The Quiet Moon: Pathways to an Ancient Way of Being

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Marking the end of the growing season, ancient Celts referred to the October full moon as the Harvest Moon, Seed Fall Moon, or Hunter's Moon. Aligning with the celebration of Samhain, October is a good time to honor loved ones who have passed on. It is also a good time to do spiritual and physical house cleaning, getting rid of what doesn't serve you in the coming year. The specific names and meanings associated with each full moon were related to particular events, such as the harvest season, and were used to set intentions, celebrate new beginnings, and reflect on personal growth and positivity. The Celtic people not only observed the cycles of the moon but also used them for navigation and timekeeping. They were skilled astronomers and mapped the stars to create constellations and understand the movement of the planets.

The ancient Celts referred to the September full moon as the Singing Moon, Harvest Moon, or Wine Moon. Singing moon may refer to celtic rituals that included singing, along with other celebrations of the autumn equinox. It is a time to celebrate Mabon and the balance of light and dark. As the Wheel of the Year comes to an end it is also a good time to give thanks for all the blessings in your life. Another one of our favorite Celtic full moon names is Harvest moon. It is one of the names of the October full moon. The ancient Celts lived by and worshipped the moon. While modern, digital life is often at odds with nature – rubbing against it rather than working in harmony with it – is there something to be said for embracing this ancient way of being and reconnecting to the moon’s natural calendar?

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That repeated word “loud”, describing the “owlet’s cry”, primes our ears, or rather, our mind’s ear, or what Robert Frost called the imagining ear, to listen for a certain pitch of sound, heightening the shift into quiet that follows. Through the calm, the “strange and extreme silentness”, a thin blue flame comes into focus. Perfectly still. Not a quiver. Like the string of a lute, silent in stillness. Only the film of soot is moving now, fluttering on the grate, not still as in quiet, but, with a slight adjustment, still fluttering, moving, continuing to move, against the grate of the fire. It is “the sole unquiet thing”. One man who has found that following a lunar cycle helps him deal with modern life and all the crap that it throws at him is Kevin Parr. He has slowly come to the conclusion that this less regimented way of marking time helps him become more in tune with the natural rhythms of nature and as a bonus, it has helped him no end with his mental health. The August full moon was known to the ancient Celts as the Grain Moon or the Dispute Moon. August was the time of the first harvest of the year, the Celtic and to celebrate the occasion with feasts and festivals. It was also a time to resolve disputes between neighbors. This tradition of summertime legalese continued well into the 19th Century in different parts of Britain, where August 1st (aka Lughnasadh & Lammas) was a traditional time to collect rent and pay workers. Today the August Full Moon is a time to celebrate all your work and progress during the year, knowing that you are also prepared for the months ahead.

Can you provide more information about the connection between the Celtic people and celestial bodies like stars? These practices underline the significant role that the moon and stars played in Celtic culture, both practically and symbolically.

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Nature approaches her peak during a summer of short nights and bright days - this was when the ancient Celts claimed their wives and celebrated Lugnasad. The cycles of the moon have been followed by people for centuries. Monthly moons helped guide planting seasons, celebrations and religious observances. Full moon names were common among ancient peoples all over the world. Here is a list of common full moon names used by the Ancient Celtic people in Europe.

As you can see from the Celtic full moon names above, they often named them after events, such as harvest season. This is typical of many ancient societies as they often had big celebrations during these periods.The August full moon is the Grain Moon or Dispute Moon, a time of feasts and festivals and resolving disputes between neighbors. Parr doesn’t shy away from personal narratives in the book. Some of them are very honest and give the book an alloy-like strength. His struggles with mental health and anecdotes from his younger years actually elevate the core sense of this book- the way of being- life being a vast sum of cycles and seasons.

Then, through that icy silence, an owlet’s cry. We feel as though we’re standing with Coleridge, listening with him as we shift from past tense “came loud” to the present “hark, again!”, moving from the distance of the past to the immediacy of HARK, give ear, listen! But to what? To the owlet. And then, the quiet. To the calm breathing of a baby. To the “strange and extreme silentness”, inaudible as dreams, to the flutter of soot, to the silence of icicles, and the quiet of the moon. The poem’s last lines imagine sounds beyond the frosted windowpane:In January, the full moon is known as the Quiet Moon, Wolf Moon, or Cold Moon, depending on the Celtic tribe.