The Simple Full Moon Ritual That Can Help You Cleanse Your Energy And Release
Different cultures and schools of thought have traditionally held diverse views about the significance of the full moon, but we can all agree on one thing: It's a big deal. Most people can instantly recognize this lunar phase as the moon presents in a complete circle, as opposed to a crescent. As This Is Yoga explains, the full moon appears when it lines up with the sun, which illuminates its face. It occurs after the waxing gibbous phase, when the moon grows from half to full.
Spiritually speaking, the full moon is believed to correlate with lunar energy being at its most powerful, making it a particularly opportune time to charge healing crystals. With the moon's heightened energy, it's also thought to be a time of growth, which is achieved through letting go. In other words, the full moon is the perfect time for a releasing ceremony.
This easy full moon ritual aims to harness lunar energy to cleanse your own energy. It can also be used to evict old energies that you no longer want in your life. You don't need to be a guru to perform this ritual, either. It simply involves identifying what you'd like to release by writing it down on paper, and then destroying the paper.
The full moon releasing ceremony
A releasing ceremony should always be carried out under the full moon. You can add your own touches to this ritual, because spiritual ceremonies should always feel authentic and align with you. But the basic idea, as outlined by Farmers' Almanac, is that you write down everything that you want to release from your life onto paper. You can do this in a notebook or journal, but remember that you'll need to destroy the paper later. Only use a notebook if you can easily rip pages out.
Take a little time to think carefully about what you'd like to see cast out of your life immediately. It can be a job, an emotion, an ongoing problem, or even a person. Keep in mind that you should never use rituals to wish harm upon anyone else, as the negative energy may come back to you. Instead, wish the person you'd like to leave your life well as you write their name.
Most people will set the paper alight, so that the presence of these things can symbolically burn and turn to ashes. To really solidify that you don't want the people or things on the list in your life anymore, get rid of the ashes, too. You can throw them in the trash (as long as you remember to take the trash out) or bury them.
Other ways to cleanse during a full moon
This releasing ritual is specifically used to get rid of targeted problems in your life. If you'd like to do a general cleanse to banish old energy and make way for all that is new, you can use white sage. Burn it or use incense sticks, taking the smoking sage around your house to smudge each room. Don't forget about the nooks and crannies where old energy may be residing! As you do this, set the intention that you want to cast out old energy and welcome in the new.
Fire is a prominent element that is often used in cleansing rituals, but water is just as powerful (via Lunar Abundance). Especially if you're a Pisces, Cancer, or Scorpio, you might feel more drawn to using water for cleansing than fire. You can still make a list of the things you'd like to evict from your life, really think about them and feel the effects they have on you, and then jump in the shower. Alternatively, you can go swimming in fresh water or take a stroll in the rain, if you so desire.
Similarly, crying can be an incredibly powerful way to flush away the things that are plaguing you during the full moon. Reflect on them and embrace them to the fullest, then give yourself permission to sob like a baby. As your tears fall away, so will the old energies that are no longer serving you.