October Full Moon 2026: Hunter’s Moon Spiritual Meaning & Rituals

The October Full Moon of 2026 is also known as the Hunter’s Moon, and it reaches peak illumination on October 26th Eastern Time. It’s a beautiful autumn Moon arriving as Nature begins moving deeper into the dark and colder months ahead.

The Hunter’s Moon is a time to remember what you want to protect, preserve, and carry with you into the next year. I’ll discuss the Hunter’s Moon spiritual meaning, history, correspondences, and ritual ideas to help you celebrate and connect with the October Full Moon.

Posts on this site may contain affiliate links that allow me to earn a small commission from your purchases (at no extra cost to you!)

When Is the Full Moon in October 2026?

The Full Moon in October 2026 reaches peak illumination on October 26 at 12:12 a.m. Eastern Time. However, depending on where you live in the United States, the Full Moon technically occurs late at night on October 25.

The exact moment of the Full Moon happens simultaneously around the world, but the local date and time change depending on your time zone. Here’s when the October Full Moon peaks across the U.S. time zones:

• Eastern: October 26 at 12:12 a.m. EDT
• Central: October 25 at 11:12 p.m. CDT
• Mountain: October 25 at 10:12 p.m. MDT
• Pacific: October 25 at 9:12 p.m. PDT

Each Full Moon phase corresponds to the season and time of year. Moon phases have names that come from many beliefs around the world, including Native American, Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, Germanic, and more modern Neo-Pagan traditions. Each moon carries its own Moon Magic and spiritual energy.

After the harvest moon comes the hunter’s moon, in the preferred month to hunt summer-fattened deer and fox unable to hide in bare fields.

Like the harvest moon, the hunter’s moon is also particularly bright and long in the sky, giving hunters the opportunity to stalk prey at night

Royal Museums Greenwich – Why do we have special names for full moons?

Hunter’s Moon Spiritual Meaning

As the Hunter’s Moon rises, it asks us to gather what the year has given. Take a moment to recognize the abundance you have, not only in food or things, but in the lessons you learned this year. That’s the true spiritual meaning of the Hunter’s Moon.

However, even as our baskets are filled, the withering begins. Autumn leaves curl, and shadows start to lengthen, showing us how harvest and withering are bound together in a cycle. Remember, endings are not failures, but the natural turning of Nature toward rest.

As we head toward the season of Samhain, ancestry beckons us. The same moon that lights the crops and the fading leaves also lit those who walked before us. Their presence weaves through the air in October, reminding us that every seed, every fading leaf, and every breath we take belongs to a longer story.

The sacredness of the moon has been connected with the basic rhythms of life and the universe. A widespread phenomenon, appearing in various eras and cultures, moon worship has engendered a rich symbolism and mythology.

The moon is viewed in terms of the rhythmic life of the cosmos and is believed to govern all vital change. The cyclical process of disappearance and appearance of the moon is the basis of the widespread association of the moon with the land of the dead, the place to which souls ascend after death, and the power of rebirth.

Britannica – Moon Worship

October Full Moon Alternative Names

Many cultures around the world have beautiful names for October’s Full Moon. 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!

• Falling Leaves Moon (Binaakwe-giizis) (Ojibwe source: Ojibwe.net)
• Seed Fall Moon (Celtic) (source: Time and Date)
• Harvest Month (duninvdi) Cherokee Native American origins
• Haustmánuður (Norse) Autumn or Harvest Month (source: Nordic Culture – Skjalden)
• Sanguine or Blood Moon (Neo-Pagan origins)
• Freeze Begins on Stream’s Edge – Cheyenne Native American origins
• Whale Moon (South African origins) (source: Centre for Astronomical Heritage)
• Kindly Moon (Chinese)
• Big Wind Moon – Zuni Native American origins

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

Many names for the full Moon are culturally based and are not arbitrarily given. The full Moon for October is typically referred to as the Harvest or Hunter’s Moon.

For the Chinese, this is the Kindly Moon or Chrysanthemum Moon, while in medival England this was the Blood Moon.

Riddle, Bob – Moon Phases

October Full Moon Correspondences

The Hunter’s Full Moon’s spiritual meaning can be potent for magic, rituals, and a beautiful time of inward growth and reflection. Here are some correspondences and intentions to help you get started!

