*Eleditor’s note: Astrology isn’t a religion. We’re not sure it’s a science, either. It’s magic, maybe. But, as with feng shui, say, things affect things. So as long as we don’t go blaming our problems on the stars, as long as we assume responsibility for our own actions…well, hell, a little auspicious coincidence and applicable wisdom can’t hurt. And so, with that grain of salt…enjoy!

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The full moon in October is traditionally known as the Hunter’s Moon.

This full moon is also a super moon and will appear larger and brighter than normal as it is near it’s closest approach to earth.

On October 15, 2016, the Hunter’s Moon brings in the energy of the Horned God. The Horned God is the God of the forest groves, mountain wilds, fields, flocks and hunting. He is also Lord of the wilderness, chaos, animals, death, rebirth and sexuality.

The Horned God is the hunter and he is also the hunted. He is the sun throughout the day and his reflection is seen in the moonlight. He represents the light and the darkness within everything—the yin and the yang.

One of the most recognized horned Gods is the Greek God Pan, who has a human torso and a goat’s tail, horns and legs. He has the head of a beast to signify unity between the divine and animals (including humanity).

Pan, the son of Hermes, became the patron God of Arcadian shepherds who would pray to him to protect their flocks from predators.

Pan was despised by the church and is often depicted as the devil, however he was worshipped by the Ancient Greeks, and is the God of Wicca, although many Wiccans primarily worship the Goddess, Mother Nature, and the Horned God is her equal who balances the masculine/feminine energy.

Pan is often despised and feared as a devil by those who reject or repress free expression of sexual energy and those who deny that sexual ecstasy is within the nature of the human spirit. Pan was widely admired, celebrated and revered in ancient times and known as a protector and then by contrast, was reviled by many when Christianity came into force.

The word “Pan” translates to “all” or that “God is in all” and this goes against Christianity, which signifies God as a separate entity and one who reigns over all.

I believe that Pan was cast out and depicted as a devil due to his highly sexual nature and also because humanity is less powerful when we perceive God’s energy as a force outside of us, rather than existing within everything in the universe.

Many of us have been taught that after death and before reincarnation tortured souls go to the underground, or hell, where the Horned God, (the devil) reigns.

However, many Wiccans and others believe that the Horned God protects, comforts and consoles those who are between carnations and waiting for rebirth.

This place, known as Summerland, is not the fury and fire of a judgmental hell, as we may have been told, but instead somewhere filled with beauty and peace where we can reflect on all the lessons we’ve been through during our Earthly existence so we can grow spiritually during our next incarnation.

Although there are variations, many Wiccans believe the Horned God dies each year on October 31—Halloween—also known in Wiccan as Samhain, and he rebirths on the Winter Solstice, December 21.

We’re all familiar with how it feels to be judged, misunderstood or labeled as something we know we aren’t. This full moon offers us an opportunity to think long and hard, not just about how we may brandish others but how we also do the same thing to ourselves.

We try to live within society’s misguided expectations of us and many of us fail on a daily basis as the bars are set so high that it is almost impossible for anyone to reach them, given that we all have many personal obstacles, battles and circumstances to overcome.

This full moon period gives us the chance to override everything we once thought to be true. It helps us open up and realize that all is not as it seems, everything is an illusion and we often don’t see ourselves exactly as we are. Therefore, we cannot accurately have a balanced opinion about anyone else, as we will never realize the entire terrain they have waded through on their Earthly adventure.

We often dislike people because of their conditions, disorders, levels of knowledge or conscious awareness instead of understanding that something, somewhere, possibly due to their upbringing or something embedded deep within their DNA, could be causing turbulence, disturbance and friction.

We judge people based on what we hear or what we believe to be true, based on only a part of a person’s story. We should remind ourselves that we only have a fraction of knowledge to understand who they actually are and what emotional coping mechanisms they use to navigate.

The dynamics we fall into with people can affirm this further if someone rubs us up the wrong way or they do something that we feel confirms exactly what we previously thought to be true. Instead of digging deep and trying to unearth what may be the issue, we may instantly condemn or ostracize them or even tarnish their reputation further by voicing, “I knew all along that they were no good.” This is then confounded if other people join in and share their loaded opinions and heated perspectives.

