The Lunar Week: June 25 - July 1, 2012

Buck Moon:  Waxing Gibbous

This week sees the burgeoning moon slide through four signs on its journey to next week's fullness.  The week starts out in earthy, practical Virgo; sublimes to airy, measuring Libra; condenses to watery, brooding Scorpio; and transmutes to fiery, expansive Sagittarius.

This moon is also sometimes called the Thunder Moon, because thunderstorms are common in many areas during the month of June.  I wish we'd see more here.  We've had a lot of promising clouds and skyward rumbling to tease us, but no rainfall, alas.




The Lunar Week, Daily:


Monday, June 25: Moon in Virgo.  Our yard is overtaken by ants at this time of year, some of which venture into the house.  As much as I hate to begrudge a living thing a place to dwell, I will likely do some purging of anthills today.  If pests are encroaching upon your living space, today is a great day  to discourage their presence.

Tuesday, June 26:  Moon in Virgo/Libra.  Use the last vestiges of nitpicky Virgo's energy to organize your closet or wardrobe.  If you found any clothes or accessories that you no longer wear, take them to a resale or consignment shop this afternoon.  While you're there, let fashion-loving Libra help you decide on one unique piece to add to your newly organized closet!

Wednesday, June 27: Moon in Libra.  If you're growing your hair out, today and tomorrow are the best of the month for a trim.

Thursday, June 28: Moon in Libra/Scorpio.  If you've been intending to have a positive, meaningful conversation with someone, today might be a great day for it.  The waxing moon as it flows from Libra to Scorpio emphasizes the transition from a mind that weighs options dispassionately to a mind that listens more to intuition and deep emotions.  If someone you love is carrying a burden, offer a sympathetic ear and a shoulder to cry on.

Friday, June 29:  Moon in Scorpio.  Today and tomorrow are excellent days to get late season above-ground crops in the soil, if you live in a climate that is temperate and receives adequate rainfall.  I'm in Zone 8, in a place with scanty rainfall and "soil" that laughs in the face of our puny little sprinklers, so today I will instead watch a movie that makes me cry like a big old baby, so as to purge some of the emotional stuff that gets stuck inside from time to time.

Saturday, June 30:  Moon in Scorpio/Sagittarius.  The movement of the waxing moon from Scorpio to Sagittarius can help us to ease up on brooding over particulars and instead take a positive view of the big picture. Shake off the last of Scorpio's intensity with a physical activity that you enjoy.  Make a playlist with all your most guilty pleasures (if it doesn't already exist), hit play, and blast off!

Sunday, July 1:  Moon in Sagittarius.  Jupiter rules, among many other areas, higher education and intellectual expansion.  Is there a class you've been wanting to sign up for, or a new interest that's been piquing your brain lately?  Pursue it today, whether it means walking into your local craft guild, community college, or bookstore.  Learning is something that we have the chance to do every day, for our whole entire lives--let today's energy be the fire in your engine that puts you on a path to a new perspective!

The Lunar Week: Vol.2

I was named after my great-grandmother, and most of my memories of her are tied to the kitchen.  She was an excellent cook, and was never satisfied with anything she put on the table, regardless of how the rest of us devoured it.  So it is when I am in my own kitchen, wearing one of her aprons or using her wooden mortar and pestle, that I feel closest to her.  That probably sounds horribly un-PC (or at the very least, incredibly hokey and bassackwards), but it is what it is, and it's not just the kitchen that reminds me of her.  Specifically, when I think of my Mema, I think of her pantry.

The pantry in Mema's house lined the entire fifteen-foot wall of the utility room, which was a long hallway that connected the garage and the house proper.  The cabinets were deep, and there were four shelves on the lower level, all lined with sparkling, jewel-bright jars filled with the bounty of the garden.

Mema put up just about everything you can imagine, and I suppose family consensus would say that she was famous for her pickles (dill, kosher, bread and butter, you name it).  But I remember her preserves the most.  We had peach and plum trees, and a strawberry patch, and in the mornings we smeared Mema's homemade biscuits with sticky-sweet spoonfuls of these fruit preserves.  Strawberry was my favorite.

Two days this week are favorable for putting up jams and jellies: Tuesday the 22nd, and Wednesday the 23rd.  You don't need your own orchard to make preserves, just a big batch of fruit.  Strawberries are on sale at my local Whole Foods right now, because they're about to go too ripe.  This is ideal for preserving; you can save some money, and just-about-too-ripe-strawberries are best for making preserves.  Of course, you want to trim away and discard any brown bits of the fruit, and never put up anything with mold growing on it.  Old Farmer's Almanac has a great video on making strawberry preserves.

Not into strawberries, or allergic?  Peaches, plums, oranges, lemons, jalapeños, raspberries, blueberries, tomatoes--all of these and more can be turned into sweet and savory preserves, bursting with flavor, and outlasting time without artificial preservatives on your pantry shelf.  Pick your poison, score some glass jars (many grocery stores carry them), and jam on!


The Lunar Week, Daily:

Monday, 21:  Moon in Libra.  Take advantage of the moon's last day in this airy sign and plant pretty, fragrant flowers.

Tuesday, 22:  Moon in Scorpio.  Scorpio is a very fertile water sign, which pairs nicely with the waning moon for root crop success.  Now is the time to get the rest of your root crops in the ground.

Wednesday, 23:  Moon in Scorpio.  My crepe myrtles desperately need some quality time with a pruning instrument.  Have your trees pruned today.

Thursday, 24:  Moon in Sagittarius.    Have a kiddo who's showing signs of toilet readiness?  Consider starting potty training today through Saturday.

Friday, 25:  Moon in Sagittarius.  Fiery Sagittarius combines with the waning moon to make this day favorable for anyone considering a short haircut.  And since Friday is ruled by Venus, the results are bound to be beautiful!

Saturday, 26:  Moon in Sagittarius.  I start my Spring cleaning in February, but today is excellent for clearing out a space that we often neglect while focusing on garages and closets: our bodies!  A gentle detox diet, started today, will help your body free itself from toxins so you can make the most of the beautiful weather.

Sunday, 27:  Moon in Capricorn.  Commune with the earthy Goat and get the waning moon to work for you by doing some weekly weeding.  It's therapeutic, meditative, great for venting frustration, and the pesky little green guys will stay away longer if you do it now.

Moon in Libra

The moon will move into airy Libra tomorrow, March 20th, transitioning from earthy Virgo.  She will stay in Libra through Monday, March 21st.

While air signs are generally considered to be unsuitable for planting, Libra is an exception.  Flowers will thrive and flourish when planted during this sign, and since the moon will be on the wane as it passes through Libra, tomorrow will also be a good time to start putting root crops in the ground.

If you're a patio gardener like I am, try some carrots in a container .  It's probably too late for onions here in Texas, but if you live further north and still expect a freeze within the next four-to-six weeks, go ahead and get those beauties in the ground; they like a bit of cold weather, and its good for their growth.  Same goes for potatoes.  Both are great container crops, too.

Libra is generally not a favorable sign for cutting hair if you are looking to increase growth or thickness.  However, if you're like my aunt, who suffers chronic headaches from the masses of thick, curly hair she was blessed with upon birth, you might consider thinning your hair during a Libra moon.

Dry, airy Libra is also a good time to deep condition.  Hair will take color well during Libra; consider henna, a marvelous alternative to chemical-laden box colors.