How to work with Full Moon energy

One of the most frequent questions I’m asked is HOW to work with full moon energy. We all know that the full moon is special. We try to see it, we take photos of it, but what’s the full moon doing to and with us? How are we interacting with it subconsciously and how can we maximize its effects for magic and well being? She moves the tides and trust me, she’s moving you too.

The moon goes full each month at one specific minute in time, but she is technically full for 48 hours. You have 24 hours before the moment of fullness and 24 hours after to do full moon magic, which includes meditations for abundance and fruition, the honoring of what has been completed in your life, and work that requires the intense energies of the moon in her fullest state. Wiccans and those who practice Earth-based traditions know the full moon as the Esbat, a time of rite and ritual devoted to the Goddess. In this practice, water and white candles adorn altar spaces and prayers and invocations are read to honor the mother and goddess energy of the full moon. But almost every spiritual tradition acknowledges the beauty and majesty of the full moon and you don’t need to be Wiccan or practice witchcraft to enjoy it. I’ll share my own practice here with you, and I encourage you to take what resonates and leave what doesn’t, amending and adapting it to suit your needs.

One day before the moon goes full (and I mark this minute on my calendar each month), I begin noticing my body – I feel fuller at this time, finding that I often want less to eat as my body is full of blood and energy and desire. I gather tools like rainbow, beige, and peach moonstone, white candles, and a small chalice of water, placing them on white rabbit skin (the image above is my personal Full Moon altar space). I meditate once every morning and each night for the two days at this altar, visualizing what has become full and clear since the last full moon and in particular, giving THANKS for those things. I take my stones out to bathe under full moon light and also try to place a pitcher of distilled water there to charge by moonlight as well, which I use for the following week to make teas and tinctures. You can also charge alcohol and spirits by full moonlight! Almost anything with a vibration appreciates the extra boost of energy that moonlight offers. I find that the 48-hour window of the full moon is not a time of deep or restful sleep, so I take that as a nudge to complete unfinished projects. I also find that because the entire world has more energy at this time, people’s moods can be intense (especially those astrologically aligned to water signs) so I take good care to smudge, breathe, and center myself multiple times each day. Also, it helps to remember that when people behave erratically at this time it rarely has much of anything to do with you, and you’re best served by getting out of the way of the flow of intensity. Take nothing personally.

For meditation, I like to use the time of the full moon to go into each of my seven chakras and open them to receive the moon’s energy. See my heart space expanding, my intuition deepening, my Solar Plexus affording me greater power and control. My Root burrowing into Mother Earth and connecting me to her bounty. My Crown extending into the heavens, calling the Divine to commune with me. I try to do this meditation outdoors under the moonlight if possible, and late in the evening when all is calm and quiet around me. But if you must do it indoors, that’s fine too.

And then at the conclusion of the 48-hour full moon window, I meditate one last time, again from a space of gratitude, thanking my guides and the moon for offering herself so completely once again. She is a mirror to me, always an invitation to become more attuned, more glowing, more available to life and to those around me.

I hope these tips help you to appreciate the full moon in a new way. I would love to know what you do to honor her majesty. Not part of the Sage Goddess Full Moon Ritualists Facebook family yet? Come join us here. It’s free and we learn a lot together.

Blessed Be on your sacred journey.