Tag Archives: autumn

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The Hunter’s Moon & Samhain

October is a time of Harvest, and Release.

Orange pumpkin surrounded by fallen leaves on a wooden table

The air grows cooler. The leaves begin their transformation. The garden becomes quieter, the night seems a little deeper, and nature gently reminds us that nothing stays the same forever.

And in October 2026, the Full Hunter’s Moon arrives on October 26, just days before Samhain, traditionally observed from October 31 into November 1.

Together, they create a beautiful threshold and a time to honor what has been harvested, release what no longer belongs to us, remember those who came before us, and prepare our hearts for a new season.

The Hunter’s Moon

The October Full Moon is traditionally known as the Hunter’s Moon, the Full Moon following the Harvest Moon. Its name is connected to the traditional preparations for winter, when communities hunted, preserved meat, and gathered what they would need for the colder months ahead. (Time and Date)

In 2026, the Hunter’s Moon reaches peak illumination at 12:11 a.m. EDT on October 26. Because the Moon appears full for the surrounding nights, October 25 and 26 will both offer beautiful opportunities to sit beneath its light. (Time and Date)

Full moon above a rural valley with trees, farm buildings, and a winding road

But beyond its historical name, I think the Hunter’s Moon offers us another kind of invitation.

It asks:

What have you gathered?
What have you learned?
What are you carrying into the next season?
And what are you finally ready to leave behind?

The Full Moon has long been associated in modern spiritual practice with illumination, completion, gratitude, and release. The Hunter’s Moon adds the symbolism of preparation. We are gathering our wisdom. We are gathering our strength.

We are gathering the pieces of ourselves that may have been scattered throughout the year.

And then we decide what is worth carrying forward.

The Ancient Turning of Samhain

Samhain has much deeper roots than the modern Halloween celebration we know today.

In the ancient Celtic seasonal calendar, Samhain marked the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter which is the dark half of the year. It was a time when crops had been gathered, livestock were brought in, and people prepared for the months ahead. (Ireland API)

Traditionally associated with the night of October 31 and the beginning of November 1, Samhain was considered a liminal time or a threshold between seasons and, in traditional belief, between the world of the living and the world of the dead. (Ireland API)

Bonfires, feasting, offerings, disguises, and remembrance became part of the traditions surrounding this powerful seasonal transition. Over time, Samhain traditions blended with Christian observances such as All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, contributing to the evolution of Halloween. (NASA Science)

And perhaps that is why October carries such a particular feeling. It is a month of endings. But endings have never meant only loss. Sometimes an ending is simply the doorway into becoming.

Autumn table display with pumpkins, apples, corn, wheat, and fallen leaves

Where the Hunter’s Moon Meets Samhain

The Hunter’s Moon and Samhain speak a similar language.

Gather.
Give thanks.
Release.
Remember.
Prepare.
Begin again.

The Hunter’s Moon comes first, illuminating the landscape and asking us to look honestly at what we have harvested from our year.

Then Samhain arrives, inviting us to stand at the threshold between what was and what will be.

This can be a beautiful time to reflect upon the things that have changed within us. Perhaps you have outgrown an old version of yourself. Perhaps a relationship has ended. Perhaps something you once wanted no longer feels aligned with who you are becoming. Perhaps there are dreams you are ready to breathe life back into. Or perhaps you simply need to rest. There is no shame in resting.

Nature does not apologize when the trees let go of their leaves.

They know that letting go is part of the cycle.

Abstract watercolor landscape with autumn leaves, grasses, and flowing botanical forms

Honoring the two

On the night of the Full Moon, create a quiet space for yourself.

You might sit outside beneath the Moon, light a candle, make a cup of herbal tea, or simply stand beneath the night sky.

Take a piece of paper and write down:

What I am grateful for. What I have learned. What I am ready to release.

Then speak your intention aloud:

“I honor what this season has taught me. I release what I no longer need.

I carry forward the wisdom, love, and strength that belong to me.”

Let the Moon witness it.

Woman journaling with coffee on a bench along an autumn forest path

Reflections for Manifesting

Under the Hunter’s Moon, consider manifesting things connected to stability, wisdom, protection, abundance, courage, and preparation for the season ahead.

Instead of simply saying, “I want abundance,” try:

“I am creating a life where abundance has room to find me.”

Instead of: “ I want peace.” Try:

“I am making choices that allow peace to

become part of my everyday life.”

The most powerful intentions are often the ones we are willing to participate in.

