20 Full Moon Rituals To Manifest Your Best Life and Improve Your World

What is it about the moon that fascinates us so much? This celestial body connects us all, for when we look up into the night sky, we are all looking at the same moon. There’s something about the different phases of the moon that makes each night feel special.

However, there are few greater sights in the starry sky than a beautiful full moon. The full moon has been said to cause people to act differently; there's a longstanding urban legend that emergency room visits increase during a full moon. So, it only makes sense that there are full moon rituals that help people harness that potent energy to benefit their lives.

Again, the moon is said to make people crazy. It is called lunacy, which has the core word “luna” in it, AKA the Latin word for moon, after all. That means you should probably practice these rituals with an open mind and a pure heart.

And with that said: Here are 20 full moon rituals that you can use to bring some positive celestial vibes to your life.

Related: When Is The Next Full Moon? Here's What To Expect

What Is a Moon Ritual?

Humans have been practicing moon rituals throughout the ages, with their origins being in the ancient civilizations of Egypt, India, Babylonia and China. The point of a moon ritual is to harness the special power of the moon during its different phases in order to focus that energy on the manifestation of your desires. These rituals create a sacred space in which the practitioner should focus their energy internally, using the time to set intentions and cultivate empowerment.

Why Do People Do Moon Rituals?

A moon ritual is all about tapping into the natural rhythm of the world around us and the universe beyond. The moon itself has a quantifiable effect on our planet; its gravitational pull affects our tides, causing rises and falls in sea levels that we can predict. So, when you think about the fact that our bodies are mainly composed of water, it stands to reason that the moon would have an impact on us as well, however small it might be.

Related: 3, 2, 1, Blast Off! How Long Does It Actually Take To Get to the Moon?

What Should You Not Do on a Full Moon?

Just as it is powerful to do a full moon ritual, it is just as important to make sure to avoid focusing the full moon’s energy on the wrong things. While reflecting on your life and yourself and setting intentions is a great use of the full moon energy, jumping into a new endeavor is not a good idea. Because the full moon is a great time for releasing and finding closure, starting something new at this time could backfire and prevent whatever it is from truly taking off. Instead of starting this new adventure, try focusing on the things you need to let go of and/or the areas you need to feed in order to make it a success.

As the full moon is a time of very potent energy and it can cause people to act differently, it is not a good time to try to initiate an intense conversation, either. Emotions can be at a monthly high, which means that if a heated discussion has the potential to escalate, it definitely will during a full moon. See if you can focus your energy on letting whatever the issue is go, and if not, bring it up at a later date.

You will also want to avoid any sort of mind-altering substances like drugs or alcohol as these can cloud your intuition. Because the full moon is a time when you may be receiving signs from the universe, along with just general mental clarity, you will want your intuition to be as sharp as possible.

The full moon is a perfect time to focus on self-care, so it is best not to fill up your schedule too much. As you are releasing and as certain energies are at an all-time high, your emotions can be more volatile, so it’s best to try to have as relaxing a time as possible. You will also want to practice patience during this time as the energy you harness on the full moon can last for a couple of weeks and your intentions can take time to come to fruition.

The full moon is also a great time for karma, so just remember that whatever you put out into the universe will be coming back to you, the good and the bad.

Related: Can’t Sleep? Blame the Full Moon

What Brings Good Luck on a Full Moon?

The full moon is said to bring about good luck, so it makes sense to try to maximize your luck during this time. To have the best luck during the full moon, make sure to set the right intentions, find the best mindset and focus on pushing out the negative. Keep a relaxed and open mind. It is also said that a full moon that falls on a Monday is extra lucky, as it is the “moon day.” So keep a lookout for that.

What's the Full Moon 2023 Schedule?

Speaking of, you must be itching to practice a full moon ritual on the next full moon by now. Don’t worry, we have you covered with this schedule of the full moons for the rest of the year (plus be on the lookout for 2023's Blue Moon):

January

January 6, 2023

February

February 5, 2023

March

March 7, 2023

April

April 6, 2023

May

May 5, 2023

June

June 3, 2023

July

July 3, 2023 (also falls on a Monday)

August

August 1, 2023

August 30, 2023

September

September 29, 2023

October

October 28, 2023

November

November 27, 2023 (also falls on a Monday)

December

December 26, 2023

What Rituals Do You Do on a Full Moon?

Full moon rituals can center around setting intentions to bring something you desire into your life or to send something you do not want in your life away. If you are sending something away, as the lunar light gets smaller after the full moon, it mirrors your intention to shrink the problem in your life.

Grounding is a big part of full moon rituals too, which is the centering of oneself, helping one to find the true self and the best intentions moving forward.

