Harvest Moon Gratitude: September Full Moon Appreciation and Completion

By Nicole, Founder of Mystic Ryst

The Harvest Moon—September's full moon—is the most famous full moon of the year. Occurring closest to the autumn equinox, it rises early and stays bright, giving farmers extra light to harvest their crops. This moon represents gratitude, appreciation, completion, and the fullness of the harvest. This is the moon of thanksgiving, when you honor all you've received, complete what you've started, and prepare for the transition into autumn.

September marks the autumn equinox (around September 22-23), when day and night are equal and darkness begins to overtake light. The Harvest Moon energy is about gratitude for abundance, completion of the growth cycle, appreciation for what is, and graceful transition from expansion to contraction. After gathering your harvest (Sturgeon Moon), September is when you give thanks.

Let's explore how to harness the Harvest Moon energy for gratitude, completion, and graceful transition.

Understanding the Harvest Moon

The Symbolism

Why "Harvest Moon":

• The full moon closest to autumn equinox
• Rises early, provides extra light for harvesting
• Traditional time of main harvest
• Celebrated across cultures

Harvest Moon medicine:

• Gratitude: Appreciation for abundance
• Completion: Finishing the growth cycle
• Fullness: The peak of abundance
• Balance: Equinox—light and dark equal
• Transition: From growth to rest
• Thanksgiving: Honoring what you've received

September energy:

• Autumn equinox—balance point
• Mabon—second harvest festival
• Transition from yang to yin
• From expansion to contraction
• Gratitude and reflection

Harvest Moon Themes for Business

1. Gratitude: Deep appreciation for all you've received
2. Completion: Finish projects and cycles
3. Appreciation: Honor clients, team, supporters
4. Balance: Assess what's working and what's not
5. Transition: Prepare for the next phase
6. Thanksgiving: Celebrate the year's abundance

Harvest Moon Gratitude Ritual

Preparation (Before the Full Moon)

Gather your materials:

• Orange and gold candles
• Harvest foods (bread, apples, grains, pumpkin)
• Autumn leaves and flowers
• Amber or citrine (gratitude and abundance)
• Cornucopia or harvest basket
• Gratitude journal
• Thank you cards or paper
• Wine or cider for toasting

Create sacred space:

• Harvest altar with autumn abundance
• Gold, orange, brown colors
• Cornucopia overflowing
• Gratitude as the theme

The Gratitude Ritual (On the Full Moon)

Part 1: The Great Thanksgiving (Deep Gratitude)

1. Gratitude for the year's harvest:
   • All the money you've made
   • All the clients you've served
   • All the growth you've experienced
   • All the lessons you've learned
   • Write it ALL down
2. Gratitude for people:
   • Clients who trusted you
   • Team who supported you
   • Mentors who guided you
   • Family and friends who believed in you
   • Name them specifically
3. Gratitude for challenges:
   • What difficulties taught you
   • How obstacles made you stronger
   • Lessons from failures
   • Growth from struggle
   • Even this deserves thanks
4. Gratitude ceremony:
   • Light candles
   • Read your gratitude list aloud
   • Feel deep appreciation
   • Let tears flow if they come
   • "I am grateful for all of it"

Part 2: Completion (Finishing the Cycle)

1. What needs completing:
   • Unfinished projects
   • Incomplete communications
   • Loose ends
   • What's been lingering
   • List everything
2. Completion commitments:
   • Choose 3-5 things to complete
   • Set deadlines (before October)
   • Commit to finishing
   • "I complete what I've started"
3. Completion visualization:
   • See each project finished
   • Feel the satisfaction
   • Sense of closure
   • Ready for new cycle

Part 3: Appreciation (Honoring Others)

1. Write thank you notes:
   • To top clients
   • To team members
   • To mentors and supporters
   • Handwritten if possible
   • Specific and heartfelt
2. Public appreciation:
   • Social media shout-outs
   • Testimonials for others
   • Referrals and recommendations
   • Giving back
3. Self-appreciation:
   • Thank YOURSELF
   • For your hard work
   • For not giving up
   • For showing up
   • You deserve appreciation too

Part 4: Balance Assessment (Equinox Reflection)

1. What's in balance:
   • Work and rest
   • Giving and receiving
   • Masculine and feminine
   • What feels harmonious
2. What's out of balance:
   • Where are you overextended?
   • Where are you withholding?
   • What needs adjustment?
   • Be honest
3. Balance commitments:
   • How will you restore balance?
   • Specific actions
   • Timeline
   • "I commit to balance"

Part 5: Transition Preparation (Autumn Ahead)

