This year I ran a yoga retreat in Cornwall, UK. making full use of the Full moon, Frost moon we gathered around the fire pit and said goodbye to some old issues.
The retreat, inspired by this special time saw us rest, nourish and restore with yoga,. meditation and wholefoods.
Here are some ideas for your own Moon ceremonies;
Dates for the next 6 months (You can easily google lunar stages)
New Moons
January 17th, February 15th, March 17th, April 16th, May 15th, June 13th
Full Moons
January 2nd + 31st, March 2nd + 31st, April 30th, May 29th, June 28th
New moon—set the intention & get to work.
The new moon gives way to that first sliver of light as the shadow moves and the moon reveals herself—or “waxes,” as it’s called.
Reap results or make decisions at the full moon.
Two weeks later, we have the complete illumination of the full moon, which can reveal what was in the dark. Your next moves will show themselves now.
Finish what you started for two weeks after the full moon.
After the full moon, la luna “wanes” or recedes into shadows for two weeks, a good time to deal with what came up at the full moon, wrap up loose ends, and prepare to start something new at the next new moon.
Fire Ceremony for Full Moon
A fire ceremony is a powerful Native American practice used to release unwanted energies and attachments from the past and make space for new intentions. A fire ceremony can be used to release unhappy memories, fears, negative emotions, and anything that you are holding onto that doesn’t serve your Higher Self. By releasing these unwanted energies and old patterns into the fire, you are healing at the soul level.
A fire ceremony can be performed any time you are feeling stuck, creating something new, or need to shift the energy. The most powerful time to do such a ceremony is at Full Moon.
When we create ceremony we rise above our mundane everyday selves and connect with the Divine spark that lives within each and every one of us.
The Element of Fire burns away all that is old and outdated, Fire transforms one state of matter into another, Fire purifies and empowers.
This is the process I used in Cornwall, you can make your ceremony anything you like, but you might like to draw some ideas from here:
Fire Ceremony Preparation
1) Connect with your heart and ask, “What do I need to release, what doesn’t serve me anymore.”
2) You can then gather pictures, do drawings, artwork, and write intentions that you want to release.
3) Create a fire (safely) it might be as simple as lighting a candle and having a heatproof bowl of sand or water for dropping your burnt items into. Or you might light a bonfire or barbeque outside. If you don't want to light a fire, or its not possible - think of the other elements for alternatives: you can speak into the wind or water in an outside space or bury something symbolic into the earth (obviously, consider mother earth with these alternatives so its best not to use photographs/paper etc but perhaps gather fallen twigs, leaves and nuts as your offerings, or use words and song)
The Fire Ceremony - script/spoken word (you can say this aloud if you are in a group.)
1) We will call in divine support: the universe, spirit helpers, guardians, ancestors, goddesses.
2) We will ask the spirit of the fire to help us release what you want to let go of and ask the spirits of the earth to receive what you are releasing.
3) Place each item in the fire while you name what you are releasing (you can say it out loud or in your head).
4) If anything else comes up during the ceremony, name it and release it.
5) We will give thanks to the fire, give gratitude to the divine and the spirits of the elements: earth, wind, fire, and air.
~We call upon the Earth, our planet home, with its beautiful depths and soaring heights, its vitality and abundance of life…
~We call upon the mountains…the high green valleys and meadows filled with wild flowers, the snows that never melt, the summits of intense silence…
~We call upon the waters that embrace the earth, horizon to horizon, that flow in our rivers and streams, that fall upon our gardens and fields…
~We call upon the forests, the great trees reaching strongly to the sky with earth in their roots and the heavens in their branches, the fir, the pine and the cedar…
~We call upon the creatures of the fields and forests and the seas, the wolves and deer, the eagle and dove, the great whales and the dolphins...
~We call upon all those who have lived on this earth, our ancestors and our friends, who dreamed the best for future generations, and upon whose lives our lives are built…
~And lastly, we call upon all that we hold most sacred, the presence and power of the Great Spirit of love and truth which flows through all the universe, to be with us to Teach us, and show us the way.”
Set your Intentions for what you wish to manifest in this new cycle, this new beginning marked by the Frost Moon… (this is Novembers’ native American full moon name)
Group Chant Om together