Following The Moon

 

I’ve never really been an outdoor person, although when I do go out for a walk in nature, I really do feel energised and refreshed. Since lockdown #1 started (10 months ago) staying home has been my default mode and I have really struggled to go out for a walk in  nature to our local park only a couple of minutes away from us.

In our crazy lives, before COVID and now, I have felt the need in the last couple of years ( more or less since started meditating regularly) to connect with nature.

I am a mixed media enthusiast and when one of my favourite mixed media artists, Jennibellie, created the class Manifesting With The Moon, back in December 2020, I saw this as a sign from the Universe that it was my chance to easily connect with something of nature. Jennibellie describes in this class the phases of the moon and presents her two Moon Rituals, one for the New Moon and one for the Full Moon. This is such a great class, especially for beginners like I was, and highly recommend it.

I have been doing these rituals since then. But a month or so ago, I felt drawn to expanding this practice. I literally spent a full week researching, collating information on all phases of the moon, what each means, what activities are best, crystals and essential oils to use, card reading spreads, affirmations, journaling prompts...

The books Moonology by Yasmin Boland and Lunar Living by Kirsty Gallagher, as well as YouTube channel Elevation 44, have been such a great help to gather and make sense of all this information. For a great overview (and quite detailed, I found) of each phase of the moon, check Elevation 44’s video series playlist Working With The Moon Phases (4 videos). She also regularly does a designated video for each coming full moon and new moon, linking it to the current zodiac energy, which gives extra guidance, meaning and direction to the Rituals.

I have also created some playlists on Insight Timer of moon music and meditations that I would find useful to choose from-

I have also created some moon cards -

From doing a New Moon Ritual and a Full Moon Ritual each month, I now have added journaling sessions in between for each phase of the moon, where I light a candle, have a crystal by me, review since my last ritual or journaling session, use journaling prompts dedicated to the current moon phase, do a card reading spread for the specific moon phase, giving me more guidance, and create affirmations out of the journaling and guidance from the cards.

I have also expanded my Moon Rituals (New and Full) from 1 hour with art journaling included, to about 2 hours without painting (although for Full Moon Rituals, I am intending on occasions to paint over words to release instead of burning pages)

Just to give you an idea of how I “structure “ my rituals, here are my personal guidelines I use:

NEW MOON RIRUAL:

. Setting space: first I do Moon Day activities to define the day as sacred(sacred bath  or shower with oils, making body scrub with my current moon essential oils I would be using in the evening for the ritual, making tea blend, making moon oil, doing a yoga flow on YouTube for the specific moon phase...)

Then in the evening, I prepare for the ritual creating a sacred space: incense around my room to remove negative energies and purify the space, occasionally I would create a circle around me with clear quartz in 4 directions and black obsidian in between. I prepare the crystals I want to use for the ritual, choose my essential oils (as I have 2 cats, I don’t use my diffuser anymore, I put a drop of each on a tissue that I keep with me during the ritual. Some essential oils are toxic to pets), the card deck I feel drawn to for the reading, and any symbolic pieces I want to use (I have a black moon and a silver/gold moon necklaces my friend Louise sells on her shop - instagram @ukelooloo).

. Grounding meditation with holding my crystals from Insight Timer, whichever one I feel drawn to when I’m ready to start (from the playlists above - Moon Visualisations especially) - maximum 10 minutes 

. I review previous cycles, what I did, journaled , reflect on it. That’s the Dark Moon work, the first day of the cycle where there is no illumination, which is perfect for shadow work, introspection, resetting.

. Now this is New Moon fun - manifesting: visualisation to identify what I want to manifest ( from the Insight Timer playlist) and sending wishes and intentions to the Moon

.Creating affirmations and statements out of your visualisation and what you want to manifest, to put you in a state where it has all already happened, and feel the energy. I say them out-loud and it really makes a difference to hear you say the words. I feel much higher vibrational energy. It is a bit like saying spells.

. I then meditate and let it all soak in, the intentions, the affirmations, the energy, seeing it all in my mind.

. Next step, I journal about this soaking in, what I felt, what I saw, any insights or ideas that came to me and that I want to think about or do something about.

. I love the next step - time to get the cards out! I choose a simple spread from a google search that relates to the new moon and pick my cards at random. I read intuitively first if I can, writing down what I see on the cards, one at a time, and what it reminds me of, how I feel. Then I may check the booklet for extra messages and meanings.

