What is a Snow Moon? February full moon's meaning and the shadow period to beware of

What is a Snow Moon? Snow Moon sounds like a super cute name for ice cream but considering the time of year this moon comes—there's nothing sweet about it!

As the astrological events in 2022 are pretty intense from the beginning of the year, you can totally understand why the full Snow Moon might also be a bit crazy. 

The great news is that the February new moon 2022 in Aquarius, which came straight after the Wolf Moon, promises that things are cooling down a little. We don't just mean temperatures on this one although, interestingly enough, that's got a lot to do with the name of this lunation.

Taking on this chill attitude into February full moon 2022, which is in fiery Leo, means that now's the time to practice your best lion's roar!

As we get to grips with the second month in the moon calendar, here's everything to know about the full Snow Moon.

February Snow Moon

This time round, what you see is what you get because if you're in the Northern Hemisphere right now you are probably wrapped up pretty warm. 

According to the Farmer's Almanac, the Snow Moon's name is, "due to the typically heavy snowfall that occurs in February. On average, February is the United States’ snowiest month, according to data from the National Weather Service." 

In Western astrology, each month's full moon gets its name from a combination of Native American, European and Colonial American sources.

The Farmer's Almanac explains further, "In the 1760s, Captain Jonathan Carver, who had visited with the Naudowessie (Dakota), wrote that the name used for this period was the Snow Moon, 'because more snow commonly falls during this month than any other in the winter.'" 

Snow Moon 2022—how will it affect the month ahead?

During this lunar cycle, there's really a lot at play.  Chinese New Year 2022 takes place at the beginning of the month and is bringing in the Year of the Water Tiger.

The 15-day long celebration, also known as Lunar New Year, is of huge cultural importance in China and within Chinese communities across the globe. As the annual celebration wraps up with Lantern Festival 2022, on this Snow Moon, it's time to make your manifestations a reality.

As well as this, the first of four Mercury Retrogrades in 2022 is thankfully coming to an end. However, hold fire on any massive decisions because Mercury retrograde shadow period is very real and must be considered during the full Snow Moon.