Ritual 12: Monday, March 19, 2007

New Moon

When the goddess still reigned in Europe, many villages performed rituals of abundance on the new moon nearest the Vernal Equinox. Today's new moon is especially powerful for its proximity to this day of balance between light and night. The Equinox is the traditional time for spring cleaning, and the new moon is the phase of fresh starts. Combined, they are celestial encouragement to clear out the emotional dust bunnies and energy entanglements that keep you from enjoying a balanced life.

Choose one area of your life where you'd like more balance and/or abundance. Identify an area in your home that symbolizes that area of life. You don't need to consult a Feng Shui guide, just trust your intuition. If romance is on the rocky side, think of the bedroom. Finances? Perhaps the home office or overflowing inbox. Community? Consider the kitchen. If your general emotional condition is unbalanced, point yourself to the bathroom. (Plumbing and pipes often symbolize emotional flow.)

If you're thinking, "Uh oh. She's going to have us clean!" then congratulate yourself for being so psychically perceptive! Cleaning may not seem fun on a Monday night, but this is an incredible ritual for an auspicious new moon. You will feel great afterward, and you'll be very pleased with its impact.

Prepare yourself by donning some comfortable clothes. Greet your ritual project with an Amazon's fortitude. "Hello, toilet, I am here to clean up my energy so I can experience emotional health and wellbeing." Whatever your reason for choosing whatever part of your home you did, state it aloud. Make it plain to your psyche what you are doing and why it's important.

Invite the power of the moon — invisible in the night's sky — to help you make this a potent magical act. Then do it! File. Scrub. Spritz. Fluff. This doesn't have to be a long process to be effective. But the task should be completed.

Afterward, pour yourself a glass of wine (the good stuff) and lift it high to toast your efforts.

Write down a wish for the coming months as it relates to the area of life you just cleaned up. Let it be easy, and include this phrasing in your wish: "I am now easily enjoying balance and abundance in the area of _______________." Put your wish in a visible place in or around this newly cleaned area of your home.

Enjoy a wonderful night's rest for magic well done!

After the ritual, share your experience in our community section.