The Mythical Hunter: October’s Full Moon
Seasonally speaking, October marks the waning phase of our seasonal wheel, but this week, we're also lighting a candle for our 10th full moon of the year – the Hunter Moon. Beneath the Hunter Moon, Mother Earth is busy shedding her summer skin while humans labor harder than ever.
Gardeners take to their fields where the wheat is long gone, the corn wilted, but root vegetables still flourish. Pumpkins and gourds of every color creep and climb toward the light, claiming sunny perches to soak up the sun's weakening rays.
Hunters are also busy. Find them haunting the woods and shadowy places where animals and spirits mingle. The Hunter Moon, also known as the Blood Moon, is a reminder of our seasonal sacrifices. As Samhain nears, hunters harvest animals to ensure communities have enough food to survive winter and carry them into spring.
This mythical Hunter goes by many names - Cernunnos, Herne the Hunter, the Oak King, and the Horned God. Sometimes, the archetypal Hunter takes on characteristics of the Dying God - the masculine, solar spirit from Pagan lore.
Through this lens, the Hunter suggests we support our communities, take no more than we need, and respect that which we carry. The Hunter personifies death. On our earthly plane, he's the compost from which new life arises.
We might also consider one of the Hunter's other guises, like that of the student or seeker:
“…the Hunter has another aspect: that of searching, of seeking. He embodies all quests, whether physical, spiritual, artistic, scientific, or social. His image is poemagogic: It both symbolizes and sparks the creative process, which is itself a Quest. The God seeks for the Goddess, as King Arthur seeks for the Grail, as each of us seeks for that which we have lost and for all that has never yet been found.”
For some of us, October’s moon can be an opportunity to work with the spirit of the Hunter or Huntress, invite our shadows inside for tea, and hunt for the projects that need finishing before winter takes root.
At Little Witch Books and Pointy Hat Press, a full moon always encourages a bit of self-reflection. Right now, we're asking ourselves:
How many layers of summer skin do we still need to shed?
What mask(s) am I wearing right now? Shall I remove it for good – or swap for another?
Is there anything I'm holding that would be better off donated, retired, or composted?
This shadow season, what quests await my inner Hunter or Huntress?
