You are walking back to the car under a clear sky, or standing in the garden for one last breath of autumn air, or lying on a blanket because someone said there might be meteors. And then it happens. A thin line of light runs across the dark and is gone before you can point at it. Your heart jumps, and almost before you know it, a wish is already forming.
Most people learned the rule as children: see a falling star, make a wish, and keep it to yourself. Then life fills up, the sky gets less of your attention, and the habit slips away. October is a lovely month to pick it up again. The sky is dark around the new moon of 10 October, and two meteor showers cross it this month. This letter is about the old way of wishing on a shooting star, and about what I do when someone hands me a wish of their own.
How do you wish on a shooting star?
Make your wish while the light is still crossing the sky, or the moment it fades. Say it silently, in the present tense, as if it has already come true, and keep it to yourself. Then answer it with one small act the next day, so the wish has somewhere to land.
Falling stars in October 2026
The Draconids fall in the days around the new moon of 10 October, a gentle shower with a dark sky to show it off. The Orionids follow, with their peak on the night of 21 to 22 October; the moon is bright early on and leaves the darker hours before dawn to the falling stars. You need no telescope and no app: a dark spot away from street lights, a wide view of the sky, and a little patience.
Older than any of us
People have treated a falling star as a moment when the sky opens a little for a very long time. In old stories it was a glimpse of the heavens looking down, a crack of light through which what was said below could be heard above. From that grew the simple belief that a wish made in that moment is heard, and that it should be made quickly, before the light is gone.
Every place seems to have its own small way of catching it. In Chile, people pick up a stone when a star falls. In the Philippines, a knot is tied in a handkerchief while the star is still in the sky, to hold the wish fast. And almost everywhere the same quiet rule turns up: keep the wish to yourself. I love that. No ceremony and no tools, just a stone in your hand or a knot in a piece of cloth, and a person who believes for a moment that the sky is listening. It is one of the oldest rituals there is, and it belongs to everyone.
At my table
When someone brings me a wish, I treat it the way the old stories treat a falling star: as something precious that arrived through a small opening and deserves to be held well. My Wish Spell: Make a Wish Ritual takes up to three wishes, in your own words. One might be for you, one for someone you love, and one you have never said out loud to anyone.
At my table I write each wish down, set it in candlelight and hold it until it feels settled and clear. Then I write you a report: what I felt around each wish, what seemed ready to move, and the step that belongs to it. A wish held this way has more shape. It stops being a hope you carry around and becomes a direction you can walk in. If you would like to ask about your wish as well, a Questions Reading sits beside the ritual at half price.
And if your wish is about a fresh start, the new moon is its natural home. Every month I hold my New Moon Intention Ritual, and you will find every new and full moon until the end of 2027 on my moon rituals page. I wrote about this month's new moon in my letter about the 10/10 new moon.
See it, feel it, draw it in
Here is what I believe, and what I work with: a wish grows stronger when you treat it as already true. Not hoped for, not begged for. Felt. The old rule to keep your wish secret fits this beautifully, because a wish you keep close stays warm.
So on the next clear night, go somewhere a little dark, look up and let your eyes settle. Before the first star falls, know your wish. Shape it as one sentence in the present tense: "I live by the sea", "My work fits me like a glove", "I wake up rested and glad". When the light crosses the sky, say it silently, and let yourself feel what it is like to live inside it: the air, the sounds, the ease in your shoulders. Then pick up a small stone, or tie a knot in a ribbon, and keep it somewhere you will see it.
The next day, do one small thing that belongs to the wish: look at a house by the sea, rewrite one line of your CV, make the call you keep putting off. A wish that is answered with an action has somewhere to land. And if no star falls for you, wish anyway. The first star you see is a lovely stand-in, and so is a candle on your own kitchen table. If you are someone who already wishes when the clock shows 11:11, you know exactly how this feels; I wrote about that in what 1111 means.
What came back to my table
I am grateful for every word that comes back to me after a ritual or a reading. These are a few of them, from people who brought their own hopes to my table.
"This is not the first reading I bought from Ivy and I am glad to have come back because it really helped me finally motivate myself to take my life into my own hands."
Sonntagskind, August 2026
"Very good I feel something shifted in me, thank you"
Peter, July 2026
"She is so authentic and has wonderful energy and intentions"
laura, September 2026
I read each of these more than once. They remind me that a wish is rarely only about the thing itself. It is about feeling, for a moment, that your life is moving in your direction.
Questions people ask me about wishing on a shooting star
Is it good luck to see a shooting star?
These days almost everywhere, yes. A falling star is seen as a moment when the sky opens a little, which is why it became the moment to make a wish.
Should you tell anyone your wish?
The old rule says to keep it to yourself, and I like that rule. A wish you keep close stays warm, and it stays yours.
What if I miss the shooting star?
Wish anyway. The first star you see, a candle on your own table or the new moon each month are all good moments to name what you want.
When can I see shooting stars in October 2026?
The Draconids fall around the new moon of 10 October, and the Orionids peak on the night of 21 to 22 October. A dark spot away from street lights and a wide view of the sky are all you need.
Can you hold a wish for me?
Yes. My Wish Spell: Make a Wish Ritual holds up to three wishes in your own words, and I write you a report about each one. I promise no outcome: this is spiritual guidance, offered for entertainment purposes, alongside good advice and never instead of it. Your own choices remain the strongest force.
The sky offers a wish now and then, free, to anyone who looks up. Look up this month.
Ivy
