Full Moon in Leo Ritual

Sun in Aquarius, Moon in Leo. The axis of the public and the private self, the need to polish a public image and the desire to let our freak flag fly. Leo’s grandiosity takes a deeper focus as the water bearer seeks to cast a soothing light on the savage beast.

Moon exact full at Thursday, January 28th, 2020, at 11:16 AM PST.

Our deepest emotions are coming out with a roar with this Leo moon. Secret identities can no longer hide in the shadows. Anything standing in the way of our expression of our full Selves will be lit up and swept away with the tide as the moon wanes again on its journey to darkness.

The full moon in Leo is our annual opportunity to free ourselves from the fear and shame of being fully seen for who we truly are.

The majority of the past year has pushed the majority of us into seclusion. We’ve been hibernating, incubating, morphing into new versions ourselves - or rather, old versions of ourselves that have been pushed to the background by a constant need to maintain appearances and behaviors that adhere to social norms. One valuable side effect of a year that ripped so many from comfort and complacency is that it allowed an honest look at our lives and ourselves and how we interact with and show ourselves to the world. In the ruins of The Tower, we can see the ground clearly for the first time in ages.

What have you found out about yourself this past year? Which familiar roles did you fall into for better or for worse? How did you spend your time when the usual external distractions were pared down? What are you most excited to bring back out into the public world when the public world exists in a broad sense again? These are important questions to consider now, under the influence of this Leo moon, and when we still have time to make decisions and set the boundaries needed to support them.

This ritual is designed to give you insight into which version of yourself is most important for you to share with the world. We all have complex, multifaceted lives and identities. It’s too much to share all at once. Making informed and loving inquiries into our desires and our purpose helps us discern what to keep for ourselves and what to bring into the light.

Use what you have on hand in your home. Work with what you have, both in terms of physical items and knowledge and experience. Be more concerned with doing what is authentic to you than with what is “correct”. The most correct thing is the thing the you truly connect with and evolve through. You have everything you need.

Gather what you have of the following:

CLEANSER: sage, palo santo, incense, energy cleansing spray, selenite wand, a bell – whatever you use to clear the energy of your space is great. 

IMAGES: Print outs or drawings of Strength and The Star cards (you’ll want to keep the actual cards in your deck to use for readings)

CANDLES: One orange or yellow 7-day ritual candle (the tall kind in glass). If you don’t have ritual candles, you can use tea candles or simply follow the clearing, incantation, and visualization prompts.

CANDLE DRESSINGS: Honey and ginger (powdered is great, but fresh is fine too). If you are using a ritual candle and it is pre-dressed, leave it be.

ADDITIONAL ITEMS: A small dish of water and any crystals or other symbolic items you wish to include. Ideally, one piece each of orange calcite and blue kyanite. If you don’t have these, feel free to improvise with what you have on hand.

PRACTICAL THINGS: matches, a pen, a napkin or paper towel to wipe honey from your finger.

Perform the ritual:

STEP 1: Clear the energy of your space, then close your eyes and take 3 deep cleansing breaths to ground yourself in space and time.

STEP 2: Place the candle in the center of your altar area, the images of Strength and The Star card on either side with the crystals on top (let your intuition guide which goes where), and the dish of water in front of that (closest to you).

STEP 3: Place a drop of honey on top of the candle and trace it around 3 times clockwise, then sprinkle a tiny bit of powdered ginger on top. If you’re using fresh ginger, place it at the base of the candle. Ginger amplifies confidence and honey sweetens the experience.

STEP 4: light the candle and say “My true self is perfect, right now, just as it is. As I share [her/them/him] with the world, I do so at my own pace, on my own terms, free from fear and rich with discernment”

STEP 5: Close your eyes and spend a few minutes finding the most complete stillness you can. See yourself as a child, whatever age is perfect. As your young self approaches, they appear full of awe, then joy as they take you in. You make eye contact and as you do, both of your beings begin to glow, then radiate beautiful bright golden light. Enjoy this radiant connection as long as you like, then ask your young self if they would like to share anything with you and if they have any questions. Engage with this conversation for as long as you like. Then bid your your young self farewell cupping a handful of the golden light in your hand and holding it over your heart. Gently bring your consciousness back to the present and open your eyes. Repeat this visualization daily for 7 days. If you are using tea candles, dress and light a new one each day and repeat the incantation.