The other day, we talked about sabbats—the pagan holidays that are based on the sun and the cycle of the seasons. Today, we’re looking at esbats—holidays based on the phases of the moon, particularly the full moon.
When pagans do rituals and magic, they believe the phase of the moon plays a key role. You do different things at different times, because the moon’s energy can help—or hinder—your work.
The waxing phase, when the moon is growing bigger in the sky, is a time of increase. It’s a good time to focus on growing or expanding projects and goals.
The waning phase, when the moon appears to be getting smaller, is a good time to let go of things you don’t need or want in your life anymore, like bad habits.
Pagans consider the night of the full moon the very best time to do most kinds of magic and rituals. When the moon is full, its energy is at its highest potential. And because the moon is associated with the Goddess, the night of the full moon is the perfect time to commune with her.
Most pagans celebrate 13 full moon rituals—esbats—every year. The full moons of each month even have their own names and associations. Although some pagan traditions have slightly different names and characteristics for each full moon, the following list is a pretty standard overview:
January: Wolf Moon—a time for protection, contemplation, and inward reflection
February: Storm Moon—a time to begin new projects
March: Innocent Moon—a time to honor the spirits of nature
April: Seed Moon—a time to plant (flowers, crops, etc.) and to start new projects
May: Hare Moon—a time to celebrate love and sensuality (damn—I can’t believe I’m missing out on that one!)
June: Dyad Moon—a time to honor the growth of nature (and the growth of humans, particularly in terms of pregnancy)
July: Mead Moon—a time to relax and have fun
August: Corn Moon—a time to prepare for the harvest and to settle old disputes
September: Harvest Moon—a time to give thanks for the blessings of the harvest (and other blessings in life, for those of us who aren’t farmers)
October: Blood Moon—a time to let go of old things (both material and spiritual) and to prepare for the coming winter
November: Snow Moon—a time to practice divination and other psychic skills
December: Oak Moon—a time to focus on trust and strength
Blue Moon: A blue moon is just the second full moon that happens in any given month. A blue moon is a good time to focus on being spontaneous and imaginative.
So, last night, I got a chance to celebrate the Wolf Moon. Aaaahhoooohhhh! (That was my attempt to sound like a wolf; I promise not to do it again.)
Because I’m currently living in an apartment building where people would probably frown upon the idea of some crazy woman burning stuff in a cauldron beside the community pool, the plan was to do my ritual on the balcony. Being outdoors is ideal for a full moon ritual, so you can actually see the moon.
Well, it didn’t work out quite like I had planned. Our “balcony” is only about 18 inches wide, so there’s no way I would have been able to squeeze in all the altar supplies and the “cauldron” (okay, it’s just a big cooking pot, since I’m on the frugal pagan system here). Plus, it was really, really cold last night.
So I had to move my esbat indoors. But I made sure to get a nice picture of the moon before I did. Unfortunately, this stupid blog refuses to post the picture right-side-up, so I'll spare you the torture of craning your neck in an attempt to figure out which way it should really go and just not include the photo. Just imagine that you're looking at a really pretty, slightly hazy full moon. See? You don't even have to be pagan to be good at visualizing things that aren't really there.
The basic ritual went along these lines:
I cleansed the altar area with burning incense. I cast the magical circle with my fancy wand (the dried-out branch I found on the ground outside, if you’ll recall). Then, I invited the four elements and the God and Goddess to join me in the ritual circle and I lit the altar candles.
Because the Wolf Moon of January is supposed to be an ideal time for self-reflection, I thought it was a good time to think about what I want (and don’t want) in my life anymore. So I wrote the bad things that I want to eliminate down on little pieces of paper, read them aloud, and burned them in the "cauldron", yelling “Be gone!” to each one. That part was fun. I’m always up for a little bit of yelling for no good reason.
After I had done all the burning and yelling, I thanked the elements and the spirits, and ended the ritual.
One point I need to make: A lot of the books I’ve read about being a solitary pagan say it’s a bad idea to include other people in your rituals (especially non-pagans). Now I know why.
I asked my boyfriend to help me out last night and, rather than communing with the spirits, he spent the bulk of the ritual waving the stick of incense over my ass to see if he could “accidentally” light my pants on fire. Thanks, babe! Very helpful. Why didn’t you just invite the dog in, too, so he could piss on the altar again?
From now on, I’ll be doing this pagan thing all on my own.
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