First Quarter: October 29th
Last Quarter: October 13th
Sabbats: Samhain - October 31st
Also known as: Hunter's moon, Ivy Moon, Reed Moon, Sanguine Moon & Winter Moon
Nature Spirts: Frost fairies & plant fairies
Deities: Apollo, Astarte, Belili, Cernunnos, Demeter, Hathor, Herne, Horned God, Ishtar, Kore, Lakshmi & Mercury
Animals: Elephant, jackal, ram, scorpion & stag
Birds: Crow, heron & robin
Trees: Acacia, apple, cypress & yew
Herbs: Angelica, burdock, catnip, mint, pennyroyal, sweet Annie, thyme & Uva Ursi
Colors: Black, blue, dark blue, green & purple
Flowers: Apple blossom, Calendula, cosmos & marigold
Scents: Apple blossom, cherry & strawberry
Stones: Aquamarine, garnet, kunzite, morganite, opal, sapphire & tourmaline
Issues, intentions & powers: Courage, healing, inspiration, memory/memories & stability
Energy: Artistic works, balancing, creativity, harmony, inner cleansing, justice, karma, legal matters, mental stimulation, partnerships, reincarnation & uncovering mysteries or secrets
October’s full moon is a Supermoon! Which occur when the Moon is at perigee, its closest point to Earth. This means it will appear noticeably larger & brighter than a typical full Moon. The Harvest Moon is the full Moon closest to the autumnal equinox. Unlike other full Moons, it rises about the same time for several nights, providing extended evening light. Historically, this extra illumination helped farmers complete their harvests before fall frosts.
• Fun fact: In 2025, October’s full Moon is closer to the equinox than September’s, so it takes the name Harvest Moon, while September’s Moon is commonly referred to as the Corn Moon.
It is believed that this name Hunter's Moon originates from the fact that it was a signal for hunters to prepare for the upcoming cold winter by going hunting. This is because animals were beginning to fatten up in preparation for the winter season. Moreover, since fields had recently been cleared out under the Harvest Moon, hunters could easily spot deer & other animals that had come out to search for remaining scraps. Additionally, foxes & wolves would also come out to prey on these animals.
Also known as: All Hallow's eve, Allantide, Ancestor Night, Feast of Sam-fuim, Feast of Souls, Feast of the Dead, Geimhreadh, Hallowmass, Samana, Samhuinn, Samhtheine, Sauin, & Third Harvest
Symbols: Apples, bats, besom, black cats, cauldrons, ghosts, gourds, jack-o-lanterns, masks, pumpkin, scarecrows & witches
Colors: Black, brown, gold, grey, orange, yellow silver & white
Oils & Incense: Basil, cinnamon, cloves, copal, frankincense, gum mastic, heather, heliotrope, honey, mint, myrrh, nutmeg & pine
Animals: Bat, boar, cat, cattle, dog, owl, raven & spiders
Stones: Amber, anatase, black calcite, black obsidian, black tourmaline, brass, carnelian, clear quartz, diamond, garnet, gold, granite, hematite, iron, jet, marble, moonstone, obsidian, onyx, perl, pyrite, ruby, sandstone, sardonyx, smokey quartz, steel & tektite
Foods: Apples, ale, beef, cider, corn, fermented foods, fruit, garlic, gourds, grains, hazelnuts, herbal teas, mushroom, nettle, nuts, pear, pomegranates, pork, poultry, pumpkin pue, sunflowers seeds, thistle, turnips & wine
Herbs & plants: Acorn, allspice, broom, catnip, corn, deadly nightshades, dittany of Crete, fumitory, garlic, hemlock, mandrake, mugwort, mullein, myrrh, oak leaves, patchouli, rosemary, rue, sage, straw, tarragon, thistle& wormwood
Flowers: Calendula, chrysanthemum, marigold & yarrow
Trees: Beech, blackthorn, cedar, hazel, locust, pomegranate, pine, willow, witch hazel, yellow cedar & yew
Goddesses: Al-Lat, Baba Yaga, Badb, Banba, Bast, Bebhionn, Bronach, Brunhilde, Cailleach Bheur, Carlin, Cassandra, Cerridwen, Copper Woman, Crobh Dearg, Demeter, Devanyani, Dolya, Durga, Edda, Elli, Eris, Erishkigal, Fortuna, Frau Holde, Hecate, Hel, Inanna, Ishtar, Isis, Kali, Lilith, Macha, Mania, Mari, Morrigan, Nemesis, Nephthys, Nicneven, Persephone, Pomona, Psyche, Rhiannon & Samana
Gods: Arawn, Baron Samede, Belenus, Cernunnos, Coyote, Cronus, The Dagda, Dis Pater, Hades, The Horned God, Janus, Loki, Nefertum, Odin, Osiris, Pluto, Taranis, Teutates, Woden & Xocatl
Archetypes: The Crone, The Changeling, The Faery King, The Grim Reaper, The Grieving Mother, The Grieving Wife, The Huntsman, The Husbandsman, , The Wild Hunt, The Witch & The Woman in White
Tarot Cards: Death, The High Priestess & Wheel of Fortune
Spellwork: Confrontation, divination, fire magic, healing, hope, interdependence,love, night magic, preparation, protection, release, renewal, road openings, shape-shifting, spirt calling & water magic
Issues, Intentions & Powers: Beginnings, change, courage, crossroads, darkness, death, divination, endings, honoring ancestors, introspection, the otherworld/underwold, release, rest, survival, visions & wisdom
• Dedicate an altar or memorial to loved ones who have passed
• Boil a simmer pot to cleanse your space
• Light a candle for your loved ones & yourself
• Decorate your house and/or altar
• Release negative energy & cleanse yourself with a ritual bath
• Pull tarot cards to see what may be in store for you ahead
• Cleanse, clean & de-clutter your space
• Host or attend a bonfire
• Leave offerings for the Sídhe
• Journal & reflect on your accomplishments, challenges & everything you did this year
• Learn a new form of divination
• Have a bonfire with your friends and/or family
• Carve pumpkins, turnips or apples
• Express yourself creatively through art, music, ect
• Visit a cemetery & help clean off areas that need it or to visit a family member/ ancestor & leave an offering
• Bake spooky treats & bread as offerings
• Refresh your protection magics, sigils & rituals
Samhain is believed to have Celtic pagan origins & some Neolithic passage tombs in Great Britain & Ireland are aligned with the sunrise at the time of Samhain. It is mentioned in the earliest Irish literature, from the 9th century & is associated with many important events in Irish mythology.
