little deer horns dropping moon / weed moon

Aug/Sep 2026

Hello All,

Welcome to the new moon in Leo — a bold, radiant, and highly creative reset amplified by a solar eclipse.

☽O☾

American History – Little Deer Horns Dropping Moon

For the Kiowa people of the Great Plains, this is Táguñótal P’a Sän, or Little Deer Horns Dropping Moon.

This moon marks the earlier stage of a seasonal cycle, followed by the Great Deer Horns Dropping Moon. Mooney’s informants explained that the deer were beginning to “shed their horns” at this time. While hard antlers are actually dropped in late winter, the soft velvet covering them is shed in late summer — a dramatic and highly visible process that matches the timing of these two moons.

While we don’t have an account of the significance of antler velvet to the Kiowa, James Mooney recorded that the Cherokee believed that the soft “down” from a young deer’s antlers, when properly consecrated, held special power. It was thought to bring the hunter good luck and influence anything related to deer. The belief was strong enough that in the 19th century, even non-Native deerskin traders would obtain these charms from Cherokee people, hoping the velvet would help attract more deer trade.

The Little Deer Horns Dropping Moon sits in the quiet transition of late summer. It asks us: What in your life needs to fall away so that new forms can emerge? And, what holds power for you? Do you keep any sort of talisman, imbued with the strength and mystery of nature? If you haven’t yet acquired one, maybe it’s time to change that. Everyone could use a little extra luck.

☽O☾

British History – Weed Month

The Anglo-Saxons called this lunar month Weodmōnaþ — Weed Month.

According to Bede in The Reckoning of Time, it was named for the weeds that grow most abundantly at this time of year. In late summer the fields are full, the crops are ripening, and the wild plants push hard against cultivated land. For farming communities, this was a practical observation: the height of the growing season, when weeds competed most fiercely with the harvest.

The Weed Moon asks us: What forces in your life right now are demanding attention? What needs careful tending, and what might need clearing so something more intentional can thrive?

☽O☾

Lunar Astronomy

This new moon on August 12, 2026, coincides with a total solar eclipse at 20°01' Leo. While the path of totality (where the Sun is completely covered) crosses parts of Greenland, Iceland, and northern Spain, most of the UK and the United States will experience a partial solar eclipse. In the UK the Moon will cover roughly 90–96% of the Sun, creating a deep partial eclipse; coverage across most of the US will be much shallower.

One of the simplest and most delightful effects of a partial solar eclipse is how the Sun’s crescent shape is projected through gaps in tree leaves or a simple pinhole. On the ground or a wall you can see dozens of tiny crescent Suns instead of the usual round spots of light. Because the UK experiences such a deep partial, these projected crescents should be especially sharp and easy to notice — a rare and fleeting transformation of our planet’s natural light.

Two weeks later, the full moon on August 28 at 4°53' Pisces brings a partial lunar eclipse. Together, this eclipse pair bookends a powerful two-week period of intensified lunisolar energy.

☽O☾

Lunar Astrology

This new moon is exact at 20°01' Leo and coincides with a total solar eclipse: a potent combination that brings dramatic resets. Leo energy invites courage, creativity, visibility, bold self-expression, and heart-centered leadership. Eclipses accelerate what is already ready to change, often clearing the way for a more authentic version of ourselves to emerge. This is a powerful moment to set intentions around creative projects, personal confidence, or stepping more fully into the spotlight.

The full moon arrives on August 28 at 4°53' Pisces: a deeply emotional, intuitive, and boundary-dissolving energy (and a partial lunar eclipse). This pairing (Leo–Pisces) highlights the dance between standing in your individual light and dissolving into something greater than yourself. The Pisces full moon can bring heightened sensitivity, vivid dreams, and a strong pull toward compassion, creativity, or spiritual insight. It asks us to soften where we have been rigid, and to release what no longer serves the heart.

Between the bold spark of the Leo new moon and the deep release of the Pisces full phase, this lunar cycle kicks off with a call to get out there and shine, but culminates in an invitation (or an insistence) to drop the ego and give over to the collective.

☽O☾

All my best, and until next lunar month, Claire