Experience the Releasing Power of Grandmother Moon!

In the city and suburbs, it’s often hard to see the stars as our grandmothers and great-grandmothers did. But one celestial body that overcomes light pollution is the Moon… as the Native Americans used to call her, Grandmother Moon, who rules the ebb and flow of women’s cycles.

And according to The Oregonian, the coming full moon will be unique for this year:

“The full moon of September, which is called the Harvest Moon, will be the closest and largest full moon of 2015. The moon will not be this close again until the full moon of Nov. 14, 2016. Because it will be eclipsed, you will have to wait until the next night to get the effect of watching a supermoon. Or look for it the night before.”

As a Busy Professional, On The Go Woman, I have found that new and full moon rituals help to keep me focused, grounded and in harmony.

I started adding these to my spiritual practice last year after discovering two amazing mentors,  Anne Ripley and Jana Matthews, author of Manifesting with the Moon.

While these teachers don’t follow any particular spiritual tradition, they have adapted elements of indigenous traditions and New Thought practices to create their unique rituals for manifesting and mind/body/spirit balance.

I have used the suggestions of these two women and have put together my own Full Moon Ritual. According to Anne Ribley, the Full Moon is all about releasing what doesn’t serve…and here is the ritual of release that I have created.

  1. I put a couple of drops of essential oils on my hand. I use an essential oil that has a releasing energy to it. Some essential oils that you can use for this particular full moon are at this time are lime, ginger, and frankincense.Some other oils that you an use at any full moon to help release are lavender, bergamot and roman chamomile. Inhale the aroma, deeply…once…twice…
  2. Write down all the things that no longer serve you, and that you would like to release over the next month. For me it’s usually an aspect of myself I want to release. In the past it’s been the scarcity mindset, worry and overwhelm.
  3. Burn the piece of paper in a fireplace, sink or cast-iron pot….and please make sure you do this safely! The safest way to do this is to take the container outside. I had an incident at the beginning of the year where I wrote down all the things I wanted to release as well as all the things I was angry about. I put it in the fireplace and about 20 minutes later my husband asked why there was so much smoke in the living room. Well – apparently I did not open the vent of the fireplace, and the smoke was filling the entire lower half of our house! It was very symbolic of how my anger lingered on and if I didn’t release it, it would choke me as well as the ones I love.
  4. Light your match, set it to the paper, and say Release or Be Gone as the paper burns.
  5. State what you want to replace it with. I know for me when I release overwhelm I want to replace it with peace and ease.
  6. Surrender the smoke to Spirit, and (only if you’re outside and the fire is safely contained in an unbreakable container) go inside to let the paper burn itself out.

If you’d like to explore established spiritual traditions that include rituals based on earth cycles and astronomical/astrological events, you may want to look into the work of these women:

Blessed be!

 

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1 reply
  1. DebJ
    DebJ says:

    Since opening up to saying ‘yes’ to opportunity in July, I’ve noticed it’s a bit easier letting go of things & attitudes that no longer serve me.

    I do appreciate & honor the act of ritual, not as rote activity, but more as mantra/meditation. Something I need to incorporate on a more regular basis. Good article.

    Reply

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