Ritual 14: Monday, April 2, 2007

Full Moon

Selene, the Greek goddess of the full moon, graces this Moonday. Her radiant beauty wooed ancient poets. Her desire enabled her mortal lover to cheat death. Selene's passion is with you tonight. Here's how to harness her energy.

Pour crystal-clear water into a wide bowl. Place the bowl somewhere it will be bathed in the full moon's light — on a window sill, under a skylight, or outside. You may even be able to see the glowing moon reflected in the surface of the water.

If you have a penchant for playing dress-up, deck yourself out in luminous lingerie or a silvery nightgown. Oh! And if you have a tiara, tonight is a perfect occasion for it. (You'd be surprised how many people have one. I know someone who has a whole collection of them!) In lieu of a tiara, imagine Selene with the upturned crescent as her crown and trace that symbol on your own brow. You could do that invisibly, with a fingertip, or with something washable, like eyeliner.

Turn your attention to your bowl of water, absorbing the rays of moon light. As our in-drinking spell has already taught us, water is easily impressed by messages and intention. It is the carrier of all substances into and throughout our bodies. Water is linked with the moon and with emotions. Connect now with your own emotions, centering on your feelings of passion.

Lay your hands on the bowl and imagine that you were channeling your passion into the water. Ask the water to open itself to receive the moon's light, your passionate energy, and Selene's blessing. Feel (or pretend you feel) your hands begin to tingle. Imagine that you can sense the water begin to sparkle with more life! You may want to hum. Life is made of vibration — heartbeats, breath, music, birdsong, speaking. Your humming sends vibration through your entire body, out your hands, through the bowl and into the water. The water becomes blessed with this vibration. It becomes more alive with it.

Lo and behold! You are making full moon water.

After fifteen minutes of hands-on meditation, leave the bowl out for at least an hour more to take in more of the full moon energy. During this time, you can write in your journal about passion, have a pleasure date with yourself or your mate, or dance to your favorite music. Just keep your energy engaged and active — full and bright, like the moon itself.

The full moon represents culmination, manifestation, celebration, abundance. Your magical moon water carries the energy of passion and the fullness of life.

When it is time to complete your ritual for the evening, return to your bowl and ask Selene's help to complete the process:

Great goddess who wears the lunar crown,
You who have brought this energy down
into this open water, I call on your grace,
Selene, to seal this energy into place.
This water bears your passion and the fullness of the moon
I thank you deeply, Selene, for this magic boon.

Drink some of the water directly from the bowl and savor the taste of life. Decant the rest into a bottle, and use it in the future to take baths or sprinkle on yourself whenever you need a boost of energy.

You can preserve the water with an equal amount of brandy and it will keep indefinitely. Then you need only a few drops to empower any water with the essence of passion.

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