Shadow Work Prompts 2

Frost Moon - November 15 2024

Grab your scarves and mittens, witches - it’s time for the Frost Moon!

Frost Moon

The Frost Moon is the name given to the full moon which occurs in the month of November. In temperate zones in the Northern Hemisphere, November is the month during which the first frost or first hard freeze of the season is usually observed.

Like many full moon names, this is an English translation of a traditional name used by one or more North American indigenous groups, in this case the Cree and the Assiniboine. Similarly, the Anishinaabe and the Ojibwe also called this month the Freezing Moon or Freezing Over Moon respectively, as indigenous naming conventions usually refer to the entire lunar month and not just the full moon itself. Other indigenous names include Deer Rutting Moon (Dakota and Lakota), Whitefish Moon (Algonquin), Leaf Fall Moon (Catawba), and Digging (or Scratching) Moon (Tlingit). The latter refers to the habit of deer and other creatures scratching up the ground to find hidden food caches, as well as bears digging their dens for winter hibernation.

Another very common name for this month’s full moon is the Beaver Moon, due to the increased sightings of these busy little creatures shoring up their dams and food stores before the first hard freeze of winter. (Unfortunately, it’s also a reference to the peak days of the North American fur trade, signaling the optimal hunting time for beaver pelts.)

In some modern pagan traditions, particularly those claiming Celtic lineage, the November moon is also called the Mourning Moon. This occurs when the November moon is the final full moon before the winter solstice. In 2024, the November is not a Mourning Moon, as the December full moon falls on the 15th, several days before the winter solstice. (I was not able to find an original source for this claim, but given the celebration of the beloved dead in October, a subsequent period of mourning and remembrance makes sense. It may also be a reference to the Catholic All Souls Day, but that’s just speculation.)

This particular Frost Moon will be at peak fullness in the afternoon hours of November 15th (4:29pm EST). This is the final supermoon in the four-month consecutive series of supermoons for 2024, so make the most of it!

What Does It Mean For Witches?

This is the month when migrations are finishing up, animals are finishing their cold weather preparations, the temperature starts to plummet, and fall descends rapidly into winter. If you haven’t finished your preparations for winter, mundane or magical, this is probably your last chance to do it. (Don’t forget to prioritize and delegate!)

With the days getting shorter and the nights getting colder, the temptation to hunker down and hibernate is STRONG. But we have to remember that just like the eponymous Beaver, humans have to stay active during the cold months. Start stockpiling ways to keep yourself busy and motivated, since that Seasonal Slump is on the horizon for many of us.

Consider also the beaver’s dam. You’ve spent the whole year working towards all kinds of goals. Is there still something blocking your way? What might it be and how can you best address and remove the obstacle? Or, alternatively, is it time to stop and rest and see if that roadblock will clear itself with a little time and patience?

In keeping with the Mourning Moon moniker, this could be a good time for reflection and remembrance. Think back on what you’ve built this year and take time to be proud of yourself. Remember what is dear to you, take a moment to miss someone who is gone, and consider rekindling bonds that may have lapsed or grown tenuous during the hustle and bustle of daily life. It’s always a good time to tell someone you love them.

On a practical note, if you have pets that regularly stay outdoors overnight, start bringing them inside or make sure they have a shelter that is properly warm, clean, and secure against human or animal intruders. If it’s too chilly for you to be out without a coat, it’s too chilly for the critters, fur or no fur. PLEASE do not leave your furry friends out in the cold!

What Witchy Things Can We Do?

As we prepare for winter, this is an excellent time to shore up those magical protections. Check on your longterm spells to see if they need refreshing, or just go ahead and do a quick cleanse-and-reclaim as a proactive measure. Even if everything is solid, practice your technique by shoring up points of egress or adding a new layer to the existing wards or trying a new visualization or method for personal protections. Create a new charm or talisman to carry you through the winter or make something festive and decorative that could be given as a gift.

On the subject of cleansing, this is a good time to clear out any stale or disruptive energy that might be lingering from the recent change of seasons. Solstices can be times of transformation, but change is rarely a calm or peaceful process and it brings its’ own set of challenges and upheavals. If things have gotten a little more chaotic than you’d like, take a moment to put your house in order, metaphysically speaking.

If you’re partial to jar spells, consider putting one together to help maintain safety and abundance through the winter months. If you’re going to be traveling for the upcoming holidays, a bit of luck and protection for the journey wouldn’t go amiss either.

If you've been working any longterm magic over the past few months to coincide with the abundance of supermoons, this is the time to bring your working to a culmination. Finish setting things in motion, tie up loose ends, close loopholes, and send your magic out into the world. Be sure to document what you've done and when and what methods you used, as well as any indicators of success to look for later if (and hopefully when) tangible results begin to appear.

