We’ve almost come to the second harvest. And, y’all, that means that it is powerful time of the year. It is the harvest that is the midpoint between the 1st of August (the first harvest) and the 1st of November (the last harvest). And it is celebrated with the shift of the seasons on the Autumnal Equinox. The equinox falls on the 22nd of September (tomorrow!) and it is on that day that we pause for just a moment, breathe deep, and shift into a new season. We welcome the inward part of the year and surrender to the descent into the cold, dark months ahead.
But, I’m not quite ready to get into the equinox and all of its power just yet. I’m saving that for tomorrow’s post and perhaps a newsletter. Instead, today, there’s something much more moody + magical that I want to share first. Not only is the equinox tomorrow, but today is a full moon. And it is none other than the Full Harvest Moon – a vibe all on its own.
Since this is the harvest moon, this is the most potent and amazing time to release + reflect. And, boy, do I need that energy so bad right now. This is the perfect time to tune in with nature and let go. The growing season is over + it’s time to harvest – and that means it’s time to lean into the lessons of this year, release them, and make way for the seeds that will be planted in the dark, magical months to come. This is the perfect bit of energy to have just before the descent into autumn. It’s like having a chance to let go of all that has been in the previous seasons, so that we are taking with us only what we really need on our downward, inward journey into autumn + winter. Soon, we’re moving into October with a whole different vibe of death + surrender. So it’s good to harvest, clear out, and release in preparation for the mood of next month.
So, on this full harvest moon day I want to share a little more of what late September’s energy offers us. And in this post and one more on the 26th to close out this month, I plan to do just that. I really think that it’s super important to not just skip over these posts and the ways they help to prepare us for the darkness ahead.
Since we’ve sunken down into the slow, shifting mood of September and spent time with the balancing medicine of September, it’s now time to turn to the message of this month. These last 2 September posts I will be dedicating to exploring the ways that I can bring the mood + medicine of the month out and into my life. In my opinion, there is no point in focusing on the mood of the month if I’m not going to let it transform, change, and affect my life. I want to continue to learn + evolve, so that means taking what I have experienced, felt, and learned throughout September and allowing it to inspire me.
It’s a cycle. That’s why I started this whole Mood of the Month series. In 6 posts throughout the month I hope to always take us through this cycle:
→ MOOD: set the mood by sinking down into the energy of the month
→ MEDICINE: contemplate, meditate on, and sit with that energy. exploring the themes of the month.
→ MESSAGE: rise up from the deep center of the month by integrating the mood, lessons, ideas, thoughts of the month into my everyday life. In other words, how can I take the medicine of the month out into the world in my own unique way + prepare for the month to come?
So, now that there are only 2 posts left for September, it’s time to turn to the message of September for my life. And, we have the magic of a Full Harvest Moon to really make the end of September special. The full moon that is closest to the Autumn Equinox is always known as the Harvest moon. And, this year, it happens to fall on the day before the equinox making it the perfect 2-day harvest celebration, I think. A chance to really focus on what to bring in for the harvest.
In all of nature, it is time to reap what has been sown, to begin to gather in the veggies and fruits that have matured. We harvest apples, pumpkins, pomegranates, corn. We tidy up our outdoor spaces, preparing for winter, taking in that which we want to save and store until the season after winter. We separate what to keep + what to release. And it is the time for the trees to slowly surrender to the cycle of nature, releasing leaves to the ground after they have changed into their earthy, vibrant autumn colors.
And just as I start to do all of those autumn chores, here comes this amazing full harvest moon. All full moons heighten our sense of intuition. That’s why our dreams get a little crazy or we feel super emotional. We are full, bursting with an abundance of knowledge, ideas, goals, inspiration, illumination. But, the harvest full moon on the day before the autumn equinox… well, that contains a bit of extra magic that just may be life-changing.
