In five days, on October 26, the Hunter's Moon rises full over the Hudson Valley, just ahead of Samhain. If you have been meaning to start working with the moon, there is no better time. This article is for beginners: what an Esbat is, how the phases of the moon are used in practice, a simple full moon ritual you can do on your own and how to keep it safe.
What is an Esbat?
An Esbat is a Wiccan ritual or gathering held at a time other than the eight Sabbats. Most Esbats are held at the full moon, and many groups, ours included, meet at the new moon as well. Where the Sabbats follow the sun around the year, the Esbats follow the moon through the month. The Sabbats are mostly celebrations; the Esbats are where much of the working happens: teaching, healing, divination, meditation and magick.
The word itself came into use through the folklorist Margaret Murray in the 1920s, and Wiccans adopted it. The idea behind it is simpler and older than the word. In the Charge of the Goddess, as Doreen Valiente wrote it, witches are asked to gather once a month to honor the Goddess, and better still when the moon is full.
The phases of the moon
The moon takes about twenty-nine and a half days to pass through all of its phases, which is why there are usually twelve full moons in a year and occasionally thirteen. This year has thirteen, with two in May. The second full moon in a calendar month is known as a blue moon.
Witches broadly work with the phases like this:
- New moon: rest, reflection and new beginnings. A good time to set intentions and plant seeds, in the garden or in your life.
- Waxing moon: growth and drawing things in. Work for something you want to increase, such as health, skill, friendship or courage.
- Full moon: the peak of the cycle. Celebration, gratitude, divination and bringing things to completion.
- Waning moon: release and letting go. Clearing out old habits, worries and clutter, and finishing what is unfinished.
The full moon rises around sunset and sets around sunrise, so it is in the sky all night long. You don't have to work at the exact minute it becomes full. Most people treat the night before, the night of and the night after as full moon nights.
How the CEC keeps the Esbats
Alongside the Sabbats, we hold teaching circles at many full and new moons, and over the years we have held some at the waxing and waning moons as well. Look through our old circle schedules and you will see names like "Hazel Pisces Full Moon" or "Rowan Aquarius New Moon". The first part is the tree month, from the tree calendar many Celtic witches use. The second is the zodiac sign the moon is passing through, which colors the work of the night. A full moon always sits in the sign opposite the sun, which is why the autumn full moons fall in the spring signs.
A simple full moon ritual for beginners
This outline is a starting point, not a script. Keep it simple and change whatever doesn't feel right to you. Half an hour is plenty.
1. Prepare your space
Choose a quiet place where you won't be interrupted: a garden, a balcony or a room with a window where you can see the moon. Tidy the space and set up a small altar with a white or silver candle, a bowl of water, a little salt or a stone for earth and incense or a feather for air. Many people take a bath or shower first and change into clean clothes to wash off the day.
2. Ground and center
Stand or sit comfortably and breathe slowly. Feel your weight on the ground and imagine roots reaching down into the earth below you. Let the noise of the day settle.
3. Cast your circle
Walk around your space clockwise (deosil), pointing with your finger or a wand, and picture a ring of light forming around you. Turn to each direction in turn, east, south, west and north, and welcome its element in your own words. Then light your candle.
4. Honor the Goddess and the God
Speak to the Goddess as the moon, and to the God, in plain, heartfelt words. You don't need a script. Say who you are and why you are here, and thank them for what the past month has brought.
5. Do the work of the night
Choose one thing and give it your full attention. Gaze at the moon, or at its reflection in your bowl of water, and let thoughts and images come. Draw a tarot card and sit with it. Write down what you want to bring to completion, or what you are grateful for. Or simply sit in the moonlight and listen, which is often the best place to start.
6. Cakes and ale
Bless a little food and drink and share it with the gods. It doesn't have to be cake or ale: bread, fruit, juice or water are all fine. Eating also helps bring you back down to earth. If you leave an offering outdoors afterward, choose something that is safe for wildlife and will break down naturally.
7. Give thanks and open the circle
Thank the Goddess and God, then the elements, in the reverse order to how you welcomed them. Walk the circle counterclockwise to release it and say aloud that the circle is open. Put out your candle before you leave the room.
Staying safe with candles and fire
Most accidents in ritual involve candles, and a few habits make a big difference:
- Never leave a candle burning unattended, and never fall asleep with one lit.
- Use a sturdy holder on a heat-proof surface, well away from curtains, papers, dried herbs and altar cloths.
- Mind loose hair and wide sleeves, especially if you work in a robe.
- Keep flames and incense out of reach of children and pets. Cats in particular love to join a circle.
- Burn incense in a well-ventilated room, and never disable a smoke alarm to do it.
- If you work with fire outdoors, check local burn rules first (New York has a spring ban on brush burning from mid-March to mid-May), keep water close by and drown the embers completely before you leave.
- If you are working outside at night, tell someone where you are, bring a flashlight and watch your footing.
An LED candle is no less sacred than a wax one, and it is the better choice in a dorm room, a rented apartment or anywhere an open flame isn't wise.
Keep a moon journal
A journal is one of the most useful tools a beginner can have, and it costs nothing. After each Esbat, write down the date, the phase and sign of the moon, the weather, what you did, how you felt and anything that came to you. Note your dreams in the days around the full moon as well. After a few months you will start to see patterns in your energy, your moods and the kind of work that suits each phase. Over a year or two your notes become your own Book of Shadows. Someone put it well in our Welcome Mat thread New to Celtic Wicca - where do I begin?: keep a notebook, and a year from now you'll be amazed.
Joining a circle
Working alone is a good foundation, and many witches stay solitary for years. But some things are much easier to learn by standing in circle with others: the flow of a ritual, raising energy together and the simple pleasure of celebrating in company. If you live in the Hudson Valley, you are welcome at our Esbats in New Paltz. Our Wiccan fellowship in New Paltz page explains who is welcome, what to expect and how to take the first step. Our article The Wheel of the Year: Sabbats Explained covers the great festivals that fall between the moons.
The remaining full moons of 2026 fall on October 26, November 24 and December 24. You will find them, along with this year's Sabbat dates, in our Wheel of the Year 2026 dates thread.
Blessed be, and may the Hunter's Moon light your way into Samhain.