On Monday night we celebrate the Harvest Full Moon with a paddle meditation, just days before the fall equinox. It felt like a warm summer day, but the water was cool and refreshing. We paddled against a strong breeze and anchored in for a time of meditation as the sun hit the horizon. The following meditation was excerpted from The Moon Deck’s Full Moon blog.

The Full Moon is in Pisces, which is one of the most sensitive signs. Think deep waters, emotional exploration, and increased sensitivity.

During this Full Moon cycle, the Sun is in Virgo and Moon is in Pisces. This is known as the health and healing axis. This is a time to dedicate to our mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical health. Healing can be expedited during this time.

Astrologists point to the placement of the Full Moon in Pisces which is twenty-nine degrees. This is the last degree of any sign. This brings us into the theme of endings, closure, death and inevitable rebirth. This Full Moon is a time for conscious transitions and new chapters. There is no need to rush this. Honor the process that is unfolding for you. Take some quiet time to check in with you and ask, “What is ending for me?” We must celebrate the endings just as much as we do the beginnings.

This is combined with the Fall Equinox, happening in just a couple days, opening us to a new “season”. So we can also ask, “What is beginning for me?”

Pisces is a water sign that is connected to spirit, creativity, and sensitivity. We are asked to greet our own emotional waters as they swirl inside of us with as much compassion and reverence as we can. Sensitivity is a super power, and Pisces reminds us to respect our waters, for they can be deeply healing.
Every time we shed a tear, a mini healing happens. Tears are a way of processing the energy of emotions, just as sweat is a way of processing physically.

This is a beautiful time to offer gratitude to the waters that animate our lives, that flow through the earth and through our bodies. Perform this ritual as a way to connect with this sacred element.

Take 5 deep breaths in and out of the nose. Tune into the waters circulating through your body. Our muscles and organs are made mostly of water. See if you can sense the fluidity moving through you.

Turn towards gratitude. Feel into the gratitude for this element that is an essential part of you.

Blessings on the water that flows through my body.
Blessings to the water that flows through the earth.
Gratitude for the teachings of fluidity, perseverance, ease, and grace.
Gratitude for the sensitivity that water brings, the deep watery emotions that help me heal and grow.
May the waters flow fully and freely.
May I flow fully and freely.

Following the guided meditation, we floated while meditating on the things in our life we were thankful for and the things it was time to release and let go of. And then we sat and chatted and waited for the moon to rise. And rise she did, with an orangish-pink hue. As she took her place in the sky and the moonlight trail lit the path on the water, we paddled in and finished the evening with some fruit and a discussion on the differences between real whipped cream, whipped cream in a can, and Cool Whip.