1. Acknowledge the shift:
   • Summer is ending
   • Autumn is beginning
   • Energy is changing
   • From expansion to integration
2. Autumn intentions:
   • What do you want for autumn?
   • How will you work differently?
   • What needs to change?
   • Set intentions for the season
3. Release summer:
   • Thank summer for its gifts
   • Release summer's energy
   • Welcome autumn
   • Embrace the transition

Part 6: The Harvest Feast (Celebration)

1. Prepare harvest foods:
   • Bread, apples, grains
   • Seasonal vegetables
   • Autumn flavors
   • Make it special
2. Feast with gratitude:
   • Bless the food
   • Eat mindfully
   • Savor each bite
   • Taste the abundance
3. Toast to the harvest:
   • Raise glass to the moon
   • "To the abundant harvest!"
   • "To all I've received!"
   • Drink with joy

Closing the Ritual

• Thank the Harvest Moon
• Gratitude for the year
• Blow out candles
• Ground with food
• Carry gratitude forward

Business Gratitude Strategy for September

The Gratitude Practice

Why gratitude matters in business:

• Attracts more abundance
• Strengthens relationships
• Increases satisfaction and joy
• Improves mental health
• Creates positive momentum
• What you appreciate, appreciates

The gratitude formula:

• What you focus on expands
• Gratitude = focus on good
• Therefore: Gratitude expands good
• Simple but powerful

Daily Gratitude Practices

Morning gratitude:

1. Before checking phone
2. List 3 things you're grateful for
3. Feel the appreciation
4. Start day in gratitude

Evening gratitude:

1. Review the day
2. What went well?
3. Who helped you?
4. What are you grateful for?
5. End day in appreciation

Client gratitude:

• After each session/sale
• Pause and appreciate
• Thank the client (mentally or verbally)
• Gratitude for the exchange

The Completion Practice

Why completion matters:

• Incomplete projects drain energy
• Completion creates space for new
• Finishing builds confidence
• Closure is satisfying
• Prepares you for next cycle

September completion challenge:

1. List all incomplete projects
2. Choose 5 to complete by month's end
3. Schedule completion time
4. Finish them
5. Celebrate each completion

Harvest Moon Practices for the Month

The 30-Day Gratitude Challenge

Every day in September:

• Write 5 things you're grateful for
• Different things each day
• Be specific
• Feel the gratitude
• By month's end: 150 gratitudes

Bonus: Share one gratitude publicly each day

The Appreciation Campaign

Week 1: Client appreciation

• Send thank you notes to top clients
• Offer appreciation discount or gift
• Feature client success stories

Week 2: Team appreciation

• Thank your team members
• Recognize their contributions
• Give bonuses or gifts if possible

Week 3: Community appreciation

• Thank your audience/followers
• Appreciate your supporters
• Give back to community

Week 4: Self-appreciation

• Acknowledge your own efforts
• Celebrate your wins
• Treat yourself
• Rest and restore

The Autumn Equinox Connection

Balance and Transition

Equinox wisdom:

• Day and night equal
• Perfect balance point
• After this, darkness increases
• Natural time of transition

Business application:

• Assess your balance
• Prepare for slower season (if applicable)
• Shift from yang (doing) to yin (being)
• Honor the natural cycle

From Expansion to Integration

Spring/Summer (Expansion):

• Planting, growing, creating
• Outward energy
• Maximum output
• Yang phase

Autumn/Winter (Integration):

• Harvesting, reflecting, integrating
• Inward energy
• Rest and renewal
• Yin phase

September is the transition:

• Complete expansion phase
• Begin integration phase
• Honor both
• Graceful shift

Harvest Moon Wisdom

Lessons from the Harvest

1. You reap what you sow: Your results reflect your efforts
2. Harvest requires work: Abundance doesn't gather itself
3. Gratitude multiplies abundance: Appreciation attracts more
4. Completion is necessary: Finish before starting new
5. Cycles are natural: Growth and rest both have seasons
6. Balance is key: Too much of anything creates imbalance

The Promise of Harvest Moon Gratitude

When you practice gratitude under the Harvest Moon:

• You attract more abundance
• You deepen relationships
• You complete important cycles
• You find balance
• You transition gracefully
• You honor the fullness of life

The Invitation

The Harvest Moon invites you to give thanks. To appreciate all you've received. To complete what you've started. To find balance. To transition gracefully from expansion to integration. To honor the abundance of your year. You've planted, tended, and harvested. Now give thanks for it all.

What are you grateful for under this Harvest Moon? What are you completing? I'd love to hear your thanksgiving.