We’ve made it to Wednesday already! And, this Wednesday is a full moon and I love full moon days. So, I’m up early, banging out this blog post before I head off to work. But, I just had to share a few thoughts with you about this May full moon. Some things that I’ve just learned that I think are kinda interesting…
In Buddhism, tonight’s full moon is believed to be the most powerful one of the year. It’s known as vesak, and it’s one of the most important festivals of the Buddhist year. According to legend, the Buddha returns once a year to bring new spiritual energy and usher in the next 12 months of growth and enlightenment (to sum it up very shortly + simply). And this full moon night is that time. It is the ending of one cycle + the beginning of another.
And, you know, beginnings and endings are usually associated with full moons. Every single month, as the full moon rises, it is the end of one monthly cycle and the beginning of another. The moon has come to fruition and the earth glows under her light. It is a powerful, mystical day that comes around every single month, and easily seen through it’s gravitational pull on the earth with the rising and lowering of the tides. Things seem extreme around the full moon.
It’s possible for us to feel the effects too, with sleep problems (I myself always wake in the middle of the night + find it hard to fall asleep again when there is a full moon), emotions run high, animals act a bit differently. All that to say, nature + the cosmos above literally have an affect on us because we are bound to them. So, then, why not rise and change and move and flow like the tides? Why not let the magic and mystical energy swirling about us (and within us) swirl freely? Why not align ourselves and move with nature + the cosmos?
Buddhists do just that, especially, on this special full moon of the year. Many gather by the sea, on the edge of the ocean, and lay on the beach. Today is a public holiday for many Buddhists, a day to focus on spiritual development, practice meditation, and simply observe + learn from the water. I think I need a spiritual development day by the beach. Doesn’t that sound fabulous?
In any case, Buddhist or not, today is a perfect day to take a little bit of time out from our busy, daily schedules (and it doesn’t have to be much) and devote a tiny bit of time to considering how we are connected to everything and everyone else. To align our souls with the flow of the universe, as the tides allow the moon to push and pull, causing an ebb and flow, in tune with nature. To allow our lives to sync with the ebb and flow of the universe. To ponder the truth of our lives, paying attention to what is going on in our own lives, what has been and what we hope to manifest. You know, the word “buddha” means “one who is awake”. Why not let the light of the full moon tonight awaken us?
As tonight’s full moon is celebrated with festival in Buddhist traditions as an annual ending + beginning, so can we, too, celebrate by becoming awakened to our own lives. Full moons, in general, are considered a great moment of beginnings and endings. Being awakened and being aware of this allows us to cleanse and clear out the old, in preparation to plant new seeds of intention to grow and sow throughout the next year. Tonight is the perfect time to release + clear out the old energy, and create clean space to begin anew.
On a full moon, and the two days before + after, the brightness and fullness of the moon makes everything feel more extreme, more magnified. And so, in Buddhist tradition, as tonight Wesak Moon is the most powerful of the year, this is the perfect time consider their legend, to use it as inspiration for our own growth + development, and to tap into that power. With our intuition, we can tune into the vibe of the universe, the energy of the full moon, and pause for a moment to release what no longer serves us. To close a chapter of our lives. And then, declare an intention for how we want to move forward, honoring our at oneness with the moon + the universe. So it is above, so it is within.
What is that you want to release? What are you ready to let go of? And, what do you intend for the next year? What do you want to manifest in your life? Let your soul + your intuition guide you to your answers.
Should you wish to take part in a little ritual, I’ve got a little suggestion below. Feel free to adapt and use it as you wish, whatever feels good to you. Rituals are meant to be meaningful +symbolic moments of consciously choosing to be mindful and aware. So, make it your own. Use a ritual to mark a moment, especially one of rememberable or a moment of ending + beginnings.
Full moon blessings, wild ones! xoxo. liz.
