The Aspen Tradition

Next week, the Sturgeon Full Moon peaks on August 9th at 3:55 a.m. Eastern Time. It’s a perfect moment to honor water’s bounty and stand in solidarity with Indigenous peoples who have long protected our waters.

What Is the Sturgeon Full Moon? Long before our Lughnasadh celebrations of grain and harvest, Native American communities marked late summer by the abundance of freshwater sturgeon. They saw this time as a feast of the waters—an offering from rivers and lakes that sustained fish, wildlife, and human communities alike. In Wicca, Lughnasadh speaks of gratitude for the earth’s yield; the Sturgeon Moon invites us to mirror that gratitude for water’s riches. As allies, we respectfully weave our craft into Indigenous traditions of abundance and give thanks for every drop.

Why We Must Stand Together Water is under threat on many fronts. At Standing Rock in 2016–17, the Dakota Access Pipeline’s route under the Missouri River galvanized the “Water Is Life” movement—#WaterIsLife began as a declaration that clean rivers are sacred and non-negotiable. Since then, activists have fought Line 3 in Minnesota, opposed the Keystone XL extension, and rallied Miami-Dade citizens around aquifer protection through award-winning campaigns. On Turtle Island and worldwide, Indigenous water defenders have shown that protecting water is about preserving culture, health, and future generations. Our rituals signal our allegiance and raise public awareness of water justice.

How We Can Help: A Simple, Solitary Rite Even if you have only a kitchen shelf to work with, you can join this global moment. On or near the morning of August 9th gather:

• A clear bowl or cup of fresh water (tap, filtered, or rain)
• Crystals in water hues—aquamarine, lapis lazuli, turquoise—or a blue cloth under your bowl
• A writing surface: rice paper, coffee filter, or plain sheet of paper
• A small pinch of salt for purification
• A simple incense—sage, rosemary, or whatever you have on hand
• A feather to direct the smoke

Light your incense, and begin by blessing your water. Sprinkle in the salt, imagining it cleansing rivers and aquifers. Invoke Selene to draw ancestral moon-tide wisdom into your bowl, or call upon Yemayá—Mother of Oceans in African and Caribbean lore—to lend her nurturing strength. If you prefer, call any patron deity you have worked with or invite a new energy to join you, perhaps Melusine.

Write your affirmation on paper: “Water Is Life” or your own affirmations. Gently float the strip in your salt-charged water. As it dissolves, feel your words seep into the waters.

Raising Energy with Chant and Drum Speak your intentions aloud, weaving them into simple rhyming chant, such as:

“From mountain spring to ocean deep, Water pure I pledge to keep.”

Feel free to drum or tap, or to shake a rattle as you repeat the words. Let each strike echo your commitment to flow, connect, and protect.

Amplify Our Solidarity Snap a photo of your altar—no elaborate set-up required—and post it with #WaterIsLife. Tag local water-rights or Indigenous organizations to weave your circle into theirs. As thousands share under the same moon, our collective voice will surface in social network feeds, inviting even more participants.

The Ritual Beyond the Bowl When your ritual has concluded, pour the water at the base of a tree, into a potted plant, or anywhere it can return to the land respectfully. Then turn intention into action:

• Educate yourself on water conservation efforts and dangers.
• Sign petitions against pipelines like Keystone XL and Line 3.
• Donate to Indigenous-led water-protection funds.
• Volunteer for river clean-ups or support local watershed groups.
• Reduce single-use plastics
• Pressure your representatives for stronger water-safety laws.

This Sturgeon Moon, let our solitary rites unite into a global current of care. Together, our simple acts of devotion become a force too powerful to ignore—honoring water’s sacred flow and the communities who defend it. Blessed be.