What is a moon ritual? And is it for me?
The moon undoubtedly has an influence on us, whether it causes us to have sleepless nights, mood swings or invokes a sense of awe and mystery.
“What is all this talk about working with the moon cycle? What does that mean, where does it come from and how can it help me?”
Before we get into all that, I think it’s relevant to point out the moons impact on our planet and daily lives.
How the moon impacts Earth
The moon's gravity pulls at the earth, causing predictable rises and falls in sea levels known as tides. High tides refer to water bulging up from earth's surface, and low tides when water levels drop.
The pull of the moon is also slowing the earth's rotation, an effect known as tidal braking, which increases the length of our day by 2.3 milliseconds per century. The energy that earth loses is picked up by the moon, increasing its distance from the Earth, which means the moon gets farther away by 1.5 inches (3.8 centimeters) annually.
The moon's gravitational pull may have been key to making earth a liveable planet by moderating the degree of wobble in earth's axial tilt, which led to a relatively stable climate over billions of years in which life could flourish.
[taken from the Space website]
So I think it’s save to say, if there was no moon, then we wouldn’t be here either…
Are the menstrual cycle and the moon cycle connected?
For centuries, scholars and writers have speculated about the possibility of a link between lunar cycles and menses. And in 2021, it seems that the potential synchronicity between the two continues to fascinate.
One full revolution of the moon around the earth takes 27 days, 7 hours, and 43 minutes. A moon phase cycle, during which the amount of moon surface that we are able to see from earth waxes and wanes, takes 29.5 days.
The length of menstrual cycles can be in the range of 25–30 days, with the median duration of a menstrual cycle being 28 days.
One 1986 study — which Sung Ping Law, from the Department of Gynecology at the Canton Traditional Chinese Medical College in Guangzhou, conducted — did seem to find a link between menstrual and lunar cycles.
The research, which appears in the journal Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, studied the cycles of 826 female participants, aged 16–25 years, over “4 lunar months in different seasons.”
Bearing in mind that we are made up of around 60% water, it makes me wonder why it wouldn’t impact humans, specifically women who have periods.
Measuring time
The capacity to measure time is among the most important of human achievements and the issue of when time was 'created' by humankind is critical in understanding how society has developed.
Until recently, the first formal calendars appear to have been created in Mesopotamia c, 5000 years ago. But during a research project in 2013, it was discovered that a monument created by hunter gatherers in Aberdeenshire appears to mimic the phases of the moon in order to track lunar months over the course of a year. They believe it to be the world's oldest 'calendar' dating back to around 8,000 BC.
Who celebrates the lunar cycle and why?
Every month, the moon starts a new cycle around the earth. It begins with the new moon, when the moon stands between the earth and the sun and is therefore invisible for the human eye. It then goes into a waxing phase until it reaches the full moon - the pinnacle of the moon cycle. After the full moon the moon retreats into its waning phase until it all starts again with the new moon.
The full moon is celebrated since thousands of years in cultures around the world for its magic, mystery and special energy. It represents a time to gather with community, release unwanted energies and honour what we have created since the new moon.
This is adopted by many Asian cultures and religions to determine the dates of significant festivals. For example the Lunar New Year, marked by the new moon in the first month, is celebrated in China, Korea, Vietnam, Singapore and ethnic Chinese communities.
Many Pagans and Wiccans (modern-day, nature-based pagan religion) choose to celebrate the full moon with a monthly ritual to acknowledge its connection to our wisdom and intuition.
In ancient indigenous cultures, the moon has always held a special place and was/is worshipped for its rhythms of life and the universe. Just as we move through different phases in life, so does the moon - every month.
How does it work?
Working with the moon is a great gateway to create change in your life, they are a powerful tool for letting go of unwanted energy, cleansing and releasing what doesn’t serve us anymore. The full moon amplifies and brings light to our emotions and energies so that we are able to work with them.
Astrologically, full moons are a time to take action. We get inspired to do the necessary work that is needed to manifest dreams into action. Whereas the new moon symbolises new beginnings and is the perfect time to set intentions.
To put it simply: The full moon is all about completion and the new moon is the beginning.
Full and new moon rituals and ceremonies can be used as a powerful tool to self-reflect and create necessary change, but I think it’s important to point out here that it requires discipline, the right intention and setting. As with anything else in life, showing up a few times isn’t going to create the big changes. Start small, but make it a regular thing and you may see it working for you…
Although it can be great to attend ceremonies, dances or rituals in a group setting, you don’t actually need anything or anyone to get started. It certainly helps to look at rituals of ancient cultures around the globe for inspiration for your own moon ceremony. But there is nothing stopping you from coming up with it yourself!
Getting started
More important than anything is to show up regularly. To yourself, your intentions, your dreams and believe that a ritual can work wonders for you. You are ultimately dedicating time to tend to yourself supercharged by the energy of the moon, which we have now established is a strong one. No crystals, sage, impressive altar or fire pit will do the work for you.
Begin with the intention to committing to sit in ceremony for every new moon and every full moon. It can be 10 minutes, it can be an hour. There is no right or wrong here and don’t let lack of time stop you.
When I started working with the moon cycle all I did was light a nice smelly candle and write down my intentions and dreams for every new moon and whatever I wanted to let go off and leave behind for every full moon. That was it! I would maybe put on a nice music playlist too.
Eventually, it sort of grew from that. Either I would meditate beforehand or sometimes even attend in person or virtual events (i.e. a sound bath or cacao ceremony); or ceremonially burn the paper that had written down what I wanted to let go off.
Useful resources
When you feel ready to dive in a bit deeper, I would highly recommend to check out Yasmin Boland who shares a lot of resourceful information and guidance via her Moonology website, newsletter and book. Occasionally, she also offers free ceremonies on Facebook live (highly recommend these!). Another great book is Lunar Living by Kirsty Gallagher.
Some useful apps I use to track the different moon phases are The Moon and My Moon Phase.
Finally, here’s my personal playlist I like to use when practicing a moon ritual by myself.
In community
If you would like to celebrate the next new and full moon together, I offer virtual sound healing events to support you in your manifestations. I would love to see you there.
