Fri May 20, 2016 FULL MAY MOON IN LIBRA NEAR SCORPIUS

The moon is full tonight and it can be found between the stars Zubenelgenube and Zubeneshamli in the constellation Libra. Until a few thousand years ago, Libra was part of the constellation Scorpius, and those two stars, Zubenelgenube and Zubeshamale, mean “southern claw,” and “northern claw.” May’s full moon is the Planting Moon of springtime, also the Milk Moon, the Hare Moon or the Frogs Return Moon. Since it’s May we also call it the Merry Moon. In oriental culture it’s known as the Buddha Full Moon. Here in America the Creek and the Seminole Indians call this the Mulberry Moon, The Cheyenne say it is the Moon When the Horses Get Fat, but to the Sioux, it’s the Moon When the Ponies Shed. Other Native American tribes have similar names that suggest the tending of crops, and the beginning of warm weather. To the Winnebago peoples, this is the Hoeing Corn Moon; To the Salish, it is the Flower Moon, but the Ohsage tribes call it the Moon When the Little Flowers Die.