With all that said, let's get into some concrete full moon ritual examples so you can create a practice that works best for you.

20 Full Moon Rituals To Try

1. Eat Healthy Food

Because the full moon is a time of letting out the bad and bringing in the good, eating a meal that is healthy and fueling for your body is a great way to maximize this energy. Healthy food can help you set the intention to give your body what it truly needs while expelling any of the chaos in your life.

2. Give Your Tarot Cards a Full Moon Bath

If you are a seasoned practitioner of tarot or you’re looking to get started with your first deck, you should try utilizing the energy of the full moon to enhance your practice.

Before using a new deck of tarot cards, open the pack and leave the cards sitting under the full moon overnight. Not only will this cleanse the pack of any remaining energy from its journey to you, it will charge the pack with the potent energy of the full moon.

And if you have a tried and true deck you already use heavily, a full moon can do wonders in cleansing it of bad vibes it might have harbored from previous readings.

3. Grounding

Use the powerful full moon energy to look inward and energize the parts of yourself that need feeding while letting go of any negativity that has been lingering. See if you can bring yourself to a calm state, as close to neutral as you can be.

Many people find standing barefoot in the grass to be grounding as it is said to cancel out some of the other energies we encounter in our lives. So, it can be extra beneficial to do this inward introspection while standing barefoot in some grass.

Related: What is a Supermoon?

4. Commune With Nature

Speaking of grounding, a great way to harness the moon's grounding energy is to spend time immersed in nature. Not only is nature grounding, it can have a calming effect as well. Many people feel their intuition is at an all-time high when surrounded by nature, so you may be able to listen to the serene sound of the wind, the plants and the animals, and clear your mind to give way to your intuition.

You may find clarity for some lingering issues or just find that you reach a state of calm and a return to the natural rhythms of your body. You can take a hike or a walk through natural surroundings or sit still and take it all in.

5. Charge Your Crystals

If you are someone who keeps crystals for meditation, chakra work or just for good luck, the full moon can help make them their most potent. Leave your crystals out under the full moon overnight to send the good energy back inside them. This is said to recreate the pressure inside of the crystals’ magnetites. Your crystals will be cleansed of any energy that isn’t fueling you and filled with the positive energy you need.

6. Practice Meditation

Whether you are a daily meditator or are looking to try it for the first time, the full moon is the perfect time to meditate. Meditation is a great time for introspection, reflection and letting go of thoughts and feelings that you do not wish to carry moving forward. Which, again, are all things that are best to do during the full moon.

You can meditate in just a matter of minutes, though you may need longer if you are newer to the practice or have been going through a rough patch that is hard to shake. There are many apps, YouTube videos and online resources you can use to help your meditation practice.

Related: 50 Best Meditation Quotes

7. Breathe the Full Moon In

Breathing exercises are a part of meditation and many yoga practices. Breathing helps to calm the body and to connect with oneself. Learn how to take full, deep breaths. You can find resources online or through apps that can help you get started.

Practice your breath work under the full moon, either directly outside under the stars or in an area where you feel safe and distraction-free. You can use your full moon breathing to bring energy into yourself and fuel your own energy centers and your inner power. Connect with the universe and the energy in all of us, in everything, breathe it in. You should feel a heightened awareness and intuition, and may even find yourself in a trance-like state.

8. Put It in Writing

A great way to look inward and learn about yourself is to journal. You can journal about your emotions in order to find a deeper understanding of yourself and your circumstances. Journaling is a great way to figure out what you need to leave behind. You can also journal about your intentions and what you want moving forward to help you set the exact intentions to focus your full moon energy on that will be the best for you. It will help to give you clarity and to set your goals.

9. Do a Deep Clean

Take a page from Marie Kondo and use the full moon energy to clean the space around you. Physically throwing away anything that isn’t fueling your life can be empowering and can help to keep you centered moving forward. You can physically remove negativity and things that trigger unhelpful or unhappy feelings. Removing belongings that do not serve you will make room for what will serve you moving forward, physically and metaphorically.

It is also a great time to open the windows and air out your home as well as to change out your towels and bedsheets. Dust, wipe down surfaces and vacuum if you wish and you will give yourself a literal clean slate for your revitalized self.

Related: Marie Kondo Tips

10. Perform an Incense or Smoke Cleanse

While this is called smudging in Native American practices, it's cultural appropriation for non-Native people to partake. But there are ethical ways to cleanse yourself and your home during a full moon.

Because the full moon is a time for renewal and getting away from things that don't serve you, cleansing your space is a great thing to do for a full moon ritual. It'll help spiritually clean up any bad energy or bad intentions lingering in you or in your home.

