October 2025 Series: Huntress Moon- A witch's guide to the October Full Moon.
October opens as a threshold month—a season when endings and beginnings overlap, and the witch is called to pause, listen, and align. This year, the Hunter’s Moon rises as a supermoon on October 6/7th, carrying with it archetypal resonance and deep transformational energy. By working with the imagery of the Huntress and the Hedge, we can shape October into a living story that guides our rituals, meditations, and daily craft.
October’s Archetype: The Huntress
The Huntress arises from the October full moon—traditionally called the Hunter’s Moon. She is appetite, insight, and resourcefulness personified. She is patient but poised, humble but strong, her gaze fixed on survival and her instincts sharpened for truth. In her, we see the ability to move forward with clarity, guided not by chaos but by rhythm and intent.
Working with this archetype allows us to embody readiness and resourcefulness: to prepare for the coming dark half of the year with both reverence and focus.
The Hedge as Threshold
In traditional witchcraft, the Hedge is not just a physical boundary but a symbolic one. It is the liminal place between here and there, known and unknown, light and dark. To stand at the Hedge in October is to stand at the edge of a story: one half ending, the other about to begin.
This month, the Hedge is characterized by Shadow, Bounty, and Duty.
-
Shadow asks us to face the inner beasts that stalk our path.
-
Bounty reminds us of harvest’s gifts and what remains to sustain us.
-
Duty calls us to walk with reverence, honoring the Wild and our place within it.
By working with the Hedge, we learn not only to cross thresholds but to respect them.
Diana Transformis – A Huntress Worth Understanding
To understand the Huntress archetype more deeply, we can look to Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt. Patroness of the wild, guardian of women, and sovereign of sacred groves, Diana embodies independence, clarity, and instinct. She transforms not by force but by fierce devotion to her path.
This month, Diana becomes a guide for transformation. Call her into your ritual space with a white candle or a bow-like wand. Whisper: Show me what must be hunted, and grant me the wisdom to strike true.
Trickster Spirits from Folklore
Wherever a threshold exists, the trickster waits. October has always been a season of mischief—of fae games, ghostly illusions, and spirits that test our patience. Folklore is filled with these figures: Puck in English tales, Anansi the spider, Coyote the shapeshifter. Tricksters frustrate, but they also initiate. Their chaos forces us to sharpen discernment and resilience.
When you encounter disruption this month, ask yourself: Is this obstacle meant to block me, or to teach me flexibility and wit?
The Stag as Symbolic Ally
The stag has long been revered in European and Celtic myth as a threshold creature. Sovereign, virile, and wise, he guides seekers into the Otherworld. His shedding and regrowth of antlers make him a living emblem of death and renewal.
If the Huntress is the seeker, the stag is her ally—showing her the way through the Hedge. In meditation, envision a stag waiting at the edge of the dark forest. What direction does he beckon you toward?
The Bow & Arrow as Symbolic Tools
The Huntress carries two essential tools: the bow and the arrow. The bow is restraint and focus. The arrow is intention and release. Together, they teach us the balance between preparation and surrender.
This October, craft your own arrow of intention. Write a word of power or goal for the dark season on a slip of paper. Burn it under the full moon as a symbolic shot into the Unknown.
Ritualistic Meditation as Groundwork for Seeking
Before the hunt begins, the Huntress sits in stillness. Her meditation is a sharpening stone, quieting the ego and attuning her senses. October is the perfect time for ritual meditation—when the veil is thin, and silence becomes a gateway to spirit.
Try this breath practice: inhale with the word seek, exhale with the word find. Repeat for several minutes, letting images, thoughts, or emotions surface without judgment.
Reflecting on the Inner and Outer Worlds
The land shifts in October—leaves turn, nights lengthen, animals prepare for the lean months ahead. Our inner world mirrors these changes. We may feel grief for what is ending, confusion about what lies ahead, or fear about the descent into the dark half of the year. Yet in these endings are seeds of renewal.
Ask yourself: What is falling away in my life now, and what future growth might this loss fertilize?
Week One Focus: The Threshold Rite
On October 5th, we enter the first phase of the month’s story. This week is about entrance, appetite, intention, and consecration. It is the pause before the hunt, the moment to prepare tools, sharpen focus, and release fear. Here is a tarot spread to help you navigate the energies on your side of the threshold and the other side you wish to cross to.
