Marsha A. Moore: And Fall, with her yeller harvest moon ...

... and the hills growin' brown and golden under a sinkin' sun. ~Roy Bean

For this week’s Magical Monday, I’m featuring the approaching full moon of September, commonly known as the Harvest Moon. This is the moon all know by its folkname, but most people expect it to occur in October.

This Full Harvest Moon allows farmers to work in their fields late into the night, bringing in crops. It is also called the Full Corn Moon by Native Americans who set this date to mark when corn should be harvested. Other names include: Barley Moon; Hazel Moon; Wine Moon; Singing Moon; Sturgeon Moon; Haligmonath (Holy Month); Witumanoth (Wood Month); Moon When Deer Paw the Earth.

Around the world, the Autumn Equinox is still celebrated by many cultures. The energy flowing from the Autumn Equinox through Winter Solstice to the Spring Equinox is getting deeper, more hidden. Spiritually, the Dark Moon deities, representing the Underworld, death, reincarnation, and deep spiritual mysteries, now hold control.

In the ancient Incan Empire, the Citua celebration was held on the date of the New Moon nearest the equinox. Everyone performed a ritual cleansing, then smeared their faces with a paste of ground maize (corn). After, they feasted and danced for several days. This was a festival in honor of Mama Quilla, the Moon goddess.

The next time the full moon will rise is this Thursday, September 23rd (9:19 GMT).

Correspondences of the September Moon
Nature Spirits: trooping faeries
Herbs: copal, fennel, rye, wheat, valerian, skullcap
Colours: brown, yellow-green, yellow
Flowers: narcissus, lily
Scents: storax, mastic, gardenia, bergamot
Stones: peridot, olivine, chrysolite, citrine
Trees: hazel, larch, bay
Animals: snake, jackal
Birds: ibis, sparrow
Deities: Demeter, Ceres, Isis, Nephthys, Freyja, Ch'ang-O, Thoth
Power Flow: rest after labor; balance of Light and Dark. Organize. Clean and straighten up physical, mental, emotional and spiritual clutter.

On Thursday evening be sure to pause and enjoy the simple pleasures of the beauty of the Harvest Moon.