Think: Harvest Moon

Living in our countryside supposedly has many advantages not least being at one with nature, observing the seasons and being able to appreciate the moon and the sky at night without having to put up with light pollution like our urban cousins. We are all mindful that there are also many disadvantages which I will come to sometime in the future.

Country folk also have long traditions of working with nature, although they may not always fully realis,e this.

Amongst the general rules that farm folk have practiced for ages include: all plants producing above ground growth, fruits, or flowers benefit from a waxing moon planting. All plants that produce below ground generally benefit from a waning moon planting, leaning more heavily on the third quarter.

For the harvesting of vegetables, grains or forage, it makes sense that this ending of growth would be best done on a waning moon: the third and fourth quarters.

The fourth quarter (just before the new moon) is a time of the most decreased activity, and would be the best time for destructive garden or farm chores, ie, cutting, pruning, burning, or clearing unwanted growth.

In the woodlands, trees felled in the old of the moon, especially the last quarter, will have less moisture. This is useful for both firewood as well as wood intended for turning and milling. It might also be the best idea to nail up wood fencing or suchlike under the decrease of the moon to avoid excessive shrinking or warping.

ENERGY?

The influential energy of the moon, therefore, may not only affect the waters of the oceans where it is more easily witnessed, but the waters not so easily observed in the ground, plants, trees…and in us creatures.

We humans, and the animals, are full of water…namely fluids and blood. So how might these observed principles of lunar effects and causes add a little wind to our sails when it comes to our livestock?

What is the ‘Harvest Moon,’ and why does this particular Moon have special importance. A full moon takes place when the moon is on the side of the Earth opposite from the sun. The exact moment when the moon is officially ‘full’ comes when the three bodies - the Earth, the moon and the sun - fall in a straight line, and the Earth-facing side of the moon is completely illuminated by sunlight.

Sometimes, when these three bodies line up, the earth’s shadow blocks the sunlight from falling onto the surface of the moon. Today, September 16, the moon will pass through the very outer region of the earth’s shadow, in what is known as a penumbral eclipse. This will only create a very faint dimming of the full moon, visible in varying degrees across Europe.

This year’s Harvest Moon will occur at 1905 GMT; however, as is typically the case, the moon will appear full for a few days before and after that day.

Throughout history, different cultures have given unique names to the full moons based on the time of year that they occur. "People used to track the passage of time based on the moon," Andrea Jones, an education specialist for the Planetary Science Institute, told Space.com: “The moon is a very obvious timekeeper for ancient civilizations.”

WHEN AUTUMN BEGINS

For that reason, there are many different names for each full moon, depending on what part of the world you happen to be in. The Harvest Moon is a name that arose in the northern hemisphere when autumn begins. The Harvest Moon is followed by the Hunter’s Moon, the Beaver Moon and the Cold Moon.

There are 12 moon cycles every year, and the Harvest Moon is the full moon nearest the start of the autumnal equinox. This usually means it’s the September full moon though it can also fall in early October, coming anywhere from two weeks before to two weeks after the equinox.

The Harvest Moon isn’t like the other moons. Usually, throughout the year, the moon rises an average of about 50 minutes later each day. But near the autumnal equinox, the difference is only 30 minutes.

Also, the full Harvest Moon rises at sunset and then will rise near sunset for several nights in a row because the difference is at a yearly minimum. It may almost seem as if there are full moons multiple nights in a row and the abundance of bright moonlight early in the evening was a traditional aide to those engaged in harvesting in the fields.

Up until these latter times it was pretty well known that the castration of livestock is best done around the new moon (the moon’s influence being greatly minimized) when bleeding is at a minimum. Are these minuscule differences? Perhaps, but if I were a bleeding animal, I’d want every bit of help I could get.

The same principle applied when dehorning cattle, or even sheep; it was best done around the new moon and possibly just after, which would favour cellular healing with the beginning of the ‘increase’ of the moon and its ‘growth’ enabling help. (Again, minuscule? Maybe, but every bit can help.)

BROODY HENS!

Animal birth is a critical time for the growth of newborn livestock. Breeding stock at a time that would put the end of the gestation during the light or increase of the moon may have some advantage over other times. This would be tricky for the larger animals, however, a broody hen put to ‘sit’ during the second quarter (the growing of the moon) will hatch the chicks about 21 days later during the first quarter (again under the growth of the moon).

And what of milk production? Weaning a calf or kid from its mother during the waxing of the moon would possibly yield an edge toward more fluids (ie, delicious milk). But if lactation production is not the goal (ie, horses, sows, or drying off a milking cow) the waning of the moon might be the preferred choice.

Turning attentions to the garden and orchard. Consider these two things: 1) The key ingredient of good soil and of any type of plant, tree, or shrub…is water, and 2) It’s logical to assume that somehow the moon’s gravitational pull somehow causes moisture to stay closer to the surface of the ground during a waxing moon.

It’s easy to see how these principles of the moon’s physical forces on the fluids of the body might have useful application on the opposite side of livestock life…that is, death or butchering. Animals slaughtered on the waning of the moon, especially the third quarter immediately after a full moon, will be more easily bled, and would also result in more tender cuts of meat that don’t contract as much when cooked - this was particularly so when the traditional bacon pig was slaughtered on farm.

One more thing I’ll only add in passing (because it’s something we can only guess at), and that is the effect of the moon’s extra light (reflected from the sun, obviously) on people, animals, and plants. Does it affect our brains, our hormones, or both? We could probably all testify that we’ve known of some ‘wolfish’ behaviour on a full moon, though; animals and humans alike….

Seasonal quotes

“Is not this a true autumn day? Just the still melancholy that I love - that makes life and nature harmonise. The birds are consulting about their migrations, the trees are putting on the hectic or the pallid hues of decay, and begin to strew the ground, that one’s very footsteps may not disturb the repose of earth and air, while they give us a scent that is a perfect anodyne to the restless spirit. Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.” - George Eliot (a letter to his sister, October 1, 1841).

“There is something incredibly nostalgic and significant about the annual cascade of autumn leaves.” - Joe L. Wheeler.