Feeling ready yet for sweater weather? Whether you prep for fall with cozy knitwear, a brand-new ginger dye job, or an apple-picking trip (or all three!), autumn is coming — and with it comes a glorious and glowing full Harvest Moon.
On Saturday, September 10 at 5:59 a.m. (EST), the full moon will be in Pisces. Like the Strawberry Supermoon in August, the title of “Harvest Moon” is not an astrological term. This particular lunar event is so nicknamed for its closeness to the autumn equinox, which is typically around September 22 or 23, explains the long-trusted Farmer’s Almanac. It goes on to note that the moonrise comes shortly after the sunsets for multiple nights in a row, thereby resulting in “an abundance of bright moonlight early in the evening, which was a traditional aide to farmers and crews harvesting their summer-grown crops.”
This moon moniker has been used across many cultures around the world, with timeanddate.com stating that “Harvest month was recorded as early as in the 700s in both Anglo-Saxon and Old High German languages.” For me, the name is a lovely reminder that before electricity, a full moon was the most light humans could possibly get at night. And with that, let’s dive into how this full moon will impact us.
September 2022’s Pisces Full Moon
Since prehistoric humans had no other light at night except the moon, I can certainly imagine how once a month, at a full moon (and a few days before and after) early people took advantage of this big bright light in the sky to create new things, tell stories, and share ideas. (For more on this area of study, I definitely recommend reading Blood, Bread, and Roses: How Menstruation Created the World.) The significance of a full moon is deep in our ancestral DNA and collective memory. What do you see when you stare at a full moon? At times, I feel transfixed by it, as though at any moment it could pull me into the sky.
Pisces is the last sign of the zodiac and is therefore said to hold the lessons of all the other signs inside of it. (No wonder Pisces can be easily overwhelmed!) A Pisces feels psychically connected to everyone and everything, and so a full moon in Pisces can be a super-sensitive, emotional time — and a time to listen to your intuition. (Previously, we have talked at length about the astrological significance of full moons, so check our past stories out for amore general information on the topic.) Remember: The full moon illuminates. What is being illuminated for you right now? Where is your soul? What are you dreaming about? Set aside time this week to reflect on where you’re at right now and where you want to be. Try writing down your dreams as soon as you wake up for the next few days; you may be surprised at the themes or patterns you discover. (This is also a frequently recommended lucid dreaming technique, so if you have ever felt interested in trying to control the stories of your subconscious, maybe this is the perfect time to delve into it.)
The Contrasting Effects of Venus and Neptune
This Harvest Moon is 17 degrees and 41 minutes of Pisces with Neptune a few seats over at 24 degrees. Across from them rests the other (far larger) luminary, the sun, at the same degrees in Virgo. Then, we have Venus — not quite conjunct, but certainly part of the story. As in classical astrology, Venus is considered “under the sun’s beams.” Right now, it is waning; come October, though, it will conjoin with the sun in Libra for very special conjunction that has not happened for 150 years, according to Arielle Guttman, the originator and discoverer of the now-famous Venus Star Point. (I would elaborate further, but to be honest, Guttman’s extensive research and writing offers such a comprehensive look at this astrological event that condensing it may do the subject a disservice, so I instead urge you to visit her website to learn more.)
