The Heart Berry Moon

I was born under the light of the Strawberry Full Moon, right as the maximum fullness of the lunar cycle was actively unfolding. 🌕🍓

This year, a full moon graces my birthday once again, and I couldn’t help but reflect on how special that is.

The Strawberry Moon isn’t named for its color. Its name comes from the brief June strawberry harvest, recognized by the Algonquin and several other Indigenous peoples of North America as the season when wild strawberries ripen. It marks the transition from spring into summer—a time when nature is flourishing, crops are growing, wildlife is thriving, and communities have long celebrated the season’s first harvests. That’s one reason it’s become one of the best-known full moons of the year.

As I learned more, I was especially moved by Anishinaabe teachings about Ode’imin Giizis—the Strawberry Moon, or Heart Berry Moon. In Anishinaabemowin, ode means “heart,” min means “berry,” and giizis means “moon.” The strawberry is considered a sacred medicine because it symbolizes the connection between the heart, mind, and body. Traditionally, this moon is a time for healing, reconciliation, forgiveness, and letting go of past hurts. I think that’s a beautiful way to welcome the beginning of summer.

Across Europe, June’s full moon was also known as the Honey Moon or Mead Moon. Honey was one of nature’s most treasured gifts, symbolizing abundance, healing, and the sweetness of life. Mead—one of the world’s oldest fermented beverages made from honey—held an honored place in Celtic society. It was served at royal feasts, weddings, and celebrations as a symbol of hospitality, generosity, joy, and blessing. One enduring piece of folklore even says newlyweds were given enough mead to last one lunar month, inspiring one of the traditions behind the word ‘honeymoon’.

As someone with Irish roots, my favorite part is that in Irish mythology, mead appears in stories of kings and heroes, where sharing a cup represented friendship, loyalty, generosity, and the rightful order of society. Whether every detail is history or folklore, I love what it represents—that life’s sweetest gifts are meant to be shared.

I also learned that only a small percentage of people are born during a full moon (about 3.4%!). On the day I was born, the Earth sat directly between the Sun and the Moon, allowing the Moon to appear completely illuminated from our perspective.

What I find most beautiful is that cultures separated by an ocean looked up at this same June full moon and found hope in it. Whether it was called the Strawberry Moon, Heart Berry Moon, Honey Moon, Mead Moon, Rose Moon, or Birth Moon, it marked a season of ripening, abundance, celebration, healing, and new life.

Whether you believe the folklore surrounding the moon or simply appreciate its symbolism, I love what June’s full moon has come to represent:

🍓 Sweetness and gratitude.
❤️ Healing and forgiveness.
🌱 Growth that comes with time and patience.
🌕 Abundance after seasons of hard work.
✨ New beginnings and fresh opportunities.
💛 A reminder to savor life’s fleeting, beautiful moments.

Update: picked about 4 gallons of strawberries today! 🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