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MOON SIGNS


By: Arlene Gradwohl,
Secretary IMCBS
MFAL (Moon Farmer at Large)

When I was a little girl I remember looking at the moon and thinking that it looked like a shiny silver dollar. I winder how it got up there and who kept it so shiny. Little did I realize that the moon played such an important role to farmers, their animals and their crops.

My Grandparents were immigrants from Estonia and their lives revolved around family, tilling the soil and being care givers to all their animals. They truly lived by and believed the signs of the moon. Now this might seem like a bunch of hogwash to a lot of people (non-believers) but many old time farmers went by the moon signs for everything from pulling a tooth to weaning a calf.

Have you ever wondered why sometimes you get a paper cut and it seems to sting and hurt for days? Then other times you get a cut and it's sore for maybe just a day. It all has to do with the signs of the Zodiac and the moon signs. There are 12 signs of the Zodiac. Each sign represents a part of the human body and each part has a relationship to the earth, air, moon and water. Thus some signs are better to plant certain crops or to harvest others, to cultivate and pull weeds to destroy the root system, to wean calves so it's not so stressful on mom and baby, to perform dental and surgical operations to help incisions heal better and many other reference is made to New Moon, First Quarter, Full Moon and Last Quarter, the almanac and most calenders have this information printed on each month.

My Grandparents referred to the New Moon thru First quarter as the healing moon and the best time to perform surgical/medical procedures. However no surgery should be performed when the sign is going thru Scorpio or Leo. Also no surgery should be performed on the part of the body when the moon is in that sign. For instance say the arm is to be operated on, do not have the operation performed when the sign is Gemini (the arms) and this area is more sensitive when the moon is passing thru the arms and surgery may not be as successful. For dental work, teeth should be extracted during the New Moon thru First Quarter but do not choose a day in the signs or Cancer, Aries, or Libra. Fill teeth during Full Moon thru Last Quarter.

Listed below is information regarding cattle:

1. Neuter calves when sign is in Capicorn (knee) or Pisces (feet) and in the healing moon which is New Moon thru First Quarter but never in the sign of Scorpio, Leo or Cancer.

2. Wean calves when sign is Capricorn going towards Pisces to lesson stress on cow and calf.

3. Brand cattle in the New Moon as brand will almost double in size. If branding is in Full Moon the brand size may shrink making it hard to read.

4. Butcher in New Moon thru First Quarter and meat will not shrink as much in cooking.

The following information is for cultivating, planting and harvesting by the moon thru the twelve signs of the Zodiac. A rule of thumb is New moon thru First Quarter for planting produce that grow above the ground and Full moon thru Last Quarter for produce growing below the ground.

1. Virgo, Leo Gemini are good signs for destroying weeds in the Last Quarter.

2. Pisces and Cancer during new Moon thru First Quarter are good signs for planting produce that grows above ground like lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, etc.

3. Scorpio, Capricorn Libra during Full moon thru Last Quarter are good signs for planting produce that grows below the ground like carrots, radishes, etc. However Taurus is a very good sign for potatoes and roots crops when in Full moon thru Last Quarter.

4. Libra, Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces are good signs for planting flowers when the New Moon thru First Quarter.

5. Aquarius is good for cultivating in Full moon thru Last Quarter.

6. Harvest crops in Full Moon thru Last Quarter and they will keep better and longer.

7. Pick apples and pears in Full Moon thru Last Quarter and bruised areas will dry up.

8. Dig potatoes in Full Moon thru Last Quarter to enhance firmness.

9. Pick squash in Full Moon to also enhance firmness for a longer period of time.

10. Sagittarius is good for seeding of hay in New Moon thru First Quarter.

Miscellaneous additional information is listed below regarding moon signs:

1. Set fence posts in Full Moon thru Last Quarter and the posts will not work themselves out of the ground.

2. Roof house/barn in Full Moon thru Last Quarter and shingles will not warp or turn up.

3. Paint house/barn in sign of Aries or Leo and the paint will dry quicker.

I still gaze at the moon and marvel how it still looks like a shiny silver dollar after all these years. But I also know, with years of experience, the moon does play a very important role in all that we do here on Mother Earth.

May the moon always rise and shine on your little corner of the world.