Full Moon Ritual For Cleansing And Releasing

After having spent 14 years of my life working in hospitality, if there’s anything I’ve become sure of, it’s that the moon holds incredible power over us earthlings. Growing up in the family restaurant, we always noticed three days before the full moon, people were extra…out there.

Over the last five or so years, I’ve become more open about my internal landscape. As I’ve shared feelings of restlessness, anxiety, or desire, I’ve been surprised to learn that many others experience the same energetic shifts at the same time as I do.

It makes sense that the moon would impact us so much (hey there, gravity). Think of the tides—the moon literally makes the ocean shift. Considering the fact that we humans are 50-65% water, it seems plausible to believe the moon is capable of inducing shifts within ourselves as well.

A moon cycle lasts approximately 28 days, a common length for the female hormonal cycle. Both the moon cycle and the menstrual cycle have four phases within those 28 days…coincidence? I think not.

Each phase of the moon presents an opportunity for shifting and personal growth; however, today, we’re focusing on the full moon.

The Cleansing Power of Full Moons

The full moon represents a powerful time to release that which is no longer serving you. This could include limiting beliefs about what you are or aren’t capable of. Self-sabotaging habits that keep you stuck and unhealthy relationships are also commonly released under the power of the full moon.

This is also a great time to get honest with yourself about what you may have outgrown, and what it’s time to move on from. Sometimes patterns and behaviours may not be negative, but they may also not be what you need to get to the next stage of your life. It’s a “what got you here won’t get you there” kinda situation.

Through the many uplevels I’ve experienced within my business, I’ve had to come to that realization many a time. Certain strategies and ways of being worked when I was just starting out. But as I’ve expanded and created more space to serve, I’ve come to learn that what worked in the beginning won’t work anymore.

The Magnifying Power of Full Moons

Full moons are also a great time for action-taking. While new moons are great for setting intentions, full moons are the time to bring those intentions to fruition. Your focus and attention are greater under the light of the full moon, and the results of your actions are magnified.

Sounds pretty sweet, right?

An important thing to note, however, is that this is not limited to the positive things in life. Your focus can be amplified whether it’s placed on something that’s serving you or something that’s sabotaging you. Similarly, the results of self-defeating actions can also be magnified.

I often hear about more feelings of frustration, confusion, and anxiety during the full moon than I do any other time. This makes it all the more important that we become aware of our thoughts, and make a conscious choice to do something about them!

Creating a ritual around the full moon allows you to really harness the powerful energy that will help aid you in the shifts you’re seeking. It’s one thing to quickly think about what you’d like to let go of, but think of how much stronger that intention will be when you create a ceremony around it.

And while I love me a naked full moon ocean swim, that is 100% not necessary for my land-based witches.

The reason why I’m such a big fan of rituals is not so much the rituals in and of themselves, but rather, the opportunity they present for us to tap into our power. I’m a firm believer that all these tools we use to create change in our lives—prayer, meditation, crystals, etc—work because we focus our attention on the outcome we’re seeking.

You are a powerful being, my friend! Many people underestimate the strength their thoughts hold, both positive and the not-so-positive. Bringing your awareness to what you’d like to let go of, and then taking action on actually letting go is what will create the change in your life.

Rituals allow you to place full, deep intention around what you’re choosing to let go of in your life. They allow you to get truly connected with the present moment, making them a beautiful form of self care. Knowing this, I want you to let go of any worries about not doing the ritual “right”. The ritual I share below is simply a suggestion; as I mentioned above, what’s most important is that you bring your awareness to those areas you want to let go of, and then do something about it!

Although the full moon technically only lasts for a few minutes, you can still harness the energy the evening before or the morning after. I like to do my moon rituals the morning of or the morning after, simply because I like to chill and shut my brain off in the evening 😊

Step 1. Create a comfy space for yourself, and bring some natural elements in if you like. Crystals, plants, flowers, and other meaningful objects are all great options. If you clear with plants, this is a good time to clear your space.

Step 2. Take a few moments to get focused and centred. If you meditate, drop into it for as long as you like. If you’re not of the meditating type, close your eyes and take a few deep breaths, in through the nose and out through the mouth. Feel your brain and body getting more and more relaxed as you focus on your breath.

Step 3. Begin drumming up thoughts of what you want to release from your life. A belief about something you’re not capable of doing, habits that don’t serve you, challenges with boundaries…anything you want to let go of. Write these down on a piece of paper.

Step 4, Option 1. If visualization is your jam, close your eyes and visualize pure, cleansing water washing those things away from your life. You can imagine the water flowing over your body as you wash those thoughts, behaviours, and people away, or you can simply imagine the water rushing through your life. State your intention to consciously release those things from your life as you watch them fall away.

Step 4, Option 2. If you want a visual aid and you like fire, get a flame-proof bowl and burn what you wrote, knowing that as the papers burn away so are the things you need to release. I have to state the obvious here with a reminder to please be safe with this!

Step 5. Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and check in with yourself. How are you feeling? Relieved? Light? Anxious? Different feelings can come up when we choose to release things, so give yourself some space to sit with those feelings. Write ‘em out if you feel it would help.

Step 6. Before hopping back into the busyness of your day, do something good for yourself. Take a cleansing shower, go for a walk, do some stretches. Extend the ritual for as long as you can to include a little more self care. You just did something big and powerful! You deserve it!

But what if you’re not into all this magical stuff? Well, I have a hunch that if you’ve read this far you’re kinda into it 😉

But juuuust in case you aren’t, you can use the full moon as an opportunity to simply do a little check-in with yourself. Whenever a full moon falls, ask yourself “Is there anything holding me back that I need to let go of?”

Do you have any rituals around the full moon? How do you bring awareness to things in your life that are no longer serving you?