Flar's Freyja]

How, specifically, do you nurture yourself (body, mind, spirit ~ through group activities, hobbies, intellectual, mechanical artistic, religious pursuits, etc.) Are the means you use sufficient to renew your physical and spiritual energies? How, specifically, do you know the answer to this question? Do your answers suggest any specific actions that you might need to take?

[Flar's Freyja]

What specific types of nurturing do you receive from others (friends, children, spouse or lover, extended family, co-workers) for your material, emotional and spiritual support?

Do you ask for such nurturing? Do you need it? Do you want it? If not, why do you continue to accept it?

[Flar's Freyja]

Do you take responsibility for clearly communicating your needs and desires to others? Is what you ask for what you really want? How do you handle not receiving what you ask for? Can you identify the difference between what you want and what you need?

[Flar's Freyja]

How, specifically, do you nurture others? (List specific individuals; parents, spouse, children, friends, co-workers, etc. and specific activities such as material support, love, education, etc.). How do you know what you give them is what they need and want?

Why do you choose to nuture specific individuals in a particular way? Is your mode of nurture effective? Can you think of other effective modes for giving nurture to others?

Can you distinguish between what others want and what they need? How do you know the difference?

[Flar's Freyja]

What specific actions can you take to more effectively nurture those whom you choose to give to?

What, specifically, do you consider to be your responsbility in meeting the needs of others?

Do you ever offer to give what you cannot afford to give (money, energy, time, etc.)? If so, why? What actions can you take to avoid overdrawing your own resources?