This September's full moon is a special one: it lands on Friday the 13th in the astrological sign of Pisces and is the Harvest Moon. Many witches feel delight and excitement at this time of year, perhaps feeling a magical draw to the transitory qualities of progressing towards autumn and inching nearer and nearer to Halloween. This Harvest Moon is a wonderful time to reflect on your spiritual growth, examine where you have been most successful, and develop plans based on fulfilling your deepest desires.
Harvest Moon: The Harvest Moon is the full moon that occurs closest to the Autumnal Equinox. As the name implies, and according to the Old Farmers’ Almanac, this was a time of gathering summer crops under the early evening moonlight. Symbolically this indicates a time of abundance, and for witches this is an opportunity to work with magic that brings gain into your life. Because it lands close to the Autumnal Equinox the Harvest Moon is also a time to focus on lifestyle balance, health and wellness, and peace of mind.
Full Moon in Pisces: When the moon is in Pisces the energy is emotional, poetic, and spiritual. It can be intense for some, inviting and intoxicating for others.
Friend, colleague, and astrologer extraordinaire Suzie Kerr Wright shares a little more insight with me about the astrology behind the full moon in Pisces this Friday the 13th: “For some it may feel like scattered energy, like you're unable to make a decision, plans may just fizzle out. But internally, there's a challenge to access your inner strength. Take a hard look at where you're not fighting for yourself, where you've given up your power, let yourself down or let negative talk take up space in your head. Give yourself a chance to let your ego step aside and take a good honest look at what's behind a lack of confidence, self esteem and decision making. You'll get a serious glimpse at who lives behind your mask and see just how awesome you are.”
Celebrating the Harvest Moon: With all things considered I think this Harvest Moon is an excellent time to take inventory of what you’ve grown in your life and then contemplate what steps you need to take to leap into following your most courageous and bold dreams. This may mean taking time to do a Pisces activity like meditating and writing down dreams, but I think Harvest Moon also requires a little bit of mundane planning and magical planting.
Here are some activities that you can enjoy this weekend that will also sync up with the Harvest Moon’s Piscean energy:
Practice the divination technique of scrying, which is gazing into a reflective surface
Or, get a psychic reading from your favorite reader
Take a ritual salt water bath
Or, go swimming in the ocean or a lake
Connect with ocean gods and goddesses
Work on a creative project like playing music, painting, or writing
Harvest magical herbs under the moonlight
Treat yourself to a Reiki or Acupuncture session
Use sandalwood and jasmine oils or labradorite and amethyst crystals if you wish to enhance psychic premonitions and dreams during this time
Use cedarwood and patchouli oils or black tourmaline and smoky quartz crystals if you want a little extra protection and grounding during this time
Use lemon balm and sage oils or sodalite and aquamarine crystals during this time if you are focusing on improving your well being during this time
Do a yoga routine that promotes balance
Try a float tank session for relaxation and soothing sore muscles
Explore a watery and Pisces-centric diet such as melons, cucumbers, smoothies, water or tea with lemon, seaweed salad, steamed vegetables, and fresh in-season fruit like apples
Write out your dreams and map out plans and actions you can take to reach them
Do a spell for success or create a honey jar
However you plan to enjoy this lovely full moon and weekend I hope it is a comforting, inspiring, and magical one!