Soon a gentle light stole over the heavens and gave me a sensation of pleasure. I started up and beheld a radiant form rise from among the trees. I gazed with a kind of wonder. It moved slowly, but it enlightened my path…
– Mary Shelley (Frankenstein)
Have you ever heard the idiom “Once in a Blue Moon”? We use it to refer to things that do not happen very often, like a Blue Moon which, unfortunately, is not truly a blue moon, it merely means that there are two full moons in a calendar month, in this case, October, my favourite month of the year. It is just so beautiful and magical!
Full moons are powerful energetic times, and this blue moon is twice as intense not only because it is the second full moon of October but also because it will happen on October 31st, the day when a lot of cultures celebrate Halloween. Halloween has its part of its origins in the Gaelic festival Samhain which marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of wintertime. It was believed that Samhain was a liminal time, when the boundaries between worlds thinned, when doors opened, when glimpses could be caught, and lines blurred.
Even nowadays, in the Western culture where Halloween is celebrated as a festive, fun day, there is always a sense of the otherworldly which fascinates us as much as it can spook us.
However, fear doesn’t need to come into this day. It is an intense day with lots of energies but at the same time… it has a lot of potential for light. The full moon is the brightest phase of the moon, therefore it brings high energy, clarity, and strength. Nevertheless, from this point onwards the moon starts to wane, so the full moon is not only a time for clarity and putting things into motion, it is also a time for release. The full moon is perfect for releasing anything and everything you don’t want to carry into the next phase of your life. This Blue Moon, together with the charged energy of Samhain, will be a time where the lines between what is tangible and ethereal, what is clear and what is hidden, what is outside and what is inside will blur, doors will open and an open door has two main functions to let in and to let out. Use this time. It is the perfect time to look inward, to let go of everything that no longer serves us, and to seek clarity.
Here are 7 things you can do to make the most of this day’s intense energy:
- Do a Clarity Meditation
The full moon is the brightest, it brings about illumination and it lets us see things we couldn’t see before, or didn’t want to see. To seek clarity you need only ask and be willing to see.
You can do a brief clarity meditation. If you want a guided meditation, there are many of them available online for free on YouTube. But you can also simply do your own meditation.
Sit somewhere comfortable, preferably under the moonlight, close your eyes, breathe and concentrate on your breathing. Just breathe for a few minutes and then ask your higher self, your soul, God/Goddess, the Universe, the angels, anything you believe in, (after all, these are all One and One with You) and if you don’t believe in an external entity (which is fine because really We Are All One anyway), just ask your higher self, that part of you that thinks higher thoughts, that feels lovingly, that is in contact with your own divinity, that part of you that is connected and infinite, that deep-seated source of energy that resides in every one of us, that I call God, but God is just a name. Call on that energy, on that part of yourself that is awake and conscious, that is One with everything. Ask it to give you clarity and guidance, to help you see clearly. You can ask for clarity in general or be more specific, maybe you want clarity about your life’s purpose, or your current relationship, or past relationships, or your health, or your career, or your future plans. Ask for clarity in these matters, and state that you are willing to see, even if the truth is not what you wanted or expected. I know from experience that when things don’t go my way, I know that how it went is how I needed them to go to advance my evolution. I may not have wanted those outcomes, but it is what I needed. I know this, even though sometimes I wish I didn’t know it so I could just feel sorry for myself a bit longer, but I also know that hurts more than trusting that everything happens for a Soul Purpose and that things that may look “bad” are really only here to help us evolve, to help us remember, to help us grow. They are stepping stones for becoming a more awakened, empathetic, wiser, kinder, and truer version of ourselves. So, don’t be afraid to see with clarity, it may be hard at first but it will free you in the end.
After you ask your higher self for clarity, be willing to let the light in. Visualise the light reaching you, visualise your eyes opening in a clear realisation of what is there and what is not. Be honest with yourself, the truth is there, and we always do know it, even if sometimes we wish we didn’t. It is always there just waiting for you to muster up the courage to want to see it.
