Harvest Moon

The Night of the Harvest Moon

INDULGE IN THE HEALING LUNAR ENERGY

Weather permitting, don’t miss your chance to experience an amazing annual event that takes place tonight. Just after sunset the moon will be magically transformed into a giant ball of glorious orange gracing the night sky.

Lunar Energy is a powerful source of energy healing, and a full moon is a perfect opportunity to activate your chakras. This Harvest Moon may well be the best of all.

With its unique properties, the moon has been endowed with names to capture its monthly lunar transition. For me, nothing quite compares to the Harvest Moon. I hope you’ll take advantage of this rare and wondrous opportunity to join me in meditation under its glow.

A Time to Recharge and Reflect

Harvest Moon is the name given the full moon that is closest to the Autumnal Equinox that occurred just a couple of days ago, this past Saturday. Year to year, it can be up to two weeks before or after, and while the Harvest Moon typically is in September, it can also happen in early October.

What’s unique is that unlike any other time of year, for a few special nights the moon rises earlier than usual, just after sunset, giving you a perfect evening of moon gazing.

We’re treated to a visual feast and a spiritual reawakening all in one.

For a spiritual teacher, it’s hard to ask for more.

Why the Harvest Moon is Special

This is the night sky at its most romantic and dramatic, affording us a connection with the fullness of the season and the bounties of the earth. Since ancient times, the Harvest Moon has been revered and central to our celebration of the seasonal harvest traditions timelessly binding our cultural and spiritual fabric.

This annual celestial event is one of nature’s great visual displays but what we see only hints at the role it has played in different cultures around the world.

Celebrated Since Ancient Times

In the Northern Hemisphere, it signals the beginning of autumn. Many believe the origins of the Harvest Moon date back to Europe in the 700s. In the centuries since, observances and cultural traditions have been recounted around the world. Two are particularly intriguing.

In China the Harvest Moon is celebrated with a festival where games are played and delicious treats, ‘mooncakes’, are enjoyed. Due to calendar differences, the Chinese call it the ‘August’ Moon.

In America, the Algonquin Indians, among other indigenous tribes, not only celebrated the Harvest Moon but put its unusual brightness to work. Like Mother Nature’s flashlight, they used its light to harvest crops well into the night.

One of Nature’s Optical Illusions

What we see is bigger and bolder than usual, and the moon’s surface appears warmer and a vibrant orange. An optical illusion that is the result of the moon’s positioning, the Harvest Moon’s remarkable brightness occurs because we’re viewing it through the lower, and thicker, part of atmosphere.

While the moon’s color is inarguably more intense, and it appears larger and warmer, as it rises through the night, the moon will appear smaller and cooler.

Upcoming Lunar Events

For those of you who like to plan ahead, a truly rare event is when the Harvest Moon falls on the night of the Autumnal Equinox. This wont won’t again until 2029, but let’s start planning now!

Next up, however, and usually in October as it is this year, is the Hunter’s Moon; the first full moon after the Harvest Moon. It also features unique color, this time red, not orange, and it’s known as a Blood or Sanguine Moon.

Get Out and Experience It

Wherever you are, I urge you to get outside, even if just for a few minutes, and bask in the lunar energy on display and become part of a celestial event celebrated around the world for millennia.

And no worries of you miss it tonight – there are encore performances for a few nights after that are nearly as spectacular.

Worldwide traditions transcending our differences and bringing us together like these should be cherished, so I offer three words of advice:

Sit. Meditate. Enjoy.

That’s what I’ll be doing.

Separated by the miles, we’ll be together in spirit.

Deborah

Pink Moon

Let April’s Pink Moon Shine for You!

You may have heard that April showers bring May flowers. That’s a lovely positive affirmation when spring is taking a little too long to arrive and the storms won’t stop rolling through with showers that are white and icy! That is probably how we got the Native American’s traditional name for the April full moon. The Pink Moon of April usually coincided with the appearance of blooming ground phlox, a stunning pink carpet of tiny flowers. Ah, Spring at last! This year’s full Pink Moon appears on April 29, and with a little reflection, it might bring you a very special spiritual bouquet!

