Full moon nights may inspire lunacy. How do you celebrate? Do you like full moon hikes? Naked moon howling? Werewolf parties? Song circles? Dance circles? Orgies? Moon bathing, anyone?
I like to make moon water. It’s simple yet profound, and fun for kids, too. Here’s how:
1. Fill a clear glass jar with drinking water. (I use a 1 liter Mason jar, with a cap).
2. Go outside. Place your water-filled jar in a bright moonlit clearing, where it will likely get moon exposure for most of the night.
3. Lightly cap your water, or place a mesh or cloth screen on top, to keep bugs out.
4. Let sit overnight.
5. Retrieve it in the morning, before the sun hits it.
6. Do this for all three nights of the full moon: the night before the “official” calender date full moon, the “actual” full moon night, and the night after. (Or, if you’re time crunched, then just
do the “actual” full moon night.)
7. That’s it! Store your moon water in a cool place, where it can stay fresh for up to a month.
I place my moon water next to my array of flower essences, tinctures, vitamins, and/ or supplements that I ingest each day. I start off my mornings drinking warm water with a splash of lemon juice. I add a
small glass of moon water into my morning cocktail, along with whatever flower essences I’m experimenting with, drinking a little everyday. This helps reinforce my connection with the moon, bringing its essence into my body
gradually, as a vibrational, or energetic medicine. But, it can also be drunk all at once. It can be used ceremonially, taking internally, spritzed on, or anointed externally. I was part of a full moon women’s circle for
a while, where we anointed each other with moon water, like a witch’s baptismal. Some women incorporate moon water into moon time (menses) rituals, drinking it only during that time, to align themselves with the moon’s
cycles, as they also wax and wane, ebb and flow, internal fluids rising and falling, drawn like tides towards and away from the moon. There are infinite possibilities! Experiment, and have fun.
This moon water making technique may be used for making moon tea, or other infusions. Just add whatever plants you want into the water, then let it all infuse overnight, in the moonlight. Consider making other
infusions in the moonlight: flower or plant essences, tinctures, oil infusions, etc. What do you associate with the moon? How about the full moon? How can you creatively incorporate that full moon energy into your food, medicine,
and life?
Moonlight is said to help clear stored energy in stones, particularly crystals. You can place your favorite stones around or near the infusing moon water, for a shared moon bath. Sometimes, I surround my infusing
moon water jar with special stones, to infuse some of their energy into the water. Make a total ritual out of it. Create the bare bones of the ritual: just making moon water. Then, modify that structure moon to moon, depending
on your needs and desires of the moment.
I lived with two girls for a few months, ages 5 and 7. They noticed me padding out into the night barefoot for three nights every full moon, and wanted to join. So, we created a little ceremony out of it, and
they joined my full moon rituals. I eventually left the USA for three years of Asiatic travels. I visited them again, upon my return. Three years later, now ages 8 and 10, they still remembered. “Do you still make moon water?”
They ask. Laughing, they say, “I remember dancing and singing in the full moon, and it was so cold, and, and, and...!” It’s a simple yet memorable, fun and beautiful ritual that helps to connect young girls and women
with the cycles of the moon, and rhythms of the sky. How can we imbue a sense of sacredness and magic into the lives of our youth?
Here’s some extra ideas to add to your moon water making:
- Song
- Prayer
- Incense
- Candles
- Dance
- Journaling
- ...whatever you like!
After so many years of constant change--- home, community, work, everything, week to week, month to month--- I find solace in the sky. The earth is solid beneath my feet, but the landscape looks different everywhere
I go. The sky looks different too, but not as drastically so. It’s different shades of blue, but it’s still the great blue blanket that covers us all, regardless of where we live, walk, and dream. The night sky looks similar,
with differing amounts of visibility. I always look for the Great Bear, Polaris, Orion, and Venus, and notice where the moon is, in her cycle. Connecting with the moon’s phases helps me connect with my personal moon cycle,
or menses. It helps increase my awareness of, and track the flow of my physical, emotional, and spiritual journey, and the patterns therein.
I love ritual. Ritual feels as grounding and anchoring as the pure sky and earth. It helps me return to myself, regardless of where I am, remembering that Home lies within, not without. Ritual is a symbolic
action imbued with intention, that is repeated at certain times of importance. It can be personal or communal, and personalized to each individual.
Every month, I fill a 1 liter clear glass jar with drinking water. I walk to an area where the full moon will shine on my jar for as long as possible. I do a little ceremony. The full moon inspires lunacy,
for she is fat, pregnant with all the seeds sowed during the new moon. I start projects on the full moon, such as planting seeds, starting tinctures or other macerations, etc. On the full moon, I’ll evaluate where I am in
my projects, harvest what is ready, and give thanks for all of the gifts received along the way. I’ll recalibrate my inner compass by updating my original intentions and visions, then continue walking forward with renewed
visions, clarity, and inner strength received through this process. I speak with the moon and stars, plants and earth. I light a candle to waken the spirits, then burn aromatic plant incenses as smoky offerings, to cleanse,
and send my prayers skywards. My prayers begin with gratitude, and include both what I’m releasing, and what I’m manifesting. Action and intention, prayer and ritual. The moon, stars, and night sky have heard my voice
since childhood. We are after all, made of the same materials as the stars, planets, and entire Universe. Imbuing moon water with the energetic essence of the ripe fat moon, I drink that energy into my body, realigning myself
with the Universe, helping me remember who I am, where I come from, and what I’m doing here.
(A special thanks to herbalist and wise woman Lucy Mitchella, for sharing these traditions with me!)
