Friday, September 29th
Supermoon
in Aries 6°00'
2:57 am PT

Illuminated Harvest: September Supermoon in Aries
by Pixie Lighthorse

The abundant season of the Harvest greets the people and animals of Earth moving into autumn and the lunation of the post-equinox Full Moon in Aries. I find it to be an emotionally abundant time, with my Sun and a stellium in Virgo, along with Libra Rising. Sensitivities to changes in barometric pressures and shorter days are felt. Our ancestors noted the shifting light as medicinal and edible plants rose to their fullest potential. This Harvest Moon, you might be feeling especially lunar: it is a Supermoon in Aries, bringing amplified fire and intensity to our bodies and emotions.

The Harvest Moon is my cosmic home and the time when I feel most drawn to ritual: baskets line shelves and window sills with dried calendula, mugwort, catmint, hyssop, clary sage, ears of tanchi, and the white dent corn of my Chahta ancestors from the Southeast. Buckets of freshly dug potatoes anchor the coolest corners of the cabin. Bundles of rosemary and lavender suspend top-down from every available hook by rough jute twine. The harvest season reminds me of who I am: an Indigenous witch from the bogs, a bone picker, Hestia by the fireplace, Hecate beckoning contemplation after a long summer of tending, haloka pokni (beloved grandmother) moving slowly, singing songs of praise for generous gifts of Earth beyond provisions.

Outside the door, an infinite stream of news, events, inequities, war, and social distress thunders on. Not all of us are sitting with abundance and the ability to draw inward. Part of this lunation can prompt those with resources to share with community in a way that doesn’t reinforce top-down charity-style giving models.  This Full Moon holds creative potential for transforming worn-out systems into a better version of community nurture. Are there local individuals or families who come to mind for sharing what you’ve gathered?

As the leaves fall, and the air begins to crisp, the final stages of the growing season connect those of us in the Northern Hemisphere to the rounded fullness of the Moon that illuminates fruition. How many reflections we have about all that is changing! How much brightness on transitions! How the baskets and buckets spill over with the fruits of our labors! It is a time for pause, sharing, and profound gratitude. Prayers made with this Moon promise to carry the collective through the quieter seasons.

This is a Chariot year, so there is a natural, energetic locomotion. This season is a time to slide into the underworld caverns of the subconscious, to explore and enrich our abundant inner worlds. The work above ground is complete; our internal states can be tended to by weaving the energies of the plants, the Earth, and our psyches together. We slow down. We observe. We make space on outer and inner shelves for what we will need for leaner times. While handling plants, leaving offerings, and moving slowly about the baskets and jars, I connect the seasonal change with how I too am changing.

— Excerpt from the 2023 Many Moons Lunar Planner. To read the rest of Gala's exclusive essay and Supermoon prompts, get your copy of Many Moons. The benefit edition is here. The digital edition is here. 

Pixie Lighthorse has written six books to help heal our internal worlds in order to help heal the external world. She writes as Lighthorse to honor the voices of her unheard ancestors. Find her at www.pixielighthorse.com