The Full Moon is one of the most important dates in the monthly astrological calendar, so it makes sense that many of us are now learning how to harness the lunar energy with a Full Moon ritual.
Making the most of the lunar vibes is easy when you know how, so think of this post as a guide to Full Moon rituals for beginners!
Looking for details on New Moon rituals? You can read all about them in this post.
1 Identify The Date of the Next Full Moon
It’s an obvious first step, but if you keep an eye on the lunar cycles and know when the next Full Moon takes place, you’ll be able to clear some time in your schedule to perform your Full Moon ritual.
I like to keep track of Full Moons with my Google calendar. You can add a lunar calendar to your Google account really easily by visiting the Calendar section and choosing Other Calendars.
From there, you’ll see a drop down and an option to select ‘Browse Interesting Calendars’, where the phases of the Moon will appear as an option.
Once you have added the Full Moon dates to your Google calendar, you’ll never need to search ‘when is the next Full Moon?’ again!
2 Prepare for the Full Moon Energy
Once you’ve downloaded the Full Moon calendar and know the date and time of the next Full Moon, it’s time to get prepared.
It’s important to know which zodiac sign the Full Moon takes place in before you start your Full Moon ritual, as it will help you to focus on which area of your life this Full Moon is most likely to affect.
In the few days before the Full Moon, you’ll feel the lunar energy building and it can be a restless time.
For me personally, my sleep patterns are disrupted in the build up to a Full Moon and on the eve or day of a Full Moon I get what I term a ‘Full Moon Migraine’!
The symptoms of my Full Moon Migraine include feeling tearful at songs and TV shows and waking up super-early with a migraine that lasts the whole day. It’s a fun time!
The Lunar Energy may affect you differently, but if you’re not used to working with the Moon, start to take note of how you feel and how it affects the energy of other people you come into contact with.
I find it really useful to know the Sun and Moon sign of my friends and family, so I know who may be more sensitive to particular Full Moons.
In my experience, people with Sun or Moon in Cancer tend to be most emotionally affected by all Full Moons, given that The Moon is the natural ruler of Cancer.
But other star signs are affected by Full Moon energy in different ways, especially when a Full Moon falls in the sign of their Sun or Ascendant.
3 Schedule Your Full Moon Ritual
The exact time that The Moon is full may not be the best or most convenient time for you to have your Full Moon Ritual. For example, it could be at 2am on a weekday when you need to get up for work the next day.
That’s okay – you have a 72 hour window around the Full Moon time to harness its energy.
If you plan your Full Moon Ritual in advance, it means you can block off your diary and fully prepare to let the lunar energy flow undisturbed.
4 Charge Your Crystals
This part of the Full Moon ritual is optional, and shouldn’t be performed if the Full Moon is also an eclipse, but if you do have crystals that you want to use as part of your ritual then it’s a good idea to charge them.
You can charge your crystals by placing them under the moonlight, allowing them to bathe in the lunar energy when it’s at its fullest.
It’s best to charge your crystals overnight the night before your Full Moon ritual, but the main thing is to have them charging at night rather than through the day.
Crystals can be charged outside on the ground, connecting the earth with the lunar rays, but if you can’t charge them outdoors then you can charge your crystals on a windowsill indoors that will expose the crystals to the moon.
Be aware that some crystals, like selenite, aren’t compatible with water so if you think there’s a chance of rain and you’re not sure how your crystals will react, it’s best to keep them indoors.
Charging your crystals loads them with feminine, spiritual energy that can help things flow during your Full Moon Ritual.
There’s mixed opinions when it comes to charging your crystals during an eclipse, but I generally find that eclipse energy is erratic and doesn’t lend itself to the soothing energy I want to bring into my Full Moon Ritual, so I guess it’s a personal choice.
5 Create Your Full Moon Altar
Now, this is not as hard, or as scary, as it sounds!
A Full Moon altar is simply a sacred space that you create, either indoors or outdoors, where you’ll perform your Full Moon Ritual.
It doesn’t have to be a literal alter, but it should be a small space that you can place some symbolic objects that will help you harness the lunar energy.
You can create your Full Moon altar a few days before your Full Moon Ritual or even on the same day, but setting this space up in advance will help you prepare for your ritual.
Your Full Moon altar will be personal to you, and you may want to bring in some objects that relate to the energy of the zodiac sign that the Full Moon falls in.
Here’s some ideas for your Full Moon altar:
- a candle
- crystals
- notebook or piece of paper
- bowl of water
- smudge sticks
- soothing music
- an object related to or symbolic of the zodiac sign the Full Moon falls in
- an object related to or symbolic of things you want to let go of during your Full Moon Ritual
6 Perform Your Full Moon Ritual
Set the Scene
Using the objects you’ve collated for your Full Moon altar, create a calm space to perform your Full Moon Ritual.
Smudge your area, light your candle, make a hot drink, play your soothing music and get yourself in to a comfortable position where you can relax your body and welcome some calm.
Do whatever works for you at this stage to prepare for your Full Moon Ritual.
Full Moon Meditation
Your Full Moon Ritual is a time where you can think about all the things that no longer serve you and let them go.
If you’re not sure how to do this, or nothing in particular comes to mind, start off with some meditation.
Take a few minutes to think about the energy of the zodiac sign that the Full Moon falls in.
If it’s in Capricorn, what house is that in your natal chart? Does it rule the 10th House and your career, ambition and status? Who or what is holding you back from reaching your true potential in this area? What ambition hasn’t worked out, is it time to let go of this and focus on something better?
Let your mind explore all the thoughts, even if they’re negative, and notice how they make you feel.
When you’re ready, open your eyes and move on to the next step.
Release What No Longer Serves You
Once you start to get a clear idea of all the things that are causing you pain or preventing you from moving forward, it’s time to release them.
Take a notebook or a piece of paper and start to write down all the things you want to release.
Try to write between 3-8 things that you want to let go of during the Full Moon in order to make room for manifesting something better on the New Moon.
You can burn this list, bearing in mind you’ll need to do it safely…!
Or you can rip it up and flush it away in water or strikethrough each thing on your list.
The important thing about this step is acknowledging the things you want to let go of and symbolically releasing them from your future.
Do whatever feels natural to you and ask the Full Moon to support you as you make way for growth in your life.
7 Close Your Full Moon Ritual
You can close your Full Moon Ritual by blowing out your candle, or switching on the lights, or just saying out loud that your Full Moon Ritual is complete.
My favourite way to close a Full Moon Ritual is to take a moon bath. Just as we bathe in The Sun, we can also bathe in The Moon!
You can have a moon bath by going outside at night after your Full Moon Ritual and soaking up the magical lunar energy.
A moon bath helps us to benefit from the energy of the moonlight when it touches our skin and I love connecting with The Moon outdoors after a Full Moon Ritual, especially if it’s bright and visible in the sky.
8 Make a Commitment to Lunar Living
Now that you know how to perform a Full Moon Ritual, it’s time to commit to making this part of your monthly cycle.
You might not feel the benefits of your Full Moon Ritual straight away, and that’s okay.
Sometimes it can take time for The Moon magic to work out and it’s important to trust the universe when you release things from your life and your thoughts.
Try to get into a monthly routine of working with the Full Moon and noticing how it affects you to truly harness the power of La Luna!
I hope this guide to creating your Full Moon Ritual has helped you and I’d love to hear more about how your Full Moon rituals have worked out for you!
