Hooked on the Magic of August’s Full Sturgeon Moon

The Sturgeon Moon of 2024 shines brightly and announces the beginning of the spiritual transition from the power of summer’s energy to the softer internal rhythms of Autumn. The August moon has deep meaning for Witches and Pagans.

During the climax of this lunar cycle, we honor the moon with rituals of gratitude. As the days grow shorter, the sunlight softens to a muted golden hue. We sense a subtle shift within ourselves, and we connect with the natural world around us. 

The scorching heat makes us daydream of cooler days ahead. We’re beginning to reap the rewards of some of our crops, either physically or metaphorically. This year, the Sturgeon Moon is also a seasonal Blue Moon, bringing lucky and powerful energy to our witchy rituals. 

Please note that I make every effort to ensure this information is correct and accurate through my own experiences and referencing sources throughout AND at the bottom of this article.

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When is the Sturgeon Moon 2024?

In 2024, August’s Full Moon is called the Sturgeon Moon. It takes place on August 19th and peaks at 2:26 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

Every full moon has its name based on the month or season it appears. Creating a name for each Full Moon allows people to reflect on each season and how it affects them AND the natural world. There can be some variation in the full moon names due to their origins.

Most Full Moon names are English translations of Native American names; others are rooted in Celtic, European (Anglo-Saxon and Germanic), and more recent Neo-Pagan origins. 

What is a Sturgeon Moon?

The Full Moon of August is named the Sturgeon Moon to symbolize and represent the freshwater fish that were easily caught during this hot summer month in North America. These impressive archaic-looking fish are a gray-green color, and their existence can be traced back over 200 million years!

Sturgeons can grow to be quite large in size and often live to be over 100 years old. Here in Idaho, the largest sturgeon ever recorded was almost 10 feet long, but it’s not uncommon to find them over 6 feet in length. Due to overfishing for their meat and eggs, their numbers are dwindling. However, many conservation efforts have succeeded, and their population numbers have increased.

[Ron] Clark, [a volunteer with the nonprofit Kalamazoo River Sturgeons for Tomorrow] who has found the fish docile and easy to handle, said they seem to have individual personalities … they’re more like a [mammal] than a fish.”

Fisheries biologist Smith added that he likes the look of the prehistoric fish and its weird adaptations. For example, sturgeons have spiracles, which are holes in the side of the fish that allow them to breathe along with their gills.

He added that bringing the sturgeon back would give the public a chance to learn about a fish that had to survive during the dinosaur era.

National Geographic

Sturgeon Moon Spiritual Meaning

Align your spiritual intentions this month with the strong and impressive sturgeon. They’ve survived millions of years by adapting and persevering through many different challenges. You are just as powerful and resilient, whether you realize it or not!

What big ambitions did you have last Winter or early Spring you deeply want to see accomplished? Let the Sturgeon Moon’s energy help you push through the final hurdles and complete your goals or intentions. Allow yourself to admit if you’ve fallen off track, and then dust yourself off and try again.

Remember, progress over perfection! It’s ok if things aren’t working out exactly as you envisioned. Allow yourself to go with the flow and trust that the universe is working hard to help your intentions or manifestations come true. Consistent effort and hard work will always pay off, even if it’s not exactly as you planned. Stay open-minded, but don’t give up!

Is There a Blue Moon in August 2024?

Yes! A seasonal Blue Moon occurs on August 19th, 2024, during August’s Full Moon. We’ll also be in the middle of Mercury’s Retrograde, which lasts from August 4 to August 27.

A Blue Moon is when two full moons occur within a calendar month or seasonal cycle. Since they occur only about every two to three years, they’re considered a rare and magical event.

It’s important to note that a blue moon does not actually appear blue in color. The name is purely a calendrical term and has nothing to do with the moon’s actual appearance.

August Sturgeon Moon Alternative Names

Many cultures around the world have beautiful names for August’s Full Moon, and I did my best to include the ones I could find sources for. These names beautifully reflect the connection between humans, Nature, folklore, communities, and historical influences throughout time.

Remember, most of these names applied to the entire month, not just during the Full Moon!

