Libra Full Moon, March 2019
LIBRA FULL MOON
Thursday March 21, 12;27pm (AEST)
Thursday March 21, 1:27am (GMT)
Wednesday March 20, 6:27pm (PT)
Libra is the sign of relationships. The Libra full moon energy urges us to create harmony and balance in our relationships. The fact that this Libran Super Moon is falling on the Autumn Equinox (this hasn’t happened for 19 years, and won’t be repeated for another 11 years) really accentuates issues around balance.
Autumn Equinox (Mabon) is a Celebration of the balance of light and dark, with equal day and equal night. After this celebration, the descent into winter brings hours of increasing darkness and cooler temperatures. So, it’s the time of the year when night conquers day: from the Autumn Equinox on until the Spring Equinox, the days will shorten and nights lengthen. This was also traditionally the time when farmers brought in their harvested goods to be weighed and sold.
On an individual level, at this time we reflect on our own personal ‘harvest’ as we begin our descent into our inner world / the underworld to see what wisdom can be gained from the darkness, what light shall emerge from the shadows and mystery…
Libra Full Moon & Mabon Ritual
SMUDGE & CLEANSE: to clear and purify the space, your mind, emotions and energy. Use a sage smudge stick or similar, to clear the space first then connect with the Autumn Equinox energy by burning oils to like orange, cinnamon, and ginger.
ALTAR: Light some candles and place any sacred items on your altar; feathers, stones, crystals etc. You may wish to place these on a special coloured cloth, with any of the warm earthy colours associated with Autumn, oranges and browns. There are so many different lineages with different ways of honouring & placing the elements. So, it depends on the traditions and lineages you connect with, but I like to place incense and feathers in the east to connect with the element of air, a candle in the north to represent the fire element, a bowl of water and shells in the west to honour the water element and crystals and seed pods in the south to invoke the earth element. If you are in the Northern Hemisphere you can swap, so fire is in the south and earth is in the north.
CAST CIRCLE: Honour and call in the sacred directions. You may wish to drum or chant as you do this. This may be a simple heartfelt prayer invoking the qualities of each of the directions. There are many different prayers & invocations available on the internet, but the most powerful one for your circle will be the one offered spontaneously from your heart!
CACAO: If you feel called to work intentionally with the medicine of Ceremonial Cacao in your ritual, try preparing it with cinnamon, ginger and orange. Call in Cacao Blessings, give thanks and drink to all things in balance.
INVOKE BALANCE:
- Practice Alternate Nostril Breathing for 6 minutes to alter your state of consciousness and balance the right and left hemispheres of the brain, balancing your ida and pingala energy channels, your moon and sun, feminine and masculine energies, balancing your receptive and active nature.
- Tune in and ponder and reflect on these questions: (you can do this alone, with a partner or in a circle as a talking stick)
– Am I walking in balance in my relationships?
– Am I spending enough time with myself? - There is a beautiful chant you may want to sing next to invoke balance and vibrate the cells, Give thanks to the Mother Gaia:
Give thanks to the Mother Gaia,
Give thanks to the Father Sun,
Give thanks to the beautiful garden,
Where Mother and Father are one.Give thanks, give thanks,
For you we do give thanks,
Give thanks, give thanks,
For you we do give thanks.
(From Songs to the Goddess, Sonoma County Birth Network) - Tune in and ponder and reflect on these questions:
– What is my personal harvest?
– How can I best acknowledge and celebrate myself for hard work?
– What can I do to thank the Earth that sustains me and my loved ones? - Hopes & Fears – Take a moment to face your own darkness, confront the fears you have for your ‘winter’, the metaphysical inner journey as much the physical, seasonal. These may be written and burnt on autumn leaves… Finally share/offer any prayers you have for balance and peace, personal or global…
CLOSE: Give thanks & reopen the circle to complete.
I would like to acknowledge the inspiration for this ritual is partly from Women’s Medicine Ways by Marcia Stark and from Jane Hardwick Collings.
