HARVEST MOON IN PISCES
The Harvest Moon is the full moon that appears closest to the fall equinox. It will appear in the sky after sunset on Friday September 9th 2022, reaching peak illumination on Saturday at 5:58AM EST.
A unique feature of the full moon at this time of year is that it will rise around the same time each evening for several nights in a row, giving farmers extra time to harvest their crops.
Like most full moons, this one goes by many other beautiful names: Corn Moon, Autumn Moon, Falling Leaves Moon, Leaves Turning Moon, Moon of Brown Leaves, Yellow Leaf Moon.
This year the Harvest Moon is in Pisces, a water sign that rules the realms of imagination, emotion and empathy. After a summer of practical goal setting and strategizing, this represents a significant shift that aligns with the seasonal change.
Do not be surprised if you are feeling more aware of your own emotions and the emotions of those around you during this time. This is the empathetic influence of Pisces, which also brings compassionate energy to encourage healing.
Take the time to feel your emotions and think about their origins. Be honest with yourself about how you feel and avoid self criticism. This is a time for compassion and introspection, not judgment.
FULL MOON MEDITATION
Meditation practices are as personal as fragrance preferences, and you should do what works for you. We like to burn a series of scents to guide our focus during moon meditations; at least one to inspire a meditative state and another to gently bring us down into a grounded state.
With the full moon in Pisces, a water sign that guides emotion and imagination, we will be burning Cleansing incense sticks to start the meditation. The blend of lavender balanced with sandalwood clears the air and calms the mind.
We like to signify the end of our moon meditations by lighting another stick of incense, a different fragrance that takes us out of the sky and back into the physical world. We have chosen Abundance incense sticks as our grounding fragrance, a robust floral and spicy blend with notes of amber, vanilla and fragrant woods. This bountiful blend perfectly captures the spirit of the Harvest Moon.
To begin, focus on being present as you go through the motions and enjoy the tactile experience of setting up your meditation space. Find your favourite incense burner and place it with purpose. Light the Cleansing incense stick, observe the flame and then gently blow it out, leaving the burning ember.
Sitting, lying down, eyes closed, eyes open and watching incense smoke curl upwards - find your physical position and then follow the silvery fish through the waters of your emotional world.
Allow yourself to feel without judgment, to linger a bit in whatever emotion flows your way. Forgive yourself if you are being critical of how you feel, save your criticism for how you act. This is about finding an emotional flow state, experiencing them, acknowledging them, moving through them, like a fish moving through water, taking away insights into your feelings as you go.
There are probably things in your life - a person, a habit, a place - that you realize is causing you distress. Take note of the challenges you need to give some practical thought to later, right now it is about emotional flow.
You may choose to stay meditating until the Cleansing incense stick has gone out, which could be up to an hour, so it's quite ok if you end your meditation before that. When Cleansing has finished burning, light up the Abundance incense stick and take your incense burner out of your meditation space and into another area of your home.
Go about your usual activities as the robust fragrance of Abudance incense reminds you to take what you experienced with gratitude and apply the insights to your life.
Fragrantly Yours,
Kayte & Kristi