The early literature says great gatherings & feasts marked Samhain when the ancient burial mounds were open, which were seen as portals to the Otherworld. Some of the literature also associates Samhain with bonfires & sacrifices.
• According to Irish mythology, Samhain (like Beltane) was a time when the 'doorways' to the Otherworld opened, allowing supernatural beings and the souls of the dead to come into our world; while Beltane was a summer festival for the living, Samhain "was essentially a festival for the dead".
•The festival was not recorded in detail until the early modern era. It was when cattle were brought down from the summer pastures & livestock were slaughtered. Special bonfires were lit, which were deemed to have protective & cleansing powers.
At Samhain, the aos sí were appeased with offerings of food & drink to ensure the people & livestock survived the winter. The souls of dead kin were also thought to revisit their homes seeking hospitality & a place was set at the table for them during a meal. Divination was also a big part of the festival & often involved nuts & apples.
Mumming & guising were part of the festival from at least the early modern era, whereby people went door-to-door in costume, reciting verses in exchange for food. The costumes may have been a way of imitating & disguising oneself from the aos sí.
• In the late 19th century, John Rhys and James Frazer suggested it had been the "Celtic New Year", but that is disputed.
• Halloween( October 31st)-
In popular culture, the day has become a celebration of horror, being associated with the macabre and supernatural.
•One theory holds that many Halloween traditions were influenced by Celtic harvest festivals, particularly the Gaelic festival Samhain, which are believed to have pagan roots. Some go further & suggest that Samhain may have been Christianized as All Hallow's Day, along with its eve, by the early Church. Other academics believe Halloween began solely as a Christian holiday, being the vigil of All Hallow's Day.
Popular Halloween activities include trick-or-treating (or the related guising & ghouling), attending Halloween costume parties, carving pumpkins or turnips into jack-o'-lanterns, lighting bonfires, apple bobbing, divination games, playing pranks, visiting haunted attractions, telling scary stories, & watching horror or Halloween-themed films
• Day of the Dead(November 1st-2nd)-
el Día de Muertos or el Día de los Muertos
The multi-day holiday involves family & friends gathering to pay respects & to remember friends & family members who have died. These celebrations can take a humorous tone, as celebrants remember amusing events & anecdotes about the departed. It is widely observed in Mexico, where it largely developed, and is also observed in other places, especially by people of Mexican heritage.
•The observance falls during the Christian period of Allhallowtide.
Traditions connected with the holiday include honoring the deceased using calaveras & marigold flowers known as cempazúchitl, building home altars called ofrendas with the favorite foods & beverages of the departed & visiting graves with these items as gifts for the deceased.
The celebration is not solely focused on the dead, as it is also common to give gifts to friends such as candy sugar skulls, to share traditional pan de muerto with family & friends, & to write light-hearted & often irreverent verses in the form of mock epitaphs dedicated to living friends & acquaintances, a literary form known as calaveras literarias.
Some argue that there are Indigenous Mexican or ancient Aztec influences that account for the custom & it has become a way to remember those forebears of Mexican culture.
• All Saint's Day(November 1st)-
Also known as All Hallows' Day or the Feast of All Saints is a Christian solemnity celebrated in honour of all the saints of the Church, whether they are known or unknown.
Llewellyn's Complete Book of Correspondences by Sandra Kines
A Witch's Book of Correspondences by Viktorija Briggs
Llewellyn 2025 magical almanac Practical magic for everyday living
Llewellyn's Sabbat Essentials: Samhain
This guide was written with Moon phases and dates corresponding to North America. These guides are supposed to be a generalized stepping off point to do your own research & help celebrate the way you feel called to. NO AI OR CHATGPT WAS USED
•THIS IS CONDENSED INFORMATION AND SPECIFICS MAY NOT BE MENTIONED
This isn't based off what I do personally & I'm by no way suggesting people celebrate a certain way. It's stuff I've read & put together from books so people of different traditions & practices can get an idea of what to do for the sabbat, months or research for themselves. Note that for Native American names, each Moon name was traditionally applied to the entire lunar month in which it occurred, the month starting either with the new Moon or full Moon. Also the name of the lunar month might vary each year or between bands or other groups within the same nation.Some names listed here may reflect usage at once in history but may no longer be used by a designated group today. Many of the names listed here are English interpretations of the words used in Native American languages. They are only roughly aligned here with the months of the Gregorian calendar; you’ll notice that some names are repeated in multiple months.The ones listed are the ones that were used in the books I used for correspondences & there are many more that are not mentioned.