The Significance of a Full Moon is something we hear myths about our entire lives. Old Wives tales and folklore conjure up images of werewolves with blood dripping from their fangs, howling at the giant sphere that has grown in size over the last calendar month. We hear about problems in the ER with patients and their crazy situations, emotions running wild and an amped up atmosphere. All of these scenarios are true to some extent. The moon has a direct power over the earth’s gravitational pull. The intensity felt at the Full Moon is us (and the wolves) feeling the shift. We are very sensitive creatures and even though we may not acknowledge the phases of the moon, we feel it on physical, emotional & spiritual levels.
The beauty of the many phases of the moon, which is Eight Phases from New Moon to Full Moon, is that they each create & emanate their own individual energy. We have the ability to work with the phases of the moon and work with the energy it is supplying. Farmers have been using the information from the moon for centuries. Depending on the “Lunar Cycle” to plant, nourish and harvest their crops. Each lunar phase changes within the calendar month and projects different energy towards earth. The eight phases are New Moon, Waxing Crescent, First Quarter, Waxing Gibbous, Full Moon, Waning Gibbous, Last Quarter and Waning Crescent. In this post, we are focusing on the almighty Full Moon and how to work with it’s energy.
The Full Moon is the phase where the moon is fully illuminated from the Earth’s perspective. It’s a time of great astronomical observation and in some cases, depending on where you are located, can feel like it’s sitting right in your back yard. This phase signifies a time of completion, thus the term “Harvest Moon”. When this moon had risen, it would signal farmers to harvest their final crops for the year before winter was upon them. Farmer’s still use this in their harvesting practices and people all over the world today use the Full Moon phase for completion in many aspects of their lives.
The Full Moon brings a certain energy to earth and it’s up to us on how we choose to use it. We can let it bring us down or blame it for angry or irrational behaviour OR we can embrace this magnificent energy and choose to use it in a positive way. Remembering that it signifies a completion or close to a cycle, working with this in mind, we can bring attention to what we want to complete or close in our own lives.
When the Full Moon phase is upon us, there is no denying that we can feel it. We feel the buzz heightening, the excitement of celebrating the end of the cycle. We can look at this time as a celebration of the hard work we have put in and being open to receiving the rewards. It is a time for reflection on what you have conceived, created & grown over the past month. To look back and ponder if you would’ve done something differently or to challenge yourself to move forward and leave some things behind. This particular time of the lunar cycle can be a time of cleansing, “pulling back the layers” and leaving what no longer serves you.
This can be a great time to change up your physical space as well as mental & emotional space. Everything that you have collected from the phase of the New Moon can be looked upon and either kept to grow with you or discarded because you no longer need it. It’s almost like a mini Thanksgiving every month. Feeling grateful for all that you have and have gained. Acknowledging what has been, what will be and won’t be. Of course, along with a mini Thanksgiving comes celebration, woot woot! Celebrate your achievements, who you have become, what you have done or gained over the past month.
Now that you know why you may want to celebrate the Full Moon, the question is how. People over the centuries have closed down cities to celebrate this lunar phase, we just may want to close the kitchen up to the littles in our families searching for the ever elusive snack, so we can have a spare moment to ourselves. Your celebration can include and of the following:
- Meditating on your achievements and receiving encouraging messages from your Guides or Ancestors
- Full Moon bath that can include a special herbal bath blend, including bath/water safe crystals, lighting candles and cleansing your physical and emotional self
- Journaling the aspects & highlights of the previous month or writing an incantation (a series or words in a poem or spell)
- Lighting candles and thinking of the previous month then distinguishing them signifying the close of that chapter
- Full Moon feast for friends & family or a quiet table for one with offerings of food & drink to yourself and to La Luna
- Full Moon bon-fire is always totally festive, weather permitting and also gives you a chance to be outside with the Moon’s energies.
The most important take away from this post is to try and harness the raw energy that all the lunar phases give us, they are truly a gift. To step back from the mainstream, take your shoes off, stare at the sky and put some thoughts out there. To become aware that we can choose to use this natural energy for our own empowerment. When you become comfortable with your own acknowledgement & celebration of the Full Moon, continue on with the other lunar phases and just like that, you’ll be wielding some astounding universal power. xo
