Honoring the full moon is a wonderful way to begin a practice with your family at a time when there is not always much to look forward to. Since we are schooling virtually with our daughter’s local elementary, many of the events they had are not happening so we have developed our own rituals and cycles that are things in our calendar to create special times outside of the everyday.
The full moon happens on average once a month. Sometimes it can happen twice a month (we have 13 full moons in one calendar year) which means that this is a great place to start providing activities and a regular event that allows children and families to pause and take time to celebrate something together. We don't have to be any particular religion to do this or believe in anything. At the very minimum we can use this time to express gratitude and to notice the world around us and that in itself is special. If you want to honor the full moon and you have younger children as I do, this is an opportunity for them to learn about calendars, months and days of the week. Full Moon Activities. Whatever you choose to do, be sure and do what you can to create a special magical atmosphere with incense, candle light etc. Spell Work and Ritual Make Moon Water Moon water is water (preferably rain water) that has been charged in the light of the moon. Have your children fill a jar with water and set it somewhere outside or on a window sill to absorb the power of the moon. The water can be used to make potions or as an offering. Altars Build an altar to the full moon, focusing on the colors silver, grey, and white. Add a white piece of fabric, offerings of round food and any other associations. It is best to have your children collaborate fully so they are thinking and working with you on spiritual meaning for themselves. Simple Prayers Say a prayer to the moon, do it together by candle light. Journaling If you have older children, have them journal about the full moon how it makes him feel what they love about it how is it different to other times of the month. I think this is an important mindfulness and spiritual practice that makes them aware of how their body is affected by seasons and nature cycles. Story Telling Encourage your children to research mythology and folk stories from different cultures about the full moon in advance. Then on the night of the full moon, have them tell the family the stories and tales they learned. Art Projects Art projects can be anything from stenciling circles all over a piece of paper to painting rocks white and putting them somewhere where the moon shine on them. You can do some cool printing with potatoes that are round. Try using a wax crayon that is white or pale and put it on a white piece of paper and draw a big circle on it. Then put watercolor paint across it in a contrasting color and you will see the resist affect of the wax. For older children how about vision boards? This is similar to the setting of intentions. They can come up with some ideas of what they want to have happen in their lives. You don't have to call it magic but it can be incredibly therapeutic. Camping If weather is still mild you might try camping out. If you have a fenced in yard this is straightforward. Or, if you don’t have a yard, perhaps you have a friend who does? We have done this and it’s really fun and felt like a great party. If camping outside isn’t possible then how about “camping” in your family room? Over the last few months, we have camped in various places in our house when we don’t want to go through the whole putting up a tent thing. Our daughter thinks it’s a great adventure. Staying Up Late If space is really limited then simply staying up late could be fun. We like to light candles as it gets darker. This post first appeared on my site opencove.com Comments are closed.
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AuthorLiz Watkin writes for The Wild Hunt. All opinions expressed here are her own and do not reflect those of any associated organizations. ArchivesCategories |