Sunday, October 9th
Full Moon
in Aries 16°33'
1:56 pm PST

Your Magic
by Kai Cheng Thom

Dear Ones! The October Full Moon is upon us, and with it comes a time of great power and cultural significance in many traditions. Also called the Hunter’s Moon, it also precedes the Eclipse season, which makes me think about archetypal Hunter energy: what secret weapons, skills, and superpowers do we carry with us into the dark as we search for life-giving sustenance? And what sacrifices must we make in order to renew ourselves in the great cycle of being, becoming, death, and rebirth?

To me, the Hunter’s Moon is about coming into our magic and preparing for battle—about finding the fire inside to light our own way through the woods as we walk off the beaten path, which is a journey that every marginalized person must eventually take. I’ve always believed that in our darkest moments, we discover who we are.

In order to attain our fullest strength—whether physical, emotional, or spiritual—we must reckon with the spirit of the Hunter that resides within us all. Groundbreaking somatic sex educator and writer Caffyn Jesse writes in their book, Elements of Intimacy, that the Hunter is the part of us that can “feel the fiery energy that ignites us and use it to hunt for what we want—to vision, ask for, track and take it.” In other words, the Hunter is part of us that knows how to summon, harness, and use magic.

When I think of Hunter energy, I think of the many queer youths I worked with as a counselor, and their fierce pursuit of connection, survival, and self-expression (not always in that order). I think about my own journey as a young trans woman of colour searching for community, purpose, and the strength to keep myself and my loved ones alive. To do these things, I had to lay claim to my own power, my capacity for healing and creation—and yes, my capacity for potential harm as well. For this is the risk and the great fear that holds so many of us back from tapping into our power: the possibility that we might cause terrible destruction.

For many queer and otherwise marginalized folks, our Hunter energy is shamed and suppressed by the dominant culture. We are told that our bodies are wrong, that our sexuality is evil, that our voices are not meant to be heard in polite society. Even our wanting—wanting anything at all—is regarded with suspicion, for wanting is the expression of desire, and desire in a woman, queer person, or Person of Colour is dangerous to the colonial, heteropatriarchal order of things. Remember this, Dear Ones: A witch is a woman who gets what she wants.

—To get access to Kai Cheng Thom's exclusive Hunter Embodiment Ritual, grab a copy download the October Guide. Looking for magic like this? Pre-order the 2023 Many Moons Lunar Planner!