2019 Harvest Moon – Honoring Our Traditions, Preserving Our History

2019 harvest moon
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2019 Harvest MoonThe full moon holds many secrets; an ethereal pale object of beauty, hanging effortlessly in the night sky.  Millions of people across the world look up at the moon for answers, for advice, for healing, and for power.  Of all the full moons throughout the year, the September moon seems to be the most alluring.  The 2019 Harvest Moon will soon be shining brightly in the night sky, ready to make our wishes come true.  This year the September full moon falls on Friday the 13th at 10:35 PM (MST), which will add to the excitement.

As we do each and every full moon, we gather together to cleanse and release the negative baggage that weighs us down and saps our strength.  We also work together to heal, to share, and to assist one another in filling those soon-to-be empty spaces with positive things.  If you’ve never had the opportunity to truly cleanse and truly feel that weight being removed and that cord being cut, then this is your “wake up” call.  The weight of negativity does more damage than most people imagine and it’s high time to get that stone off of your back.

What You’ll Need For Our 2019 Harvest Moon Ritual

Quarter Candles (yellow, red, blue, green)
Anthame or wand
Large White Goddess Candle – Goddess candle
Altar decorated with seasonal herbs, flowers, and foilage
Paper and pencils
Bowl of sacred water

Fire pit

Throughout this ritual, any text surrounded by these symbols < > should be considered instructional and not spoken aloud but done in accordance with the directions

September Full Moon Ritual Begins

This circle forming all around, high above, across the ground, a sacred sphere has gathered here – we are now between the worlds!

Calling The Quarters

We turn to the East, the direction connected to the soul and the breath of life – where the spirits of Air blows away the negativity from our lives and spreads our thoughts and prayers across great distances.  Grant us wisdom, strength of mind, and the art of communication.  <light yellow candle>

We turn to the South, the direction connected to the strength of will and all forms of energy – where the spirits of Fire both create and destroy; heal and harm.  Wrap us in your protective mantle as we move from the season of light and plenty toward the season of cold and darkness.  <light red candle>

We look now to the West, the source of feminine energy, passion, and emotion – there we find the spirits of Water and the powerful blessings and cleansing elements that it provides.  Immerse us in healing, purification, and all things fluid and free.  <light blue candle>

And finally we turn to the North, the direction of Earth, the center of our lives and the source of all things.  Grant us the wisdom to see and understand how stability, grounding, and nurturing takes human-kind from a state of merely existing to one of actual living.  <light green candle>

<Ritual leader should Raise their arms high>

Great Goddess, it is you who give life to all things, both large and small, you who raise the seeds from the soil, and you who provide the pathway for the enlightened.  We humbly ask for your presence tonight under the light of the moon. <Light Goddess candle>

Introduction

The full moon nearest to Mabon is called the Harvest Moon.  For several nights, moonrise comes very close to sunset, which provides several hours of additional light.  In ancient times, this was a huge benefit to farmers as it allowed them to work later into the night, bringing in the final harvest of the year – hence the name.  In two years out of three, the Harvest Moon falls in September.  In the other it occurs in October.  The Harvest Moon is also known as the Full Corn Moon or the Barley Moon.

Musical Interlude

This month’s selection comes from composer Adrian von Zeigler – it’s called Moonsong.  This hauntingly beautiful Celtic melody will inspire, delight, and definitely get you in the mood for communing with nature on this 2019 Harvest Moon night.

2019 Full Harvest Moon – Honoring Our Traditions

This month, our lesson of the session focuses on history, tradition and doing things in the traditional way.  It may seem like a trivial subject to put such a focus on to many people.  Yet, if we take some time to really break down what the terms mean combined with the impact of modernism, we can see the importance in discussing it and making certain we preserve the ways of the past.  Tradition means something different to each and every one of us.  Some might think it’s the annual family reunion, while another may bring up seasonal holidays.  A third may reminisce about the weekly Sunday dinners at Grandma’s and a fourth might talk about the annual road trip with friends.  Truth be told, tradition is anything you want it to be.  It’s when we take a step up and look at it from a societal viewpoint, it again grows in importance; that’s what we call history.

Tradition is steadfast and unchanging, like history but with a human perspective.  It carries memories and helps create the stories and legends of our people, which eventually become part of history themselves.  It’s the tie that binds us together and the thing that make us unique.  Many try to define tradition, but most don’t seem to get the bigger picture.  I did however discover one definition which seems to get it right.  It stated, “traditions are those things which define who we are and where we came from.”  To us, these few words are very powerful, yet to many they are just words.  “Who we are” and “where we came from” are two concepts which are losing their meaning.  Or, lately, being erased.

In our modern-day busy world, change is happening daily; sometimes hourly, and most of the change seems to be some form of erasing tradition and removing or rewriting history.  Websites are being taken offline, textbooks rewritten, facts suppressed, and monuments destroyed.  It’s akin to a digital book-burning.   The past is deemed controversial and muzzled.  The truth of dozens of generations is being hidden from the world for fear it might be “offensive” or cause someone to be “triggered.”  If anyone dares speak out, they are summarily attacked and shamed, doxxed, or worse by a world where the mob rules are being demonstrated in the streets.   The good is being erased along with the bad, and no one knows where it will end.

