I am still trying to find my voice on this channel—not just my voice but also my motivation and purpose, I guess. If you’ve been following me for a while (hi, mom), you know that I like symbols, rhythms, seasonal themes, etc. I’m always hopeful that once I find the right rhythm, I’ll manage to create/publish/produce regularly and with confidence. Until this happens (if ever), thank you for bearing with me and my erratic publishing schedule.
I am currently writing from a lovely new cafe in Malmö where a dear friend is the manager. I am sitting at a high wooden bar facing the window. It’s a lovely people-watching spot. Very picturesque. Every time I look up from my screen, I gaze at the bright orange leaves bristling in the wind and can’t help but feel romantic about this moment, despite how cliché it is. Orange-clad trees, fairy lights, hot beverages, pumpkin everything, cinnamon everywhere… some clichés live on because, well, they’re cozy as hell.
Speaking of rhythms and clichés that comfort me, tonight is a full moon. The Hunter’s Moon, as this one is also called, due to its proximity to the start of the hunting season in many cultures. Within the greatest scheme of things, this full moon is heavy with symbolism: First one since the Autumn Equinox, October, the witchiest month of the year, last full moon before Samhain, aka Halloween, which marks the end of the pagan/witch year…
October is a month of reflection and introspection, the weather prompting us physically and emotionally inward. It is tempting to long for warmer weather and the summer energy and despair at the long winter ahead (reminder: I live in Sweden), but this is a valuable time. It is important to tend to our inner spaces, metaphorically, spiritually, and pragmatically.
Zooming in from the seasonal to the lunar (or menstrual, for that matter) allows for narrower contemplation. A new moon is an opportunity for putting things to rest, making room for new beginnings, making plans, setting intentions, and manifesting. A full moon is the time to assess your progress, acknowledge where you’ve gotten, see if any course correction is needed, and be grateful for what you have, have accomplished, and who you are.
When the moon is full, what you initiated during the previous new moon unfurls, or comes to a peak. Sometimes, the peak is to be taken horizontally and is more of a corner to turn. A full moon is not the end of the road but a great opportunity to pause, take a step back for a better look, catch your breath, and refuel.
Whether it is your birthdays, the school calendar, or religious holidays such as Ramadan, Yom Kippur, Easter, or ComiCon, acknowledging and celebrating the cyclical aspect of life and, paradoxically, the fact that things change constantly can provide relief and support to minds like mine, prone to despair and anxiety. I would also invite you to think of those cycles not as circles but as spirals. That way, the eternal coming back around doesn’t mean that we are stuck in a loop but that we continuously amass new experiences and insights and expand in new directions.
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All that you touch You Change. All that you Change Changes you. The only lasting truth Is Change.
— Octavia E. Butler, The Parable of the Sower
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So, as I write all this, I welcome a pause.
Coincidentally, this time, I don’t have a choice.
A few months ago, I embarked on one of the most significant projects of my life. I can’t share much about it yet (please don’t ask – hi again, Mom), and I have no idea when I will. Since the realignments of earlier this year, I’ve been committed to crafting my life with intention and creativity. This process (or cycle, if you will) started in February, as I started a new job, ended a relationship, wrestled with financial hurdles, and reckoned with mortality in a pretty dramatic way (a story for another day).
The project I’m working on is a direct result of all that, and for reasons beyond my control, it has now come to a halt for the foreseeable future. I sowed the last seeds a couple of weeks ago, and the results I am receiving on this full moon are prompting me to take a break.
It isn’t easy, but it is right. My first instinct was to fight, give in to my impatience, and rush towards the next steps. But sitting down to reflect on this full moon is helping me find peace with it. I apologise for being cryptic, but I’m sure you’re used to it by now.
This is why I love these seasonal, witchy, cyclical, lunar milestones. They help me take a step back and approach the wider picture with a sense of wonder. I’ll list below accounts and resources that help me in those moments.
A recent favourite is Lida Pavlova's Instagram account (@lidapavlova_magic). She makes these wonderful designs and shares stories and reflections around magical moments of the year. A couple of days ago, I read her guide to the Hunter’s moon, where she tells the different meanings of this moon (“transition to the dark and cold season; turning inwards, to our inner world, our beliefs and stories we tell each other” etc.), symbols, ideas for rituals, etc.
In the section “What the Hunter’s moon is here to tell you” she writes:
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You’ve done enough. Let some old goals go and be grateful for what you’ve already done and got.
— Lida Pavlova
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It stopped me in my headless running (/scrolling).
I am grateful to Lida and the other witches out there who are using social media, podcasts, etc., to cast this worldwide net of beautiful and loving spells.
So, on this Hunter’s Moon :
- I sit down,
- I grieve the seeds that haven’t sprouted in time for this “winter”
- I look around at my beautiful home, my beautiful dog, and my beautiful friends (my Village), and I do a little happy dance
- I welcome the darkness and put down some of the load I’ve been carrying in the past season
- I remember that this is not the end of a line but part of an expanding upward spiral
I hope this post inspires you and brings you some comfort.
Thank you for reading!
Love,
Lucie
