FULL MOON ESBAT
For most Wiccans the Full Moon Esbat is the most important of the monthly ceremonies, and in many Temples, it is the only one observed. This is when we honor the power of the Mother Goddess, symbolized by the Moon, and acknowledge our connection to Her. It is also a prime time for magical workings.
It is no wonder that the Full Moon has always been the subject of worship. In ancient times –and still today if you are far from city lights- the Full Moon lit up the nocturnal landscape almost as brightly as the Sun lights the day. The connection between the Lunar cycle and women’s menstrual cycles, the ebb and flow of the tides, and the behaviors of animals, gave rise to the concept of correspondences, through which we humans learned to interpret all things, and also to the concept of sympathetic magic which has been with us since the dawn of time.
Today –for those of us who live in cities at least- the magic and mystery of the Full Moon is greatly diminished by the eternal presence of electric light, which drowns out the gentler influence of Moonlight. We may be struck by the beauty of the Full Moon, but the full effect of Its grandeur can only be observed in the country.
There is an ancient custom which many people still observe, of kissing the back of their hand when they first see the Moon at night –especially the Full Moon. This act acknowledges the Moon is a symbol of the Goddess, but that the Goddess truly dwells within.
At the New Moon people seek to align themselves with the growing energies of the Waxing Moon, so that they and their goals will grow in the same way. So too at the Full Moon people seek to align themselves with the Lunar energies, which are here at their height, and use these energies as a kind of battery to further their magical workings.
We’ve all heard the stories of how hospitals and police stations are busiest at the Full Moon –that many people become unusually agitated at the Full Moon, and people who are emotionally disturbed tend to become more so at this time. That dreams are more vivid and more easily remembered during the Full Moon, and nightmares (in which the Self confronts its major issues) are more common at this time. This is because the Lunar cycle effects our psychic energies, and when the Moon is Full, we have more energy than at other times –too much energy for some people. For some people this extra energy just leaves them ungrounded and excitable, but for the magic worker it makes the raising and directing of energy that much easier, since the energy is already heightened to begin with.
It is also worth bearing in mind that the Astrological sign the Full Moon is in will tend to color the energy –for example a Full Moon in Scorpio will tend to emphasize emotional issues and also issues of dominance. This is easy to keep track of however: just as the Dark Moon/New Moon occurs when the Moon is in conjunction with the Sun, so too the Full Moon occurs when the Moon is in opposition to the Sun. That is to say, when the Sun and Moon are directly opposite each other. Symbolically this represents the independence and power of the Goddess at its height during the Full Moon. The cycle also corresponds to the creation story, beginning with the Goddess and God (Moon and Sun) united as One, then continuing through Their separation and ending when They return to union again.
Because the Full Moon is the opposition of Moon and Sun, the Full Moon will always be in the Astrological sign exactly opposite from the one the Sun is in, so it is easy to calculate. Thus:
If the Sun is in Aries, the Full Moon will be in Libra
If the Sun is in Taurus, the Full Moon will be in Scorpio
If the Sun is in Gemini, the Full Moon will be in Sagittarius
If the Sun is in Cancer, the Full Moon will be in Capricorn
If the Sun is in Leo, the Full Moon will be in Aquarius
If the Sun is in Virgo, the Full Moon will be in Pisces
If the Sun is in Libra, the Full Moon will be in Aries
If the Sun is in Scorpio, the Full Moon will be in Taurus
If the Sun is in Sagittarius, the Full Moon will be in Gemini
If the Sun is in Capricorn, the Full Moon will be in Cancer
If the Sun is in Aquarius, the Full Moon will be in Leo
If the Sun is in Pisces, the Full Moon will be in Virgo
(Similarly, the New Moon will always be in the same Astrological sign as the Sun, though this may no longer be true by the time you hold your New Moon ritual)
Here then is a basic Esbat ceremony to celebrate the Full Moon, together with several examples of possible variations upon the main body of the ritual. Remember, this is only a template: a sample upon which to build your own rituals. Adapt it to your needs and never be afraid to innovate and expand upon what you have learned –this is how we grow, and life is growth.
As in the New Moon Esbat, we begin with a formal Correllian Circle casting: