NOTE: The good news – all of my tests so far have come back normal. The bad news – I’m not feeling any better, and still have no idea why. In the next few weeks, I have appointments with an ophthalmologist, neurologist, and cardiologist, so fingers crossed we get to the bottom of this soon. However, since I continue to have a cloudy-with-occasional-lighting eye (my PC suspects an ongoing ophthalmic migraine), I’m gonna continue being scarce on social media. I’ve scheduled this week’s posts to go up on MM, TT, WW, and FF at 8am (EST), and connected WP Publicize to auto-share them to Facebook, Twitter, Google +, and Tumblr. Hope to catch up with everyone soon!
On Saturday November 4th 2017 at 1:23 am (EDT), the Full Hunter’s Moon in Taurus arrives in my neck of the woods. However, your mileage may vary – be sure to check for your local time HERE. And yes – I know I said last month was the Hunter’s Moon, but I recently discovered the Harvest/Hunter’s moons are determined by the season, not the month. Here’s the best explanation I found for this, from an article by Bruce McClure over at EarthSky –
The full Hunter’s Moon is the name for the full moon that immediately follows the full Harvest Moon. And the title of full Harvest Moon belongs to the full moon occurring closest to the autumnal equinox. In 2017, the full Harvest Moon fell on October 5, 2017, nearly 13 days after the September 22 equinox (Northern Hemisphere’s autumn equinox).
Given that the full Harvest Moon can happen anywhere from about two weeks before to two weeks after the autumn equinox, October 5 is almost the latest possible date for the full Harvest Moon. Consequently, November 4 is nearly the latest possible date for the full Hunter’s Moon.
Be aware that the Harvest and Hunter’s Moons are seasonal events, and of course the seasons are opposite in Earth’s Northern and Southern Hemispheres. In the Southern Hemisphere, a late full Harvest Moon would come in early April and a late full Hunter’s Moon in early May.
It is also known as the depressingly titled, but very seasonally appropriate, Full Mourning Moon. Two years ago, I found a cool explanation of this particular moon name at an unexpectedly place – Refinery29 (yeah, the fashion and style website – I was wicked surprised too!). The article is called, Why You Should Care About Tomorrow’s Full Moon by Sara Coughlin, and it looks like she updated it for 2016. Here’s the bit I found the most intriguing –
While its placement varies, November’s full moon is always a signal of the changes to come; as the last full moon before the Winter Solstice, it’s seen as the final bit of light before the darkness of winter. It’s also known as the “Mourning Moon.”
While many modern-day superstitions surround the moon in general, the full version has long been upheld in Paganism as a time, every month, to reflect. People who follow Pagan traditions spend autumn preparing for the colder months, and the final step in this process is the letting go of old things — the things we must leave behind before we reach the new year. Hence, the “mourning.”
Cleansing rituals, during which you take note of what you don’t want in your life anymore, are commonly conducted in observance of the Mourning Moon. These discarded things can be anything from the most frivolous (a nail-biting habit) to the deeply profound (the grief over a lost loved one). The point is to think of these things one last time before resolving to move on from them. You can make a list and drown it in a jar of water (the element associated with this full moon) or perform a modern adaptation: Put your list in a note on your phone, and then delete it. (We don’t recommend drowning your phone in a jar of water.)
To suss out the meaning behind an Taurus full moon, I once again scoured the interwebz for people more well-versed in astrology than me. Here are some tidbits I’ve gleaned from my search. If you’re a regular visitor to this blog, some of this info will be a repeat – if you want to skip to the new stuff, click HERE.
So the moon is full. What’s so significant about that?
I don’t know about you, but I notice that when the moon turns full, my hair gets longer, my teeth get sharper, and I have a wicked craving for steak…
Okay, in all seriousness, for those who follow The Wheel of the Year, the full moon is an esbat.
From what I can gather, the term (which, roughly translated from 16th Century French, means “frolic, romp, disport“) came into use because of Margaret Murray, author of The Witch-Cult in Western Europe: A Study in Anthropology. It’s generally viewed as the best and most powerful time each month for magical workings.
What kind of magic?
According to The AstroTwins –
Full moons are times for completions, creative outpourings, and harvesting. They’re also your cue to cash in on anything you started at the corresponding new moon six months earlier. What have you been building toward? Full moons act as giant cosmic spotlights, so they can be illuminating. Everything comes out into the open in the light of the full moon—including the parts of human nature known as the “shadow.”
For a bit more info (or to see the awesome graphic with the moon phases represented by Oreo cookies), check out the rest of the article New Moons & Full Moons
Gotcha. Now, how do I work with the moon magic?
Here’s a great description from The Sage Goddess site –
One of the most frequent questions I’m asked is HOW to work with full moon energy. We all know that the full moon is special. We try to see it, we take photos of it, but what’s the full moon doing to and with us? How are we interacting with it subconsciously and how can we maximize its effects for magic and well being? She moves the tides and trust me, she’s moving you too.
