Ripe Berries Moon (Sturgeon) July 23 - August 22

For people born from July 23 until August 22, their mineral totem is the garnet and iron, their plant totem is the raspberry and their animal totem is the sturgeon. Their colour is red.

Like their minerals, Sturgeon people can be found in a wide variety of forms and settings, yet they have some common characteristics that make them easy to identify. Like the garnet, Sturgeon people are often identified with their hearts, which tend to be large, affectionate and magnanimous. Sturgeon people function best from the feelings that they have in their hearts, and these are usually ones of friendliness and benevolence toward their fellow humans. Because they work from their heart center, they tend to be intuitive and perceptive people who usually have clairvoyant talents, either actively or latently. These talents often make the Sturgeon person aware of danger that might come to him or those close to him.

Because of their perception and sensitivity, these folks have the ability to do and say things that can penetrate straight to the heart of their friends and enemies. Sturgeon people make both powerful friends and powerful enemies.

Sturgeon people are usually regal in their bearing and attitudes. They stand out in a room full of people. These people are doers who literally will go where angels fear to tread. If you have a difficult task, find yourself a Sturgeon person. They are courageous and capable and versatile.

Like the raspberry some sturgeon people appear to be all bombastic aggression, rather thorny, when you first encounter them. This prickly outer coating is their way of protecting the soft heart that lurks within. Others appear to be all warmth and affection, but, underneath, you will find a few thorns. These people are usually friendly and outgoing on the surface but have a marked tendency to avoid showing their feelings to others.

Like their animal totem, people of this moon tend to be the ruler of whatever waters they inhabit. They come to this position naturally because of the large amounts of primal energy that run through their beings. They seem to be born to lead, and they are usually fair and benevolent leaders, as long as their energies are flowing smoothly. They have an unending source of inner strength and depth of feelings. They need to guard against a tendency to seem arrogant and to be too dominant.
Like the sturgeon, these folks have a tough armor that is difficult to cut through.

When people who were born under other totems pass through this moon, they can learn about the vital powers that flow through them, sometimes unnoticed. They can learn of their own courage and strength, and they can experience themselves as leaders of whatever things they are involved in at the time.

Excerpted from The Medicine Wheel: Earth Astrology by Sun Bear and Wabun