Moon rituals as a tool for self-discovery

Give moon rituals a chance!

Astrology is having a moment. A big moment. But even if you aren’t into “woo woo” new-age trends and you find birth charts and zodiac sign compatibility revolting, one cannot deny the importance of centering life around the movement and rotation of celestial bodies like the sun, moon, stars and Earth itself. [Join us as we guide & facilitate our next moon ceremony!]

The historical significance of moon cycles

Ancient civilizations charted the skies to make sense of their environment and to track the passage of time. For millennia, our ancestors measured time by the number of moons that had passed from a certain period, and by the shadows that the sun and moon cast. Unsurprisingly, the first calendar to be developed was the lunar calendar which follows the phases of the moon.

While society has developed more sophisticated methods and tools for measuring time, the historical importance of the moon still remains relevant in some areas. For example, the harvest moon that is related to the autumn equinox is called the harvest moon because this is the time farmers have historically harvested their summer crops.

Growing up in a Mexican village where life centered on agriculture and farming livestock, so much of our daily life was dictated by the moon’s phases. From planting crops, to slaughtering a pig for a celebration, to traveling, the moon’s cycle was consulted to ensure the best of fortune. This symbiosis and reliance on the moon’s cycle was lost when my family moved to the US.

When I learned about moon rituals and started the practice, I was reminded of my childhood and felt that I reconnected with a part of me I had forgotten about. I recommend everyone give moon rituals a chance for at least 3 months as fundamentally, it’s an exercise that essentially asks you to check in with yourself twice a month.

Moon rituals as a journaling practice

If you’re of the anti-astrology camp, that’s okay! You don’t need to subscribe to the dogma of astrology to partake and reap the benefits. You can take away the incense, sage, meditation and intention setting to have a more agnostic activity purely for the purpose of checking in with your inner self.

If on the other hand, you’re all about astrology, excellent! Moon rituals are especially helpful for people who struggle to maintain a consistent journaling habit and generally find the act boring, tedious or pointless (What do I write about?!). Moon rituals are great because they provide prompts / questions to ask yourself, think deeply about and answer on the page. It’s also a lot easier to look back and take stock of where you were mentally and emotionally a few weeks or months back.

The moon rituals happen on the full moon and new moon, which are typically two weeks apart. A pro tip is to add the phases of the moon to your Google calendar so you don’t have to constantly Google when the full and new moon will take place on a given month (like I did for many months).

The new moon ritual

This happens when the sun and moon come into alignment; when the yang (masculine) energy of the sun merges with the yin (feminine) essence of the moon. The new moon offers us the opportunity to start afresh, it’s a time to ask ourselves what we want to see in our lives and what we’d like to let go of. Ready for it? Let’s do it!

1 | Set the ambiance

You can treat the ritual as a ceremony or not. But I suggest you clean your space and make room — literally and metaphorically — for the ritual. You can sage your space, burn incense, light a candle, play some soothing music, etc.

2 | Connect with your inner self

Whether you want the ritual to have a spiritual connotation or not, take some deep breaths and try to connect to yourself in the present moment.

3 | Write it down

Physically or digitally, write down the things in your life you either wish to call in or are ready to release. This could be certain feelings/attitudes, fears, or barriers — whatever is no longer serving you. What do you want to see in your life? This could be a job opportunity, a relationship, more financial abundance, an adventure, etc.

4 | Declare + meditate

Read aloud what you want to call into your life. The act of speaking your desires out loud gives them gravitas. Afterward, silently contemplate your desires and try to feel the emotions you’d like to experience when your wishes have become a reality.

The full moon ritual

When the moon is full, its gravitational pull on the Earth strengthens and this causes peak creative energy and intuitive breakthroughs. The full moon represents completeness and offers nourishing energy so that we may assess what’s transpired since the new moon. Here’s how to do a full moon ceremony:

1 | Collect yourself

Just like the full moon, you can sage your space or burn incense to serve as anchor to the present moment. Breathe deeply for a few minutes to cultivate stillness and a sense of calm within.

2 | Write it down

Take a moment to reflect on the past few weeks. What has unfolded? Where are the wins? What are you struggling with? Can you identify opportunities for growth and expansion?

3 | Release + declare

You now have clarity on your emotional and mental state. You have also identified what’s holding you back. You can either write the barriers or blocks down on a piece of paper and ceremoniously burn them, or simply let go of them energetically.

4 | Moon bath + dance

If the moon is visible and the weather allows, go outside and behold its majestic luminescence. Absorb its energy. If you’re up for it, play your fave song of the moment and dance under the moon’s light. If you rather dance indoors, you can do so. Or, you can opt out of this last step entirely.

If some of the steps in the rituals don’t resonate with you, you are welcome to skip them. The most important part is the writing aspect. Moon rituals can be done alone or with a group of close friends you’re comfortable being vulnerable with. Make a commitment to moon cycles and moon energy, as ancient civilizations did for thousands of years.