The above picture was taken in the Connecticut College Arboretum a year ago today, a warm and bright sunny day. Tonight will be a full moon. Native Americans in this area called this full moon the Worm Moon. According to the Farmer’s Almanac, “as the temperature begins to warm and the ground begins to thaw, earthworm casts appear, heralding the return of the robins.” I have seen a lot of robins recently. And tomorrow will be Spring! We made it!
The period leading up to the spring equinox is … a time of great upheaval in nature: the first full moon of March usually heralds high tides and strong winds that enliven the long-dead period of late winter. The change of spring is one that we welcome with all our hearts, but we appreciate it warmly only because of what has gone before it. Our ability to cope with change will improve if we discover the art of living in the present moment, of being at home where and when we are.
Caitlín Matthews
(The Celtic Spirit: Daily Meditations for the Turning Year)
Poor Tim is working another weekend… The upheavals at his job have corresponded with the recent upheavals in nature. But he handles changes with a lot more grace than I can usually manage. As for me, I plan to go down to the beach this evening and take in the full moon and a little meditation and grounding. Perhaps there will be a high tide and a strong wind… Maybe something to photograph as I welcome spring.
How do you welcome spring?
Beautiful pictures, thank you for sharing them. Yes, we did make it–Whoohoo!
We welcome spring by cutting our rose bush canes back half-way. Before you know it, they’ll be hanging thick and heavy with gorgeous scented blooms.
Mmmm… dreaming of the scent of roses drifting by on a breeze – I can almost smell them now. What a delightful way to welcome spring!
I am looking forward to the full moon tonight. I have heard that it is the closest to the earth in quite some time. I love the moon for some reason.
Spring…..what a lovely word! We are seeing more birds at the feeders. Our robins look a bit different than yours, but there have been a few here all winter. Amazing that they have made it. Wish I were near the ocean…I’d be there tonight, too!
Yes, now I’m hearing about the “supermoon!” It will apparently look 30% larger than it usually does on the horizon. Moonrise is 7:20 p.m. here tonight. I imagine it looks just as lovely rising over the water of your Great Lake, if it’s in the right direction. With any luck, I’ll have some pictures to post tomorrow.
That is a European robin I used from Wikimedia Commons. (I just added a caption to it. I usually credit the photos I use with the mouse-over feature, but I guess not everyone checks that!) Sorry for the confusion. I thought it was too adorable to pass up, his legs seem more spindly than our American robins.
Hi Barbara,
Yes it should be a wonderful site to see the moon tonight, unfortunately where I am it is raining, and is supposed to be raining for a couple of more days, so looks like we will miss out. 🙁
Spring is a wonderful time of year, everything looks fresh and the different smells from all the gardens are great. Here in OZ we are in Autumn, and then Winter, our Spring starts on the 1st of September.
Thank You for the visit and comment over at my blog.
That’s too bad you couldn’t see the supermoon. Luck wasn’t with us either, it was so cloudy all we could see was the bright orange lowest quarter of it on the horizon. And then it disappeared completely. We’re going to try again tonight, but I’m not holding my breath!
I love living in a climate where we can enjoy the change of seasons. Each season is special in some wonderful way.
If anyone would like to see a beautiful video of the very unique wildlife on an island off the coast of Yemen, please visit magsx2’s blog post:
http://magsx2.wordpress.com/2011/03/17/socotra-island-the-land-of-the-dragon-blood-tree-video-included/
I still can’t get over the red dragonfly!
I watched the moon rise from behind the bare trees tonight. It was a beautiful sight. Big, orange, and cradled by the trees, looking almost as if the trees were lifting it higher into the sky.
We have had a lot of robins here recently. There were two doing a sort of flying dance in the front yard this morning.
I hope you enjoyed your time on the beach, watching the moonrise and welcoming Spring. 🙂
We were disappointed last night. My son and daughter-in-law joined me at the beach and it was pretty cloudy. When the moon rose we saw the lower quarter of it, a huge orange sliver, but the top three quarters were invisible behind the clouds. We lingered a bit in the cold wind, and tried another spot on the way home, but it never reappeared. Moonrise tonight is 8:40 (spring arrives at 7:21 tonight) so we’re going to try again.
Your view sounds like it was magnificent!!!
Sounds like your robins are courting each other or perhaps working out boundary disputes… 🙂
This was the first weekend which felt like spring. The garden is full of daffodils with wader birds already making an appearance in Teesdale and Weardale. I stopped the car last week while driving between the two dales to watch a curlew by the side of the road. That for me is spring. As you said Barbara, pleased to be around to see the start of a new one.
Daffodils!!! Your spring is way ahead of ours, Keith, that’s for sure. And here I am all excited by a couple of crocuses and a small patch of snowdrops! But we’ll catch up to you soon – will let you know when I finally see a daffodil. Have you painted any?
I have never heard of a “Full Worm Moon.” Do you know which natives called it that? I like it. Were you able to do some meditation and grounding? That is a good way to welcome spring. I have spent the weekend in quite a bit of meditation. It has felt good to gather the energy inward~~and now to see what happens as the worms wriggle toward the surface of the soil of our lives.
From The Old Farmer’s Almanac:
“Historically, the Native Americans who lived in the area that is now the northern and eastern United States kept track of the seasons by giving distinctive names to the recurring full Moons.
Each full Moon name was applied to the entire month in which it occurred. These names, and some variations, were used by the Algonquin tribes from New England to Lake Superior.”
http://www.almanac.com/content/full-moon-names
I didn’t get any meditation done at the beach because I had company and the wind was bitterly bitingly cold! Last night my son and my sister joined me and we did finally see the big beautiful orange moonrise, even though it was one night past being a full moon. Then we moved to a more protected cove and watched it turn white and climb up through the tree branches and wispy clouds. Pictures didn’t come out, but I have the memory of a shared beautiful experience with Nate and Beverly.
I love your imagery of worms of energy wriggling toward the surface of the soil of our lives. Beautiful, Kathy…
I sure hope Tim gets to enjoy something besides his own “grace”. Beach under moonlight–mysteries abound!
I hope so, too, Eva. It looks like the work situation will change early in April. Keeping my fingers crossed!