Get Witchy With These Full Moon Rituals

So you want to get witchy? Well, then you simply have to love the Moon—that’s just how it is. Many witchcraft traditions are closely tied to the lunar cycle, with the Full Moon and the New Moon both being extra potent times to conduct magick. Let's talk more about the importance of the Full Moon in magick and how to do your own Full Moon ritual.

In astrology as well as in many spiritual traditions, the Full Moon represents a moment of culmination. Think of the lunar cycle: The Moon grows from being totally hidden during the New Moon to shining bright during the Full Moon. Therefore, the Full Moon is a moment to celebrate the end of a journey or to let something go. The Full Moon also symbolizes a time when truths and secrets are brought to light: Nothing can stay hidden under the light of the Full Moon!

A Full Moon ritual is, to put it simply, any ritual you practice under a Full Moon. Generally, it's a good idea to create a ritual that is in tune with the themes of the Full Moon—namely, completeness, letting something go, or revealing a truth. Additionally, you can align your ritual with the themes of the zodiac sign that the Full Moon is in. For example, during a Full Moon in Taurus, you might choose a ritual to bring more love or luxury into your life.

The Full Moon represents letting go, but you *can* use the Full Moon to bring things into your life, too. In a Full Moon manifestation ritual, you simply write down or say what you want to bring into your life—and you say so as if it has already happened. For example, if you want to manifest more money and financial abundance, you might choose an intention that says something like, "I attract abundance. I have everything that I need."

Traditionally, New Moons are a time for beginnings and Full Moons are a time for endings. This means that New Moons are a potent time for starting something new, and Full Moons are a great moment to let something go. However, this doesn't mean that Full Moons can only be about breakups and saying goodbye to old jobs. It all depends on how you phrase your intention.

If you want to make your Full Moon ritual extra powerful, choose an intention that aligns with the themes of the zodiac sign the Full Moon is in. Here are a few keywords for each sign, but read up on the zodiac sign in question for more details and ideas.

• Aries: Bravery, leadership, independence
• Taurus: Romance, luxury, security
• Gemini: Intelligence, fun, freedom
• Cancer: Home, family, emotion
• Leo: Creativity, attention, generosity
• Virgo: Wellness, routine, healing
• Libra: Relationships, balance, justice
• Scorpio: Transformation, sex, intuition
• Sagittarius: Education, adventure, travel
• Capricorn: Financial abundance, ambition, boundaries
• Aquarius: Individuality, community, self-expression
• Pisces: Imagination, wisdom, spirituality

If you'd like to DIY your own Full Moon ritual, here are some simple ideas to get you started:

• Make Full Moon water: Leave water outside (or on your windowsill) under the Full Moon overnight to soak up its ~vibes~. Then, you can use that water in future rituals!
• Take a Full Moon bath: Make your bath (or shower) extra magical by adding herbs, flowers, essential oils, and crystals that align with your chosen intention. As you soak in the water, imagine yourself being purified by the water. When you drain the bath, imagine all your stress going down the drain with it.
• Charge your crystals: The Full Moon is a perfect time to charge your crystals and other ritual tools. Simply leave them out under the Full Moon overnight.
• Write in a Moon journal: A Moon journal helps you align your daily reflections with the lunar cycle. During a Full Moon, you might practice gratitude or engage in shadow work—communing with the dark side of yourself that you might be afraid to look at.
• Let go of something: Think of something you'd like to let go of. Write it down on a piece of paper. Then, burn the paper and scatter or bury the ashes in nature.
• Practice sex magick: Either during partnered sex or masturbation, keep your mind focused on an intention to ~charge it~.
  
• Do a tarot spread: Full Moons are a powerful time to seek guidance. Try pulling one tarot card for a message, or do a simple spread—like drawing three cards to represent your past, present, and future.
  

If you'd like more specific instructions, try out the three rituals below:

Below, check out three rituals from Gabriela Herstik, author of Inner Witch: A Modern Guide to the Ancient Craft and Sacred Sex: The Magick and Path of the Divine Erotic.

