Few things are certain in life, few things are truly constant. Perhaps that’s why there has been a noticeable and palpable increase, anecdotally at least (by which I mean according to social media), in the number of people turning to #spirituality, astrology and other quasi mystical systems.
Young women are once again interested in witchcraft, crystal healing and astrological movements. Many feminist women’s online publications publish daily horoscopes. There has, undoubtedly, been a resurgence in mystical practices amongst young, creative and politically educated women. For a generation who, on the whole, eschew traditional organised religion some might find it odd that many of us regularly check our horoscope and wholeheartedly embrace spiritual practices. Many of us, to a greater or lesser degree, are also interested in the more mystical side of life.
Ancient cultures were far more open to mysticism than our cynical and secular society is today. Every year self-proclaimed modern pagans still turn out at Stone Henge to celebrate the solstice.
In a world of Brexit, Donald Trump and Buy to Let landlords I found myself feeling pretty frazzled. I’d go as far as to say the lack of uncertainty in my life and global geo-politics had me feeling pretty perturbed. So, I decided to see if I could draw on mysticism, spirituality and astrology to realign myself.
With September’s Harvest Moon on the horizon I decided to give it a go and do my very own full moon cleanse.
Moon Facts:
The moon is a constant. It is certain (until the sun burns out or Donald Trump starts a nuclear war, whichever comes first) that the sun rises in the morning, setting in the evening to give way to the moon. This is the life cycle of our planet and the inherent structure by which we live our lives. It takes 27 days, 7 hours and 43 minutes for our moon to complete an orbit around the earth.For the moon to complete a full cycle of phases – from new moon to new moon – it takes around 29.5 days.
Whatever you believe in, there is something undeniable about the allure of a full moon. It has always captured our imaginations, to the extent that humakind could not rest until we'd managed to land someone on it.
The moon is the closest thing to Earth in space. We’re celestial neighbours. Magic has long been associated with it. Something that many cultures and belief systems have in common is that enacting certain rituals at different times during lunar phases, particularly around a full moon or new moon, can harness the moon’s waxing and waning to bring about both physical and psychological change.
That’s a pretty big claim. It’s also a rather enticing one. A quick scour of various quasi mystical and self-help websites like this and this gave me suggestions as to how to conduct my cleanse. There didn’t seem to be a set way of doing it so I picked the best bits from all of them and created my very own custom ceremony. My usual go-to spiritual site, Mystic Mamma, informed me that the full harvest moon would ‘bring forth a surge of emotional energy’ and that ‘at this apex of emotional uprising’ I should feel to heal’ and like a ‘true spiritual warrior’ brave my ‘wounds’ through my heart.
Could I harness the power of the full moon and become a ‘spiritual warrior’?
1. Creating a sacred space
I created a 'sacred space' in which to cleanse. I took sacred to mean somewhere quiet and distraction free so I chose the small patio at the back of my basement flat which I share with a very large moth and some precariously potted plants. I couldn't actually see the moon down there, but I could feel her presence.
2. Clearing my energy
Then I took a few moments to 'clear my energy' as the Internet instructed me to. This involved visualising my aura (which I imagine to be like a giant baby pink Himalyan salt crystal) and trying to meditate for a few minutes. I foccused on letting all of my energy flow around my body - good and bad - and then tried to see all the bad stuff flowing out of me in my mind's eye.
3. Fire and water
The Internet said me that both the elements of fire and water were both symbolic ways of an necessary for purifying energy. I made sure both were close at hand. In an ideal world I would have liked to do this by a river or a massive lake but I settled for a jug of tap water and a Bic lighter.
4. Breathing
I learned that breathig is very important for opening up your chakras. So I concentrated hard on taking a deep breaths and exhaling like I meant it in order to release everything that was weighing me down.
5. Writing down all the things that are bugging me and bumming me out
Some of the full moon cleanse sites advocated writing down all of the things you wish to get rid of on paper, to make your intentios clear to the universe. I wrote a (pretty ambitious) list of all the things I wanted to let go of and move forwards without from Donald Trump to Brexit.
6. Commiting to the cleanse
After deciding what I wanted to let go of I set my intentions for the next lunar phase and signed and dated my list for added authenticity. I then set fire to it symbolically and literally. As intstructed I visualised the release of all of my stresses, which looked a bit like a giant flock of birds diminishing in size as they headed for the vanishing point on my mystical mental horizon.
7. Burning some sage for good measure
Burning sage is believed to purify a space and chase out negative energy. I thought this would be a good way to seal the deal.
8. CTFO
After all of that cleansing I took a moment to think about everything I was letting go of and looking towards. I closed my eyes and almost feel asleep. I felt lighter.
The verdict:
In all seriousness, I did feel pretty good after the cleanse. I can't be sure sure that the universe was listening to me but it felt good to take some time out. It’s too soon to tell whether there will be any serious effects. A full moon cleanse might not actually be able to eradicate Brexit from your life or stop you worrying about Donad Trump but I’ll definitely do it again, there’s something to be said for sitting down and taking stock of your life, whether you opt to burn sage or not.
**Like this? You might also be interested in: **
What Even Is Numerology? And, Why Is Everyone Talking About it?
How Pick N Mix Spirituality Became the 20-Something Religion Of Choice
Follow Vicky on Twitter @Victoria_Spratt
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.