. Finally, I end the ritual by sealing my intentions, blessing and releasing them to the universe/moon. I usually just journal and writing a massive thank you at the end, whatever I feel,  I start by setting space in exactly the same way as for the New Moon. Something else I might do on Full Moon is to gather all my crystals on a tray and place them by my window sill for the full moon’s energy to energetically cleanse them. You can also add any jewellery or tools sacred to you.

. I also do a grounding meditation with my chosen crystals, same as for my New Moon Ritual.

. I listen to a Full Moon visualisation and journal on it, what I’ve seen, felt...

. Next step is to review all my moon journaling since the new moon and review my action plan - what has worked, what has not worked, what has come to light from the New Moon manifestations and previous cycles. I celebrate these and reflect on what resources and support I need to carry and how I can get them.

. I then move on to Full Moon journaling prompts to help me see deeper or other aspects that I have not considered. Both in Full Moon and New Moon Rituals, I check Elevation 44’s video on the coming moon and pick up prompts from her video as well to add the zodiac element. This is something that is very new to me so I don’t go particularly deep on these - yet. The video also helps me choose my essential oils and crystals.

. Next step is the card reading spread for Full Moon (again from google search). The process is same as for the New Moon Ritual. You can also pick only one card, which I do if I use my SoulCollage cards, or choose a book that inspires you and open a page randomly and see what words, sentences messages jump out at you. You don’t have to use cards if you don’t have any or you don’t want to.

. Then I start my Release phase of the ritual. I journal on anything I want to release (energies, lack of, people’s influences and behaviours towards you, events, traumas keeping you in the past, limiting beliefs, fears...) and journal on forgiveness (who I forgive, what, what for...)

. I finish my ritual with journaling on gratitude (that one usually last a while, as I find that the more you write, the more you find) and sealing the work in a similar way to what I do for my New Moon Ritual.

These 2 rituals last about 2 hours.

WAXING PHASES JOURNALING SESSIONS:

. I cleanse my space with sage incense (my bed, which is where I journal), light a candle, and do a short grounding meditation (I might just have a couple of minutes focusing on my breath or doing a body scan), maximum 5 minutes

. I then re-read the journaling from my previous phases, reflect and journal, and use journaling prompts for the current moon phase (again, google search).

. My next step is a card reading, using a waxing phase spread (google search)

. Next, I journal on the reading’s insights and messages and create affirmations which I repeat out loud.

. Closing my session the same way that I close my Moon Rituals.

WANING PHASES JOURNALING SESSIONS:

My waning phases journaling sessions are very similar to my waxing phases journaling sessions. The only difference is that I include a Releasing guided meditation and journal afterwards just before I create affirmations. It brings an extra layer to the phases in my moon journaling practice.

For all Moon Phases, I can use my Moon Cards for ideas on activities or yoga sessions I would like to include.

Here are a few photos of what my Moon Rituals set up look like:

This was my set up for my last moon ritual (Full Moon) - the chocolate is my sacred snack 😉❤️

CARDS TO USE FOR READINGS

I use any oracle or tarot cards deck that I have. I even use my self-made SoulCollage cards (see my SoulCollage article in Archives to see what they are). I choose my deck intuitively just before the ritual when I am gathering my “tools”. For my journaling sessions (waxing and waning phases) I similarly choose my deck before I start the session, at the same time I pick my crystals and light my candle.

EXAMPLES OF CARD SPREADS (from internet)

WHAT THE RITUALS AND JOURNALING SESSIONS BRING ME

Connecting the moon enables with nature in a way that is not dependent on the weather, my mood or my energy levels. It also puts me back in focus of the natural cycles of life and our need to rest after effort, and opens my trust to what comes my way for my greatest good, raising my vibrational energy.

It also gives me a reliable and in-real-time system to journal, reflect, set goals and intentions, monitor them, review them, “perfect” them to suit my needs, and be fully open to gratitude and forgiveness. Plus, it’s really fun and relaxing, and enables you to use your creativity as your rituals are YOUR rituals - you design and structure them in any ways that you like or feel you need. It is definitely an integral part of my self care, by making my rituals sacred, I am also giving myself sacred time to myself, and only myself.

I hope that this article would have shed some light and brought you some helpful sources of inspiration as well as a desire to research, to embrace the moon and the cycles of your life.

How can the Moon support you?