• Hot Moon (guuteyai-mea’) Shoshone Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming
• Peace Moon (South African origins symbolizing National Women’s Day) (source: Centre for Astronomical Heritage)
• Dry Moon (Yiraha Nuti (pronounced yihrah-hah(q) noong-tee) Catawba Native American origins
• Lightning Moon (English)
• Heyannir (Norse) means haymaking and refers to the drying and harvesting of hay (source: Nordic Culture – Skjalden)
• Grain Moon (Anglo-Saxon)
• Dispute Moon or Lynx Moon (Celtic) (Source: Time and Date)
• End of Fruit Month (galoni) Cherokee Native American origins
• Hungry Ghost Moon (Chinese) The Hungry Ghost Festival usually occurs during the Western calendar month of August. Many people worship their ancestors and make offerings to the roaming spirits of the earth. (similar to Samhain) (source: CBC)

This full Moon corresponds to the Chinese Hungry Ghost Festival. The seventh month of the Chinese calendar is the Ghost Month and the fifteenth day of this month (a full Moon day) is called Ghost Day, on which ghosts and spirits, including those of deceased ancestors, come out to visit the living.

NASA – The Next Full Moon is the Corn, Fruit, Barley, and Hungry Ghost Moon

For a list of even more Native American Moon names, check out American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association’s article here or Western Washington University’s article here.

Sturgeon Moon Spiritual Correspondences

The spiritual meaning of August’s Full Sturgeon Moon is a powerful time for gratitude, harvesting, and strength. To get you started, here are some spiritual correspondences and intentions!

Sturgeon Moon Spiritual Intentions

• Gratitude
• Reaping
• Harvesting
• Flourishing
• Gumption
• Flexibility
• Perseverance

Sturgeon Moon Colors

• Gold
• Dark Green
• Orange

Full moon August 2024 Ritual Ideas

The Sturgeon Moon is a lovely time to reflect on your life and what you’re grateful for. Here are a few celebration ideas to get you started.

If you’re looking for even more ideas, check out Full Moon Rituals You Need To Know!

Sturgeon Moon Journal Prompts

Honoring the Sturgeon Moon: A Ritual of Dual Energies

This candle ritual honors the Full Sturgeon Moon and the sun’s late summer glow. Use a silver candle to connect with the moon’s energy and your own intuition. Surround the silver candle with an orange or yellow candle to represent the sun’s radiant power.

The additional green candles symbolize the earth’s growth and abundance. This ritual will connect you to the natural rhythms of August’s spiritual season.

Supplies Needed

• One silver candle (to represent the moon’s energy and your own intuition)
• One orange or yellow candle (to honor the sun, creativity, and the harvest season)
• Several small green candles (to symbolize the earth’s abundance and growth)
• Matches or a lighter
• A fireproof holder or plate for the candles
• Your Sturgeon Moon altar or a quiet, sacred space

Prepare Your Sacred Space

Choose a quiet location where you will not be disturbed during the ritual. Prepare your altar or sacred space with items that have meaning to you.

This could include images of the moon, sun, and earth, or the color meanings associated with August’s full moon: Gold, Dark Green, and Orange. It’s your spiritual practice! As long as it resonates with you, then it belongs in this ritual. 

Cleansing and Centering

Find your center by taking a few deep breaths. Clear your mind of all distractions and concentrate on the intention of this ritual. If you have a favorite cleansing process, use it now to get rid of any negativity.

Arranging the Candles

Place the silver candle in the fireproof holder and center it on your altar or sacred space. This candle represents the moon’s glowing lunar energy and its powerful spiritual meaning. 

Place the orange or yellow candle beside the silver one to represent the sun’s warmth and harvest season. 

Surround these main candles with the smaller green candles to form a circle (as best as you can). These candles reflect the earth’s abundance and growth.

State Your Intention

Light the silver candle and visualize the moon’s peaceful, shimmering lunar energy filling your sacred space.

Light the orange or yellow candles, feeling the sun’s warmth and fierce energy blend with the moon’s sacred glow. 