Think about how sweet it is to spot the first flowers of spring—whether they are crocuses peeking through the snow or daffodils, tulips, or hyacinth pushing up through the soil in your garden. The ground phlox that inspired the Pink Moon’s name is a North American native whose meaning in flower lore is “harmony” and “sweet dreams.” The first-blooming flowers of spring do bring a feeling of hope, sweetness, and the excitement of new possibilities. Which one is your favorite?

Bring yourself into the spirit of the Pink Moon with a nature walk in a spot you love. While you walk, let your eyes take it the details of the setting that make it unique. Are there any plants, trees, flowers, or rocks that you have noted in passing but not truly studied? Take time to look closely and focus on the light, the color, the shape, or the feeling of one or two familiar features. If you can find a flower, look inside—like modern artist Georgia O’Keeffe loved to do. (Watch out for bees and bless them for their vital work in pollinating the plant kingdom.) Try to really examine your flower’s form and consider the complexity, artistry, and beauty you see. Are there any birds or small animals to observe? Could they be present with you right now for a purpose?

Take a deep breath as you enjoy the natural surroundings you have chosen to visit. Remember to give thanks for your senses of sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste which allow you to experience the natural world on multiple levels. You are part of the natural world, too, part of the work of the creative universe. During the last few days before the full Pink Moon, think about ways in which you can make your life more joyful and purposeful. Each cycle of the moon marks the passage of time, and this Pink Moon marks the beginning of a new month and a new beginning for any dream or endeavor or developmental step you have been thinking about.

Here are three questions to consider as you prepare for the next step:

What do you know?
Do you know yourself deeply and truly? How would you describe yourself? What are your greatest strengths and abilities? Do you know the desires of your heart? Do you know what you really want to do? Do you feel that you know your life’s purpose? Where do you want to go? How do you want to feel? Who and what do you love? What do you believe? What are your values?

What do you want to know?
If you know your life’s purpose, do you want to know whether your present actions are taking you in the right direction? Or do you still need to discover your purpose? Do you want to know how to do something that interests you? Is there some knowledge or skill that you want to explore? What are the biggest questions in your life that you would like to answer? What are the biggest challenges in your life that you would like to face and find ways to overcome?

Who can you ask?
Where do you go to seek wisdom? How do you fill your need for spiritual guidance, fulfillment, and inner peace? Where do you turn in times of need? Who can you call? Do you seek help from the Divine—“Ask and it shall be given”? Do you rely on friends and family for solace? Do you have a tool kit of practices for comfort and healing? Do you call on the angels, guides from the spirit realm, spiritual teachers and counselors, sacred texts, or the energies of nature? From whence cometh your strength?

Exploring the answers to these questions helps you connect with your higher Self, and brings comforting knowledge of who you really are and why you are here. Self-discovery brings peace, joy, and a sense of what is possible for you in the new span of days opening before you.

May the full Pink Moon bring you a new awareness of the miracle of being you. And may you be blessed with the radiance of healing moonlight on the evening of April 29.

MORE ARTICLES YOU MAY ENJOY:

The Frequency Shift: Why More Starseeds Are Awakening Right Now

Something is happening. You can feel it. The world doesn’t quite vibrate the same way it did before. It’s subtle yet undeniable—like a radio station just slightly out of tune, sending whispers through the static. For those who have always felt different, for those who have sensed they are not from here, the shift is […]

From the Stars to Your Cells: How Energy Healing Bridges the Cosmic & the Physical

For those who feel the call of the cosmos, the notion of being a Starseed is more than just a passing curiosity. It’s an inner knowing. A recognition that your soul may have origins beyond Earth… and that your mission here is far bigger than what the modern world would have you believe. But knowing […]

Starseeds, the Snow Moon, and the Call of the Cosmos: A Celestial Invitation

Somewhere beyond the glow of city lights, the sky is speaking. Ancient civilizations knew how to listen. They charted the heavens, marked the movements of planets, and synchronized their lives with the rhythms of the stars. But in today’s world – drowned in artificial noise and fluorescent distractions – few still hear the whispers of […]