This is the exact scenario of the ancient God, Pan. He has had the imprint of “evil” written all over him and carries the stigma of being known as the Devil by many who never considered that there were ulterior motives of those demonizing him this way.

Often our morals, ethics, beliefs and values clash with others’—we can believe ours so strongly that when we are confronted with other people’s we immediately feel friction—as though we are “right” and they must be “wrong.” We see some people as “bad” and others are “good” not due to what is deep within their soul, but what we have witnessed for a fraction of their existence.

We can be judgmental and opinionated, but just because we believe something, it does not assure that there are any grains of truth in what we think we know.

Apparently, one of the main reasons Christianity attempted to transform the way Pan is viewed may be due to him being an openly sexual being—his image showing his manhood fully aroused and the church perceiving this as immoral. Although, today it would not be socially acceptable to walk around fully erect, this sexual expression for a God was not sinful, it was Pan in his natural state. Pan’s free-spirited sexuality was not justification for the destruction of his reputation, as ancient Gods and Goddesses were not sexually oppressed or ashamed—seeing their body parts as a pure gift of creation.

Pansexual, coined by Sigmund Freud, is a term made from the Greek word “Pan” meaning “all” and signifies a sexual, romantic or emotional attraction for someone, or the capacity to love, regardless of sex or gender identity. Pan represented a free-spirited, sinless love for all.

Pan was a courageous hunter of knowledge, seeker of light and a highly sexual being. He was masculine, effeminate and outwardly affectionate and flirted unashamedly with both men and women. It’s possible that his reputation was deliberately tarnished so that people would be easier to control, seeing open sexuality as a guilty sin—so we feel afraid to freely express it.

Pan represented both masculine and feminine energy, along with an intensely sacred connection to nature—thus making him behave in ways that felt natural to him. Pan’s literal downfall to the underground was due to his sexual behavior being feared by the church—he was slandered throughout their teachings and shown as a fallen-angel, depicting the incarnation of evil.

Pan’s greatest conquest was Selene, the immortal Greek moon Goddess. He seduced her from the skies with an elegant, passionate musical display before declaring his eternal love to her. Selene’s presence can be felt whenever the moon is full.

From this full moon until Halloween, it is believed that Pan dies, traveling through Summerland—gaining wisdom and becoming aware of his errors before reincarnating on the Winter Solstice. During this time we can spend time reflecting on how often we have been quick to judge people or to slander, define, label or ostracize them due to our limiting beliefs or misconstrued information.

We all sin as we’re learning on this journey. Even when we aren’t sinning, are we being loving, gentle, kind enough to those who are struggling and suffering? We’re all a mixture of dark and light energy and we’re all here together to share a planet as we open to one another to understand the layers and depths of our own soul as well as someone else’s. When we close off to other people and disregard them as evil without knowing their entire story we are only reinforcing old patterns and misinformed beliefs that have been instilled into humanity for thousands of years, when the truth is, we will never truly, fully know.

Halloween is traditionally the final harvest of the year and a celebration to mark and honor the cycle of life and death within nature before winter arrives. Pan represents every aspect of nature and instead of fearing him as many of us have, we can allow his energetic influence to remind us that not everything that we hear is true and not everyone who expresses themselves differently than us, is a sinner or evil or deserves to be stigmatized and cast aside.

(This does not apply to those who intentionally inflict pain and suffering on others—this writing does not excuse their behavior in any way—as these actions have no relation to God Pan.)

Things we often deem as good or bad may be greatly swayed by what we are told by others or what we have been conditioned to believe is right or wrong.

It can be tempting to find other’s faults, who we feel are evil in some way, though we can try to open our minds and see that every existence on Earth expresses itself differently and if something conflicts with how we express ourselves, it does not automatically mean that we are better than them. Neither does it mean that our opinions are righteous and represent the truth.

Gods and Goddesses are inherently entwined in nature and are found in everything that exists—including each and every one of us. The period from full moon to Halloween is an optimum opportunity to recognize this.

Relephant:

The October Full Moon: a Chance to let Aries to set our lives Aflame.

Relephant bonus:

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Author: Alex Myles

Image: flickr/ Cody huelster

Editor: Ashleigh Hitchcock