October’s full Moon peaks on Saturday, October 28, 2023. 

Like September’s Harvest Moon, the Hunter’s Moon rises around the same time for several nights, so start looking for it on Friday, October 27!

As the Moon drifts over the horizon around sunset, it may appear larger and more orange—how perfect for the fall season! But don’t be fooled by the “Moon Illusion,” which makes the Moon appear bigger than it is.

Other names for the Hunter’s Moon are the Sanguine or Blood Moon, either associated with the blood from hunting or the color of the changing autumn leaves. 

An annular solar eclipse and a partial lunar eclipse make October an exciting month.

October, a month marked by falling leaves and the gentle embrace of autumn, is also set to offer a breathtaking spectacle from the cosmos – a double celestial treat in the form of a Solar and Lunar Eclipse. These celestial events have fascinated mankind for centuries, inspiring myths, legends and a deep sense of wonder.

Solar Eclipse

Solar eclipses occur at dark moons, when the sun and moon are conjunct in the same sign. This will occur at the Dark moon in Libra on October 14, 2023.

This type of eclipse happens when the moon is slightly farther away from Earth than usual, making it appear too small to block out the entire sun and instead leave a thin “ring of fire” visible. 

Solar eclipses are alignments of the Sun, the Moon, and You.

Lunar Eclipse

Lunar eclipses occur at full moons when the sun and moon are in opposite signs.  The Lunar eclipse happens at the Mourning Full moon with Scorpio Sun/Taurus Moon on October 28th, 2023. 

During the partial lunar eclipse, the moon will pass through Earth’s shadow, making it appear less bright than usual. The partial lunar eclipse will begin at 3:36 p.m. EDT (1936 GMT) and end at 4:53 p.m. EDT (2053 GMT).

The Witch’s Moon

Witch’s New Moon: October 16-17, 2023

The Witch’s New Moon is different from the Dark Moon! The New Moon of the Old World Witch is called the Witch’s New Moon. It is when the very first crescent or sliver of the Moon is visible. This is typically 2-3 nights after the Dark Moon. 

The Witch’s New Moon does not have an exact time. It reveals itself when the very first crescent of the Moon is visible. With some variations, the Witch’s New Moon rises in the daytime before noon and becomes visible in the day sky. It will be most visible at sunset and usually sets well before midnight. The Witch’s New Moon is the same percentage worldwide, both in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. However, which way the tips of the Witch’s New Moon point depend on the time, date, and location on Earth. When you see the very first moon crescent in the sky, know that the Witch’s Moon is upon you.

Samhain

Samhain (a Gaelic word pronounced “sow-win”) is a pagan festival originating from an ancient Celtic spiritual tradition. It is usually celebrated from October 31 to November 1 to welcome in the harvest and usher in “the dark half of the year.” Celebrants believe that the barriers between the physical world and the spirit world break down during Samhain, allowing more interaction between humans and denizens of the Otherworld.

Ancient Celts marked Samhain as the most significant of the four quarterly fire festivals, taking place at the midpoint between the fall equinox and the winter solstice.

Early texts present Samhain as a mandatory celebration lasting three days and three nights where the community was required to show themselves to local kings or chieftains. Failure to participate was believed to result in punishment from the gods, usually illness or death.

Now the sun has descended into the realm of the underworld, the forces of the underworld were in the ascendency. The lord of the underworld, unfettered from the control of the sun, now walked the earth and with him travelled all those other creatures from the abode of the dead. Ghosts, fairies and a host of other non-descript creatures went with him. The Lord of the Dead in Celtic mythology can be identified as Donn.

The idea that Samhain is a juncture between the two halves of the year saw it acquiring the unique status of being suspended in time – it did not belong to the old year not the new. It could be said that time stood still on this night and the implications of this were immense. During this night the natural order of life was thrown into chaos and the earthly world of the living became hopelessly entangled with the world of the dead. But the world of the dead was itself a complicated place, peopled not only by the spirits of the departed, but also with a host of gods, fairies and other creatures of uncertain nature.