It’s hard to believe that we’re already almost halfway through January, and even harder to believe that another full moon is just around the corner. The wolf moon will rise over Seattle on January 17th and don’t worry no werewolves will be surprising you. But there is a bit of history that you may want to know.

January’s full moon is called the wolf moon “because wolves were more likely to be heard howling at this time” according to the Old Farmers Almanac. That’s not the only name for this moon though, First Nations have referred to the moon in many other ways.

Some of those names include Cold Moon (Cree), Frost Exploding Moon (Cree), Freeze Up Moon (Algonquin), Severe Moon (Dakota), Hard Moon (Dakota), Canada Goose Moon (Tlingit), Great Moon (Cree), Greetings Moon (Western Abenaki), and Spirit Moon (Ojibwe).

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Among those names, you’ll see a common theme, winter, the cold, and also a sense of something more coming. Beyond being a downright cool natural phenomenon, the mood is also lauded in some communities for being a time to reflect and manifest. Of course, it also happens to be a big topic for folks who are into astrology.

Whatever you believe or choose to do on full moons, you’ll be able to see it rise at 3:48 pm. And if you forget to look skywards on January 17th, you’ll still be able to see a full moon in the sky the day before and after. With that enjoy and happy moon gazing!