2. Write a Letting Go list
The moon is one of our greatest reminders that everything changes, that there are cycles to life and that transitioning is always good. It reminds us that nothing will and nothing must stay the same, that life must flow, that change is life, and that life is good. Use this energy and learn from the moon how to change with life and how to let go.
In a piece of paper, write everything you want to let go of. It can be anything: a feeling, a belief, an emotion, an experience, an object, a habit, a place, a memory, a past event, even a person. After you have the list, thank each of these things for they have also been in your life for a reason and you letting go of them is also an opportunity to learn something your Soul needs you to remember. Letting go is hard, I know. But it is also what can heal and free us the most. However, it doesn’t happen by itself, we must be willing to let go. Time can and does help, but still, letting go is always a choice, as much as holding on is. So on this powerful day, let go of everything you don’t want to carry with you further, anything that is holding you down or back. Thank what you want to let go for what it has shown you, for what it has taught you, and let it go in peace and with love.
After you thank these things and willingly choose to let them go, burn the list, and ask the fire to transmute any negative energy into positive. Let all those things return to the light, in peace and with love. When you no longer hold on to them, they no longer have a hold on you. You are free.
3. Journalling: Reflect on the Summer, Set intentions for the Winter
The full moon is a time of high-sensitivity and it can be very emotional. It is a time of completion but also of releasing, it is the highest point, the summit, before starting down the slope.
Use this day to write and reflect. Connect with yourself. Write about the past few months, what you’ve learned about life and yourself, what you’ve felt, what you want more of, what you want to let go of… and then set intentions for the upcoming months. Write about what you want to work towards, what you want to achieve, what you need/want more of, what changes are you going to make…
Write it all, while asking the Moon for clarity. It will help to make the next steps clearer and it will help you get ready for the next phase of your life.
4. Take a Moon Shower
The best way would be to get into a natural body of water under the moonlight, like a sea, ocean, river, etc, but this may be too hard for city folk. You can instead literally (if you can) take a bath under the moonlight (that would be awesome!), but if you don’t have a bathtub or if you do but it is not possible to put it under the moonlight, simply spend some time under the moonlight. Sit, lie down, play the piano (I do this often), dance, sing, stretch, under the moonlight. You can also simply contemplate the moon, that is always for me a meditation in itself, a divine moment where I commune with the Moon and she tells me only good things.
5. Talk to the Moon
There is a reason why humans have always felt moved by the Moon. Everything is energy, even if the moon is (for you realists) just a rock that functions as a satellite for our planet, the moon is also an astral body that has and gives and receives energy. The energy of the Moon has always been associated with the female, with the water, with fluidity, with transitions, with change, with phases, with light and darkness, with the silence and cycles. Since I was little, I have always talked to the Moon. She has comforted me in the darkest nights, letting me know that I am not alone and that she connects me with my loved ones even if I am halfway around the world from them. The Moon is loving, and she lets me know that she is always there even when I can’t see her. The Moon gets me back to myself, she reminds me to trust, to hope, to smile. Everything will be alright, the darkness is never bad, without it, the moon wouldn’t shine so bright.
6. Make Moon Water
Moonlight is powerful and it has a special connection with water since the Moon affects tides. A way we can channel the Moon’s power connection with water is to make Moon Water. During the full moon simply fill up crystal water bottles and leave them all night under the moonshine. As you do this, ask the moon to fill the water with clarity, with light, with love, with acceptance, and healing. Drink it in the morning, and remember what you ask for. Drink with consciousness, letting the moon-liquid fill you with clarity, light, love, acceptance, and healing.
7. Relax and Listen to Moon Music
Make a playlist of music that reminds you of the moon, there are so many songs about her!
Here are some of my favourites:
- Moon River
- Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata
- Debussy’s Claire de Lune
- Blue Moon
- Dancing in the Moonlight
- Fly Me to the Moon
- Barking at the Moon
There are so many more… make your own playlist, and relax. It is time to let go.
A new phase begins tomorrow and this full moon will help you get ready for it.
The Wandering Writer 