Krista's Full Moon Rituals
We asked friend, meditation teacher and mindfulness educator Krista Haskell of Life by KH to share her rituals around the full moon.
What is about the full moon that creates such awe and intrigue? You know that feeling when you see the moon at its fullest, it stops you, for me it’s a wide-eyed reminder to take pause and appreciate how cool this life is.
I’m going to admit something, I have a love/hate relationship with the full moon, it’s purely attached to my love of a good night’s sleep. I use to think it was in my head, the restless nights when the moon was bright, but it turns out I’m not alone. A study showed that melatonin levels (sleep hormone) dipped during the full moon. This was even when the participants were in a room with no light!
Still it was love-hate that sparked my curiosity for Full Moon rituals. Think of these as a reset, a time to cleanse your mind, physical space and alter.
Plunge
Last summer I made a commitment to plunge in a nearby lake every month. At the time I could never have predicted this would turn into a beloved ritual, not to mention create a community of women willing to be part of something courageous and gratifying.
Okay, this isn’t your everyday swim, this ritual involves meditation, breathwork, and plunging into panic-inducing cold water. Think of it as an all-in-one ritual for clarity, stress inoculation, and intention setting. Don’t have a lake, river or ocean nearby? Take a bath but make it a little more special than normal, use the time to get clear on you intentions and relax. No bath? Then set yourself up with some circular breathing and turn that water to cold for 1-2 minutes.
It’s also worth mentioning that plunging or showering in cold water can adjust our circadian rhythms, which will help with sleep, but I’ll leave the details for another post.
Intention
Full Moons are a great time for setting intentions and moving on from things you’re ready to put behind you. So much emphasis is put on New years resolutions, I don’t do them, but I am down with pausing to get clarity on what I want to bring into my world, and importantly what I no longer need in my world.
Journal, mantra and meditation with visualization are all ways to set your intentions. My suggestion is to keep it simple, especially if your just starting out. The journal doesn’t have to be perfect, write one sentence on a piece of paper. The meditation doesn’t have to be long, just sit for a minute. Double up and create your visulization in the meditation! I’m notorious for all or nothing, it hasn’t served me well, I now accept that small actions lead to bigger actions which eventually lead to habitual patterning. Keep it simple. Start small.
Cleanse
Crystals and items of spiritual value all get a night in the moonlight at my house. I love the idea of energizing these powerful tools. Did you know you can also offer an intention to these items? My family already thinks I’m out there, so speaking to a crystal and asking it for clarity seems perfectly normal… well maybe not normal but acceptable.
One can’t mention cleansing with sage. Burning the sage around your home is like cleaning the energy, you can get extra but saying a mantra while going from room to room. Be careful with the embers, I have a whole saging story that involves me thinking spirits were very present in a room that ended with a burnt blanket. Once you’re done with the sage you can double up with Sweetgrass and introduce the energy and intention you want in your home.
Moon Water
Full disclosure I read some really out there claims about the ‘magical’ properties of moon water, non of which are based on facts or science but I like this ritual purely for ritual’s sake. It’s also hard to argue with the energy from a full moon and its effects on the ocean so why not. If your planning to drink the water then make sure the water filtered. Place the glass where it’s getting direct moonlight and voila the next day you have yourself a glass of moon water! Drink it, water your favorite plant or use it to wipe down those charged up crystals.
So next time your staring at that great bright globe revel in the awe, form your intention, grab you crystals and prepare for potentially an average nights sleep, but a whole lot of new clean vibes energy.
Love,
kh