Full moon over a mountain lake reflecting light beneath a starry sky

Honoring Samhain

When Samhain arrives, the energy shifts. The Full Moon has illuminated. Now we turn inward.

Samhain can be a beautiful time to honor ancestors, loved ones who have passed, and the people whose lives helped shape our own. Historically, traditions surrounding Samhain included food offerings and remembrance of the dead. (Ireland API)

You might create a small remembrance space with photographs, flowers, candles, or meaningful objects.

Prepare a favorite food. Light a candle for someone you miss. Speak their name. Tell a story about them.

Give thanks for the ways their presence continues to live within you.

You don’t have to practice any particular religion or tradition to understand the beauty of remembrance.

Love does not simply disappear because someone is no longer physically here.

Sometimes it becomes memory.

Sometimes it becomes wisdom. Sometimes it becomes the way we love others.

A Samhain Release Ritual

Samhain is also a powerful symbolic time for releasing the past. Write down something you are ready to leave behind. It might be a fear, an old belief, a painful memory, resentment, self-doubt, or simply a version of yourself that no longer fits.

Then say:

“I thank this experience for what it has taught me. I release what is no longer mine to carry.

I make room for what is meant to come next.”

Safely tear up the paper or dispose of it in another meaningful way. Then sit quietly. You don’t have to fill the space immediately. Sometimes the magic is in allowing the empty space to exist. Because before nature creates again, there is often a period of stillness.

Golden oak leaves drifting through a blue sky beneath tree branches

Planting Intentions for the Dark Half of the Year

Samhain isn’t only about endings. It is also about the seeds we carry quietly through the darkness. Think about what you want to cultivate during the coming months.

Perhaps it is:

  • deeper self-trust
  • creativity
  • healing
  • financial stability
  • stronger boundaries
  • a more peaceful home
  • connection with nature
  • spiritual growth
  • courage to become more fully yourself

Write your intentions somewhere private. You don’t have to announce them. Some seeds grow best in darkness. Let your intentions rest with you through the winter, and return to them when spring begins to stir again.

The Magic of This October

The Hunter’s Moon arrives with its ancient reminder of gathering and preparation.

Samhain follows with its invitation to cross a threshold. Together, they remind us that life moves in cycles.

So this October, perhaps don’t be afraid of the darkness. Sit with it. Listen to it. There is wisdom there.

There are times to bloom.

Times to harvest.

Times to release.

Times to rest.

And times to begin again.

Look at the Moon and remember everything you have survived. Look at the falling leaves and remember that letting go can be beautiful. Light a candle for those you love. Give thanks for what you have harvested.

Release what has become too heavy. And then, quietly, place your intentions into the soil of your spirit.

You don’t have to know exactly what comes next. You only have to trust that you are part of a much larger cycle. The Moon will wax and wane. The seasons will turn. The garden will sleep. And one day, everything will begin again.

Gentle reflection:
May this Hunter’s Moon illuminate what is ready to be released. May Samhain help us honor where we have been, who has walked beside us, and all that has shaped us. And may we enter the darker season with peaceful hearts, knowing that even in the quietest darkness, something within us is preparing to bloom.

Peace,

cath.

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🍂 Mabon 2026

The Sacred Season of Balance, Gratitude & Release

There is a moment each year when the Earth seems to pause.

The green begins to soften into gold. The evenings arrive a little earlier. Gardens offer their final gifts, trees begin preparing to let go, and the air carries that unmistakable whisper that summer is ending.

This is Mabon the Autumn Equinox.

In 2026, the Autumn Equinox occurs on September 22 at approximately 8:05 p.m. EDT in the Eastern United States. (Time and Date)

For many, Mabon is a time of harvest, gratitude, balance, reflection, and release. It is often considered the second harvest festival of the modern Wheel of the Year, falling between Lughnasadh and Samhain.

And perhaps the greatest lesson of Mabon is this:

Not everything we have grown is meant to be carried into the next season.

🌗 A Season of Balance

The equinox represents a point of balance between light and darkness. Although day and night are not literally equal everywhere on the equinox, the symbolism is powerful: the light is beginning to surrender its dominance to the darkness.

Mabon asks us to look at our own lives in the same way.

Where are we balanced?

Where are we giving too much and receiving too little?

What nourishes us?

What drains us?

What have we accomplished since spring?

And what are we finally ready to release?

Mabon reminds us that darkness is not something to fear. It is part of the natural cycle. Just as the Earth needs the quiet of winter, we need periods of rest, reflection, and going inward.

