Augusts’ Ritual
The Aquarius Full Moon
Welcome to this month's Ritual.
Every month we devote space to creating a ritual around an earth based event happening at the time.
It is so important for us to intentionally ritualise these moments, to intentionally respond to them and work with them. They are impacting us, whether we are aware of it or not, and if we bring our awareness to these events then we can be really present with what is happening for us, how we're growing, how we're changing, how we're feeling, and work with it. We can then learn how to work with ourselves instead of against ourselves.
Awareness and presence and ritualism is all part of that process.
This month we are focusing on the Aquarius Full Moon on August 19th.
Qualities impacting this Full Moon—
the energy of Leo season
the corresponding Aquarius energy
human design gates 49 and 30 that live in the Solar Plexus (emotional centre)
Monday moon day energy
A supermoon and Blue Moon
The focus for this Full Moon —
creating awareness around our emotions
sitting with and making space for our emotions, moving through them, FEELING them - and then taking intentional action —- responding vs reacting
gaining clarity on our values
owning our desires
If you want to hear much more about these details and themes, tune into the podcast.
Let’s get into the ritual.
I really want you to use this ritual as a time to tune in with yourself and your emotions. Give yourself space to process whatever you're feeling and really sit with, work with, and heal whatever comes up. This will allow you to integrate all you are learning and growing through in this season and cycle and phase of your life.
Setting the Scene
While I'm setting up for my ritual through the altar space, I'm also setting the mood. Maybe I'm playing some music, dancing around, taking deep breathes, opening windows or closing blinds. We are setting the mood, setting the scene, setting the energy, the foundation for this ritual.
For me, transitioning into the ritual is often initiated by the lighting of my candle and incense. That signifies the energy shift between whatever I was doing before and the ritual. The transitions are very important and bring us into this present moment. And, as I've said before, setting up your ritual is a big part of the ritual.
Altar Suggestions
To create our altar we want to represent each of the five elements.
Ether / space - I've started translating the space element as the container for the ritual - whatever space in which you are creating your altar and conducting your ritual. So we want to have something in our room to mark the altar - whether that's an actual item you've bought as an altar, or a tablecloth, or a corner of the room that you've denoted for this altar, it doesn't matter.
Fire - Your candle, any scent that you’re loving.
Air - Incense. I love burning sage for the Full Moon. Sage is known for returning you to your intuition. It helps bring you back to your centre, especially when you need to make a decision. It helps you align with a clear headed and calm bodied path to clarity. (You can also utilise sage in our Full Moon Tea).
Earth - Intuitively Wild Full Moon Tea. We'll go more into this tea when we talk about the herbal companion suggestions for this ritual but we also love to use the tea as our earth element. Our tea is in a really gorgeous container so it’s perfect to put that container onto your altar. It will infuse the loose leaf tea itself with the full moon energy, and then let the energy of the plants from the tea seep into your altar and your intentions and your space and your ritual. They all work so well together to support each other. Then you can brew your tea and take that energy into your body.
Water - Crystal Water. To make crystal water, grab a crystal or two (it can be however many you want) - ideally one(s) that you feel connected to right now or represent the energy of the season that you're trying to embody. Place them in water and leave them out under the moon (you can also leave it out for a full day, soaking in the Leo Sun and the Aquarius Moon energy). You can either do this before your ritual or after your ritual. Either way, this crystal water is on your altar during your ritual. This way you are infusing the water not only with the energy of the sun and the moon, but your intentions, desires and everything you are creating throughout this ritual. After, you can leave the crystals in or you take them out, and drink the water throughout the month (or all in one sitting) connecting yourself back to the energy and intentions created during this ritual.
Yoga Therapy Tools
Lions Breath -
Just as Leo is associated with the energy of the lion, so is this breath practice. It immediately dispels energy and heat, releases tension and is also playful and helps you channel Leos courageous and confident leader energy.
How to - close your eyes and start to take a deep breath you in through your nose. Exhale out your mouth with a big ah noise while sticking your tongue out and opening your eyes very wide.
It may look a little silly, but I promise it helps.
I recommend doing this practice at least twice, really focusing on a deep inhale, and then exhaling for as long as you can.
Meeting the Mood -
This practice was created specifically for supporting mental health. It forces you to bring awareness to your emotional world and assess how you are feeling and what you need in this moment. It helps you move through, process and integrate all you are feeling.