Try a frost divination. If your area is starting to see overnight frosts, take a moment in the morning to examine the patterns that the frost leaves on the windows of your home or vehicle. Do you see any patterns or images in the ice crystals? Check the weather forecast and whisper a question into the wind when the overnight temps will drop below freezing. Then in the morning, see if there’s an answer waiting for you!

Happy Frost Moon, witches! 🌕❄

Further Reading:

Additional Lunar Calendar posts

Beaver Moon Magic: November’s Vibrant Moon Meaning in 2024, The Peculiar Brunette.

Beaver Moon: Full Moon in November 2024, The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

Beaver Full Moon in November - Buckle and Hocken, TimeAndDate.com.

Everyday Moon Magic: Spells & Rituals for Abundant Living, Dorothy Morrison, Llewellyn Publications, 2004.

Image Source - ABC News.

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Everyday Magic for the Sea Witch

Keep a conch shell in your home so you can listen to the ocean when you need it

Keep jars of ocean water by your bed so you can be empowered by the sea

Decorate your altar with sea shells and sea glass

Wear blues and greens

Carry around a turquoise to harness the power of water

Place a jar of sand on your altar

Fall asleep to the sound of waves to feel connected to the sea

Give thanks to fish or other sea creatures you eat or use

About Iso'onna

Halloween is just around the corner so let's talk about something similar to a vampire. Blood sucking yōkai is rare in Japanese Folklore, but there is one kind of vampire-like (in terms of sucking the victims blood) yōkai indigenous throughout Kyūshū Region [九州地方] called Iso'onna [磯女] (blow) (or Isohime [磯姫] including other regional variations).

Generally, Iso'onna is described as a anthropomorphic, serpentine yōkai with a women-like appearance with long dark hair, but in most cases, observers fails to distinguish her with any ordinary coastal rock due to her elusiveness when lurking near or in the ocean for hunting her victims. ①

Similar legend ① is also told in Amakusa City [天草市] (Kumamoto Prefecture). Locals are warned not to sleep in a fishing boat with the fishing net still casted on its sides because Iso'onna would use that net to climb onboard to suck the blood of sleeping fisherman using her hair.

While she does possess a Siren like quality as well. A legend ② from Minami-shimabara City [南島原市] (Nagasaki Prefecture) tells a story of a man spotting a woman at the coast who was idly looking at the tides. Then as soon as the man called her out as he approached her, the woman suddenly turned around and after making an ear piercing screech, she wrapped her long body around the man and began draining all the from him via her long dark hair. This is the reason why the locals are warned to not approach a woman near the coast especially during the night of New Years and Obon ③.

In a particular case ④, the locals of Ojika Town [小値賀町] (Kitamatsu'ura Dist. [北松浦郡], Nagasaki Prefecture) believes that the true identity of Iso'onna are the souls lost at sea who appears on the surface on a calm day; begging to return the souls within the sea back to the land.

Meanwhile, the legend ② of a perhaps identical yōkai called Isohime [磯女] from Nagashima Town [長島町] (Izumi Dist. [出水郡], Kagoshima Prefecture) is told to not only attack anyone near sea coasts to suck-out their blood, but some may die only by looking at her even a glimpse.

Sources:

1. "Yōkai-jiten" [妖怪事典] (2000) by Kenji Murakami [村上 健司](1968-present)

2. "Sōgō-nihon-minzoku-goi" (1st Edition) [綜合日本民俗語彙 (第1巻)] (1955) by Tokihiko Ōtō [大藤 時彦] (1902-1990) & et al

3. "Gensō-dōbutsu-jiten" [幻想動物事典] (1997) by Takumi Kusano [草野 巧] (n/a)

4. "Jōmin: Gotōrettō-ojikashima Chōsahōkokusho" [常民: 五島列島小値賀島 調査報告書] (1963) by Chūō University's Society of Flolkloristics [中央大学民俗研究会]

Urban.Folkwitch

Crystals for Zodiac Signs

“I Recover From Fatigue”

Draw this on a bottle/cup/mug of whatever it is you’re drinking be it coffee, tea, or water

Ritual for Positive Thoughts

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

a bowl

water

salt

lavender oil (optional; be sure it is safe for skin!)

a rag

INTENT: To bring forth positive thoughts and help reduce nightmares.

STEPS:

Gather your water and salt into a bowl; use two drops of lavender oil if using.

Let the tip of your rag soak in the water.

Close your eyes and focus on the water. Charge it with positive energy by holding your hand over it, not touching.

Take your rag and gently dab it from one temple to the other, using 5-7 light dots of the soaked against your forehead while focusing on positive energies.

Save mixture and repeat daily and/or nightly.