June’s Strawberry Moon Will Be Full Of Playful Energy — Here’s How To Embrace It

As the summer solstice approaches for the Northern Hemisphere, so too do some exciting happenings in the sky. If you’re one to keep up with astrology or moon cycles, you’ve likely already got the upcoming full super Strawberry Moon marked on the calendar for June 14. Reaching its peak at 7:52 a.m. ET, miss luna is going to be looking big, beautiful, and bright. However, it may come as a disappointment that it won’t actually be a pink or red color as the name may call to mind — What is a Strawberry Moon, anyway? More on that later! — but as the second supermoon of 2022, the views will still be spectacular.

Energetically speaking, there’s always a lot going on with full moons, whether they’re of the Strawberry variety or not. “The full moon is the peak of the moon’s phase,” Beverly Francis, astrologer of Elevation 44, tells Elite Daily. The moon’s energy builds up from the new moon phase to its apex at the full moon. “It's peak energy that you can use,” Francis notes. This is also when the sun and the moon are in direct opposition to each other, which is why the moon is so visible and bright — it’s the sun’s light reflecting off the moon. Illumination — both physically and spiritually — is what defines this lunar phase, making it the optimal time for personal reflection.

But as previously noted, this is not just any full moon. It’s a super Strawberry Moon that comes with its own set of significations. Here’s everything you need to know about June’s full moon, from what the heck a Strawberry Moon is, to the sign it’s in and the planetary transits happening, to how to work with its energy.

What Is A Strawberry Moon?

Back in the days of hunting and gathering, people had to keep a keen eye on the seasons and moon cycles for things like growing and harvesting food. The full moon names used in The Old Farmer’s Almanac, like the Strawberry Moon, come from a mix of sources, including Native American, Colonial American, and European origins. “The definition of a Strawberry Moon is the last full moon of spring and the first full moon as we enter summer, as we get closer to the summer solstice,” astrologer Indigo Witt tells Elite Daily. “It actually originates from indigenous tribes,” she adds, “lots of different tribes, like Algonquin and Lakota [among others].”

For indigenous groups, the moon names actually pointed to a whole month of agricultural happenings. The Strawberry Moon occurs during peak berry season, which is where this label comes from. Other terms for the June full moon include the Berries Ripen Moon (Haida), Blooming Moon (Anishinaabe), Green Corn Moon (Cherokee), and Hoer Moon (Western Abenaki) — all of which are indicative of the season, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

As the inaugurator of summer, the Strawberry Moon is what you might call a big deal in the spiritual world. “It’s a really important moon because ... it marks a shift,” notes Witt. “It represents new changes, new beginnings, and this refreshing, lively new energy that we get to step into.”

What Sign Will The June Full Moon Be In?

On any given year, the Strawberry Moon is going to fall in the sign of Sagittarius or Capricorn, as these are the exact opposing signs to Gemini and Cancer, the signs the sun will be in during this time. This year, everyone can look forward to the Strawberry Moon’s energy because it will be in the playful and fun sign of Sagittarius, according to Witt. “We're going to be feeling enthusiastic,” she tells Elite Daily. “It's the energy we definitely need because the [Taurus and Scorpio] eclipses were not a cute moment, and we need something to lighten the mood,” she offers. And that’s just what this outgoing Sagittarius full moon is here to do. Plus, since it’s a supermoon, everyone will be feeling it a bit extra.

Sagittarius loves exploration, discovery, introspection, and pushing you out of your comfort zone. So you can expect the full moon to bring about exciting vibes of reinventing the self and inner philosophy, emotional revival, returning to passions, and adventure. Because it will be occurring in a mutable sign, “it’s marking a really major shift and an ending period at the same time,” Witt tells Elite Daily. “This full moon is the catalyst towards taking that risk and putting yourself out there and really making those changes,” she adds.

Specifically, if you have any of the mutable signs in your birth chart — Sagittarius, Gemini, Pisces, or Virgo — there will be a lot going on for you, according to Witt. On the other hand, this will also be a big moon for fixed sign placements — Taurus, Scorpio, Leo, and Aquarius (heavy emphasis on the Taurus and Scorpio). Eclipse season was not easy on these placements, so now that they’re out on the other side of the chaos, it’s time to apply those lessons. “We might be finally saying and doing the things that we learned during the eclipse,” as Witt puts it.

