Whether you've been counting the days until sweater weather arrives or if the mere thought of the temps dropping has you weeping into your beach blanket, there's no getting around it: Summer 2018 is coming to an end. We'll be sad to see it go, but we won't miss all its retrogrades.
With the final full moon of the summer coming up this Sunday, August 26, we'll have a natural opportunity to reflect on the events of this summer — as well as what's to come in the fall.
Since August's full moon arrives in time with the start of the traditional harvest season, it's spiritually associated with reaping what you sow — or, more literally, seeing your work finally pay off. Gardnerian priestess and author Thorn Mooney suggests looking back to this past spring — what did you have on your mind then? What kinds of changes or progress were you hoping to make?
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"Check in with yourself and make sure you’re doing all the things you need to be, to stay on track," she says. Don't stress out if your life doesn't align perfectly with the plan you laid out all those months ago. This lunar phase isn't just about celebrating your wins — it's also an opportune time to get prepared and organized for future successes.
Mooney explains that, as much as this time of year is associated with the end of summer, it also signals the start of fall, which brings with it back to school season, the holidays, and, if you want to look much farther into the future, the end of the year. "Paradoxically, this is a time for beginnings," she says. So, if you lost momentum this summer, here's your chance to refocus and close the year with a bang. Or, if you're finishing summer on a high note, it's time to think about the next steps you'll take to add to your already stellar year.
Mooney adds that this full moon may be especially helpful for students. Before diving into the semester, press pause and decide if this is the year you reinvent yourself. She recommends starting your reflection with these two questions: "Who do you want to be this time around? What will you do differently?" Maybe you decide the time is right to dye your hair and try out for the play — or maybe you realize you should try to get an A in history this year. No goal is too lofty or too small.
Late August can be a bummer, but hopefully the full moon this weekend reminds you of all the fun you had this summer — or, on the flip side, lets you know that it's almost appropriate to start drinking PSLs again.