Light the green candles in a clockwise circle. As you light each one, state your intentions for the final days of summer. Think about the joys of summer and the harmony of growth and reflection.

Meditation and Reflection

Feel this energy flowing into you as you sit quietly, watching the candles burn. Practice your scrying abilities and look for meanings in the candle flames.

As you relax and meditate, visualize this energy flowing out of you and into your sacred space. I like to visualize it as a shimmering, beautiful golden yellow. However, feel free to do whatever resonates with you!

Closing

Allow the candles to burn down completely to infuse this lunar and solar energy completely into you and your home. When you feel ready, express your gratitude as you honor the season’s transition.

Connect With Water

Water is the perfect way to cool down during the warm August days and nights. Spend time by a lake, ocean, river, or your favorite watering hole!

Fully submerge in the cool water. Let it flow around you, and relax. Allow any anxiety or worries to slip away with the current or tide. Imagine yourself as the water, trusting and flowing freely. Let go of your fears and know that whatever may happen, you will find a way to make the best of it.

Spend some time focused on these thoughts. If you feel comfortable, float on the water’s surface and meditate. Don’t forget to create some Sturgeon Moon Water!

Camp Beneath The Sturgeon Moon

What an amazing time to soak up those moonlight beams! Plan a camping trip to enjoy the summer season and optimal Sturgeon Moon views!

You can also keep it local in your backyard! Laying out beneath the moon is a beautiful way to embrace nostalgia and childlike fun. It brings back memories of sleepovers with friends and stargazing while lying on trampolines.

Bake Bread

Embrace August’s Full Moon’s spiritual meaning of reaping and harvesting and bake some bread. Use plants, herbs, and flowers that are currently in season to incorporate a few magical intentions into your delicious bread.

You could also carve a few Elder Futhark Runes, sigils, or other pagan or witch symbols that have meaning to you into your baked goods. If you’re busy, keep it simple and pick up some bread from a local market. Remember, we’re still in the season of Lughnasadh!

Start Preparing for Autumn and Winter

August is a wonderful time to begin harvesting, canning, drying, or saving seeds for next year. You can do this from your own garden, on local farms, or at a farmer’s market. Create herbal infusions you can use later for salves, tinctures, balms, etc.

You can also start planning and preparing your home for the Autumn Equinox and the cold Winter months ahead by making sure you have warm blankets and candles. Try checking your heater, caulking drafty doors or windows, changing your air filter, cleaning out the fireplace, or de-cluttering and donating items that no longer serve their purpose.

Is the Full Moon of August 2024 a Supermoon?

No, the Full Moon of August will NOT be a supermoon.

However, there will be TWO Supermoons in September and October this year!

The astronomical term for this [supermoon] phenomenon is perigee-syzygy Moon. The alignment of the Sun, the Moon, and Earth that occurs at both new and full moon is known as syzygy.

Britannica – Supermoon

Will August’s Sturgeon Moon Have A Lunar Eclipse?

No, August’s Sturgeon Moon will not have a Lunar Eclipse this year.

However, there will be two Lunar Eclipses AND two Solar Eclipses in 2024! (see chart below)

penumbra, (from Latin paene, “almost”; umbra, “shadow”), in astronomy, the outer part of a conical shadow, cast by a celestial body, where the light from the Sun [or other light source like the moon] is partially blocked—as compared to the umbra (q.v.), the shadow’s darkest, central part, where the light is totally excluded.

Britannica – Penumbra Eclipse

Is There a Black Moon this August?

No, August doesn’t have a seasonal Black Moon in 2024.

However, there will be a calendrical Black Moon on November 30th, 2024.

A Black Moon is a modern phrase that is very similar to the definition of a Blue Moon. However, it involves two NEW MOONS inside a specified time period rather than two FULL MOONS. Since two New Moons take place in the month of November, this makes it a calendrical Black Moon.

A Black Moon brings success and good luck. While a Black Moon is not an astronomical phrase, it’s honored and celebrated by Pagans, witches, and other spiritual practitioners.

I hope you enjoy the Sturgeon Moon of August! Lots of love to you, and remember, as always…