Bright Blessings of the Corn Moon
Also Known As: Barley Moon, Dispute Moon, Weodmonath (Vegetation Month), Harvest Moon, Moon When Cherries Turn Black, Sturgeon Moon, Full Red Moon, Green Corn Moon, Grain Moon
Element: Fire
Nature Spirits: dryads
Herbs: chamomile, St. John's wort, bay, angelica, fennel, rue, orange, rosemary, basil
Colors: yellow, red, orange, gold
Flowers: sunflower, marigold
Scents: frankincense, heliotrope
Stones: cat's eye, carnelian, jasper, fire agate, garnet, red agate, tiger's eye
Trees: hazel, alder, cedar
Animals: lion, phoenix, sphinx, dragon
Birds: crane, falcon, eagle
Deities: Ganesha, Thoth, Hathor, Diana, Hecate, Nemesis, Vulcan, Mars
Power Flow: energy into harvesting; gathering, appreciating. Vitality, health. Friendships.
Mantra: I sacrifice that which is no longer necessary in my life.
Info on This Moon From About Dot Com: In August, we celebrate the Corn Moon. This moon phase is also known as the Barley Moon, and carries on the associations of grain and rebirth that we saw back at Lammastide.
August was originally known as Sextilis by the ancient Romans, but was later renamed for Augustus (Octavian) Caesar.
Harness some of the Corn Moon's fiery energy for your ritual and spell work. This is a good time to focus on your spiritual and physical health. It's the time to harvest what you can now to put aside for later use. What sacrifices can you make today that will benefit you further down the road?
BY THE BOOKS
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Wicca and Witchcraft by Denise Zimmerman and Katherine A. Gleason
The Wyrt Moon, also known as the Wort, Barley, Corn, or Red Moon, is a time of abundance, agriculture, and marriage. This is the time to collect your magical herbs and store them for the winter or share them with others. Remember to give an offering back to the Gods for Their generosity. At this time of the year, you might want to do magick to help someone else reap the benefits of the Earth's abundance. (With that person's permission, of course!) This is also a good time to make a move at work for that higher level position. If you have become pregnant, this is the time to concentrate your energies on having a healthy pregnancy.
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Paganism by Carl McColman
AUGUST (Corn Moon)-- Harvest begins. Bake bread, settle old disputes prepare to harvest.
The Craft - A Witch's Book of Shadows by Dorothy Morrison
Name: Barley
Cakes & Ale: Oatmeal cookies or sweet bread, malt beverage
Colors: yellow-gold, tan, warm brown
Altar Decor: yellow-gold candles, paper chains, ancestor photos or belongings, sheaves of wheat
Incense: patchouli
Esbat Purpose: Celebrate the reaping of the fields' grains
Try Drawing the Circle With: a sheaf of grain
Witch's Brew: Good Spells for Peace of Mind by Witch Bree
August holds the sensual Red Moon, when all lovers should pursue their passion mightily.
Witches Datebook by Edain McCoy (2002)
The energy of the Hazel Moon is good for contacting spirits and for enhancing shapeshifting or astral projection rituals. It has a solid reputation of protective energy, especially useful for the protection of travelers. Hazel wood also makes an excellent shield for deflecting negative intent when made with this goal in mind.
To craft a simplified version of a hazel shield to protect yourself, your home or office, your car, or your barn, you will need at least nine hazel nuts some thin cord in gold or white, and a hammer and nail. Empower the nuts as emblems of protection. Hammer a hole through them large enough for the cord, then string them together, making a binding knot between each. Hang these in your home and say,
Hazel, raise the shield so high,
So tall and wide that none slips by;
Protect, deflect, and quell all bane,
Make all around me safe again.
Witches Datebook by Dallas Jennifer Cobb
The Full Moon of August shines bright as you harvest the fruits of your focused labor. The seeds you planted in March have come to fruition. As you harvest, be thankful for your good health, bounty, and fertility. Bake breads and sweet cakes to honor the Gods. Offer these to your family, friends, and neighbors. Feast, and, as you break bread, know the abundance of sustenance you enjoy. Give bread or grains to those in need, knowing that karma is a seed you plant-- what goes around comes around, threefold. Make an offering to Gaia, the Earth Mother, and return some grains to Her, sowing the metaphorical seeds of rebirth. Left upon the earth, some of these grains may sprout in the spring, naturally reseeding themselves.
Barley Moon, Harvest Moon, Moon When Cherries Turn Black,
I share my bounty with those who lack,
Thoth, Hecate, Nemesis, Hathor,
Grains of abundance, wealth, and health we store.
Witches Datebook by Elizabeth Barrette
To the Cherokee, August is the Fruit Moon. Some kane berries have a second ripening period at this time. Many tree fruits also ripen in August, including peaches, plums, and the earliest "dessert" apples. In Choctaw tradition, this is the Women's Moon, a time for feminine mysteries and ceremonies. The Dakota Sioux refer to this as The Moon When All Things Ripen. Most vegetables that haven't already matured begin to yield. Many wild plants already set their seeds and fruits. The early grain ripens, too.
August marks the seasonal shift. Growth slows and changes focus from expansion to condensation as plants and animals prepare for the end of the growing season. Root crops store energy. Animals gorge on abundant food to store fat for winter. People spend hours harvesting and preserving food.
Rituals in August may acknowledge it as the first of the harvest months, with September and October to follow. Some myths focus on sacrificed Gods and grain Gods who die so that others may live. Magically, work spells for good weather and good harvests. Work to strengthen community ties in your coven or other spiritual group.
Witches Datebook by James Kambos
When the Grain Moon glides to its place in the sky tonight it will burn like a copper disk. This Moon oversees the start of the harvest season, so a ritual for it could be like an early Thanksgiving. Besides giving thanks for the harvest, we must be grateful for our personal harvests. We have sown, patiently waited, worked, and now we reap. Give thanks for everything, including the wisdom gained along the way.
Take time to richly decorate your altar. Place a yellow candle in the center; surround it with brightly colored zinnias, goldenrod, small bunches of grain, and produce. Finally, set out a small dish of cornmeal to honor corn, the most sacred of grains. After speaking the words below, listen quietly. Can you hear it? The katydids are scratching at the night-- summer's end is near.
After the Sun dips beyond the western sky,
The mellow Grain Moon reigns and rides high.
The wheat is brown, the corn is gold
Thanks you for my wisdom and the wealth I hold.
A safe and happy holiday to all who celebrate~!