8-Card Tarot Spread: The Threshold Rite
-
Present threshold energy
-
Energy you’re holding
-
What to release
-
How to release it
-
Energy you aspire to
-
Energy arriving to support you
-
How to accept this new energy
-
What happens when you cross the threshold
The Story Arc: The Huntress Awakens
The Pause Before the Hunt
Imagine the hours before dawn, when the world is still and dark. This is when the Huntress stirs from sleep. In the liminal hours she greets consciousness humbly, attuned to the rhythm of All, listening to the earliest narratives of the world as it awakens: the chirp of crickets, the trilling of birds.
In this stillness, she calms her busy mind, eager for the endeavor at hand—the Hunt. She wills herself to be patient, grappling silently with the call of her inner Wild. This exercise of willpower is nourishing; it soothes aggression and quiets the ego. Attention becomes preparation. During this pause, she seeks inner guidance from a place of peace, not hurry. The insight gained now will serve her in later pursuits, in the hours of survival.
-
Morning ritual idea: ice face wash, hot lemon water to drink, a walk without distraction, a 1–3 card tarot pull (threshold, intention, and how to cross).
The Preparation & Consecration of Tools
The most powerful weapon in the Huntress’ arsenal is her wily mind. To prepare for a hunt is to sharpen the mind and tune the spirit, tightening the bowstring from which all energy and effort spring. She spends time honing her intentions, heeding guidance and warnings, and carefully choosing her words as though mapping out her steps.
The mind is her compass. If the Huntress cannot navigate herself, she cannot hope to find her way in the Unknown. Assumption is her greatest threat; defensive thinking and flagrant words are dangers more perilous than any beast. Her first act of the Hunt must be to track herself—to seek clarity and self-honesty.
The Huntress is never purposeless. As she commands her attention and willpower, she adds arrows of truth, intention, direction, willingness, patience, and awareness to her quiver.
-
Morning ritual idea: state a personal truth, connect with a cardinal direction, and choose a word of power to repeat throughout the day.
Beasts of Burden
What stalks the Huntress before the dawn? Which beasts burden her mind, looming in the shadows before she even steps into the Wild? They are the trickster creatures: fear, ego, self-doubt, and confusion. These beasts seek to tear her down before she is ready to pursue her task and duty.
To outwit them, the Huntress must shed their heavy breath and far-reaching claws like an old fur cloak. She shows Strength—not with weapons, but with honesty, gratitude, faith, and resilience. These traits become a lamp to her wayfinding feet, a shield against turmoil. They give her confidence to command the primal forces of her own nature. Through these virtues, the Huntress exercises authority, grace, and determination, becoming more formidable than any burden she might carry.
-
Daily ritual idea: practice gratitude for the challenges of the day and affirm your faith in your ability to overcome them.
The Unbroken Arrow
As the Huntress rises to meet all challenges before her, she stands in confidence that triumphs are hers to claim. Made ready by deep self-knowledge, respect for her duty, and reverence for the Wild and Unknown Hedge, she flies forward—unburdened, sharp, and true.
With aggression shed and wisdom at her side, she draws from well-tended reserves of energy and sets out to begin her Hunt.
Full Moon Meditation
Under the Hunter’s Moon, ask yourself:
-
How do I give and receive energy?
-
Am I clinging to the old, or opening to the new?
-
How will I prepare for the dark season of survival?
-
What new light can I bring into the dark half of the year?
Closing Thoughts
October is the month of thresholds. The Huntress and the Hedge offer us a symbolic story to guide our craft—helping us prepare for endings, honor the season’s bounty, and step boldly into the dark half of the year.
Take this story into your rituals, your tarot practice, and your reflections. Let it be your compass as you awaken your Huntress spirit and step across the threshold. Try the tarot spread, walk the meditations, or create your own arrow of intention.
Subscribe to the Land, Love, & Liberty Blog
Want more seasonal guides, rituals, and archetypal deep dives? Subscribe to my blog so you never miss a post. Each month, I share magical correspondences, tarot spreads, and creative ways to weave folklore into your practice.
Follow on Pinterest
If you loved the motifs in this post—the Huntress, the Hedge, the Stag—follow me on Pinterest for standalone graphics, correspondences, and quick magical inspiration you can pin to your boards and return to all month long.
Check Out the Etsy Shop
Ready to bring these rituals into your daily practice? The October Witch’s Planner is now available in my Etsy shop! It’s a printable monthly guide filled with correspondences, lunar tracking, and seasonal prompts to keep your magic aligned.
Be Blessed! B.G.
No comments