What a Full Moon Ceremony Looks Like + Why You Should Do One
Today, we are kicking off my second Spotlight Series as I am heading into preparing to birth and then nurture and tend to my third baby.
If you remember, I hosted a similar Spotlight Series when I had Hendrix about 3 years ago and the feedback was so great that I am excited to offer a similar series with new guests again while I am caring, getting to know, and bonding with baby girl Zwickson :)
Basically this Spotlight Series is a series of amazing guest posts from incredible women on all sorts of nourishing topics ranging from moon ceremonies (like today), creating a home that feels like YOU, how your upbringing influences your romantic relationships, all the way to co-parenting after divorce, time-management skills, secondary infertility (+ so much more).
If you’ve been with me for a while you also know that I hosted live, in-person New Moon Circles in San Francisco. I loved hosting these circles because of the intimacy, vulnerability, and openness it brought into the lives of the women that gathered.
Plus, I deeply believe in the magic that unfolds when women tune into the energy of the world around them. The moon is particularly powerful because, just like us women, it is cyclical and has seasons as its shape changes just like we women go through the hormonal seasons of our cycle every month.
Today, I am thrilled to introduce you to Meridith Anne, a holistic business coach who works with women on creating and furthering businesses without burning out. Meridith will show you exactly how you can have or host your own Full Moon Ceremony - it’s so much simpler than you thought!
Personally, I have found that having a spiritual practice that nourishes me and gives me a ritual to play with to tune in and get into touch with my intuition is key for ALL areas of my life. It makes me better in my work as a coach, a better mom, a better wife, a better friend (to my friends and myself). Literally, everything becomes better when I feel connected, tuned in, and alive spiritually.
Enjoy this first Spotlight, love :)
What a Full Moon Ceremony Looks Like + Why You Should Do One
By Meridith Anne
Astrology, moon phase tracking, and “witches” have been around since ancient times, but in the last few years they’re resurfacing into the mainstream. In short, spirituality is #trending. You may be asking yourself, why? The truth is, our collective (and individual, for that matter) consciousness is expanding - and with that, we’re realizing the true power of ancient wisdom. My goal is to show you how to take this wisdom and apply it to your life in a practical way because, let’s be real, when it comes down to it, we’re to busy to follow through on anything vague.
My interest in moon energy and phases began during my postpartum experience. I was exhausted and lost. I found myself facing motherhood with an unwillingness to accept the loss of my old self, my old body, my old freedom, my old dreams.
The way I saw it, the future I envisioned for myself died when I gave birth to my son.
Which is 100% to be honest, but what I didn’t realize is that my future was changed for the better. I felt stuck in the rigidity of my old ways where I desperately tried to be, for all intensive purposes, a man in a woman’s body.
Postpartum taught me that I was completely going against my nature by trying to be successful in life using the same mindset and skills that a man would use. I’m sure you resonate with this, I was very masculine, forcing myself into a rigid schedule of working out, eating, and #hustling to bring my dream of having a business to fruition. But, I am not a fucking man, and so how could I, a woman with a completely different body, cycle, and source of power be successful at anything when I’m not aligned with the power in my body?
When we spend long enough going against our nature we become exhausted and burnt out.
And so, my spiritual journey deepened as I began to follow the ruler of feminine energy - the moon. By following the phases of the moon, I found a way to enter a flow state that naturally aligns with our menstrual cycles (which, whether you like it or not affect our state of being differently every single day).
The moon brings us back to our feminine power.
The best way to get started with this whole moon business is to attend a full moon ceremony. Not only does it connect us to the most powerful feminine being, but it connects us to our bodies and other women who are also learning to step into their power.
As the energy in our world shifts with the phases of the moon, it comes to a powerful peak at the time of the full moon. This energy can be a lot for us to deal with making us have crazy dreams, extra emotional, more sensitive than usual, more erratic, and many of us start our periods around the full moon (not necessarily a coincidence!).
Participating in a full moon ceremony, whether it’s a solo one at home or attending a group ceremony, allows us to release this massive energy buildup, what’s no longer serving us, and any negative energy. It’s a potent time of the month for us to truly let go of anything holding us back from living a life aligned with what we want.
