Rowan & Pine: A Feminist Folklore & Mythology Podcast - May 29, 2026


Pine Cones： Blue Moon 🌑 ｜ Rowan & Pine Shorts

Episode Fifty： The Divine Feminine & Divination - Trad wife trash talk Episode Fifty-One： Monuments & Ley Lines w⧸Heather Wildflower

Episode Stats


Length

9 minutes

Words per minute

138.9

Word count

1,284

Sentence count

58

Harmful content

Toxicity

2

sentences flagged


Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Toxicity classifications generated with s-nlp/roberta_toxicity_classifier .
00:00:00.000 just like moons and like suns with the certainty of tides just like hopes springing high still
00:00:14.600 I'll rise. Maya Angelou
00:00:17.580 It has finally arrived. The formal beginning of the later half of the year.
00:00:32.960 Baltania 2026 heralded the rise of the flower moon. This name was originally given by the
00:00:39.760 Algonquin people to the full moon in May thanks to the abundance of blooming flowers. Other names
00:00:47.120 include the hair moon, the corn planting moon and the milk moon. But this month has another
00:00:54.180 more significant moon to watch out for, the blue moon. A blue moon is different from the monthly
00:01:03.600 or seasonal moon names like the flower moon. It isn't restricted to a time of year. It's a
00:01:09.980 movable feast. A full lunar cycle is a little over 28 days long. However, a calendar year is 365 days,
00:01:19.280 which means that during some years, you may end up with 13 full moons instead of 12,
00:01:25.480 depending on where in the month the lunar cycle falls. This is the blue moon.
00:01:33.600 Of course, it's not actually blue. Sure, following major volcanic eruptions or large-scale wildfires, dust and ash particles, roughly one micron in diameter, can be propelled high into the atmosphere and scatter red and yellow wavelengths of light.
00:01:50.460 And yes, this bathes the moon in a faint blue or lavender glow, but this has nothing to do with the appearance of a second full moon, and honestly, it's even rarer than the blue moon itself.
00:02:03.600 The modern definition most people know today, the one that we are going with,
00:02:12.540 the second full moon in a calendar month, actually stems from a well-documented misinterpretation.
00:02:19.120 Writer James Hugh Pruitt of Sky and Telescope magazine, in the March issue of 1946,
00:02:25.240 incorrectly described the definition set by the main farmer's almanac,
00:02:30.200 where the parameter was according to astronomical seasons, not monthly.
00:02:35.900 So, although the term blue moon is now commonly and incorrectly applied
00:02:40.200 to the second full moon to appear in a calendar month,
00:02:43.280 it originally was given to an extra full moon that happened in an astronomical season.
00:02:48.340 Side note, astronomical seasons are based on the Earth's tilt in orbit,
00:02:52.940 so the solstices and the equinoxes, varying in start dates and lengths,
00:02:57.300 often starting later than expected due to thermal lag.
00:03:02.100 If a season only has three months on the calendar between the equinoxes and the solstices,
00:03:07.020 that third moon before the next season is a bonus.
00:03:11.140 And why is the third full moon identified as the extra one in a season with four?
00:03:16.040 Because only then will the names of the other full moons,
00:03:19.160 like the moon before Yule and the moon after Yule,
00:03:22.080 fall at the proper times relative to the solstices and equinoxes.
00:03:25.660 This was the actual main rule, and generally happens about every two and a half years.
00:03:32.860 The next seasonal blue moon is on May 20th, 2027.
00:03:42.220 Although there is no formal significance attached to the blue moon in modern Wiccan and Pagan
00:03:47.880 traditions, many people treat it as an especially magical time. Some modern magical traditions
00:03:54.960 associate the blue moon with the growth of knowledge and wisdom within the phases of a
00:03:59.200 woman's life. One linguistic theory connects blue moon to the old English word belewe,
00:04:07.220 that's B-E-L-E-W-E, which means to betray. Under this interpretation, the extra full moon
00:04:14.000 betrayed the normal expectation of one full moon per month,
00:04:18.120 a reading that many lunar calendar researchers find compelling.
00:04:24.960 A lesser known definition is when two full moons occur while the sun is in the same zodiac
00:04:35.320 sign.
00:04:36.960 This is the astrological blue moon.
00:04:39.600 This furthers the main rule stating that it is advantageous when there are four full moons
00:04:44.460 within a season.
00:04:45.880 For example, both the June 21st and July 21st 2024 full moons peaked while the sun was in
00:04:52.640 Cancer, making the July full moon an astrological blue moon. But let's get into what brought you
00:04:59.620 all here, the folklore. In medieval Europe, the blue moon was associated with disease,
00:05:06.720 famine and natural disasters, deepening its connection to sorrow and hardship.
00:05:12.220 It was thought to be a powerful omen, a harbinger of change and an event that could alter the tales
00:05:17.520 of those lucky or unlucky enough to witness it.
00:05:24.080 In other cultures, the blue moon was considered fortunate, something to celebrate, and a perfect
00:05:29.060 time to start a long-term goal or make plans for the future.
00:05:34.280 Inuit folklore teaches that the blue moon represents sadness, the moon keeping his distance
00:05:39.320 from his lover, the sun, to avoid overshadowing her, making him blue with longing.
00:05:46.920 Blue moons are considered powerful moments in many folk traditions. It is believed to
00:05:52.240 be an auspicious time to communicate with ancestors who may be more receptive to granting
00:05:57.280 wishes during this rare event. Full moons themselves are liminal times, so speaking
00:06:02.960 with them through a thinner veil must be much easier.
00:06:09.000 If you attempt a robbery on the third day of a blue moon, it will fail. Maybe just don't
00:06:14.640 rob anyone. If a person becomes ill during a blue moon phase, they will die in eight days.
00:06:24.180 Looking at a blue moon through glasses or any glass item is considered bad luck for 30 days.
00:06:32.460 Conversely, turning a coin over in your pocket during a blue moon is a traditional good luck
00:06:36.940 charm. And picking herbs, berries or flowers during a blue moon is said to heighten their
00:06:42.500 magical and medicinal potency. So really, it seems like it's all about perspective.
00:06:51.440 The extra full moon provides abundant chances to cleanse your tarot decks, try out a new spread,
00:06:58.060 or charge some crystals. If you're low on moon water or you missed your chance to do a dedicated
00:07:02.820 journaling session, you get a second go at it. And whether or not the blue moon inspires magical
00:07:08.820 beliefs in you, it can't hurt to harness its energy to improve your luck or finish a long-term
00:07:15.020 goal. You can honour the passing cycles by being in nature or just enjoying a second chance within
00:07:21.420 mere weeks to sit by the window, sip some tea and do a selfish comforting project in a spot where
00:07:28.040 you can see her glow. Please send us your full moon photos on our Instagram which is always linked
00:07:37.980 in the description box in our link tree for each episode and until next time let me leave you with
00:07:44.780 this when you're looking at the moon you're looking at the same texture at the same impact
00:07:51.460 craters at the same valleys at the same shadows and light points as your ancestors going back
00:07:58.640 generations so even if you don't feel a pull to the moon even if you don't think that there's
00:08:04.240 anything truly special about a giant floating rock in the sky which shines reflected light on 0.98
00:08:10.440 us every month at least consider that i think it's pretty cool thanks for listening and fuck yeah
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