Full Moon Monthly Practice
Living in rhythm with the cycle of the moon will bring you more ease, alignment and for me- it’s brought a clarity that I didn’t expect, but so deeply appreciate. If you are new to creating a Monthly Moon Cycle Practice, a simple ritual for each New and Full Moon is a great place to start!
The Moon Cycle is about 29 days, so, for the most part, we get one Full Moon and one New Moon each month. Every once in a while, we get two Full Moons in a month and that second one is known as a Blue Moon (once in a Blue Moon = every now and then). I recommend starting your practice simple and noting the Full and New Moons for the rest of the year in your calendar. You can find them all HERE, and learn more about my New Moon Practice HERE.
The New and Full Moon are Yin and Yang- and while the New Moon has Yin energy and it’s a time of new beginnings, and to set intentions, the Full Moon’s Yang energy calls us to bring it all out into the light. When the moon is full it’s time to take a look at what we’ve worked at, celebrate the wins, acknowledge the missteps and learn from the experiences so we can move forward and grow.
Historically farmers plant seeds at the New Moon and schedule the harvest around the time of the Full Moon- the same is true in our busy too-much-screen-time lives today. At the New Moon, it’s the best time to plant the seeds, aka your intentions, of what you wish to manifest. Then, at the Full Moon you will either celebrate that manifestation coming to fruition or examine what work is left to be done, and dig in a bit to see if/where you got off course. This is the time to reflect and think about what is there to learn so you can make forward progress. You may notice some similarities between my New Moon and Full Moon ritual practices, and that’s intentional- simplicity and continuity are two key elements in consistency for me. You can use any of the ideas or concepts that speak to you and create a practice that you are able to show up as often as possible and do easily!
Living, learning and manifesting in harmony with the moon cycle each month has many fun advantages. One of the most unexpected and amazing rewards of a monthly moon practice is the synchronicity with Earth’s natural rhythm. I find things seem to fall into place as you repeat your rituals from month to month. It was through this monthly cycle that I started exploring more of the cycles and rhythms in our life and it’s been a wonderful journey of creativity and growth!
Throwback to my kids charging their crystals at a Full Moon.
Here’s the basic structure of my Full Moon Ritual- you can use it as a framework to build one that feels amazing for you!
Clear the energy in your space- you can do this many ways, I use Palo Santo and salt but do what feels right for you. I like taking a salt bath at the New and Full Moon and really dig into the energy shift of this time. My kids love it to, we mix about 1/2 c Epsom salts and a few drops of essential oil into a warm bath and soak away any stress, worry, concern and fear. I know not everyone loves a bath and for the times it doesn’t work out that this can be part of the practice- I find even a SUPER quick shower still works! So don’t feel like you have to get out the wine, candles and spa music- but hey- if you can, go for it! I also recommend physically clearing your energetic space- your room, your house, one area that has maybe been neglected for a while. You’ll find even 10-30 minutes of clearing actual, physical clutter can contribute to clearing mental and emotional clutter too!
Meditate or practice awareness through breathwork- I’ve learned to step up my mindfulness time the 2 days prior and 2 days post Full Moon to help me keep my energy from running wild. A Full Moon can be energetically overwhelming, and this can come through in various ways. Sometimes I find my mind racing and sleep impossible and other times I’m super tired! After learning the hard way, I started making it more mandatory to meditate in the days surrounding the Full Moon and have found that tremendously helpful for keeping it more centered.
Read and reflect on your New Moon intentions or if this is your first moon ritual and you don’t have New Moon Intentions- write down a few of the “goals” you have been working on recently and spend at least a few minutes reflecting on those goals, what you’ve accomplished and what work is still ahead. Picture the goal accomplished and think about how that feels. Sit with that feeling for a while.
Journal and RELEASE - What has gone well? Celebrate the success and wins you’ve had in the past month. What has NOT? Use this golden opportunity to honestly and WITH OUT JUDGEMENT, examine what most definitely was NOT a win and do a little mind-mapping around that- what did you learn? What would you do differently next time, if there is another opportunity? When you finish writing this…you’re ready for my (and definitely my kids’) favorite part.
Spend some time outdoors -and celebrate the bright light of the Full Moon with some FIRE. I know this is not always possible- so you can always ((safely)) do an indoor ritual with your fireplace or a candle! You can either use the journaling page or, if you made good mind map notes that you need to reference later, keep it and grab another piece of paper! Transfer over everything you are ready to release to the universe- recap your goal or intention in a sentence or two, and write down what didn’t go fabulous, so you can let that go. Then, write and/or say aloud as you burn the paper:
“I trust that I am guided and cared for by the Universe,
I release expectations and self-judgement.
I am here to shine my light and be a beautiful part of the greater good.”
Move your body- listen to some music and dance in the moonlight and raise your vibration!
I love doing different versions of this ritual for different seasons and love that my kids are learning this beautiful rhythm from the start. Practice over perfection, do what you can and add/modify as you go. It’s the simple, little things that make massive alignment shifts happen.