Wild Life / Full Cold Moon

Lighting the way out of 2020

The full Cold Moon is out tonight. That’s the name it’s been given, the full moon nearest the solstice, the longest full moon of the year.

The moon makes life on Earth as we know it possible. Its rotation around the planet tempers the more violent forces of the universe, slowing down our rotation and wobble, stabilizing our climate, giving cycles to the oceans. We wouldn’t exist without the moon.

In my early twenties, I lived on the west coast of Ireland, a couple of hours from where my mother grew up, a place that can be inconceivably dark at night, when the moon is new and absent. One December night, under a full Cold Moon, I walked back the mile and a half from town to my lodgings. The road was bright, and I could see thousands of grays in the fields and stones, gorse, fuchsia and blackberry bushes along the way. Walking past some scraggly trees, I heard someone take a heavy breath. Startled, I began to run (even though I quickly realized it was a cow, sleeping near the road).

I ran because I could, a half mile or more, up over the hill, bounding across grass and gravel, stones and sticks, through the full moon light. I didn’t miss a step. The Cold Moon lit the way, as always.

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Enjoy the sure-footed moonlight tonight (which begins to rise at 4:13 pm EST). I’ll be back on January 8 with a full Wild Life newsletter on the white-footed mouse. (Consider this one a postcard.) As always, please add your stories to the comments, or you can reply directly to this email. Happy New Year!