When To Plan Your Next Full Moon Party

There's a certain nature-themed spirituality that's embedded in the fall. The turn of season has us tuned into the Earth and the sky, embracing visual markers like when the leaves start to change (for admiring) and when the next full moon is (for howling).

Enjoying the sight of a full moon on a fall night is somehow different than in any other season. The fresh air feels satisfying and detoxifying, unlike the heavy thickness of the summer air. We find ourselves anchored to natural events like the full moon for balance. Our innate draw to the moon is strengthened by our desire to be outside at night. We enjoy the temperature and holding onto the last bit of comfort before winter and seeing evidence of poems and songs and stories, inspired by that very moon.

So for those of you who are bummed that you missed this last full moon, here is a list of the next full moons coming for you this fall, that way you can add them to your calendar and make as much or little to do about them as you please. Have a harvest party, have a howling party, get together with your friends and see if with your combined effort, at least one of you can get a good picture of the moon — seriously, why is it so hard to photograph?!

October 16, 2016

October's full moon is actually kind of a big deal. This moon will be most visible at 12:23 a.m., so either stay awake on the night of October 15, or wake yourself up to see it, because it's totally worth it. This moon is called the "Hunter's Moon" because it's the first full moon after the Harvest Moon. This moon is super bright and will have an orange tinge. It's called the Hunter's Moon because before there were grocery stores and electricity, hunters would use the bright light of the October full moon to go out and look for prey. By October, the animals would have been fattened up after a summer of eating their own prey. This moon was also sometimes referred to as the Traveler's Moon — its bright orange light served as a guiding light for people who needed to change locations. If only they had flashlights or cars...

Its light is so bright, that when it becomes visible while the sun is still up, it looks as if there are two suns. People who have witnessed this naturally occurring phenomenon have thought of it as a miracle and an impossibility. And while it's not a miracle, rather an illusion, it's still pretty flipping cool and can actually technically happen with any bright full moon on a clear day!