Anyway, so at 4qf, they hold full and new moon services for each esbat, which are fun, and totally member-run, and usually include dinner which is nice. However, it's a three hour drive over there, and making a three hour drive twice a month isn't much of an option.
I've never been big on rituals, though, at least not in the normal sense. The whole calling quarters, drawing a circle with the athame, and saying flouncy poetic words to incite some sort of magickal working for that month following, etc was never really my thing. I really take joy in simpler rituals. For example, there's something very meditative in pouring an offering of milk on the roots of your Heart Tree (yes I stole that term from a Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones, but I really love the term, and I use it as referring to a tree you have a particular affinity with).
And sometimes you can customize these simple rituals (I like that, maybe that'll be my 'S' post - a list of simple rituals... Simptuals!!!!) to correspond with which moon it is. Full moons in a whole bunch of cultures have a specific name, depending on which month the moon falls in. And there's not just one system of naming moons, as you will see here: http://home.hiwaay.net/~krcool/Astro/moon/moonnames.htm. For me, it's fun looking at all the possibilities that any particular moon can be named, and picking one or two or even making up your own names! So, according to that list, the Full Moon last night could have been the Fish Moon, Sleepy Moon, Windy Moon (definitely, if you were in Southeast PA last night, haha), Big Famine Moon, Moon When Eyes are Sore from the Bright Snow, Moon of Winds, Chaste Moon, or Death Moon.
You know what's funny though? There really aren't any names for new moons. Maybe that's a fun project, make up your own names for the new moons!
So here are some ideas for Simptuals for Esbats!
-- Lay out on the hood of your car, or in a field, and just moon-gaze. La romantique ;)
-- Feed your grass Moon Energy! Take an ice cube or two, let it melt in a patch of grass where the moon is visible, and the ice will feed moon energies through it. You know, if your lawn sucks or anything. ;)
-- Celebrate the fullness of the moon with a glass of honeyed milk or mead.
-- Make Full Moon balls! Decorate a styrofoam sphere with glow in the dark paint, glitter, etc and make it pretty and moon-like! Awesome if you have kids.
-- Bake cookies shaped like the moon.
...ok I'm out of cute ideas at the moment. I have a cold. It makes me uggghhhhhh so I can't think straight. I'm sure you'll think of something cute and creative. :)
<3 Sapphire Orchid<3
Make full moon balls - great idea!
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