Every autumn, right around the time the temperature starts to dip to the ideal shorts-and-sweater weather, we honor a sublime Harvest Moon — the last full moon to fall before the autumnal equinox. While it’s an occurrence that always deserves celebration (and one that can bring up strong emotions) this year’s is especially divine: It falls on Friday the 13th.
I know what you’re thinking: Isn’t this coincidence more ominous than glorious? Not to be rude, but no. Before the patriarchy stole this day from women and turned it into a sinister day of bad luck and discounted tattoos, Friday the 13th was considered an ideal time to worship the Goddess. Another ideal time: full moons. Today is especially rare because the full moon coincides with Friday the 13th. The last time a nationwide full moon fell on this day was on October 13, 2000, when Christina Aguilera’s “Come on Over (All I Want Is You)” was the No. 1 song in the U.S.
Aside from stepping outside at 12:33 a.m. ET to gaze at her shining body as she peaks, let us suggest a few other ways to celebrate this divine day, aside from feeling incredibly emotional. (The full moon is in sensitive Pisces — a mutable water sign associated with empathy, intuition, wisdom, and Melissa Broder — so yes, you will cry). The next one won’t coincide with Friday the 13th until 2049, according to the Farmers Almanac, and who knows what shape the Earth will be in then.
• Free bleed
• Stand in front of a mirror and openly weep
• Perform a moon ritual
• Pull out your beeswax candles and selenite, and honor Frigg, the beloved Norse sky goddess associated with love, marriage, and fertility (from whom Friday derives its name!!)
• Plant your fall crops, e.g. broccoli and beans
• Address every goat, regardless of color, as Black Philip
• Dip your feet into your nearest body of water and think longingly about the life you want to lead (were you to not be crushed by student debt, medical bills, your rising cost of living, etc.)
• Drink red wine out of a chalice
• Update your list of favorite places to cry publicly
• Honor the feminine by revisiting the inspiring photos of Gillian Anderson showing off her whale tail and young Susan Sarandon letting her big cans out on a balcony
• Sing “Fuck it I love you” by Lana to the moon
• Perform the final dance from Suspiria
• Dress in head-to-toe velvet and/or wear a cape, à la Billy Porter at the 2019 Oscars
• Text your ex (just kidding — using this opportunity to explicitly tell you to NOT do that)
• Listen to Christina Aguilera’s “Come on Over (All I Want Is You)”
Bless’d be!