If allowed to continue, it only takes a few generations before people lose their identities, cultures lose their Gods and Goddesses, and the truth becomes distorted.  If we erase the past, we lose the knowledge, good or bad, that came with that past and past events.  How can we teach future generations about the evils of slavery or child labor, if we’ve erased what we learned?  Conversely, how can we expect future generations to understand natural medicine, sustainable agriculture, and how to live off the land?

When humans fight against power, we are doing more than just resisting authority, we are preserving our legacies and ensuring the children of our grandchildren know where they came from, how they made it, and what they did to survive.  In closing, I’d like to ask each of you to start a small library of important books, take your digital files off-line and print them out, write things down, do anything that will save the knowledge for someone in the future.

2019 Harvest Moon

Moon Magick – Blessings and Believing

The moon has always had an association with energy and cleansing.  Each month we leave our magickal tools under the light of the full moon to be recharged.  We make moon water and we hold cleansing rituals.  There is abundant energy found everywhere, which some see as a blessing while others become overwhelmed with the power and exhibit unique behaviors. So, before we do our cleansing work, we’d like to offer everyone a full moon blessing.

<Ritual leader should hold the bowl of water above their head and recite the following>

Sacred Mother Moon,
Keeper of secrets and magick,
Mistress of the tides,
Queen of the night,
Energize this water
Fill it with hope and understanding,
Infuse it with clarity of vision,
Replenish it’s life-force,
Eliminate any negativity
Leave nothing but perfection,
Purity, and esoteric mystery
So mote it be!

This water opens the door to the unseen, the unimaginable, and the amazing.

<either pass the bowl for participants to anoint themselves with the blessed moon water, or the leader can walk the circle and bless each person>

Cleansing and Clearing

As we do on each full moon, we come here to release negativity; to burn that which needs burning, to choose to walk away from that which weighs heavily on our hearts, and ultimately to reduce mental clutter.   Each of us knows the things that drag us down, even though we may not show it on the surface.  We can see and feel the weights of negativity and the damage caused by them.  The hurt is real.  The pain and confusion limits our ability to see the shining light on the horizon.  And yet, many of us cling to these negative things, for reasons unknown or that we cannot explain.   Sometimes we opt for the easy routes in life, sometimes accepting or settling.  Rather than growing and languishing in a life which meets out spiritual and emotional needs, we sometimes find ourselves stopped or worse, moving in reverse.

So tonight, before we commence in our monthly cleansing through burning session, take time to ask yourself if that light is visible.  Take time to question you own motives on why you keep toxic people in your lives or why you allow others to use you without reciprocity.  Are you prepared to sift through everything and weed your personal garden?  Will you follow through and rid yourselves of anything that has no value?  Also, think about how you can harness the positive energies coming from your harvests and late summer activities.  Look for ways to keep that magick alive in your life during the hard months of winter.  Bring some of the outside into your home so you’ll have a constant reminder of where your life is grounded.  Look for ways to excel rather than just settle.  Seek out those energies and store them inside your spirit, so that you don’t regress when things are dark.

Remember that cleansing is a personal choice and no one will judge you for releasing things, or for holding onto them.  The decision is 100% personal and not transferable.  Remember that a life filled with negativity will breed more negativity, but one filled with light, will be a shining beacon that attracts additional light.

<Offer participants pen & paper to write down anything they wish to permanently banish from their lives>

Once you are ready, please approach the fire and burn away that which no longer serves you !

<once everyone is finished, take a few moments to meditate in silence>

Cleaning and releasing is only half of the job.  Do not allow negative energy to refill the spaces you’ve just created.  Trade the bad for something better; something enlightening and pure.  Leave here with a smile on your face, the understanding that there is more to life than just existing, and that change is always part of our lives, but also that you’ve got this!  Change won’t stop you from growing.  Stop sitting on the sidelines and engage with the things that take existence to living.  Blessed Be!

2019 Harvest Moon

Closing the 2019 Harvest Moon Circle

Spirits of the North, we bid you farewell on this glorious night – leave us with the understanding that, what we need will be provided, if only we open our eyes and our hearts. <extinguish green candle>

Spirits of the West, we thank you for the many thousands of blessings you have given us – leave us tonight with clean hearts, open minds, and a gentle feeling of peace. <extinguish blue candle>

Spirits of the South, we honor you for sharing your energies with us tonight – say farewell on this night, but leave us with the strength to overcome adversity and remain true to our chosen path.  <extinguish red candle>

Spirits of the East, leave us in perfect harmony and balance – carry all that we choose to release, far from here and leave us with positive vibrations and thoughts to fill our souls.  <extinguish yellow candle>

Great Goddess, without your light, we would never know the beauty that the world has; without your encouragement, we would never have developed and grown as a human race; without your continued guidance, we might have strayed from the path – for those things and so much more, we humbly thank you and the unconditional love shared with us this night and every night.  <extinguish Goddess Candle>

The circle is open but never broken,

Merry Meet, Merry Part, And Merry Meet Again!

Huzzah!

Additional Readings

If you’d like to browse other Full Moon Rituals available, check out the Rites & Rituals Archives on The Gypsy Thread.

 

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