As every pagan, Wiccan, wise person or mage knows, this is a special time. For many, the Moon is a symbol, at least, of the feminine principle in nature, the Goddess. Known by many names in many cultures, the Moon is a bright light in the sky venerated by many whether you call her Luna, Diana, Iah, Coyolxauhqui, Artemas, Hecate, Selene, or another name.
The penultimate full moon of 2023 is shining today, Monday, Nov. 27, in the form of the Beaver Moon. The Full Beaver Moon will rise at 3:48 p.m. EST, with the sun setting a little later at 6:30 p.m. EST. Skywatchers will then be able to view the fully illuminated moon in its glory until it sets at 8:28 a.m. EST, around an hour and a half after the sun rises at 6:53 a.m. EST. At 4:16 a.m. EST, the exact moment of the full moon, the moon will be 180 degrees away from the sun as viewed from the center of Earth, shining brightly at 4º 16’ in the constellation of Gemini, the Twins.
According to Farmer's Almanac, the name for November's full moon, the Beaver Moon, arises from the fact these animals have gathered sufficient food stores and begin to take shelter in their lodges at this time of year. When the food trade was active in North America, the name also referred to this being the time to trap beavers and recover their thick winter pelts.
Alternative names for November's full moon in Native American and Colonial American tradition refer to the activity of animal life at this time of year. Colorful examples are Tlingit's name, the Digging Moon, which refers to the foraging of animals for fallen nuts and bears digging their dens. The Deer Rutting Moon, in the Dakota and Lakota tradition, refers to the time deer seek mates, and the Algonquin people's Whitefish Moon moniker describes the spawning of fish at this time.
Other terms for November's full moon make reference to the frigid conditions of this time of year as winter sets in. Cree and Assiniboine peoples call the November full moon the Frost Moon, while the Anishinaabe tradition refers to it as the Freezing Moon. European names for this moon include the Frost Moon and the Hunter Blood Moon.
The lunar cycles, to most pagans, reflect the position of the solar cycle. In November we are well into winter, the cold, hard times when survival was the utmost concern in older days. You had to be well prepared to make it through a hard winter, depending on where you were. Food had to be stored, fuel for the fire needed to be gathered and stored, strong shelter needed to be prepared, or else you could face a slow death. In many places, this is still the way of it.
It’s also a time where one would have a great deal of time to think, to look inside yourself perhaps. You could plan out work to be done in th Spring, once the weather breaks. Rituals celebrating a Full Moon at this time of year reflect this, often including guided meditations where the one leading the rite would take the group on an inner journey, perhaps to meet a significant personage, perhaps the Goddess herself. Interaction with such a being can only result in change in the celebrants, as who can meet deity and remain unchanged?
It’s quite possible that a Full Moon ritual at such a time of year will be a somber event, contrasting to the more festive rituals common in the Spring and Summer. Traditions and customs vary a great deal so there is a vast amount of variety in how different groups or covens or groves observe this time of year. The one thing you can be sure of in the pagan world is that there will be different approaches by different groups.
Like to observe the Full Moon but aren’t sure how to do it? You don’t need a crowd of people of years of training to do this. Sometimes simple and solo is the best. How about a Full Moon bath? Just draw a warm bath, add some scented bath salts, light a few candles or incense and soak for a while, contemplating the Moon, the Mother Goddess, and relax. Just allow all of the tension and negativity of the day flow out of you, and eventually down the drain.
A Full Moon is also a great time to charge any crystals you have. Just set them out in the moonlight and let them soak up the energy. You can also set out a bottle of water (Fresh water from the source is best but use what you have) and retrieve it before the sunrise.
You now have Lunar charged water that can be added to potions, teas, bath water, just about anywhere you want the Full Moon’s energy. One word of caution though, don’t let this bottle see sunlight as that will cancel out the Lunar energy. Keep it in the dark.
Do you enjoy Yoga? This is a great time for you celebrate with yoga. I’m not a practitioner of yoga myself but I know several people who are and they highly recommend this. There’s even a YouTube channel you might like, The Yogi Witch. Here’s a link to a Full Moon Flow video of hers that you might want to check out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dMq_LJVD7A&ab_channel=TheYogiWitch
So there’s many ways to celebrate the Full Moon and I bet you can come up with some of your own, if you’d like. Dance, sing, craft, make music, cook, be with friends, make new friends, walk in the Moonlight; it’s a celebration, remember? So Celebrate!
Thanks for reading this post, I hope you like it. Feel free to share in the comments how you celebrate the Full Moon, we’d love to hear! Love to see you there! Think about subscribing to our newsletter to get it monthly, with upcoming stories, events and stuff, plus additional articles on all things magic!
Blessed Be,
Sterling Knight
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