These Full Harvest Moon Rituals will get you ready for the season shift ahead
Fall is fast approaching, as is evident in the shorter days and cooler, crisper air. And the Harvest Moon—the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox—is just around the corner. On September 14th, at 12:33 a.m. EDT, the Full Harvest Moon will peak above us. If you’re into celebrating the moon and all it has to offer, we have a few rituals that may interest you and prepare you for the season change ahead.
With each change in season, we feel it’s pertinent to check in on ourselves and make sure we’re not leaving any important parts of us behind. Are my mental and physical health where they should be? Have I let friendships wane? Am I where I need to—not should—be at this moment? The key is to answer these questions honestly in order to better your life in the season ahead.
The below rituals may just help you uncover your truth. Each of them requires you to sit with yourself, ask yourself the important questions, and recognize the good you’ve done thus far. Whether you’re harvesting crops or harvesting knowledge, allow the Full Harvest Moon to light your way.
Utilize and be aware of the moon’s Pisces energy.
This month, the Full Harvest Moon peaks in Pisces before shifting into Aries around 6:30 p.m. EDT. Pisces, ruled by Neptune, is an emotion-heavy, sensuous sign. Those who were born under Pisces are deeply feeling, sensitive, and seek meaning and value in their relationships.
“Think of the yin-yang symbol as an example [of Pisces energy]; the symbol reflects a dynamic flow of opposing energies,” the September Full Moon issue of the Cosmic Kundalini newsletter states. “It represents the harmony of light and darkness. There is no stark divide, but rather a flowing balance that seems to be in flux, reminding us that life is constant change. To recognize and honor the inevitability of change, whilst flowing with it (not resisting), is to live in harmony with the Universe.”
With that being said, it’s important to remind ourselves to go with the flow during this Pisces full moon. Don’t resist change, but embrace it instead. In fact, ask yourself how you can use Pisces energy to enact emotional or relationship changes in your own life. Reach out to old friends whom you haven’t heard from. Reexamine your romantic relationship(s) to evaluate if you are not getting what you want out of the connection. Be vulnerable with yourself and unafraid to get deep with your emotions.
In order to find what aspect of your life needs an injection of self-love and emotional care during the Pisces full moon, go to your favorite body of water (even if it’s just your own bathtub) and sit with yourself. Let the water act as a mirror that shows you more than what meets the eye. Then, when the zodiac shifts into Aries on Saturday night, turn your emotions into action.
Consecrate your divination tools.
On Monday, September 23rd, those in the Northern Hemisphere will experience the autumnal equinox—a day of equal amounts daylight and darkness. Then, we’ll shift into the period of more darkness than daylight until the Winter Solstice on December 21st. Some European-derived sects of Wicca and paganism call the equinox Mabon. Historically this day was, and still is in some cultures, celebrated with a harvest and corresponding festival.
According to D.J. Conway, author of Moon Magick, the Chinese celebrated a harvest festival to honor the moon goddess Ch’ang-O. It was during this festival that celebrants would attempt to connect to the divine and tap into their psychic abilities. To pay homage to this traditional festival, Conway created a full moon ritual for those who like to partake in divinatory practices like reading tarot, runes, or I Ching.
To begin, procure a cauldron or a bowl large enough to hold your divination tools. Place the cauldron on an altar or sacred space in your home. If possible, place it at the center of a pentagram, either drawn or engraved on your altar. Set a white or silver candle on either side of the cauldron and place your tarot cards or other divination tools into it, along with a small magnet and a piece of silver.
With your wand (or finger), circle the cauldron three times, chanting:
Come, Hecate, wise and old!
Come, Ch’ang-O, bright and bold!
Come, great Pan, from the forest green!
Come, Artemis, thou woodland queen!
Bless these (name of divination tool) with future-sight,
I ask your aid here on this night.
Remove your tools from the cauldron and place them on your altar or sacred space. Tap them with your wand or finger three times and pass them through smoke from a candle or incense. After that, your divination tools of choice have been consecrated and should provide you with the power to see into the future clearly.
Prepare for the upcoming equinox by actualizing your dreams.
As we prepare to enter into the season of darkness on September 23rd, now is an excellent time to take stock of the success you’ve garnered throughout the year, as farmers and communities do when they reap their final harvest. You don’t need to be growing rows of crops in order to celebrate Mabon. Being able to recognize your personal, emotional harvest is perfectly good enough.
In the week leading up to Mabon, list out all of your accomplishments thus far this year. Even if your successes are as simple as waking up at 6 a.m. every morning or walking to work rather than driving, every success is worth celebrating.
Then, next to your fulfilled successes, write a list of things you wish to achieve during the tail end of the year. As Mabon approaches, brainstorm how you’re going to make these dreams realities. Set schedules, arrange checkpoints, and set yourself up with attainable goals.
Allow yourself to harvest your greatness in the remaining months of 2019 and keep track of your successes as you finish out the year. You got this.