Spiritual Intentions

• Withering (honoring what must fall away)
• Preservation (nourishment for the cold season ahead)
• Threshold (crossing from light to dark half of the year)
• Ancestry (communion with those who came before)
• Decay (finding beauty and wisdom in endings)
• Endurance (to last through winter)
• Hearth (centering home, protection, and warmth)

Colors

• Ruby Red
• Dark Purple
• Black
• Burnt Orange
• Silver
• Deep Navy Blue
• Gold

Crystals

• Amethyst
• Black Tourmaline
• Quartz
• Obsidian
• Moonstone
• Bloodstone
• Carnelian

Sacred Space and Altar Decoration Ideas

Feel free to decorate with any seasonal items from your area! These are just a few ideas to get you started!

• Small pumpkins
• Autumn leaves
• Skeletons or skulls
• Gothic candleholders
• Acorns or other nuts and seeds

How to Celebrate the October Full Moon

October’s Full Moon symbolizes a time of preservation, transition, divination, and balance. To help get you started, here are some spiritual correspondences and intentions to celebrate the Hunters moon!

Check out Full Moon Rituals for even more ritual ideas!

Journal Prompts

Hunter’s Moon Preservation Ritual

This Hunter’s Moon candle magic ritual combines the spiritual intentions of preservation, gratitude, and a connection with the afterlife. It allows you to honor and preserve what you cherish, appreciate, and enrich your spiritual journey with the moon.

Gather Your Supplies

• A small fireproof bowl, cauldron, or 6.5″ cast iron (this is what I use)
• A white candle (or any candle color of your choice)
• Matches or a lighter
• A piece of paper and something to write with
• A quiet, sacred space (try outdoors beneath the moonlight if possible)

Begin Your Ritual

Begin your ritual by cleansing the area in the method of your choice. Then set up your fireproof bowl on a stable surface where it’s safe to burn a candle.

Light your candle and take a moment to center yourself. Focus on your breath and clear your mind.

Grab your paper, write down what you’d like to preserve in your life, and specify what you’re grateful for (relationships, personal growth, traditions, etc.). Be detailed and vulnerable in these intentions.

Call Upon the Hunter’s Moon

Look up at the moon (if possible) and acknowledge its spiritual energy. Think about its meaning and connection with the season of the hunt, preservation, and the thinning of the veil.

Hold the paper with your intentions and say the following words aloud

Beneath the Hunters Moon’s soft light, I honor preservation on this night.

To the afterlife, a bridge I seek, Thank you for the blessings that I speak.

Protect what’s dear, both near and far, Guided by ancestors, like a shining star

Amanda Brethauer – The Peculiar Brunette

Light Your Intention

Use the lit candle to carefully burn the paper with your intentions. Place it in the bowl or cauldron to let it burn completely. As it burns, visualize your written intentions being released into the universe and forming a connection with the Otherworld. Try doing a candle flame reading as you watch your candle burn.

Reflect and Close

Sit in silence for a few moments and think about the intentions you burned and what you’re grateful for. Feel the protective energy of your ancestors and passed loved ones.

Let the candle extinguish, and remember to take a moment to thank the moon and your ancestors. Collect the cooled ashes in a small container. Use them to represent the preservation of your intentions and ancestral connection.

Preserve the Ashes

Find a meaningful place to keep your ashes, maybe in a small container or jar. Place it on your altar or in a sacred space in your home.

Revisit the ashes as often as you like! Hold them in your hands and remember everything you’re grateful for. You can also use them to make black salt and use them in future rituals.

Embrace The Season

As the veil thins, take some time to contemplate the natural cycle of life and the Pagan Holidays. Observe how Nature dies externally each season to rest and prepare for the light and growth of next Spring. Here are some ideas to help you embrace the October season!

• Visit a local cemetery. Bring fresh flowers to place on graves you connect with or who might need a bit of love. Read each headstone and imagine who they were and what they cared about in life.

• Since the veil thins the closer we get to Samhain or Halloween, it increases the opportunity to spot Fae! Learn more about how to incorporate Fae mythology origins or different types of Fae into your spiritual practice.

• The season of October is traditionally a time for protection magic as well. You’ll see this rooted in the history of pumpkin and turnip carvings to guard the home and people from sinister or evil spirits. Draw or design your pumpkins with sigils, bind runes, symbols, animals, or spiritual meanings you’re drawn to, like sacred geometry or the pentagram.

• You could also spend more time researching spiritual paths or topics you’d like to learn more about, like How to Do a Cord Cutting Ritual, the Evil Eye, or types of witches. Start here if you’re a beginner witch.

• Embrace all things October: decorations, pumpkin spice everything, cozy blankets, bonfires, or whatever your heart and spirit connect to! Have fun, be free of judgment, and celebrate this wonderful season.

