Ceremony for the Full Hunter’s Moon in Aries ~ Choose Your Weapon by Rev. Carol A. Ingle (Raven)

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

Ceremony for the Full Hunter’s Moon in Aries ~ Choose Your Weapon

With back-to-back Full Moons in Aries, we simply must pay attention to Mars ~ our sponsor for these two Moons. This Full Moon in October is known as the Hunter’s Moon because it offers enough light to aid hunters who are out in the night. It’s the second brightest Full Moon of the year, with only the Harvest Moon outshining it.

Scorpio arrives tomorrow, Saturday, October 23rd, at 8:35am (Eastern). Rather than being limited to a Full Moon ceremony, this ceremony can be an aid during the month of Scorpio because Mars is the co-ruler (with Pluto) of Scorpio. During the coming weeks, you can discover a lot about the Mars energy in your Scorpio house.

Something to keep in mind about the mythology of Mars/Ares is that he was not only a warrior/hunter, but also a dancer ~ which is the reason I selected this photo of a Zia dancer dressed for the buffalo hunt. Think “dance of spirit” instead of “dance of anger,” and you’re on the right track.

Ceremony for the Hunter’s Moon ~ Choose Your Weapon

What kind of hunter/warrior are you and what are you hunting? Courage, objectivity, money, relationship? For this ceremony, you need to know the element of your natal Mars sign ~ Earth, Air, Fire or Water ~ to discover your natural weapons as tools you can use to your advantage, as well as your weapons of mass destruction.

There’s nothing better than a fire ceremony for a fire Moon, and a candle ceremony is easy and safe. Ceremonies here at Auntie Moon are to help set intentions and offer a bit of encouragement if your resolve falters. This one can be done at any time, and you may find that the New Moon in Scorpio is also a super auspicious time to have this small ceremony.

Supplies and Instructions

Your choice of candle. Select a taper, a votive, or a jar candle. A votive or taper may only last for a few hours, but a jar candle may last all through the sign of Scorpio. You can light it again and again.

A pen, toothpick, letter opener, or knife ~ anything sharp enough to etch two symbols into the candle wax. You can see the symbols in the picture below.

Read through the descriptions of the elements and note which element your Mars sign is in. Also pick a weapon/tool from an element that you would like to make use of. Carve both symbols into the candle ~ on the sides of a taper or on the top of a votive or jar candle. Here are some thoughts on the weapons of mass destruction and weapons as tools for each of the elements.

Fire ~ Aries, Leo, Sagittarius ~ Your weapons of mass destruction may be your anger, an aggressive or overly-competitive nature, a need to rule others at all costs, bullying or ambushing. If it gets your blood boiling, it’s probably your WMD. To use your weapon cautiously, temper your anger, indignation, or ego, and don’t act hastily without considering the outcome. Courage and the ability to envision yourself as the winner are your tools. Candle colors ~ red and orange.

Air ~ Libra, Aquarius, Gemini ~ Your WMD may be using words to hurt or your intelligence to belittle your opponents. If you plot and plan and think, air is your weapon. To use your weapon cautiously, don’t rationalize bad behavior, get overzealous in your opinions, or detach yourself from the feelings of others. Think about what’s fair, what’s just, and the meaning of mercy. Mediation and treaty are your tools. Candle colors ~ yellows, light blue, violet.

Water ~ Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces ~ Your WMD may be your ability to get inside another’s skin, to zero in on a person’s feelings and then use their feelings to hurt them. You may internalize your rage to the boiling point and then attack when unprovoked. To use your weapon cautiously, try to understand the feelings of your opponents. Sometimes understanding can dispel a hostile situation. Your tools are empathy and love. Candle colors ~ sea greens, silver, turquoise, aqua, magenta.

Earth ~ Capricorn, Taurus, Virgo ~ Your WMD may be your ability to physically overpower another, to deny touch, physical comforts and needs, financial aid, and other forms of support. To use your weapon cautiously, build on the positives of a situation, aiming for sustainability and offer hands-on help. Constructive progress and “good samaritan” behavior are your tools. Candle colors ~ browns, greens, pumpkin.

Now that you’ve decided on which elements and colors you’d like to use, carve the symbols for the two elements onto the candle. You can put one on each side of a taper. Etch the symbols on either side of the wick on votives or jar candles. You don’t have to limit yourself to two ~ you can choose only one or all four of the elements. Choosing one element will make a strong statement. Choosing two or more encourages balance. As you light your candle, ask that you will receive the gift of your new weapons/tools ~ through daily practice and commitment ~ to help you move through the more difficult aspects of your Mars sign.

Example ~ Let’s say you have Mars in Taurus and you’re hunting a way to get your budget in order. (Not all hunters are out for blood.) Mars, the planet of action, moves rather lethargically through Taurus ~ the most earthbound of signs. It may be hard to get something started or you may lose the desire to hang with all that bookkeeping, so you get bogged down and start thinking, “What’s the use?!” Carve the sign for earth on one side of your candle/wick and the sign for fire on the other. Taurus can be accumulative, so it may be very hard to turn down that bargain at your favorite boutique. Ask that courage and a victorious spirit be your gifts. Believe me, sometimes it takes great courage to turn that bargain down (there’s so much comfort and self-esteem tied up in owning it), but you’ve taken courageous steps toward securing your budget.