The Meaning Behind Moon Tattoos
When you think of celestial tattoos, what do you think of? Maybe the sun comes to mind there are lots of cool designs for that. Or perhaps you think of star tattoos shooting across your arm or back. But the moon is also a great place to look to for tattoos. Moon tattoos are the perfect celestial tattoo if you want something that looks great and is symbolic.
Remember the saying “once in a blue moon”? Perhaps you’ve been through something rare or unexpected that you’d like to commemorate with a tattoo that says even the impossible can happen once in a blue moon. A blue crescent moon or a well-shaded blue moon tattoo will look really cool and mean a lot.
There are other meanings behind the moon. In the study of astrology, the sun is masculine and the moon is feminine. According to this area of study, the moon symbolizes fertility and the womb. For a woman who takes pride in her femininity or motherhood, a tattoo of a moon would be a perfect way to illustrate those ideas.
Childlike Moon Tattoos:
Many of the moon tattoo designs seen on the walls of today’s tattoo studios have childlike or storybook characteristics. These particular designs have majestic qualities that are meant to represent a world of wonder and fantasy. Popular examples of these particular designs include small fairies sitting on crescent moons, cows jumping over moons and napping moons wearing colorful sleeping caps on their heads. Cute moon tattoos such as these are generally chosen by women and are usually kept small in scale.
Full Moon Tattoos:
Full moon tattoos have long been associated with images of howling wolves, grim reapers, vampires, owls and other creatures of the night. Throughout history, there have been many myths associated with full moons: transformational werewolves, increased madness in society, and the belief that more births occur during a full moon. However, most full moon tattoos are not as symbolic of these specific age-old myths as they are representative of a hidden “wild” side to one’s personality and mystery.
Some full moon tattoos may have unexpected meanings. Native American tribes were known to name each cycle of the full moon to keep track of the seasons. This given name would apply to the entire month that each full moon would occur. Below is a list of the twelve calendar months and associating moon tattoos that could represent the Native American name for each month.
- January – Wolf Moon Tattoos
- February – Snow Moon Tattoos
- March – Worm Moon Tattoos
- April – Pink Moon Tattoos
- May – Flower Moon Tattoos
- June – Strawberry Moon Tattoos
- July – Buck Moon Tattoos
- August – Sturgeon Moon Tattoos
- September – Harvest Moon Tattoos
- October – Hunter’s Moon Tattoos
- November – Beaver Moon Tattoos
- December – Cold Moon Tattoos
Blue Moon Tattoos:
Blue moon tattoos may symbolize the original meaning of the term “blue moon” the third full moon in a four full moon season. Today, however, the second of two full moons occurring in the same calendar month is called a blue moon. Thought to be rare occurrences (hence the common phrase “once in a blue moon”), blue moons actually occur about every two and a half years.
Alternatively, blue moon tattoos may also simply be a play on color psychology, with the blue ink referencing calmness or sadness. Blue moon tattoos may also suggest coldness in one’s personality..
Religious Moon Tattoos:
There are many symbols that represent different religions around the world. As cross tattoos may suggest Christian beliefs, so do moon tattoos featuring two overlapping, thin crescent moons. One moon represents the crescent before the new moon and the other moon represents the crescent afterwards. This is symbolic of the fish symbol that is associated with Christian religion.
Moon tattoos may also be symbolic of Islamic faith as the combination of a crescent moon and star can be seen on the flags of many Muslim countries. Other recognizable religious moon tattoos would be those of the Wiccan and modern Neopagan belief systems: the horned God icon (a circle with a crescent moon on top), the Lunar Triple Goddess symbol (two crescent moons with a circle in the middle or three interlinking crescent moons) and the emblem of Seax-Wicca (crescent moon connected to the inside of a circle with an eight “edged” star representing the eight holy days know as the Sabbats).
Moon Tattoos Representing Astrological Moon Signs
The most popular astrological tattoos are those of sun signs (Pisces, Taurus, Virgo, etc.). Surprisingly, people also have moon signs – a tattoo that could be just as appealing but much more individualistic. Sun signs reveal individuality while moon signs uncover personality traits, inner feelings and private emotions. Moon tattoos meant to represent moon signs are more precise than sun sign tattoos as one’s moon sign is determined according to where all the celestial bodies were positioned at his or her time of birth.
Therefore, moon signs are dependent on both birth dates and birth times. In theory, the moon goes through all of the zodiac signs within a twenty-eight day cycle and enters a new zodiac sign approximately every two and a half days. This process is what makes a moon sign more exact than a sun sign. Moon tattoos of this nature make them the perfect selection for those seeking designs that are personal, meaningful and different.