The moon goes full each month at one specific minute in time, but she is technically full for 48 hours. You have 24 hours before the moment of fullness and 24 hours after to do full moon magic, which includes meditations for abundance and fruition, the honoring of what has been completed in your life, and work that requires the intense energies of the moon in her fullest state. Wiccans and those who practice Earth-based traditions know the full moon as the Esbat, a time of rite and ritual devoted to the Goddess. In this practice, water and white candles adorn altar spaces and prayers and invocations are read to honor the mother and goddess energy of the full moon. But almost every spiritual tradition acknowledges the beauty and majesty of the full moon and you don’t need to be Wiccan or practice witchcraft to enjoy it.
If you’d like to read more about her practices, check out her article – How to work with Full Moon energy
All this astrology stuff is making me wonder – is there a way to find out if I was born during a full moon?
This is the internet. Of course there is.
Do you have any Full Moon Rituals?
I’ve put together a couple of simple rituals to do for the Full Moon. Both of these graphics are from earlier blog posts, HERE and HERE. Click each picture for the full size version.
How about this specific Full Moon in Taurus?
Whilst Googling for info about the September Dark Moon, I discovered this new-ish site, and fell in love with Rosebud Baker‘s take on all things celestial. Naturally it was the first place I checked when writing this post, and I wasn’t disappointed. Here’s a taste of her awesomesauce article, “The Nov. 2017 Full Moon In Taurus Will Bring Out The Stubborn Bull In All Of Us“. Be sure to check out the rest of her article, which includes some spiritual principles to keep in mind while working with the energy of a Taurus full moon.
We’ve got another full moon coming up kids, and if you keep track of lunation cycles, you know that this one is coming up in the sign of Taurus. What’s that mean? Well, in a general way, it means this: the November 2017 full moon is going to bring out the stubborn asshole in all of us. I mean, not that we’ll be deliberate assholes, I just mean that we can be assholes about how stubborn we are. Make sense? Although there’s a lot more to the sign of Taurus than just being stubborn… in fact, I wouldn’t even call Taurus very stubborn so much as they are set in their ways. This can clash with the energy of a full moon, which almost always brings an end to the status quo.
Since Taurus clings to stability and structure (literally change can f*ck with their basic sense of safety), the full moon and the endings that it brings about can really kill their vibe. But since Taurus is a very spiritual sign (even if they aren’t overtly spiritual, they’re very connected to nature, and connect with a higher wisdom through the great outdoors), they’re open to trusting in the process.
Full Moon in Taurus Infographic
Finally, here’s the graphic I created for the occasion, using one of the gazillion shots of last year’s Supermoon in November 2016. Be sure to shout out in the comments with how you’ll be celebrating this magical time. Bright Full Hunter’s Moon in Taurus blessings!
Full Hunter’s Moon in Taurus. October 5th at 2:41pm (EDT). Also called the Travel Moon and the Sanguine Moon. This year, since it’s the closest to the Autumn Equinox, it is also the Harvest Moon. The October Full Moon is the only moon of the year to stay in the sky all night (rising at sunset & setting at sunrise). Magical workings include – leadership, protection, healing, energizing your spiritual battery, transformation, fertility, creativity, and closure. This is not a passive voice. I am writing in an active voice. My SEO will stop telling me how to write. Full Hunter’s Moon in Taurus. These sentences are also shorter than twenty words. Stop being so controlling. I will keep going until you turn green. Full Hunter’s Moon in Taurus. I can’t believe this is still orange. Finally, it has turned. Success! This is not a passive voice. I am writing in an active voice. My SEO will stop telling me how to write. Full Hunter’s Moon in Taurus. These sentences are also shorter than twenty words. Stop being so controlling. Furthermore, this is not a passive voice. Finally, I am writing in an active voice. My SEO will stop telling me how to write.
These sentences are also shorter. than twenty words. Stop being so controlling. I will keep going until you turn green. Furthermore, this is not a passive voice. Finally, I am writing in an active voice. My SEO will stop telling me how to write. These sentences are also. shorter than twenty words. Stop being so controlling. I can’t believe this is still orange. These sentences are also shorter than twenty words. Stop being so controlling. I will keep going until you turn green. I can’t believe this is still orange. I will keep going until you turn green. I can’t believe. this is still orange. Finally, it has turned. Success! This is not a passive voice. I am writing in an active voice. My SEO will stop telling me how to write. Full Hunter’s Moon in Taurus. These sentences are also shorter than twenty words. Stop being so controlling. Furthermore, this is not a passive voice. Finally, I am writing in an active voice. My SEO will stop telling me how to write. These sentences are also. shorter than twenty words. Stop being so controlling. I will keep going until you turn green. Furthermore, this is not a passive voice. Finally, I am writing in an active voice. My SEO will stop telling me how to write. These sentences are. also shorter than twenty words. Stop being so controlling. I can’t believe this is still orange. These sentences are also shorter than twenty words. Stop being so controlling. I will keep going until you turn green. I can’t believe this is still orange. Finally, it has turned. Success!
Full moons always bring with it a sense of apprehension for me. I know big stuff is coming. And I’m always so unsure of my own ability to face it. I try to to have faith, to be open and accepting. And I try to be as authentic as I can, knowing that feeling my feelings is the hardest part.