Last night was the full moon and I spent the entire day in ceremony. This full moon was a particularly auspicious one because it is the Full Moon of Initiation and the Lunar Celebration of the Beginning of Winter. Traditionally�� all of the harvest had been stored for the winter and all debts for the year were paid. Traditionally ceremonies were held to release our shadow selves to the eternal flame that burns through the winter and let it burn in transformation for the spring. We release those parts of ourselves that no longer serve us so we can preserve energy for that which we want to flourish in the new year.
In our particular ceremony, we created bundles out of specific herbs that represented these parts of ourselves that we need to release and transform. We burned these bundles in a communal fire along with willow and apple branches and the ceremonial herb Mugwort. We bathed ourselves in the healing smoke from these powerful herbs as protection to carry with us through the dark night until the first light ceremony of Candlemas in February. It was a powerful ceremony of which I am just and still feeling the effects. This ceremony was the outer manifestation of the inner work to be done this Winter and I am grateful to have the symbol to meditate with and stay focused on through the holiday season.
What parts of yourselves would you like to transform this winter?