Just as we have seen with the seasonal rituals, having a set of rituals to honour the times of the moon and its phases puts us more in tune with the cycles of nature. Here we look at full and dark moon rituals in detail.
Full Moon Ritual
I use the full moon as the start of the moon month, as I believe that this was how the Celts would have reckoned the months. It is far easier to see when the moon is full than to wait all night to determine the dark moon (or new moon, as some in Western Paganism call it, though technically the new moon refers to the first crescent in the sky). Since the Celts reckoned their days from sunset to sunset, it makes sense to reckon the moon months from the time of the full moon, then follow its wane, through to full again.
We don’t have much historical evidence of what our ancestors would have done, if anything, at the times of the full and dark moon—only a few charms and invocations found in the Carmina Gadelica along with references to the time when mistletoe was cut during the moon’s cycle. Therefore what follows here are rituals that I have created to honour the full and dark moon respectively.
This ritual is best performed outside. If you can’t be outside, then try to stand by a window so that the moon’s light will shine upon you. This full moon ritual incorporates a version of “drawing down the moon,” which is a term used in many strands of Modern Paganism when honouring the full moon. Have a large bowl filled with water nearby. Designate sacred space if so desired.
Take a few moments to become one with your surroundings. Allow the light of the moon to fall upon you, if possible. Let your thoughts, cares, and worries melt and be washed away by the cool light of the moon. When you are ready, hold your arms outward and upward toward the moon and say these or similar words:
Lady of the Silver Wheel
Whose turning in the sky illuminates the darkness
From light to dark and back to light again
I honour you for all that you are
Feel the light of the moon filling you with silver light. Feel its cool power: the power that causes the tides to flow, the power that flows through women’s cycles, the power that oversees cycles of planting and harvesting. Let your mind fill with all the associations that you can think of when drawing down the moon into yourself. Then, when you are ready, chant these or similar words:
Bright moon of ___ (moon month name, e.g., “Wolf”)
Blessed by your light
Bright moon so fair
Jewel of the night
Another cycle has come
Another cycle has passed
May all my endeavours be blessed
Endure and everlast
Pick up the bowl (I use a birdbath on my patio) or shift your position so that you can catch the full moon reflected in the water. Gaze upon the silver orb in the water and allow your mind to open to receive blessings and guidance from the Lady of the Silver Wheel. You might have a specific intention for your work this moon month, or you may want to receive guidance as to what you should be working on. Either way, allow the moon’s light reflected in the water to show you—in your mind’s eye or in physical reality—what it is that you need to achieve this cycle or to confirm your intention. Clarify your intention once confirmed and speak it aloud over the water, then blow gently across the water so that the moon’s reflection ripples. Then stand tall, bow your head to the moon, and give thanks.
If you would like to perform further magic, to harness the power of the full moon, then feel free to do so. (Spellwork is covered in a later chapter.) Commune with the Fair Folk, should you or they so desire. They are usually quite active during the full moon.
Close down the ritual space and give an offering to the Fair Folk.
Dark Moon Ritual
This ritual takes place when the sky is void of the moon’s light at night. We cannot see the moon because it is too close to the sun. So, this is a time of going within, a time of rest, and a time of meditation. It is a potent time, for just as at the full moon, at the dark moon the tides are at their highest and lowest of the month and the moon’s effect on us is just as strong as when the moon is full.
You can perform this ritual indoors or out. Designate sacred space if so desired, and then sit down to meditate. Allow your body and mind to calm and relax, listening to the sounds of the night. Feel the darkness around you, holding you. Know that the darkness is not something to be feared, but that it is just another aspect of the cycle of the moon, the seasons, and tides. As a Hedge Druid, we learn to find our balance point in all of nature and so we work with the darkness as well as the light. This darkness provides us with rest and release and an opportunity to go deeply within.
The following is a guided meditation/pathworking that you can either read through several times or record yourself reading it so that you can follow it in practice. After a few times, you should become familiar with it and no longer need a reminder or recording.
It is a dark night. You find yourself upon a wide plain or isolated moorland. You see before you a ring of standing stones, outlined softly in the starlight. You walk toward the circle of stones and, before entering, you bow your head and offer a prayer. When ready, you enter the circle from a northern entrance and slowly walk just within the circle of stones clockwise, touching each stone in turn and connecting with its energy. When you have touched all the stones and feel their life force humming in tune with yours, you turn and walk to the centre of the circle.
In the centre lies a stone on its side and upon its surface is an indentation where a pool of rainwater sits, creating a small bowl. You bow your head to the stone and then lean over to gaze into the water. You see the stars reflected in the dark water and gaze upon their beauty. Eventually, the stars fade and another image may appear in the water. This may be an image or a symbol; it is of that which is holding you back from your work and your purpose. You acknowledge this symbol and then blow gently across the water. It ripples and then another image appears, one which will offer insight into how to overcome that which is holding you back. If the image is the same, there is nothing holding you back. You acknowledge this symbol and then blow gently across the water. It ripples and then you slowly see the stars reappear in the reflection.
Take a moment to consider what you have seen and how you can apply it to your work of this moon-tide. If you have veered off-track, allow these insights to help you find your way back until the next full moon. You might find that you are still on course and have had your intention and work confirmed if nothing is blocking you and your work. Sit within the circle of stones and feel their energy around you, grounding you, fixing your purpose deep within your soul. When you are ready, stand and, beginning in the north, walk the circle counterclockwise, touching each stone in turn and offering thanks. When you have reached the beginning, bow once more to the circle and then leave the circle of stones.
Slowly, the wide-open space dissolves around you and you find yourself back in your ritual space. Take a moment to settle and feel yourself fully back in your body, in this time and space. Thank the dark moon for its blessing and give an offering to the spirits of place.
The work is now up to you.
The Hedge Druid takes up her pen and journal and writes down all that she has seen in her dark moon meditation. She draws the symbols of the work that she is undertaking and records her thoughts and feelings and any other relevant information that came to her during her journeying. When she is finished writing, she softly closes the book and gazes at the candles upon the altar. She thanks the dark moon for the vision and gives her offering of rye bread and butter and a glass of wine. Afterward she takes some bread and wine for herself and thinks upon the work that lies ahead, contemplating various paths that lie before her.