By Jennifer Manly
The moon is a powerful source of energy, especially during a full moon. There is a heightened presence to the air, water and nature itself. The shift during this time has a tremendous effect on one’s self and can be felt, not only energetically, but deep within. The full moon is a sacred time- it’s a time to take action, a time of letting go and a time for releasing what no longer serves you. Each month, when the full moon occurs, is a chance for you to cleanse your past and present and start setting yourself up for new beginnings.
If connecting to the full moon resonates with you then it’s important to harness the energy when you can. Once it has taken place, there is a symbolic time, where the moon starts to wane and where a chapter is then closed. If you are wanting to harness this intense, yet powerful energy then I highly suggest creating full moon rituals to aid in your process of releasing and letting go. You can perform these rituals the day prior, the day of and day after the full moon takes places. Full moon rituals are exercises allowing you to connect deeper within yourself to clear out the space that no longer serves you, along with the help of the energetic shift the moon is providing at that time.
Honestly, full moon rituals can be whatever you intuitively feel you want to make of them. They are a sacred time that is meant to serve in ways that work best for you. However, there are rituals that are simple, yet effective that you may want to incorporate into your sacred space, especially if just starting out, that will amplify your experience.
Here are some full moon rituals that you can practice monthly.
Create a Sacred Space
Create a space for you to dive into your connection to the full moon. If possible it can be outside under the moon itself or it can just be in the comfort of your home in an area you fell called to be. You can even open a window if you want to feel more connected or just light some candles. Fill your space with things that bring you joy or comfort or that you feel you may want to release. If you feel called to just sit in an empty space, that works great too.
Burning Sage or Palo Santo
Both sage and Palo Santo are used to energetically clear your space. They both help to remove any negativity that is in or around your area. You can do a technique called smudging, where you wave the smoke of the sage or Palo Santo around your body, in your area and on things, like crystals, that you may be using during your full moon ritual. This cleanses the area, allowing positive energies to now enter.
Crystals
If you have crystals, especially ones that you really feel a connection with, have them on hand during this time. You can lay them out in your sacred space or you can hold on to some of them if that’s what you feel called to do. Before placing your crystals out, feel free to thank them for aiding you in this journey. Also keep in mind that once you are done with your crystals you should place them outside, in the dirt, on a tree branch, the grass – anything grounding and connected to the earth, and let your crystals charge overnight to soak in that powerful energy of the moon.
Connecting with Nature
If you feel called to do so, add some elements of nature to your space. You can collect leaves, tree branches, sticks, flowers, maybe even fruits or vegetables that you may have grown in your backyard and surround yourself with them. It’s not necessary but the more you’re engulfed in nature, the more connected you may feel.
Journaling
Journaling is the perfect way to release emotions you may be holding onto to. Think about anything and everything that has been holding you back or just focus on one particular thing. Write it down. Write how it has made you feel and truly feel into it. You can then write about the releasing of it as well or you can just leave it as is. Some people really like the idea of burning the paper they just wrote on ( please do this with caution) or simply ripping it up and throwing it out. Thank it and release it. You can do a mediation prior to releasing the energies associated with what you had written.
Mediation
A simple mediation or a lengthy one is perfect to perform during a full moon. I personally like to perform one before I begin in my sacred space and then another one before closing, but you can do whatever intuitively feels right for you. You can do a guided meditation or just thank the moon and ask for help releasing while you sit in silence and let go of whatever it is you need to let go of.
Cleansing Bath
If you really want to enhance your experience take a bath after your ritual. Also, feel free to create your sacred space in the bath if you feel called to do so. Being in the water is an even higher connection to the full moon. Add in some Himalayan salt, surround yourself with your crystals, add in some petals and emotionally release and relax into your bath. The salt with help cleanse any toxins that may be trapped in your body. Put on some relaxing music and allow yourself to get lost in the energy that is taking place.
Remember, do what intuitively feels right for you. If you want to perform all of these suggestions as one ritual, please do so. If you’re only feeling called to do one, only do that one. If you’re feeling called to create a group setting and perform a ritual, that is a great idea as well. This is your sacred time. A time for you to release and cleanse in whatever way feels best for you. I just recommend that you thank and release whatever is no longer serving you and clear a space for newness to come in. Feel into this time. Embrace it, cry it out, get angry if you need to and then allow the full moon to aid you in letting it all go.