Join us at moonrise!

a Cancer Full Moon:  July 16, 2000 (Lunar Eclipse) 13:56 GMT 7:56 MDT 9:56 EDT 6:56 PDT 8:56 CDT 11:56 GST (July 17) Full Moon Ritual: Moonrise (just after sunset) To find the exact time for moonrise in your location, check:  http://aa.usno.navy.mil/AA/data/

Rituals lift us from mundane concerns and connect us to the greater flow of things.  Our MoonCircles CyberRitual is a monthly experiment in collective attunement - to each other and the moon.  Across time zones, we collect our creative energies into a healing meditation, as a gift to ourselves and the world.  At the New Moon we synchronize in real time "on the astral plane." At the Full Moon, one by one, we greet Luna at moonrise from our respective spots on earth.  If you can't meet with us at these ritual times, feel free to harmonize at an hour of your own convenience, so that our astral voices may continue throughout the moon's waxing and waning cycles, as in a round.

On this night the full moon is in the earth sign of Capricorn, opposite the sun in the water sign Cancer.  Their gift to us at this particular lunation lies in the interplay of the elements: earth mixed with water makes clay.  As told in ancient creation myths, the stirring together of elements resulted in the earth and all its creatures.  In the same way, by mixing
these two elements together in a sacred way, we can work magic to invoke the spirit of creativity and art into our lives.  Just as, down through the centuries, the skilled potters, builders, and sculptors worked with the soft dough of clay to produce beautiful bowls and urns, adobe homes, and great works of sculpture.

PREPARATION

Before the exact hour of the CyberRitual, prepare a small container of water, a small container of earth, and an empty bowl.  Bring them to a quiet place where you can protect yourself from distractions or interruptions.  Ideal would be a spot outdoors in nature, a secluded garden beneath a tree, a tranquil patio, somewhere that allows you a good view of the eastern horizon, where the moon will rise just after sundown.  You may wish to light candles and incense, or recite a prayer or sacred phrase from your particular tradition to calm your spirit.  Watching the breath - inhaling in, exhaling out - further deepens the energy.

RAISING THE ENERGY

The full moon is a time of heightened sensitivity for all above-ground beings.  Gradually open yourself to the vibrations around you.  Pay particular attention to the natural environment: even if you are inside, you can still call to mind the trees, streams, breezes, plants and flowers of the elemental kingdom.  Breathing calmly, with awareness, watch for (or imagine) the moon's rise.  As she lifts above the horizon, experience the sky lit with moon beams, pouring down like blessings on earth where you sit.  Sense the moonlight entering you with each in-breath.  With each out-breath, feel her silvery blue light coursing through your body.   As you bask in the moon's presence, feel your body bathed, inside and outside, with the soft rays of healing moonlight.  Experience everything around you lit up in a lovely incandescence.

THE HEART OF THE RITUAL

Now think of the work you have been given to accomplish in life:  whether it is your work as a parent, a businessperson, a writer, a therapist, or a musician.  Next, place some of the dirt in the moonlit palm of your left hand, while honoring the earth element of Capricorn.  Think of hills, fields, and meadows; and their evolution through human culture as roads, abodes, and towns.  Now sprinkle a few drops of water into your right hand, honoring the water element in Cancer.  Think of the oceans, rivers, and streams; and their manifestation in human culture as the flow of emotion, the blessings of nurture and compassion.  Mix the two together and hold your hands up to the moonlight.  Ask that the creative spirit of this sun/moon cycle be breathed into your craft, bringing form and substance out of your
efforts.

CLOSING THE RITUAL

Cupping your two palms together in a gesture of prayer, bow in thanks to the moon.  Bow again in expression of gratitude for your own participation.  Finally, bow in blessing to your loved ones, and to the world around you.  Pour the remaining dirt in the bowl.  Holding your hands over the bowl, rinse your hands with the remaining water, also pouring it into the bowl.
Bring this bowl to your altar or to a special place in your home or office, where its presence will have a calming effect, and remind you of the creative spirit at work within you.  Sometime before the next new moon, when it feels right to do so, return your sacred clay to the earth.