It's full moon time again! If you're like some Pagans, you'll be excited about that fact, and then fall into a bit of stress as you wonder how on earth you'll find the time and energy to do a full on ritual to mark the occasion. Well, relax. Marking the full moon, or esbat, can certainly be a great time to gather with friends and perform a full ritual, but it doesn't have to be that elaborate. Here are a few ideas for simple ways to mark the full moon.
- Step outside, find the moon, take a few deep breath and acknowledge the moon in a simple statement or two. "Hail Mother Moon! I give thanks and ask for your continued blessings on my family!"
- Take the kids outside, wrap up in a blanket, and read a great moon book together by flashlight. Try Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, Papa Please Get the Moon for Me by Eric Carle or Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes.
- Set out your ritual tools to charge in the moonlight.
- Set an open container of water out to charge as full moon water.
- The same way you can charge water or tools, you can recharge yourself. Go moon bathing; lay out on a lawn chair and soak in the healing, energizing rays of the moon.
- Want to gather friends together without making it a purely Pagan event? Host a full moon tea! Set up a table outside, put up a string of tiny lights and pull out grandma's tea set. Serve crescent cookies and talk the night away!
- Do a little gardening. Herbs gathered during the full moon are considered to have extra potent magical and healing powers.
- Use the night of the full moon to schedule a bit of learning time. Sit outside with your book of shadows and copy into it a few of those printed copies of information that you might have shoved into it to copy down later.
While doing ritual work is a great way to mark the night of the full moon, there are other options out there that can be meaningful, but also quick or easily personalized. The most important thing is to find the way to celebrate that is right for you.
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