August Moon

THE CORN MOON

To the Cherokee, August is the Fruit Moon. Some cane berries have a second ripening period at this time. Many tree fruits also ripen in August including peaches, plums, and the earliest “dessert” apples.
In Choctaw tradition, this is the Women’s Moon, a time for femenine mysteries and ceremonies.
The Dakota Sioux refer to this as the Moon When All Things Ripen. Most vegetable that haven’t already matured begin to yield. many wild plants also set their seeds and fruits. The early grains ripen too.
August marks the seasonal shift. Growth slows and changes focus from expansion to condensation as plants and animals prepare for the end of the growing season. Root crops store energy. Animals gorge on abundant food to put on fat for winter. People spend hours harvesting and preserving food.
Rituals in August may acknowledge it as the first of the harvest months, with September and October to follow. Some myths focus on sacrificed gods and grain gods, who die so that others may live (to be re-born again next year). Magically, work spells for good weather and good harvests. Work to strengthen community ties in your coven or other magical/spiritual group/family.source: Elizabeth Barrette, Llewellyn Worldwide

FULL STURGEON MOON

The fishing tribes are given credit for the naming of this Moon, since sturgeon, a large fish of the Great Lakes and other major bodies of water, were most readily caught during this month. A few tribes knew it as the Full Red Moon because, as the Moon rises, it appears reddish through any sultry haze. It was also called the Green Corn Moon or Grain Moon. source: www.farmersalmanac.com