The Harvest Moon will be on September 17 at 10:35 pm EDT this year. The Harvest Moon is the closest full moon to the autumnal equinox, also known as Mabon. Back in agrarian society the harvest was a major activity which often lasted into the night. The full moon gave farmers light to bring the harvest home. The harvest and the Harvest Moon means abundance and gratitude, and for me is also a guiding light. Usually this full moon is the opportunity for powerful introspection and expressions of gratitude. Meditate on what you have harvested and want to harvest in your life. Consider what has served you both well and not very well. Use what you have learned as a guide to what you still want to accomplish this Wiccan year which ends on October 31 every year. Put an empty cup or chalice on your altar and ask the Universe for it to be filled. This is a time of preparation for the dark half of the year. And, guess what! The Harvest Moon this year will be a super-moon. A super-moon is a full or new moon that is closer to the Earth than usual. The full super-moon comes with greater light and energies than usual which can be harnessed by someone with skill in both magick and grounding. Grounding is a very important skill when working with such power. We are in the middle of four full super-moon events in a row. There was one this year August 19, then upcoming will be September 17, October 17 and October 15. This line up of four full super-moons is an awesome opportunity for working with powerful forces. We had five new super-moons earlier this year in January, February, March, April and May. Not only that, this year the Harvest Moon will be partially eclipsed at 10:45 pm EDT. What you will see is Earth’s shadow on the moon. To learn more about super-moons and lunar eclipses science.nasa.gov has excellent information. This upcoming lunar eclipse will be visible in most of North America, South America, Africa, Europe, Greenland, some of Asia and some of Antarctica, weather permitting of course.
What does the eclipsed harvest super-moon mean for us Wiccans and magick? The energies of a lunar eclipse can be both heightened and a bit chaotic. This kind of energy is not easy to tap into and use for magick in a constructive manner. Many Witches choose not to do magick on an eclipse due to the tricky nature of the energies at this time. Sometimes the moon appears to have a reddish tinge during an eclipse or when there is smoke or haze in our atmosphere. The impurities in our atmosphere act to filter out blue light allowing red light from the moon to reach us. Sometimes this phenomenon is popularly referred to as “blood on the moon.” I think of it as some of the light and energies from the moon being blocked and distorted. I like to work with the full moon when her light and energies are not complicated by a lunar eclipse. Even though a bottle of water can be charged by the full moon on a cloudy night, it is easier to charge in the direct path of the light. It is often gentler, wiser and merrier to perform magick by the direct light of the full moon. When events with the moonlight and energies are impeded or distorted I find it is useful to take a creative approach.
What is the best approach you might take for this particular event? First do a little self-care. You might treat yourself to a massage or a cup of pumpkin spice or lavender tea. Or how about pumpkin soup? Google Savory Nothings for a great recipe for this hearty soup. Simply kicking back and observing this unusual event can be a good plan. Think of organizing a moon watching party replete with lunar decorations and moon cakes. Consider finding a telescope for a good view. Even do some spectacular photography. Work on your skills with grounding. If you are skilled with energy work and grounding, this is a particularly auspicious time to do some shadow work in preparation for the upcoming dark time of year. This work could be accomplished through meditation or with divination with tools such as Tarot, runes or I Ching, and could be very powerful work. Use this rare opportunity of an eclipsed super-moon wisely.
The autumn equinox will occur on September 22 at 8:43 am EDT. Sunrise is at 7:03 am that day, and it would be a wonderful time for a Mabon ritual. For a second time this and every year we experience a time of balance, but Mabon has a different feel from Ostara. Instead of planning for a time of growth and activity for the light time of the year, the focus is on reflecting about accomplishments and preparations for the dark half of the year. This is a time to express thanks for blessings received and to create and use a gratitude journal. What have you grown in your garden, career, heart and life? Use this time to consider questions like these, and use them as a guide to work that still needs to be completed. Your altar might be a reflection of blessings for which you want to give thanks. You could even give a cornucopia a starring role on your altar. If you do not happen to have one, you could make one. Search Google about how to make a cornucopia or check out YouTube. It might be baked as a bread or as a craft made from materials such as burlap, chicken wire, poster board, rope or grape vines. You could make a small one out of clay. If you do, I recommend using the coil method to make it. There is even a YouTube video about making one out of Family Dollar materials presented by DeAnn Creates. For some of these crafting projects you will find that a hot glue gun is your best friend. When you gather materials for various projects, consider supplies you have on hand and what you can source locally. You might want to dip autumn leaves in paraffin and use them in decorations or even a wreath. Maybe you will find acorns and/or pine cones on the ground to use in decorations. Do not delay and get them before the squirrels do! I have found many acorn caps minus the nut. Do not forget to give thanks and offerings for these resources. Make mosaics out of seeds or varied colored kernels of corn. Yes, you can find corn kernels that are white, cream, yellow, green, red, blue and purple, which are lovely colors for a mosaic. Hint: Corn kernels show up well on a black background. These are just a few autumnal crafting activities you can do.
This is a wonderful time of year for the processes of food preparation and storage such as drying herbs, canning and baking. Dig out those recipes that may have been handed down to you by a parent or grandparent. If you want to can food, think about your knowledge base and skill level. If you are a beginner do your research. If done incorrectly, botulism can occur in foods such as meat, vegetables and some tomatoes. Some fruit preserves and jellies are much safer and easier options for beginners. Canning is a fairly advanced form of cooking. As a teenager I had previous experience cooking and baking before I learned how to can strawberry preserves. If you have children, they can participate with age appropriate crafting and cooking activities. I started cooking with Betty Crocker’s Boys and Girls Cookbook. You can find the new version of this vintage cookbook and more cookbooks for children online. I find excitement in the wonders that this time of year brings!
Hoping you find many blessings for Mabon, and that preparations for the dark time of the year are going well! For those of you in the Southern Hemisphere many Ostara blessings!
Auburn Greene
My Inner Wiccan 