🌾 The Harvest Within

Harvest isn’t only about what grows in the garden.

There is also the harvest of our lives.

Think back over the past year.

What have you planted?

What have you nurtured?

What survived the storms?

What finally came into bloom?

Perhaps you grew stronger. Perhaps you learned something difficult. Perhaps you walked away from something that was no longer healthy for you. Perhaps you discovered a part of yourself that had been waiting patiently to be seen.

Mabon encourages us to acknowledge those things.

Celebrate what came to fruition—even if it didn’t look exactly like you imagined.

There is wisdom in recognizing the harvest we actually received rather than mourning the harvest we expected.

🍎 The History of Mabon

There is an important distinction when talking about Mabon.

The Autumn Equinox and harvest traditions are ancient, and people throughout history and across many cultures have marked the changing seasons, gathered food, celebrated abundance, and prepared for winter.

However, Mabon itself is a modern Pagan name for the Autumn Equinox, rather than the name of a documented ancient Celtic festival. The name draws from Mabon ap Modron, a figure from medieval Welsh mythology, and became associated with the modern Pagan Wheel of the Year during the twentieth century. (Hālau ’Aha Hui Lānākila)

That doesn’t make the celebration any less meaningful.

In fact, there is something beautiful about recognizing that Mabon is a living spiritual tradition, one that draws upon humanity’s ancient relationship with the seasons while allowing modern people to create meaningful rituals of their own.

🖤 What Mabon Teaches Us

Perhaps Mabon is ultimately about learning to appreciate the beauty of impermanence.

The flower blooms and fades.

The garden gives and becomes dormant.

The leaves turn brilliant colors and fall.

The sun sets and rises again.

Everything moves in cycles.

We are not meant to remain forever in summer.

Sometimes we need to bloom.

Sometimes we need to harvest.

Sometimes we need to let go.

And sometimes we need to disappear into the quiet for a while so that something new can eventually grow.

So as Mabon arrives in 2026, pause. Look around at the life you have created. Give thanks for the harvest. Honor what didn’t survive. Release what has finished its purpose. Step gently into the coming darkness knowing that the darkness is not the end of the story.

It is simply another season.

Blessed Mabon. 🍂🌙🕯️

May your harvest be abundant, your heart be grateful, and your spirit find balance between the light and the shadow.

Peace, Cath.

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October gives to us the Harvest Moon.

The idea that who you are, and who you know yourself to be, is determined by anything or anyone other than YOU, is a great lie. You are your own. YOU determine.

Our October 2025 full moon is the Harvest Moon, occurring on the night of October 6th and reaching its peak at 11:48 p.m. (EST) It is also a supermoon and will appear larger and brighter than usual due to its proximity to Earth.

This moon is my favorite, and I watch for her each year.

Although October’s full moon is often called the Hunter’s Moon, the moon closest to the autumn equinox is the “Harvest Moon”. This year’s Harvest Moon happens to fall in October.

For farmers, the October full moon was the time to harvest the last crops and store them for winter. In many ancient civilizations, this time of the year also marked the end of the agricultural cycle, with festivals and rituals aimed at celebrating the earth’s bounty before the cold season arrived.

We mark Autumn with so many joyous things. There are pumpkin festivals, apple festivals, fall fests, October Fest, and so many other celebrations.

Just as ancient hunters prepared for winter, this full moon is a call to complete your “internal harvest”. This means reflecting on your accomplishments, acting on goals, and gathering the necessary energy and resources for future endeavors.

Lately I have been spending time reflecting. This is not always easy. There were times in my life when I worked so very hard to fit myself into what others would want me to be. I would say and do things that I believed would bring me acceptance and validation. Because I began to come into my own and break out of those molds that I allowed others to place me in, I also lost those people from my life. Sometimes I do not blame them, because I did that. I formed myself into what I believed they wanted me to be, but it was not me.

I watched a leaf fall from the tree in my front yard a few days ago. Just one. Silent, floating down until it softly hit the ground. I looked up and saw all the other leaves that were yet to fall. That leaf can grow a whole other tree. Strong and tall. It fell alone. What can grow from that will be beautiful, tall, and strong in its own way, adorned with beautiful leaves, not one the same.

I think of those that left relationship with me. I am sad about it. I miss the laughter and time shared. The beauty in this sadness is I do not have to miss ME.

Watch our Harvest moon on Oct. 6. Take this time to see the harvest in your own life, and know she is there, high in the sky to light your way – even in the dark places.

Peace,

Cath