Ceremony Set-up
If you’re attending a full moon ceremony hosted by someone else, they’ll likely have an altar already set up. If you want to do one yourself, let me explain how. Either way, this will give you an idea of what an altar will look like whether you DIY or attend a ceremony.
You might be thinking that you have to go out and buy a bunch of “spiritual” stuff to get set up for your ceremony, but I want to assure you that it’s not necessary. You can create an altar with things that you already have around the house, however, if you feel inclined to buy a crystal or two to your altar, follow your heart in that.
Gather together anything you have to create an altar for your ceremony. I try to include a piece related to each element, air, water, fire, and earth, however it can be literally anything you want - there are no limitations here as long as the token you have chosen represents the elements or what you desire to manifest to you.
something that symbolizes each element
crystals
stones from outside
a plant
a bowl of water
candles
a picture or piece of art that inspires you
shells
money
Feathers
Oracle or Tarot cards
Literally ANYTHING as long as it holds significance to you
Again, you have everything that you need right now.
This altar can be as simple as you would like or as lavish as feels right to you.
Other items needed for ceremony:
A comfortable place to sit
Comfortable clothes
A journal
Pen
A scrap piece of paper (to write on and burn later on)
Flow of Ceremony
There are a million different ways to conduct a ceremony and what truly matters is what feels right to you. In the end, there are no rules or guidelines to follow, the important part is your intention for the ceremony. This flow is what I like to do when I host full moon ceremonies, but like I said feel free to add or remove anything that doesn’t feel aligned.
1. Grounding breaths and intention for the ceremony.
I love to begin with some deep breathing to ground into our bodies, the earth, and to slow our minds - leaving behind any thoughts of your day and week outside of us. As we take deep breaths, I suggest to allow space for your intention for the ceremony to come to mind. Write down your intention in your journal.
2. Drawing Oracle & Tarot Cards.
I invite everyone to choose a few cards from my Oracle or Tarot decks. You can write down anything you notice about the cards, whether it’s imagery that stands out to you, a feeling you get when you look at the card, any similarities or patterns that stand out between the cards.
3. Elemental visualization.
I lead everyone through a visualization associated with whatever zodiac sign the moon is located in (the moon moves through all 12 of the zodiac signs each month). For example, if the moon is present in the sign of Aries, I lead a fire visualization. If the moon is in Cancer, I lead a water visualization and so on. Afterwards, we take time to write down anything that came up for us during the visualization.
4. Release & Burning.
My favorite part! This is so fucking satisfying. On the scrap piece of paper, we write down anything we want to let go of, anything that is holding us back. This can be a person, a mindset, or a feeling. Whatever you want to release is written on this paper. We go around the circle sharing what we would like to release, burning our papers, and voicing what we want to call in over the next month.
5. Grounding & gratitude.
Finally, the ceremony comes to a close as we all take deep breaths and express gratitude to ourselves for showing up, the space for providing us a safe container, and anyone or anything else we feel grateful for.
Ready to try it?
These ceremonies are so life giving and healing for me. Not only to release what has been weighing on me, connecting with other women who are releasing their burdens and sharing about their lives is extremely sacred. I always leave feeling lighter and a newfound sense of comfort and support. Knowing we are not alone is extremely powerful.
Important Lunar Dates for the Next Month
Last Quarter Moon In Capricorn: April 14th at 6:56 PM EST
This is a time to reflect over the last month and analyze what went well, what didn't work, and become aware of the lessons.
Sun Enters Earth Sign of Taurus: April 21st
New Moon In Taurus: April 22nd at 10:26 PM EST
This is a time for intention setting and manifesting your desires over the next 6 months (until the Full Moon in Taurus on October 31, 2020).
First Quarter Moon In Leo: April 30th at 4:38 PM EST
This is a time for planning and getting shit done (my favorite thing!).
Full Moon In Scorpio: May 7th at 6:45 AM EST
This is a time for release, followed by rest, introspection, and opening up to new ideas.
About the Author
Meridith is a Holistic Business Coach. She helps moms create time, energy, and financial freedom in their lives by helping them get started with creative business endeavors and stepping into their power. By using a holistic approach to business, Meridith sets women up to follow their dreams in a sustainable way - maintaining mental, emotional, and physical health while managing time and energy to avoid burnout.
Where to find her:
Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube | Facebook
