Moon of the Falling Leaves

Traditionally, the October Full Moon is considered the Hunter's Moon, because, after the beautiful Harvest Moon allowed our ancestors to stay out later in the evenings and gather their crops, only the stubble remained, making the cute little woodland creatures easier to kill for the long winter that was to come.  They have now eaten their fill, and are plump, ready for the hunt.  Fox, rabbit, deer, and others are very easy to find in the harvested land.

And speaking of rabbit, many of us, in looking up at the Moon, often see more than just the Man: some of us are known to find an ant, a crab, a woman reading a book, or even "an old hag."  But it's usually the rabbit whose image is second to the face in most people's imagination.  And, there are many cultures that created rabbit myths, most often to the detriment of the bunny.  However, one of the nicest stories comes from India, where Hare was friends with Otter, Jackal and Monkey.  All made a pact to find food for both themselves and any hungry persons they might find.  Otter, Jackal and Monkey did find food for themselves and to give away, but Rabbit could only find grass to eat, which he realized wasn't eaten by humans.  So, he decided to sacrifice himself.  Luckily, just as he was about to jump into the fire, he was stopped by Indra, god of the sky, who rewarded Rabbit for his selflessness by etching a rabbit on the Moon.

But, many of the American Indian tribes, including the Ojibway, Lakota (Sioux), Chippewa, Arapaho and Cree, considered this Full Moon the Moon of the Falling Leaves, obviously because at this time the leaves are falling everywhere, splashing their beautiful colors all over the ground.  So, late this month, on October 29th, be sure to look, not only up at the beautiful Moon, but downward at the resultant experiences here on Earth:  The leftover stumps of the crops in the fields, and the carpet of leaves beautifying the land.