Full Moons and New Moons are both good times to form an intention—basically a tweet for your spiritual life that acts as a guiding force for your magick. For a Full Moon intention, you can either focus on something you want to call into your life (because a Full Moon is the peak of the lunar cycle) or something you want to let go of (because each day after the Full Moon, the lunar light shrinks, reflecting your own ability to let shit go).

Choose something specific you want, and write it down. Once you have your intention, you can make a charged symbol, known as a sigil, to begin your manifestation (aka asking the universe for what you want and being open to receiving it).

1. Write out your intention: “I’m a rich bitch, and I receive an extra thousand dollars a month with ease.”
2. Cross out any repeating letters, so you’re left with: i m a r c h b t n d e v x o u s l w
3. If you want, you can also cross out the vowels. You’d be left with: m r c h b t n d v x s l w
4. Grab a pen and paper and write out whatever letters are left, overlapping them and turning them into a visual symbol to represent your intention. The less this looks like an actual word, the better! Get creative!
5. Draw a circle around the finished product. You’ve got yourself a damn sigil.
6. Charge this sigil by focusing on your intention as you do anything that raises your energy—like jumping around, hula hooping, chanting, singing, dancing, or masturbating (hello, you’re practicing sex magick now). At the peak of your ~activity~, look at your sigil and picture yourself sending energy into it. Then rest in the afterglow as you visualize what it would feel like to come true.
7. After you’re done charging your sigil, destroy it! You can tear it up, throw it out, burn it up, or bury it. It’s in your subconscious now and it’s doing its job, even if you’re not aware of it.

Voilà, baby! That’s magick!

Just like sigils, you can use a Full Moon affirmation either to call something in or to release any limiting beliefs you have. Choose your affirmation carefully, because you’re going to be saying it for two whole weeks.

An affirmation to support your intention may be: I am a rich bitch; I am an abundant witch; I receive with ease. An affirmation to release negative beliefs may be: I release all negative beliefs that limit my ability to be prosperous.

Say your affirmations three times each, every day for the two weeks following the Full Moon, and watch your life transform. P.S. You can turn both of these into sigils as well.

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Once you have your intention, you can use it to charge a white or silver candle (white is for attraction, and silver is for lunar magick). Here’s how:

1. Either write out your intention or create a sigil.
2. If you like, carve a sigil or a word representing your intention into the candle. (This is optional.)
3. “Dress” the candle by spreading oil or honey (for sweetness) from the base of the candle to the tip. If you’d like, place various herbs on a paper towel or plate and roll the candle in them. Select herbs that match your intention, like lavender for healing, mint for money, roses for love, bay for protection, or chamomile for relaxation.
4. Take a moment to meditate on your intention.
5. Place the candle in a candle holder or on a plate (melt the bottom of the candle first to make it stick), and light it.
6. Read your intention or affirmation out loud.
7. Charge the candle by letting it burn all the way down. Do not blow it out—snuff the flame if you need to, and then relight it when you can focus on your intention.
8. Dispose of any excess wax in a garbage can at an intersection (the modern witches’ crossroad!) to disperse the energy.

Have fun and enjoy some Moon magick!

Gabriela Herstik

Gabriela Herstik is a witch, fashion alchemist and columnist based in Los Angeles. She is the author of Inner Witch, Bewitching the Elements, and Embody Your Magick, and the columnist behind the High Priestess column in High Times magazine. Her writing has appeared on sites such as Vogue International, Allure, Broadly, i-D, Dazed Beauty, NYLON, and others. She writes on the intersection of witchcraft, glamour and sexuality and is a devotee of the Goddess of Love. You can connect with her on her website, Instagram and Twitter.

Erika W. Smith

Senior Astrology Editor

Erika W. Smith (she/her) is the current Senior Astrology Editor at Cosmopolitan. In her 4+ years at Cosmo, she's worked on everything from editing weekly horoscopes, to reporting on how astrology influences album release dates, to launching The Cosmo Tarot. Before joining Cosmopolitan in 2020, she worked at Refinery29, HelloGiggles, and BUST magazine. Her book series Astrosex: How to Have the Best Sex According to Your Star Sign was published in 2021. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @erikawynn.