The Beaver Moon

To continue the “Moons of the Year” series, here is the installment for November, “The Beaver Moon.”

The name of the full moon for the month of November is the “Beaver Moon.” The name comes from this being the ideal time of the year to lay beaver traps to attain beaver pelts, to keep warm in the cold winter months.



It is also called the Frosty Moon as this is the time of year when we begin to see a frost.

The website Space.com offers more names for this moon:

“According to the Ontario Native Literacy Coalition, the Ojibwe called it Mnidoons Giizisoonhg, the Little Spirit Moon. For the Ojibwe, it was the twelfth month, and it was a time for spiritual reflection ahead of the new year. In the Pacific Northwest, the Tlingit called it Kukahaa Dís, the Scraping Moon, as it occurs when bears would begin to prepare their dens. A neighboring group, the Haida call it Cha'aaw Kungaay, or "bears hibernate." In the southern hemisphere, November marks late spring. The Māori of New Zealand described the lunar months in October to November as Whiringa-ā-rangi, or "It has now become summer, and the sun has acquired strength," according to the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. In China, the traditional lunar calendar marks the November lunation as the ninth month. (This was true in the west as well; the very name "November" means ninth month – starting the year in January was a post-medieval invention.) Called Júyuè, Chrysanthemum month, it's named for the blooming of the eponymous flower."
https://www.space.com/38454-november-full-moon.html

The website MoonCircles.com offers insight into the meaning of the full moon:


“The Hindu name for this beautiful Full Moon is Kartik Poomima, and it commemorates the end of a four-month period during which Vishnu sleeps. It is also the birthday of Vishnu’s fish-incarnation, Avatar. It is also said to be the day when Krishna danced rasa with Radha and worshiped her. In North America, the Full Beaver Moon takes its name from Algonquin tribes who knew it was time to set their beaver traps before the swamps froze, and its calling card is white frost on the grass. In many places, like the alpine valley I live in, another prominent feature is dense ground fog, also white and chilly in appearance. Most of us no longer need to set traps to ensure that we’ll have plenty of warm furs to keep us warm against the brutal cold of winter, and may do not follow Vishnu, but we would do well to remember Vishnu’s awakening as a reflection of our own, and the diligence of colonists and Native Americans as a reminder that there is always inner and outer preparation and work to do. The outer light may be fleeting, the darkness long and deep, but the inner light burns brightly if we attend to it with reverence and care. This is the rich opportunity presented to us by this Full Beaver Moon.”
http://mooncircles.com/november-full-beaver-moon/


The website Mystic Familiar offers further insight into the full moon:

“It is a time to prepare for the calm and quiet of the impending winter. It is a time to bring all things to a point of rest. Finish up on the projects of the summer and fall. As our friend brother bear, and sister squirrel are nestling down in to the winter slumber, now is a perfect time to do the same. It becomes a time of quiet self reflection and internal peace. As the winter begins to set in, it becomes a time when we shall honor ourselves with meditation and silence. As the hectic summer days of activities slow to a stop, we are reminded by nature that we should slow down and store up for the winter sleep. The time for rest is soon at hand, this is the last moon of action for the year, so don’t wait to do what needs to be done.”

Self-reflection and inner peace. As the normality of our daily lives are changed by the rituals of the upcoming winter holidays, it adds to out levels of stress. In the coming days and weeks, keep the thought of self-reflection and inner peace in your mind. If things get too stressful, take a moment to pause. Take time to breathe. Sit and meditate. Lose yourself in a song or your favorite holiday movie. It will lift your mood and spirit. You will find the inner peace you seek.



© Esperanza Habla All Rights Reserved


Comments