How to - as you begin this practice, you want to assess how you are feeling emotionally and energetically, in this moment. Categorise if you're feeling 1 - high on life, excited, energised, motivated, or if you're feeling 2 - low, depleted, sad, or overwhelmed.
If you said 1 - do this sequence in the order it is shared below. If you are feeling aligned with 2, start with step number 2 and end with step number 1.
Step 1 - Start standing in mountain pose with your feet rooted on the ground and your hands by your side. Start to move your upper body in a twist position - one shoulder coming to the front and the other to the back.
Let your arms move freely with this movement so that your left arms hits your front body as your left shoulder moves forward and your right arm hits your back body as your right should moves backward (and vice versa). Repeat this for a couple of rounds at whatever pace feels good to you.
When you are done, slowly come to stillness and take a moment feeling any sensations with your eyes closed.
Step 2 - Lift your arms over your head on an inhale and as you exhale come to a forward fold, folding your upper body over your lower body as your hands reach towards the ground. Let this be easeful and restorative. Feel free to do this seated as well. Hold the forward fold for at least five breaths.
Feel free to repeat this for as many rounds as you’d like.
Herbal Companions
Cardamom: promotes confidence, courage, and consistent energy. perfect for leo energy, will promote the positives and cool down the firey energy as well
Schisandra: Schisandras’ magic is the art of surrender. She will help you let go and move through any grief, anxiety, and depletion that comes with this process. She is also an adaptogen and will know how to provide your body with exactly what it needs.
If you want a pre-crafted Full Moon remedy that consists of these herbs and several more to enhance your ritual, check out the Full Moon Tea available at our online apothecary.
full moon tea - this tea is here to help you create an intentional ritual around the Full Moon energy. It supports you in the cycle of releasing and realigning by helping you…
check in on your intentions and reflect on your growth
bring to your awareness what needs to be released
create and sustain a grounded yet heightened energy
embody self love, confidence, and gratitude
support yourself with full body nourishment
strengthen the voice of your intuition
Journal Prompts
How am I feeling?
How do I know I am feeling that way?
Where do I feel these sensations in my body?
How can I support my emotional world right now?
What are my values?
What are my desires?
Do my actions align with my values and desires?
Where do these values and desires come from?
How does it feel to embody these values? and desires?
It can be hard and scary to admit our desires to ourselves. The ability to have the awareness and safety around admitting our desires comes from feeling safe within our emotions and having clarity around our values. The emotions practice leads to the values practice which leads to the desire practice. That allows us to then act on, manifest and embody our desires.
If you're looking for support with creating your values, gaining clarity on your desires and understanding what may be in the way of taking action on or embodying these - tune into our paid substack subscription - every week we devote ourselves to a ritual to root, reconnect and live intentionally. If you want to go even deeper, I am opening new spots to work 1:1 in the Intuitively Wild mentorship!
Next step -
At the top of your page write REFLECTION - think, six months ago in Aquarius season, on the Leo full moon on January 25 - what was happening? what were you moving through? how have you grown since then?
Next page write DREAMS - in six months, on the Leo new moon next January - what do you want to be blooming? what seeds do you want to plant now, to water and devote yourself to? Dream big. Dream fully. Don't edit yourself.
Intentions
Based on your reflections and dreams ... what can you do to move towards them? what do you want to focus on right now? what energy, action, word will remind you of your dreams, align you with the energy of it in the present and help spur you into aligned and embodied action?
Create a one sentence mantra.
From this mantra choose one word.
Write this word and/or mantra down somewhere you can look at it every day. Underneath write down at least three action steps that will help you move towards this intention.
Prioritise this word / action / mantra for at least the next two weeks until the next new moon, knowing it is starting a six month journey.
Create it in the present tense so when you say it, focus on it, see it, you can feel it as if it is happening in the present moment.
Completing the Ritual
At the end of every ritual, I bring my altar outside, if possible, and I leave it out under the Full Moon.
I place a hand on my heart, I repeat my intention to myself three times, and then I say thank you three times. Then I say this ritual is now complete, and I blow out my candle.
That signifies the end of the ritual.
As always these are just suggestions - do this ritual in whatever capacity feels good for you. Run everything by your intuition.
I would love to hear how this goes for you, how it feels, anything that came up.I hope it helped deepen your connection to yourself, sparked some insights, and inspired you to live intuitively wild. I will see you all next time for more magic.
xx,
Rachel