Just as all of nature is ready for harvest, so am I. Since I seek to live in tune with the seasons, I allow my life to mirror the rhythms of nature… and right now, I can see how I have been in a growing stage, just like the earth, since the early spring. I know that I am full of all that has grown inside of me this year. And it is now time for me to begin to review the dreams, lessons, and ideas that I have experienced. As I move from year to year I always realize that I have evolved in ways I’d never imagine. I am never the same one year after another, cycling through seasons of growth and review and rest again and again.
So, under this illuminating harvest moon, as we enter autumn, a time of slowing down + turning inward, this is the time for release + reflection. This is the time of harvesting my inner soul. And so this week, with the magical full harvest moon and the autumn equinox and amazingly my birthday, I intend to welcome the changing of the seasons into my own life.
It is my intention to spend a few moments simply thinking about what I am ready to harvest, what I need to keep and take with me into the cold, dark months ahead, and what I need to release and let go of. Under the energy of the full moon over the next 2 days, I’ll intuitively listen to the whispers of my soul, my gut feelings, and that quiet voice that guides me forward.
I create time to meditate on my successes + gains of the year.
I’d say one of the biggest things that has been a success during my growing season has been our love to Norrköping. Once again, I/we tuned into our souls, listened to our intuition, decided to sell our home, and pick up + move to another city. We needed to break a bad cycle, get some more inspiration, and create the environment + kind of life that we know grounds us + opens up opportunities all at the same time.
I give thanks for all that I have received. All the experiences, all the memories, all the moments.
This harvest season, I am giving thanks for it all. It’s not easy, though, because the year has not been easy. But, I am learning just how deep my roots can go and just how much life is a big mix of everything all at once. There is grief + love all at the same time. It all exists together and I am learning how to live in the middle of it all. And, that is what makes it possible for me to give thanks for the pain + for the joy.
I mourn the things that were not meant to be.
Oh I how mourn this harvest season. More so than ever before. Just when we had been given the gift of a little life to raise and the hope of growing as a family, it all ended in devastating tragedy back in the late winter. I am still grieving the loss of our little Peanut, Sonja Ruth. We so wanted that life to be… but, somehow, it was not meant to be. So, I am learning how to move on from those dreams. But, so far, no luck in getting pregnant again. The whole process continues to be difficult and painful. And, yet, I am learning to mourn and still live all at the same time.
I harvest all that I need to carry with me.
When I slow down + listen, I know that what I am harvesting this season is a deep, ancient, stable, rooted way of living. I believe that this is what has gotten me through this extremely challenging + life-changing growing season.
And I release what I no longer need.
There was a bunch of negativity in life before we moved. Not just the loss of our little one in her 15th week, but negativity with work + home as well. (Not between Lina and I , but the building where we lived.) In any case, all of that old energy… I release it. Let it go. The move was a physical release during the summer, but now it is time to truly let go of all of the old energy that was blocked me, held me back, and kept me uninspired. A spiritual, emotional surrender and release as I turn toward autumn.
For now, it’s time to just sit back and feel the magic of the moon. (As you can see from my photos, I can’t see this full moon. We’ve had rain + clouds for a week now, I believe. But, no mind… it just increases that autumn/harvest mood).
For the rest of the day, I am going to work + rest + create with the energy of today’s harvest moon. And, then, tomorrow I will be ready to begin the downward descent of the journey into the darkest part of the year… the time of deep mystery, wisdom, rest, dreams, and magic. This is when my roots will really begin to take hold + reach even deeper into the ancient, wild earth. I’ll call forth my inner witch and settle into all that is cozy + home-y. I’ll celebrate rituals + traditions, and balance communing with nature and resting under blankets.
But, all of that is to come. That energy will be waiting for me. For now, it’s me and the harvest moon. Giving thanks for the abundance of this growing season, which now comes to a close.
Blessed Harvest Moon, babes. xoxo. liz.
“And I release what I no longer need.”
This one is hitting me pretty hard right now. I’m letting go of something that has been in my life for more than 11 years and it feels like I’m losing an old friend. But the energy is no longer the same and the joy it once brought is no longer there. It’s time to release.
Sending you so much strength and love as you let go so that you can make way and move on. xoxo