This week, you crossed the threshold of the autumnal equinox. As you usher in fall and say goodbye to summer, the Harvest full moon on Saturday, September 26th graces you with an opportunity to practice gratitude and release dead weight.
For the several days following the equinox, the last remains of late-day sunlight linger, giving you one final opportunity to harvest what you’ve been working so hard towards all year long.
Then, under the Harvest Moon, you may think about where you’re heading next.
Each full moon brings a lunar cycle to its peak. In that bright light, the past few weeks can look different. Something you’ve been proud of deserves more credit. Something you’ve been putting up with suddenly feels impossible to ignore.
The Harvest Moon asks you to look back across the whole summer. What did you spend your time growing? What flourished, and what kept asking for more than you had to give? You can be grateful for a season without wanting to bring every part of it along.
This year’s Harvest Moon falls in Aries. If you’ve been waiting for a sign to be honest with yourself, Aries isn’t especially interested in making you wait longer.
These rituals offer three ways to honor the autumn equinox as it settles in. Remember, a ritual is about intention. Your energy matters more than being “perfect,” so work with what you have.
Pull out your favorite tarot or oracle deck, or the one that reminds you most of fall. Before you shuffle, think about the metaphorical garden within.
All summer, you’ve been cultivating a deeper relationship with yourself. Maybe you dated around, danced late into the night, and got closer to your friends. Maybe a much-needed break gives you time to explore a hobby you love. Some of you started therapy. Others traveled, made art, fell in love, or let yourselves daydream about a different life. Even if none of that happened, you lived through a season. You aren’t quite the person who entered it.
Journal about your summer if you’d like. Then shuffle your cards, take a breath, and pull one card for each prompt:
Give each card room to surprise you. The thing that flourished might be a friendship you barely noticed becoming important. The seed that didn’t grow might still be worth planting another time. And what you’re ready to let die doesn’t have to be dramatic. Sometimes it’s the expectation that you should want what you wanted three months ago.
No deck? Write your answers in a journal or pull a few cards with our free tarot game.
Fire is an ancient way to mark an ending. There’s no gathering the flame back up once it’s done its work. With this full moon in Aries, a fire sign that never does anything halfway, it feels right to give the season a proper send-off.
If you can spend an evening around a bonfire, invite your friends. The Harvest Moon is a lovely time to share the fruits of your labor with the people who helped you get here. You can absolutely do this ritual alone, too.
Before you release anything, consider the structures that supported you all summer. What spaces, routines, relationships, and people kept you safe, cool, fed, and hydrated? Who held things together while you went out and lived your life?
Practice gratitude for that quiet stability in the background. If stability is painful to think about because you need more of it, start with the home you have in your own body. Thank it for carrying you through the summer.
Now gather some scrap paper and scribble down what you’re ready to let go of. A belief that’s been keeping you small. A relationship that drains your vitality. A habit you keep defending even though you know it doesn’t feel good. An argument that’s been taking up far too much space in your head. Fill as many pages as you need. If it feels like shit, let it out.
Burn the paper where it’s safe and permitted, or tear it up and throw it away. Then get cozy and notice what you want more of now that you’ve made some room. As the days grow shorter, who would you like to keep nearby? Who could you use a break from? It’s okay to be a little selfish with your time.
Kitchen witches, this one’s for you. Everyone else on the witch spectrum is invited, too. If you can boil water and rummage through your spice cabinet, you have what you need.
On the Harvest Moon, or whenever you have time in the days around it, open a window and let a little fresh air into your home. Fill a pot with water, then gather fruits, herbs, and spices that will smell delicious together. Bring the water to a gentle simmer and add your ingredients as you go. Something that’s been sitting untouched in your kitchen might be exactly what the pot needs.
Citrus brings a bright, fresh scent. Rosemary and mint can make the room feel clean and grounded. Apples are perfect for thinking about gratitude and growth; cinnamon adds warmth. Cloves have a comforting spice, and a dash of vanilla can bring sweetness to the air and to the moment. If you have bay leaves, choose one and think of a wish before adding it to the pot.
Keep an eye on the stove and add water as needed. While the aromas build, give your home some attention. Clear the counter that’s been collecting everything. Put away a few remnants of summer. You don’t need to clean the whole house to make space for something new.
Let the scent remind you of all the work you’ve done through the warm part of the year. Be grateful for yourself, your loved ones, your home, your adventures, and whatever steadies you when times get tough.
You can be grateful for a season and still be ready for it to end. Keep what grew. Leave what drained you. Then look up at the Harvest Moon and give yourself a minute to imagine what you’d like to tend next. Learn more about how to use the 2026 moon cycles to your advantage.