October’s Hunter Moon: Spiritual Meaning and Full Moon Ritual

October’s Full Moon will be at its fullest on October 17, 2024. This year’s Hunter Moon is also a Supermoon, like the Sturgeon Moon in August. This means it will look larger and brighter when full.

The Hunter Moon’s spiritual meaning symbolizes a time for reflection and internal work as well as a time for abundance, as it’s timed with the final harvest of the year. It’s also a time to honor the ancestors and to turn inward to look at hidden things. If you’re considering doing some shadow work, the energy of the month and moon support it.

The Full Moon rituals, spells, and October correspondences for the Hunter Moon are related to these energies. In October 2024, the Full Moon is in Aries, the cardinal sign of the zodiac. Harness that powerful energy to propel yourself to the next level.

Why Is October’s Full Moon Named the Hunter Moon?

October’s Moon Full Moon in known as the Hunter Moon because it is the time of the year when hunters are doing their final big hunts and are storing meat to sustain them through the long winter.

Some of the other names for October’s Full moon reflect the harvest season and the seasonal changes that are taking place in nature.

October’s Full Moon is also known as:

• Falling Leaves Moon (Ojibwe)
• Harvest Moon (Catawba, Cherokee, Celts)
• Hunting Moon (Mahican, Tunica, Seneca)
• Someone Stores Food Moon (Oneida)
• Seed Fall Moon (Celts)
• Blood Moon (Anglo-Saxon)
• Sanguine Moon (Anglo-Saxon)

When is the Full Moon in October 2024?

The 2024 Hunter Moon will be at peak fullness on Thursday, October 17 at 7:26 PM ET. It will be in the sign of Aries.

If you are located in another time zone, it will be full on October 17 at 11:26 UTC. The next October Moon will be on October 7, 2025 in Aries.

What Is the Hunter Moon’s Spiritual Meaning?

Spiritually, the Hunter Moon in October is a time to embrace your inner strength as well as your perseverance and focus. As the last Full Moon of the harvest season, it marks a moment of gathering final resources and preparing for what lies ahead. It’s a perfect time to reflect on what you’ve accomplished and assess what you would like to complete before winter.

Is there a goal or desire that you’re ready to bring into focus? What parts of yourself are ready to step forward?

Also, since in 2024, October’s Full Moon falls in Aries, consider some ways to step into your power, confidence, and fire.

The energy of the Hunter Full Moon is:

• Strength
• Focus
• Courage
• Completion
• Decisive Action
• Gratitude
• Harvesting
• Abundance

October Correspondences

If you are looking to decorate your altar or create a spell jar for the Full Moon, here are some of the flowers, colors, and deities that correspond with this Moon and the month of October. You may also incorporate them into your Full Moon ritual.

• Colors: Orange, black, red, purple
• Gods and Goddesses: Osiris, Hades, Hekate, Anubis, Cernunnos, Horned God, Odin
• Animals: Bats, owls, wolves, ravens, frogs
• Plants and herbs: rosemary, clove, pumpkin, wormwood, garlic, chrysanthemum, sycamore, hawthorn, mugwort
• Crystals: Black obsidian, onyx, carnelian, hag stone, ruby

If you feel called to do so, also consider adding objects that connect to Aries or Mars to your altar. Just remember to never leave a lit candle burning unattended.

What Kind of Magic Should I Do In My Full Moon Ritual?

The energy of the Hunter Moon is a good time for rituals connected to focus, abundance, and wrapping things up. If there is anything you want to bring in or let go of before the close of the year, work with the harvest’s energy to do so.

Some spells you might want to consider are: protection spells, releasing magic, and manifestation work. Shadow work and working with your ancestors or the dead is also in alignment with the energies of this time.

You may also find it helpful to journal your thoughts. Here are some prompts to consider:

Journal Prompts for October’s Full Moon

1. What do you wish to accomplish before the end of the year?
2. What is blocking you from becoming your most powerful self?
3. What fears or doubts have been holding you back, and how can you overcome them with action?
4. What clutter (literal or metaphorical) do you want to release before winter sets in?
5. What do you want to give thanks for at this time?
6. Is there anything you wish to manifest before the harvest closes?
7. In what areas of your life do you need to sharpen your focus and take decisive action to achieve your goals?

Hunter Moon Activities

If you’re looking for other ways to honor or celebrate the energy of October’s Full Moon, here are some activities to consider trying on the 2-3 days surrounding it.

• Do a gratitude practice to reflect on what you’re thankful for.
• Host a bonfire ceremony and gather with friends or your coven to release what you’re ready to let go of and call in abundance.
• Try a type of divination you haven’t explored yet.
• Visit the cemetery or do a deep meditation connecting with your ancestors.
• Take a moonlit walk with friends or loved ones and bathe in the light of the celestial orb.
• Enjoy a Full Moon Bath using some of the skin-safe herbs and oils of the month.

Simple Full Moon Ritual for the October Moon

1. Meditate or take a ritual bath to center and focus your energy on your intention.
2. Cleanse the space using smoke from your preferred cleansing herb. Move the smoke around your altar in a clockwise manner. You may also create a circle using salt, flowers, or herbs. Create the circle in a clockwise fashion.
3. If you wish to charge Moon water, place water on your altar or where it will be bathed in the Moon’s light. Place any crystals you want to charge on your altar or where they will be under the moonlight.
4. Light the candles on your altar.
5. Use the journal prompts above or begin to journal about what you wish to let go of this Full Moon on one page. Write about what you wish to bring in on another. Do not judge yourself, simply let your intuition and higher self guide you. If you feel scattered, take a break to bring your focus back to your breath. Breathe slowly and mindfully, then begin again.
6. If you feel compelled to do so, you may burn the page containing what you wish to release. Do so in a fireproof bowl.
7. Stay in the calm, focused energy as long as desire, then thank the Moon, any deities you’ve worked with. In doing so, you will close the circle. If you have created a physical circle, remove it slowly and with intention in a counterclockwise fashion.