2026 calendar
moons and the wheel of the year
January
Full moon
Full moon, Wolf Moon
The moon is full. Tradition finishes things here: let go, look back, read for what is done.
The MoonNew moon
New moon
The moon is dark. Tradition starts things here: an intention, a question, a new deck.
The High Priestess
February
Festival
Imbolc
Halfway from midwinter to spring. A Gaelic feast of Brigid, kept for the first light that lasts.
The StarFull moon
Full moon, Snow Moon
The moon is full. Tradition finishes things here: let go, look back, read for what is done.
The MoonNew moon
New moon
The moon is dark. Tradition starts things here: an intention, a question, a new deck.
The High Priestess
March
Full moon
Full moon, Worm Moon
The moon is full. Tradition finishes things here: let go, look back, read for what is done.
The MoonNew moon
New moon
The moon is dark. Tradition starts things here: an intention, a question, a new deck.
The High PriestessFestival
Ostara, spring equinox
Day and night stand equal, then the days win. The modern pagan feast of spring.
The Empress
April
Full moon
Full moon, Pink Moon
The moon is full. Tradition finishes things here: let go, look back, read for what is done.
The MoonNew moon
New moon
The moon is dark. Tradition starts things here: an intention, a question, a new deck.
The High Priestess
May
Festival
Beltane
The Gaelic May Day: fires lit for the start of summer and cattle driven out to pasture.
Ace of WandsFull moon
Full moon, Flower Moon
The moon is full. Tradition finishes things here: let go, look back, read for what is done.
The MoonNew moon
New moon
The moon is dark. Tradition starts things here: an intention, a question, a new deck.
The High PriestessFull moon
Full moon, Blue Moon
The second full moon in one calendar month, which is where the saying comes from.
The Moon
June
New moon
New moon
The moon is dark. Tradition starts things here: an intention, a question, a new deck.
The High PriestessFestival
Litha, summer solstice
The longest day of the year in the north. From here the light starts to shorten.
The SunFull moon
Full moon, Strawberry Moon
The moon is full. Tradition finishes things here: let go, look back, read for what is done.
The Moon
July
New moon
New moon
The moon is dark. Tradition starts things here: an intention, a question, a new deck.
The High PriestessFull moon
Full moon, Buck Moon
The moon is full. Tradition finishes things here: let go, look back, read for what is done.
The Moon
August
Festival
Lughnasadh
The first harvest, named for the god Lugh. Grain comes in and the year starts to count its gains.
Seven of PentaclesNew moon
New moon
The moon is dark. Tradition starts things here: an intention, a question, a new deck.
The High PriestessFull moon
Full moon, Sturgeon Moon
The moon is full. Tradition finishes things here: let go, look back, read for what is done.
The Moon
September
New moon
New moon
The moon is dark. Tradition starts things here: an intention, a question, a new deck.
The High PriestessFestival
Mabon, autumn equinox
Day and night equal again, at the second harvest. A feast of balance and of what was gathered.
JusticeFull moon
Full moon, Harvest Moon
The moon is full. Tradition finishes things here: let go, look back, read for what is done.
The Moon
October
New moon
New moon
The moon is dark. Tradition starts things here: an intention, a question, a new deck.
The High PriestessFull moon
Full moon, Hunter's Moon
The moon is full. Tradition finishes things here: let go, look back, read for what is done.
The MoonFestival
Samhain
The end of the harvest and the start of the dark half of the year. Halloween grew out of it.
Death
November
New moon
New moon
The moon is dark. Tradition starts things here: an intention, a question, a new deck.
The High PriestessFull moon
Full moon, Beaver Moon
The moon is full. Tradition finishes things here: let go, look back, read for what is done.
The Moon
December
New moon
New moon
The moon is dark. Tradition starts things here: an intention, a question, a new deck.
The High PriestessFestival
Yule, winter solstice
The longest night of the year in the north. After it, the sun starts to come back.
The HermitFull moon
Full moon, Cold Moon
The moon is full. Tradition finishes things here: let go, look back, read for what is done.
The Moon
The wheel of the year
Eight festivals, about six weeks apart. Four are the solstices and equinoxes; four are the old Gaelic quarter days between them. The set as one wheel is modern: it was put together in Britain in the mid-twentieth century and is kept today by Wiccans and many pagans.
- Imbolc
- 1 February. Halfway to spring, kept for Brigid and the first light that lasts.
- Ostara
- The spring equinox. Day and night equal, then the days win.
- Beltane
- 1 May. Fires for the start of summer.
- Litha
- The summer solstice. The longest day; the light starts to shorten.
- Lughnasadh
- 1 August. The first harvest, named for the god Lugh.
- Mabon
- The autumn equinox. Day and night equal again, at the second harvest.
- Samhain
- 31 October. The end of harvest and the start of the dark half of the year.
- Yule
- The winter solstice. The longest night; the sun starts to come back.
Full and new moons
The moon goes from new to full and back in about twenty-nine and a half days. Readers often start things at the new moon and close them at the full. In the cards, the full moon belongs to The Moon and the dark of the moon to The High Priestess. Dates are shown for your own time zone; the festivals follow the northern seasons.