The full moon in Sagittarius also wants you to take those steps toward your dreams and see the bigger picture, but in a playful way. “We're feeling like we want to lean into the play of life and not take things super seriously,” Witt notes, adding that at the end of the day, the energy is positive thanks to the happy planet, Jupiter, ruling over Sagittarius.

June Full Moon Aspects

For even more detail on what’s going down under this energy, astrologers like to peek at the aspects happening during celestial events like a full moon. Aspects describe the positions of planets and how they’re communicating with each other, which adds yet another layer of energy, courtesy of the cosmos.

Moon Square Neptune

The dreamy planet of Neptune and the moon are going to be forming a square aspect. “It's creating this tension between Neptune, ruling our delusions, our imagination, our fantasies, and the moon, which is going to be in Sagittarius,” Witt tells Elite Daily. With this comes metaphysical exploration, being honest and finding your truth, and heightened intuition, but also some possible delusion.

Since the full moon illuminates, it reveals everything — the light and the dark. “There's a lot that's definitely going to be exposed or revealed about ourselves,” Witt notes. Between the Sagittarius moon and Neptune, there can be a feeling of aimlessness, like you’re not sure what direction you want to go in. “It might feel a little bit foggy,” Witt notes, “like there's not a lot of clarity surrounding what's in our future.” But thankfully the Sag full moon is bringing about a much-needed ending and fresh, exciting beginnings.

Jupiter Conjunct Mars In Aries

As the planetary ruler of Sagittarius, Jupiter in conjunction with Mars in Aries will pull some weight during the Sag full moon. What does this look like here on earth? A whole lot of starting new things. “There's a lot going on as far as expansion and newness in putting our soul out there,” explains Witt. “It's a really refreshing full moon, and I think it's overall going to be something to look forward to, especially for mutable signs,” she says. So look out if you have heavy Sag, Pisces, Virgo, or Gemini in your birth chart because there’s going to be a lot going on for you.

Moon Trine Mars And Chiron

According to Francis, one of the greatest aspects of this moon is the conversation between the luminary with Mars and the asteroid Chiron. The latter two will be conjunct, aka in the same sign, in Aries, which will trine (be in the same element) with the moon. “Mars represents our focus, our energy, and our courage, and Chiron is the wounded healer,” Francis explains. With this happening in Aries, it’s about insecurities or self-identity wounds, but it also offers the courage to move through them. “A lot of our personal wounds are coming up to the surface, and what [this aspect] is helping us do is giving us supporting energy to move past the insecurities or the issues we've had that hold us back,” Francis tells Elite Daily. With this energy, you can shed what’s keeping you from going after life and living how you want to live — which is oh-so-Sagittarius.

Sagittarius Full Moon Rituals

With celestial bodies slinging energy left and right, full moons are some of the most popping events for some carefully crafted rituals. The astrologers agree that the best times to utilize the full moon’s energy with rituals are generally in the two days leading up to, the day of, and the two days after the full moon. However, because this will be a supermoon, the energy will likely be felt for a little bit longer.

Use Fire

Because this full Strawberry Moon will be in fire sign Sagittarius, Francis suggests incorporating fire into your rituals. “The fire element is a wonderful way to honor [this moon’s] energy,” she tells Elite Daily. “In the Northern hemisphere it's summertime, so it's close to the summer solstice,” she continues, suggesting getting outside with friends for bonfires and celebrations, as playful Sagittarius loves to have adventures and explore with a big group. If you’re doing some kind of full moon release, you can incorporate fire by writing what you want to release on a piece of paper and burning it, she suggests. Or, it could be as simple as lighting a candle with intention.

Create A Bucket List

Sagittarius is also a dreamer, which makes the time perfect for creating a bucket list of things that would “set your soul on fire,” offers Francis. To draw in that Strawberry Moon element, she says to look for things that will add some sweetness to your life.

Get Mindful

Witt recommends meditating under the full moon, but this isn’t limited to sitting in silence (although you totally can). “It can really just be like going for a drive or going for a nice long walk, exercising — anything that helps you release the things that you want to get rid of,” she offers, encouraging anything you can do out in nature. Other mindful rituals to try under the full moon include things like affirmations, gratitude, journaling, making moon water, cleansing crystals, and having a cleansing spiritual bath.

Experts:

Indigo Selah-Jael Witt, astrologer and Tiktok content creator focusing on interpreting the stars, spirituality, and pop culture

Beverly Francis, astrologer behind Elevation 44 on YouTube and owner of Four Tea Four