summer I am coming soon / three milkings
Apr/May 2026
Hello All,
Welcome to today’s new moon, arriving in the heart of spring with no eclipse — just a quiet reset as the Moon passes between Earth and Sun.
☽O☾
American History – Summer I Am Coming Soon
For the Kiowa people of the Great Plains, this moon is known as “Summer I Am Coming Soon”. It quite directly signals that summer is nearly here — the grass is tall and sweet, the earth is warm, and the land has fully awoken.
In James Mooney’s Calendar History of the Kiowa Indians, the moons follow the visible changes on the prairie. After the Leaf Moon’s full unfolding, this phase brings the height of spring growth: ponies grow strong on fresh grass, herds move freely, and the season of plenty truly begins. Larger summer camps could form, hunts intensified, and families prepared for the warm months of travel, gathering, and celebration.
The Kiowa saw this moon as nature’s clear announcement: winter is truly behind us. Summer — with its longer days, richer resources, and greater freedom — is just around the corner.
What part of you is saying “I am coming soon” — ready to step into fuller freedom and abundance?
☽O☾
British History – Three Milkings
The Anglo-Saxons called the moon that would be full in May Þrimilcemōnaþ (Thrimilce), “Three Milkings.”
According to the Venerable Bede in The Reckoning of Time (725 AD), this name was given because the spring grass their cows fed on was so lush and plentiful now that they could be milked three times a day — a sign of nature’s generosity after the leaner months.
Beyond this practical observation, we have no detailed records of rituals or deities tied specifically to the month. It simply marks a season of plenty, when the hard work of early spring began to yield visible rewards in milk, butter, and cheese for the household.
Thrimilce Moon asks us: what is abundant in your life right now that you can rejoice in - that will nourish you through the busier months ahead?
☽O☾
Lunar Astronomy
Only days ago, on April 10, NASA’s Artemis II mission made a safe splashdown in the Pacific after the first crewed journey around the Moon in over 50 years. The four astronauts captured stunning views of our planet and the lunar surface. Their successful return marks an exciting new chapter in human lunar exploration — a bridge between the ancient sky-watchers who named the celestial objects they saw and today’s explorers who through advancing technology can give us all front row seats to their up-close missions.
It’s a beautiful reminder that we continue the same human impulse our ancestors had: looking up, wondering, and striving to always find out more.
With the Moon now dark, we’re treated to some of the best stargazing conditions of the month. Later this week, the thin waxing crescent will appear beautifully alongside brilliant Venus and the Pleiades star cluster — a lovely sight low in the western sky after sunset. See if you can catch a glimpse of some aforementioned earthshine while you’re at it.
☽O☾
Lunar Astrology
This new moon is exact at 27°28' Aries — a bold, fiery, and pioneering energy that invites courage, self-assertion, and the spark of new beginnings. As the first sign of the zodiac, Aries brings raw vitality and the impulse to move forward with confidence. With the equinox energy still fresh in the air, this lunation feels like a powerful personal launchpad.
Just a couple of hours after the conjunction the Moon moves into Taurus, shifting the momentum from fiery initiation into grounded, sensual embodiment — almost like Aries lights the match, and Taurus helps us steadily tend the flame.
The full moon arrives on May 1 at ~11° Scorpio — a powerful, transformative energy that illuminates deep emotions, hidden truths, and the balance between independence and intimacy.
Together, the Aries new moon and Scorpio full moon create a dynamic axis: bold, courageous beginnings (Aries) that eventually demand emotional honesty, depth, and genuine change (Scorpio).
Which part of you is ready to step forward with fresh courage right now? This Aries new moon carries a spark of bold possibility — an invitation to trust your instincts. Let this lunation be the gentle push you need to move from dreaming into doing, one brave step at a time.
☽O☾
All my best, and until next lunar month,
Claire
