Save the earth: open the inner eye, pour the healing balm

Scott Pruitt, the head of the EPA—the agency whose mission it is to protect the environment—doesn’t believe in the basic facts of climate change, despite overwhelming scientific evidence. Such cognitive dissonance hurts. Thank goodness Donald Trump has awakened the sleeping beast of progressive activists.  In such times we must remain awake and active. But this requires vigilance and patience, which is tiring!  It’s easy to succumb to depression or to feel hopeless and alone.  New and Full Moons can be our spiritual filling stations. Especially at this Full Moon, which brings two powerfully healing signs together—watery Pisces and earthy Virgo. It’s an auspicious time to ask for help!  The following ritual can guide you in.

This is ritual of sympathetic magic, a technique developed by the earliest astrologers from Mesopotamia. With this type of magic, simple gestures can resonate powerfully, in both the inner and outer worlds. To perform it you’ll need a cup of water and a small dish of soil. Choose containers that are beautiful and can remain on your home altar for the next two weeks, until the Dark Moon, when it’s appropriate to release the ritual water and earth back to nature.

Preparation:

“Well begun, is half done,” the saying goes. A little time spent in preparation will deepen your experience. Read the whole ritual through at least once to get your bearings. You might even practice the gesture of sprinkling water and sensing which hand you want to use for water and which for dirt. Choose a location with a good view of  the Eastern horizon, where the Moon will rise just after sundown. (Visit timeanddate.com to find out when sunset occurs in your location.)  Once you arrive, you may wish to improvise and create a small Moon altar. Arrange the cup of water and dish of soil (letting intuition or your rehearsal select which should goes left and which goes right). You may want to burn sage or a stick of incense or light a candle to invoke the protective presence of the illuminated souls. You might initiate your ritual by reciting a prayer or sacred phrase. “Thank you, thank you, thank you” is a nice one.  So is “om.” Then calm the choppy waters of your restless mind by attuning to the natural rise and fall of your breath. Soon, notice how your inner focus begins to steady, becoming as reflective as the glass surface of a peaceful lake.

Raising the Energy:

With gentle reverence, you’re waiting for the Moon to make her first appearance. Perhaps your heart leaps at this moment. Or not. Keep watching as she slowly rises. Experience how nature is responding to the magic of this vision:  the wash of light, a soft luminescence that pervades the air; the joyous expectancy of the animals, trees, and insects as they rise up to greet their goddess.  Listen to the song of the wind in the branches of the trees, as well  as the bird calls and the chirping crickets. As your soul expands into the spaciousness of this moment, even the sounds of civilization, cars driving or voices calling out, become woven into nature’s Full Moon symphony. Imagine that the defenses which normally separate you from nature–from the Great Goddess–are dissolving in the moonbeams. Now you, too, are a part of all creation, basking in moonlight.  You may feel something like being immersed in a field of bliss or love.

Heart of the Ritual: 

Keep this feeling as you close your eyes. Gently draw your attention to the area of your third eye (center forehead a little above and behind the physical eyes). Notice the effects of the Full Moon here. Bask in this gentle inner moonlight, as though you’re receiving a nice internal cleansing. Especially if you’re a spiritual or intuitive person, the third eye can get overworked. Soothe this space. Let the Moon work her magic. Once the third eye feels rested and clear, allow this healing luminescence to gently expand, so that it fills your entire personal space–this is the energetic egg that surrounds your body, arms-length above, below, and around you. You should feel surrounded, supported, and immersed in a safe, compassionate, and gently luminous field.

Notice if a vulnerability, question, need, or desire emerges. In moonplay, it’s important to first think of yourself, before thinking of the world, or even of the earth, just as mothers are instructed to put on their oxygen masks first. This is the moment to ask the Moon for help in your own life. Be sincere. Ask it truthfully. Then let it go. Wait—without expectation—to receive—an invisible hug, a compassionate tear, an intuition, a vision, a memory, or a gathering warmth in the heart. At the peak of your receiving–whether it’s a wordless knowing or filled with sensation and sound–open your eyes and imagine that this amazing egg of energy all around you is slowly condensing into a holy, healing balm.

Now raise your beautiful container of water with the hand that’s closest to it. Offer this to the Moon and imagine her healing balm settling into the water in your cup, charging it with healing powers. You may actually sense this transformation occurring. Next raise the dish of soil with your other hand. See this as a symbol for the earth herself. Become aware of the earth’s needs, vulnerabilities, questions, desires. Perhaps you sense her despair over developers’ greed, the disappearing species, the vanishing flora. Perhaps you sense her exhausted in some terrains, gasping for air. Maybe you also sense her strength. You may notice a certain steadiness. Can you feel Gaia’s great capacity to abide and endure? If so, affirm it.

Place both the cup and dish in the space in front of you. Dip your hand into the container of the Moon’s holy water and sprinkle drops of it upon the dish of soil, imagining as you do that Pisces’ healing compassion is watering the wounds of Virgo’s earth. Think next of someone you know—or of groups of people–who may currently be frightened, ill, ignorant, or suffering. Through the agency of your cup and dish, sprinkle water on them. Continue this practice for as long as you wish, offering compassion to as many beings as you have time and room for in your spirit.

Closing:

When you feel complete, bring your hands together in prayer. Ask that your Full Moon healings continue to work in the world long after your ritual has concluded. Extend your circle of blessings to yourself, your close friends and loved ones, and the rest of the world.  Bow to the Moon.  Take your cup of water and dish of soil and place them on your home altar until the Dark Moon, which will be the time for releasing both back to nature.

Would you love support in your own Moon practice during 2017? Join my monthly Moon Workshop here.