Again, using anything from the Indigenous art of smudging such as white sage is unethical if you're not of that community. But instead, you can use any dry herb, with rosemary being a preferred choice for optimal cleansing properties. Apothecary stores or other places that sell pagan products will usually sell these dry herbs in a cleansing bundle. You can also use incense to smoke cleanse yourself or your home. Any scent will do.

If you're not into smoke, you can do this with a bell or even just sweeping your house with purifying intentions will do just fine. Cleansing your home and yourself with smoke or incense during the full moon is a great way to remove negative energy in order to welcome in the full moon energy so that you can focus positively on your intentions.

11. Bask in the Full Moon While You Sleep

Spending the night under the light of the full moon can be an intense cleansing ritual. The energy of the full moon has been said to help the body release any elements that are not serving it, bringing it back to a neutral state of balance. You do not have to sleep for the full night under the moon, an hour should suffice.

If you can, find a safe and calm outside space in which to lie down and gaze up at the moon. Practice your breathing to help center yourself and your body, preparing it for sleep. Do not use any electronic devices as they will distract your attention and the light will disturb your natural rhythms.

12. Finish Your To-Do List

As the full moon is the best time for letting go, it is a great time to finish off projects and tasks. Remember, this is not the time to start anything new, but finishing something off can help you leave what you need to behind you, to find resolution. When you are not carrying the weight of these unfinished tasks forward, you will be better able to focus on your new intentions and manifestations.

13. Cleanse Your Body Under the Full Moon

You already know the full moon is a time to let things go and start with a fresh set of intentions. One of the best ways to accomplish this is to physically cleanse yourself under the light of the full moon. If you are able to find a safe and secluded body of water outside, using a natural cleanser, wash yourself under the moonlight. If you cannot do this outside, taking a bath or shower in your home is the next best thing. Visualize that you are not only washing away the dirt and impurities, but you are also washing away anything that is no longer serving you. Picture yourself moving forward with not only a clean body, but a clean mind with a fresh attitude.

14. Dance Like No One Is Watching

Dancing under the full moon is nothing new. Many cultures have gathered under the light of the full moon to dance throughout the ages. Dancing is a wonderful way to get in tune with your body and to let go of tension and excess energy, while also bringing in a different kind of energy. If you can, you can do this in the moonlight or you can remain inside in the safety and anonymity of your home.

15. Make Moon Water

Moon water is a great way to harness the energy of the full moon in a way that you can use all month long. Take a glass container of purified water or spring water and leave it out under the full moon for the night. Some people like to write their intentions or positive affirmations on the container that they use. The moon water can then be used for a number of things, including cooking, cleaning your home, watering your plants, incorporated into bath water, in herbal remedies, in a facial toner or just as a drink, either by itself or in tea. Make sure to cleanse the glass of water before leaving it out (with a bell, incense or a dry herb smoke cleanse).

16. Take a Moonlit Walk

Taking a walk is a great way to center yourself and find some time for introspection. It can help you shake off any thoughts that may not be serving you. Taking a walk in the moonlight allows you to do these things while breathing in the energy of the moon, basking in its light and energy, and receiving the grounding benefits of nature.

17. Set Fire to Your Negativity

Many of us have heard about the releasing exercise where you write a letter, but do not send it, you burn it instead. It is great to do this exercise under the full moon to get the full releasing effect. You can write a letter either to someone or just about whatever you feel is holding you back. Then, safely, you can burn the letter to let go of everything inside of it.

18. Make a Vision Board

A vision board is a great way for you to set your goals and focus your intentions. Using a large poster board, cut out or draw pictures and/or words that represent your goals, intentions and what you want to manifest moving forward. The board will help to remind you of these things moving forward and help you focus your energy on them all month long.

19. Practice Self Massage

You will want to rid yourself of negative feelings and emotions under the full moon—and this includes tension. You will want your body to be relaxed and open, able to receive positive energy. A great way to physically push out the negativity is to practice self-massage. Using an online resource or just by following what your body needs, put pressure on the sources of your tension to work it out. You can also do this using a foam roller or a massage gun, anything to help you relax.

20. Practice Gratitude

Instead of focusing on the negativity and things you do not like in your life, you can use the full moon energy to fuel a ritual of gratitude. Remind yourself either verbally or on paper of everything in your life that does serve you, all of the ways that you are lucky. Focus on these things and let them fill you with love and joy. Celebrate them and allow yourself to feel truly thankful that these things are in your life. This will help you to fuel them with the full moon energy and to feed them moving forward.

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