The Full Hunters Moon: Connecting with Ancestors
Some Native American tribes referred to October’s Moon as the Full Hunter’s Moon as it was the time to go hunting in preparation for winter. This full Moon is also called the Travel Moon, the Dying Grass Moon, and just the Dying Moon. This is the first Full Moon following the Harvest Moon. This is the month when the leaves are falling and the game is fattened. Now is the time for hunting and laying in a store of provisions for the long winter ahead. Tonight we celebrated the hunting aspect of the moon but sought to connect with our ancestors. Hunting, as it were, a deeper connection and tie to those that came before us be it actual blood relation or land or spiritual ancestors. This is a time when the days are shortening and the forests are still bustling with life as the animals are preparing for the quiet stillness of winter.
The Hunter's moon not only represents the physical act of hunting but also the hunting of knowledge and of deeper connections. Fall for many marks a time of deeper introspection. When the energy of the Summer months finally gives way to the slowing down that the colder mornings and evenings can bring. The work however is not done. With this slowing down we must also prepare for the harshness that winter can bring. Even in our sheltered lives there is a natural proclivity to begin a time of looking inward instead of out. We prepare ourselves mentally and spiritually.
We wanted to use this time to connect with our ancestors. Many of us have family issues that we deal with regularly and this night felt especially appropriate for reaching out to those that have come before us. Being close to All Hallows and Samhain, when the veil is at one of the thinnest times, allows for one to more easily reach across the veil and contact or communicate with those that walked this world before. We wish to walk with those that came before us to seek guidance but to also connect and honor them. They have walked this mortal world before us and have knowledge of both this world and the next. In seeking their guidance we not only hope to gain insight into our own unique situations but to also acknowledge the fact that they existed and that they are still an important part of our existence.
The moon was beautiful on this night. The sky was completely clear and the temperature was comfortably cool. As the moon peaked over the trees we began our ritual. Calling to those that walked this land before us. After our opening and calling we positioned ourselves behind the altar and sat on the ground for our craft of the night.
The view behind the altar was amazing. At times the altar and smoke from the fire perfectly framed the moon creating a truly magical sight.
The craft for the night was creating apple head dolls. The apple head dolls really appealed to us for this night because when they dry they resemble a crone, an old person, or ancestor that we can look to for guidance. We peeled and carved the apples into a face not using any pictures for reference but instead going by feel. As the apples dry over the next few weeks we will continue to look toward the apple dolls to remind us of the ancestors and to honor them.
After carving our apples, we separated and each found spots to lay and communicate or receive a sign from our ancestors. We then returned to the altar and met again to close and give thanks. giving particular thanks and honor to our ancestors for being with us on this night and for their continued guidance. We snuffed all of the candles and returned to the house for grounding and food as we were both cold from the dew that had settled on the grass and famished from the nights work.
Our food for the evening was mini pretzel loaves, roasted butternut and acorn squash with basil, bay, and onion and fresh cut apples and caramel dip for desert. Delicious and just what we needed to replenish our energy. The topic of the night continued to be about family and dealing with particularly difficult members. About balancing the time we spend with those that support us and those that don't. About the importance of honoring and being with those that are family but not necessarily blood related. And how our definitions of family extends past those that are blood and can encompass a wide array of those that we love as family and blood but may not have any true familial bonds to us. After the delicious food and the conversations were done we packed everything up and ended the night promising to connect with our ancestors more as we inch closer to the one of the times that the veil is thinnest and throughout the winter months and coming year.
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