The Mourning Moon: The Crossroads of Winter

Hovering over the final days of November is our 12th Full Moon of the year.

Sometimes called the Frost Moon, Freezing Moon, Scratching Moon, or Digging Moon, traditionally, November's moon is nicknamed after our hardworking, crafty, semi-aquatic friend – the beaver. Like other warm-blooded animals, come November, the beaver is busy preparing his winter den. He doesn't burrow into the earth like his friends, the hedgehog and chipmunk, but creates a cozy, above-ground lodge with sticks, mud, and leaves. Although the beaver doesn't hibernate, he still needs to keep warm and dry during the cold months.

For many people in the Northern Hemisphere, November's Full Moon is a cosmic nudge to tie up loose ends and whatever else we've put off until the last minute.

Cottage Witches might be hauling in extra firewood, packing their pantries, and winter-proofing their homes. City Witches are shifting into soup mode and airing out their winter wardrobe. They're donating the things that no longer fit their energy (because making space is a spell), knowing that their overlooked surplus might be someone else's saving grace.

Word Witches are, not surprisingly, writing. November has deep literary roots, and in the US, November is National Novel Writing Month. Run by the non-profit organization NaNoWriMo, from Nov. 1st-30th, thousands of writers worldwide challenge themselves to write a complete an entire novel. If they reach 50,000 words by the end of the month, they can win all sorts of bookish prizes.

According to Terri Windling and the Celtic region of Brittany, November also begins a season of storytelling. This two-month-long celebration runs through December and culminates on Christmas Day. No doubt influenced by the crossroads of winter, November's Full Moon marks a pivotal moment when people shift indoors and take up residence by the fire.

Storytellers and fireside gatherings go hand-in-hand. After the chores are finished and the hearth lit, people have no choice but to get comfy beneath winter's blanket. Without the outdoors to inspire their musings during the dark months, people's journeys were limited to the inner worlds, imaginary places that were typically more wild and colorful than realized.

Perhaps storytellers are also drawn to fireside spells for that cozy glow, for fire's ability to warm our bones and its promise of creative sparks. Working with fire can be a practice in alchemy and divination, with animists suggesting that through the pops and cracks of a winter blaze, spirits speak to us. Divination with fire is called pyromancy.

Details aside, come the end of November, all witches are tending to the dead. November's moon is also called the Mourning Moon. This week, we invite you to put to rest the things you've outgrown. Bid farewell to the things you no longer have room for. Compost the things that no longer feel supportive (even if they used to). Scatter their ashes over winter's threshold and behold the crossroads of possibility that rise to the surface.

Before we dance into the night and sing our full moon prayers, one more piece of seasonal lore upon which to gnaw…

On November 30th, a few days after the Full Gemini Moon, the Goddess Hecate invites us to stand with her at the crossroads of winter. On this night, known as Hecate's Trivia, people celebrate the Dark Goddess in her spookier, spectral form. As “Trivia” is the Latin phrase for a three-way crossroads, Witches and Pagans focus on Hecate's relationship with this ancient symbol. To the magically minded, the crossroads is a sacred space, a liminal juncture between worlds, and Hecate is the mother to all spirits who visit.

In honor of Hecate's Trivia, November's Full Moon, and the inevitable crossroads of winter, grab your tarot or oracle cards for a 3-card spread!

If you divine with the Hecate's Trivia tarot spread, 

tag @littlewitchbooks and @pointyhatpress in your photos!