Mark your Calendars…
The next Full Moons in fire signs are:
- February 9, 2020 – 20º Leo
- June 5, 20120 – 15º Sagittarius (also a penumbral lunar eclipse)
- October 1, 2020 – 9º Aries
Once every cycle, the Moon sits right opposite the Sun on her orbit around Earth, and we see her Full face, illuminated in the night sky.
It’s her point of climax.
It’s the culmination of the waxing phases: when all of the growing, creating, building, enlarging and expanding that can be done, has been. The Moon is as full of light and solar energy as she can be. From this point onwards, her light and energy wane: She becomes darker and darker, less and less until she’s completely dark in the sky, and the Moon is New once more.
In this way, the Full Moon marks a powerful moment of change: a pivot point in space and time, the axis point between rising and falling energy. Which means it is an exceptionally powerful moment to make use of, with ritual.
Full Moons in Aries, Leo & Sagittarius – Cool Your Head!
Full Moons which sits in Aries, Leo and Sagittarius are specifically fueled by the element of Fire. And lunar-fire energy means that burning rituals and any ceremonies which incorporate this fierce elemental force will have their potency amplified! Of course, a solar transit through fire, or another planetary transit or alignment involving this element will also serve to heighten the activity and efficacy of fire in your ritual.
The Difference Between New Moon and Full Moon Rituals
People have practiced rituals at the Full and New Moons for eons. Our ancestors recognized the magical potential of these times, as portals through which to harness the power of the planets. The characters of the New and Full Moons are very different – at the New Moon, we retreat, dream, divine, imagine and sow seeds of intention in the inky blackness. New Moons are the first step on the journey to manifestation. Full Moons can also be used to manifest, but their potency is different: it’s magnetic, immediate, ecstatic.
But there is another side to the Full Moon. As the tipping point in the lunar cycle, when the energy of growth becomes the energy of loss, they hold the quality and capacity to remove, to erase, to loosen and let go. The Full Moon can be harnessed to powerfully and intentionally release what no longer serves.
Why do New Moon and Full Moon Rituals WORK?
A Full Moon ritual of release is a powerful thing.
If you want to change something in THIS world – in the solid, 3D reality around you – then you must also make changes energetically. Rituals have the power to join the physical to the spiritual or energetic worlds. Rituals happen at the crossroad, the point of intersection between realms, so practicing them helps enormously, to seed your intention through the realms and make it stick (so it has much more chance of being realized!)
But rituals serve another purpose too, especially those that are practiced at the New and Full Moons. By aligning your intentions with the lunar cycle, you are able to harness lunar energy. This means that the effort you put into making the change (which is the focus of your ritual) will be “helped along”, by the energetic force of the Moon. It is as though the work you do is amplified and in many cases, accelerated through the practice of ritual.
Below is described a very simple Full Moon ritual of release using fire, which holds a powerful elemental force. Try it!
Full Moon Release Ritual
What you Need:
- A Pen and Paper
- A Candle
- Incense (optional)
- A heatproof bowl
Step 1
Before beginning the ritual, spend a little time with a pen and some paper, listing some of the things you wish to release from your life. These maybe actual things – objects, things in your environment, even people (a word of warning – be very, very careful including people in your intentions, without their consent or knowledge. Rituals are powerful, and you may push away people you actually need.) Or they may be thoughts, habits, patterns of behavior that are no longer serving you.
This is a really useful step because it may reveal patterns to you. So for example, instead of creating a ritual to remove a whole list of individual items from your life, a simple intention to release a single pattern of emotional attachment may actually serve you better?
For the ritual, choose one, two or a maximum of three things to release and write these down on a separate piece of paper.
Step 2
Go outside and sit under the Full Moon. (It may not be visible in your part of the world at the actual point of Fullness, but this doesn’t matter. You can perform this ritual up to a couple of days, either side).
Step 3
Light a candle.
Step 4
Light some incense.
You may want to use white sage or Paulo Santo to cleanse the space you are in, and your own energy field, but this is optional. Another reason it can be good, though, is that certain scents can activate ancient codes within the body, which serve to connect you further to the Spirit realms. Those from certain traditions may want to call in the directions, or other spirit guides, so do what feels right for you.
Step 5
Sit on the ground (or a chair) and connect with the Moon.
Feel her presence.
Imagine your crown chakra opening up like a flower, and the light of the Moon streaming down and through it, filling up your body with a silvery, white light. Let this light go wherever it needs to go – in your physical body, your emotional body, your light body…
Step 6
Read through the items on your list of release. You may want to read it out loud, or silently inside of your heart, but feel them as parts of your life, in this moment.
Now say the words:
“I am so grateful for all of the lessons I have received in my life. But the time has come for me to release …. (read out your list)“.
Step 7
Hold your list to the flame of the candle, so that it catches alight. As you do this, feel them leave your life. Feel a lightness, as these things are no longer a part of you.
Now say the words:
“I offer (…say the things on your list…) to the flame, and ask Grandmother Moon to help me release them from my life”.
And LET THEM GO. The key to this part of the ritual is to feel these things leaving your life and to trust they no longer belong to you.
Drop the burning paper into the heatproof bowl, and ensure it goes out safely.
Step 8
It’s important at this point that you invite something else into your life, to take up the space left behind.
Love is ideal! So say the words:
“In their place, I invite pure love into my life. I ask Grandmother Moon to shower me in the love and protection of Spirit. Thank you!”
Step 9
To complete the ceremony, give thanks and set an intention to hold this vibration of love in your heart. And don’t forget to blow out your candle and incense!
If you have friends, then do this together!
Speaking aloud and sharing your intentions for release will make your ritual much more potent – their trust and witness will amplify your results. And don’t forget to write down your experiences. Keeping a record is invaluable when it comes to trusting and empowering this work. Imagine looking back over a year’s worth of rituals and being able to see, 12 months from now, just how much junk you have managed to release from your life!
And please share below how you have used this ritual (or a variation of it) and any results you see!
Full Moon blessings to you,