Make Moon Water

Use spiritual energy from the October Full Moon by infusing it into Moon Water. It creates a powerful tool for spiritual, emotional, and mental well-being. It will carry the Hunter’s Moon’s spiritual intention, including preservation, gratitude, abundance, dreamwork, and a connection with the afterlife.

Remember, you can collect Moon Water during all the lunar phases, not just during full moons. For example, Moon Water made during a New Moon is perfect for setting new intentions that represent fresh starts and new beginnings.

A Dark Moon is a time of introspection, self-love, and rest (emotionally, physically, and mentally). However, a Black Moon represents luck, creativity, and prosperity. Moon Water made during these lunar phases will also reflect these qualities.

Hunters Moon Apple Candle Ritual

This magical Apple Candle Ritual will harness the ingredients and power of the elements to manifest your intentions or desires. It will allow you to align your desires with the natural flow of lunar energy for positive change and protection.

Gather Your Supplies

• Apple (color choice is up to you; they have long symbolized love, knowledge, sin, and magic)
• Pillar or Taper Candle (any color of your choosing)
• Cinnamon (wards off negative energies; used for protection)
• Sugar (brings joy and the sweetness of life)
• A knife
• Fireproof small plate or bowl
• Matches or a lighter

Prepare Your Space

Set up a sacred space somewhere quiet, where you won’t be disturbed. Feel free to decorate your space with items related to the Hunters Moon or Autumn. For example, leaves, acorns, or moon symbolism.

Remove any negative energy from this space by doing your preferred method of spiritual cleansing.

Take a minute to clarify what your purpose is for this ritual. What do you want to protect yourself from? What sweetness and joy would you like to invite into your life during this lunar cycle? Feel free to write it down if you like.

Collect Your Apple

Slice your apple horizontally to find the pentagram inside, which symbolizes the five magic elements), as well as the magic within you.

Prepare and dress your candle by carving symbols or words into the candle, like protection or joy. Use the ground cinnamon and sugar to dress your candle. Remember to visualize your intentions coming true and a joyful protective energy surrounding you.

Check out my YouTube video for step-by-step instructions on how to cleanse and dress a candle.

Light the Candle

Carve into the apple bottom so you can place the pillar or taper candle inside. Place the candle and apple into your fire-safe bowl. Use matches or a lighter to ignite the candle’s flame. As you light it, say this simple affirmation

With this candle’s light so bright, I beckon protection and sweet delight,

Beneath the mystic Hunter’s Moon, May they bloom and aid me soon.

Amanda Brethauer – The Peculiar Brunette

Close your eyes, take deep breaths, and meditate on your intentions. Visualize the Hunter Moon’s energy forming a protective barrier around you, followed by happiness and sweetness filling your life.

Finish Your Ritual

When you’re ready, thank the elements and lunar energy. If you can, leave the candle and apple in place until they burn out completely.

Once the apple is withered and the candle is completely burned, bury them in your garden to release them into the Universe.

Is the Full Moon of October 2026 a Supermoon?

In 2026, October’s Hunter’s Moon will NOT be a supermoon.

However, there will be a Supermoon in December!

Because the Moon’s orbit wobbles and differs depending on where the Sun and Earth are in their orbits, the exact distance of these closest and furthest points varies, and some supermoons are closer or farther than others.

‘Supermoon’ isn’t an official astronomical term, but typically it’s used to describe a full Moon that comes within at least 90 percent of perigee.

NASA – Supermoons

Are There Any Eclipses During the October 2026 Full Moon?

October’s Full Moon will NOT have a Lunar Eclipse this year.

However, there will be two Lunar Eclipses AND two Solar Eclipses in 2026! (see chart below)

Penumbra, (from Latin paene, “almost”; umbra, “shadow”), in astronomy, the outer part of a conical shadow cast by a celestial body, in which the light from the source [the Sun] 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 in October 2026?

No, there are no Black Moons in 2026. The next Black Moon isn’t until August 2027.

A Black Moon brings success and good luck! A Black Moon is a modern phrase similar to the definition of a Blue Moon. However, it involves two NEW MOONS within a specified time period rather than two FULL MOONS.

A Black Moon brings success and good luck. Although a Black Moon isn’t an astronomical term, Pagans, witches, and other spiritual practitioners honor and celebrate it.

2026 Full Moon Schedule

I hope you enjoy October’s Full Moon of 2026; lots of love to you, and remember, as always…

Sources

Riddle, Bob. Moon Phases. Science Scope. National Science Teachers Association. October 2010. https://www.jstor.org/stable/43182907