Almost a week after the Spring Equinox and the first Full Moon of this astrological new year has taken place. It occurred in the sign of Libra, which is the opposite sign to Aries, and so it embodies all the energy of Libra - so it was full of balance and equality.
But there was a small amount of "chaos" energy present too because it was also a Lunar Eclipse! This happens when the Earth is between the Moon and the Sun. There are two eclipse seasons a year and again, there is a period of 6 months between them as they are opposites.
But what does Eclipse energy do? How does it affect us? Well, it's a time of change and transformation. Eclipses aren't everyday events, despite the fact they happen several times a year, so they bring some disruption. However, have you ever thought about how disruption usually heralds unexpected change? Something you're used to doing all of a sudden cannot be done that way anymore so you have to find an alternative way to do it. Disruption doesn't have to mean a mountainous obstacle is in your way and stopping you from getting to the same result as before - it's just a signal that it's time to update your processes because change is needed.
Some spiritual practitioners believe that doing any kind of spellwork during an eclipse is a bad idea because of all the "chaos" energy that is present during these events. Personally, this isn't a creed I subscribe to as I believe that how each of us practices is different to everyone else's practice. I embrace Eclipses and all their energy because I know and accept that change is necessary and a part of the greater cycle of life too.
With change being a theme of eclipses, I opted to change things up a little for my lunar ritual and so I attended an online ritual hosted by Emily Morrison at Wise Woman Witchery. I was planning on doing a reading as well for this Full Moon but in the end, I found that the ritual and its results were enough for me.
Emily did a grounding meditation, called in the directions and elements, and then created a protective circle that encompassed everyone who attended. As this was the first ritual hosted by Emily in a while that I attended, it was comforting to return to what I've known and enjoyed before.
For the main ritual, Emily then led another meditation and I ended up in a wooded area at night, with moonlight streaming down and illuminating what's inside me. With the moonlight coming from a Full Moon, it was extremely powerful and was asking me what I have been holding onto and what has been holding me back. My immediate response was very physical to the point that I almost cried out in pain: the excess weight I carry on my tummy symbolising emotional and mental baggage from the past instead of losing it and keeping it away/off; then my kidneys hurt as if I have been holding onto toxicity rather than allowing it all to filter out of me and my life.
I felt like it was important to let the moonlight move through me and clear everything so that my inner frequency can begin to flow again. So that's what I did: I allowed the moonlight to wash down from my head and flow through me to clear and clean the "problem" areas. I should note that the entire area started to feel better afterwards and I noticed a few hours after the ritual.
There was a second "question" that the Full Moon was asking and it had two parts: what pieces of me have I forgotten about? Are they familiar or new? When I sat and thought about this, clothing/stitching came to mind as I do enjoy cross-stitching as a hobby and I would like to try my hand at making my own clothes in the future. This then led me to consider taking my time and being patient as I feel that stitching holds a lesson of patience - especially when it's a larger project. To a certain degree, I wondered if my self-care habits have fallen by the wayside a little, and the best example I could think of was when I did three different kits within a 3 week period but then I stopped for two weeks and didn't pick up another kit at all. When I'm calm and contented, I can stitch all day without minding mistakes but when I'm angry or upset in any way, I don't dare pick up my current project (or a new one if I don't have one that needs completing) because I know I will be more likely to make mistakes.
Following this, I dug out my copy of Kim Krans' Wild Unknown Journal and chose a page to "doodle" on as part of Emily's ritual. When I chose the page, it was just before Emily spoke during the meditation about grasping, knowing and embodying my True Self and I chose the keyword of Define before discovering that this was the final area of focus Emily had chosen.
At first, I started with a needle and some thread for my stitching hobby, then I moved to the wounded heart that has a healed area as well for my healing jouney (and to symbolise that I am stitching myself back together), the cauldron followed with its mysterious but steaming contents as the magick I'm always cooking up, and then the flame of passion I carry within me for all of those and many more things besides.
This was all really eye-opening and helped me to decide whether I should explore my self-care habits again and share the next phase of that part of my journey. But it also helped me to define who I am, and what I am interested in. Until I opened that page up, I didn't know that it was an untouched circle surrounded by a darker pattern but once I thought about it, I felt like it aptly matched seeing the Full Moon on a clear night surrounded by stars.
The final part of the ritual was to charge some water by placing it on top of the artwork with an intention to assist with cleansing me and making space for my energy to bloom and be free while also maintaining inner personal balance. As I used a bowl for the chant Emily vocalised, I opted to put my water in a bottle because I know one or both of my cats will drink unattended water. Then I could place the water bottle in a place that would be infused with the Moon's energy and use the water to make teas or in a ritual bath.
This was a really pleasant change to what I've become used to doing as part of connecting with the Moon throughout the year. I enjoyed the ritual and I'm sure I will have enjoyed a few brews already. (Note the date on the artwork as the date of the actual Full Moon in Libra.)
I hope this will inspire you to consider how you can work with the Moon, regardless of whether it's an eclipse or not. Moon water can be made during any phase of the Moon's cycle but more on that will be shared on my YouTube channel so please do subscribe and keep an eye out!
Peace and love to all!!!!
Comments