The Transformative Power of Moon Rituals and Spiritual Practices

Day 50/366 days of writing pieces in 2024. The full moon is this coming Saturday, and it’s got me thinking about all the different practices I sometimes tap into.

I spent 4 years living on the Big Island of Hawaii over fifteen years ago. These 4 years changed the trajectory of my life forever for the better. For several months prior to moving to the Big Island I used to drink my coffee every morning and stare at pictures of Hawaii online. I didn’t really know at the time why I was doing this but it was revealed to me later.

I had been to Oahu several times but as I would stare at these pictures and read about what each island is known for and has to offer the Big Island kept jumping out at me. The Big Island, aka the healing island, has a legend that the island either draws you in or spits you out; meaning, she will open doors for you to be there if it is your path and if it is not your path to be there she will make everything hard for you so that you leave. She chooses who is supposed to be there. When I finally made the move, doors widely opened and my mind was greatly expanded from what I knew as a way of life.

She had chosen me.

The island drew me in. She broke me into deeper levels of knowing myself. It was there that I got into nature every single day, started meditating, began learning about metaphysical types of healing, started getting acupuncture and learning about archangels and ascended masters, moon energy, rituals, and all things considered woo by many on the mainland. I never watched television, and there was no social media or digital world to be sucked into.

I learned “aloha living” there - and this was an extremely spiritual way of living, like how I imagined it would be like to live in the garden of Eden.

When I returned to the mainland to live in Miami, I struggled to find a way to continue my “aloha living” there. There was more focus on materialism, and my spiritual practices from the big island didn’t feel acceptable or relevant as I built my new life there. It didn’t feel safe. I remember being judged by friends for speaking openly about practicing my rituals, and so I continued to do it in secret. However, over the past year, I have become more vocal about these practices, because I could not ignore the effect they have had on my life.

Before I moved to Hawaii, I used to be the person who lived with anxiety all the time. I couldn’t slow down, had PTSD from repressed childhood trauma. I packed my schedule and felt guilty about relaxing, and I still see many people around me living like this, experiencing it as “normal”, in contrast to Hawaii, where more people have a connection to their spirituality. What these practices (and others) have done for me has connected me to my spirituality and intuition, so that those other things rarely show up. It doesn't have to be this anxious cloud.

Even though I knew their significance in my life, and had been practicing for over 13 years, I didn’t feel safe teaching this topic because it is so foreign to people. However in watching those around me as well as my clients struggle with anxiety, worry, overscheduling and fried nervous systems, I brought this into my work several months ago and it has transformed the lives of my clients.

Now I bring it into my work in so many ways. I’m a certified archangel/ascended master card reader now, and rituals are getting more and more deeply practiced in my life, and the lives of my clients. This is the knowledge. This is wisdom that has helped my life transform. A good friend and colleague of mine and CEO and founder of Inner Glow Circle (an entrepreneurship company for women that focuses on life coach training) always asks us who graduated from their program what our greatest level of want is (GLOW) for ourselves and the world. As I evolve, the answer to this question is constantly morphing and changing depending on what each new energetic is that I have in my life. As I write this, my greatest level of want for the world would be to become open to what's possible when working with the moon, practicing rituals, and working with archangels and ascended masters.

What becomes possible when working with the moon, practicing rituals and working with archangels and ascended masters?

The power of the moon’s energy.

Let's start with the moon. Have you ever heard that phrase “Don’t leave money on the table?” Well, the moon isn’t directly related to money here but when you have the knowledge of moon energy and how to work with it in your life, as well as what to do in the different phases that it's in, you begin to live in a way where you won’t be leaving energy on the table. Moon energy is powerful and when used correctly it can be a real asset in one's life. Knowing what you can do and incorporating different rituals along with the different phases can really make your life easier and it can make your life more intentional. It can help you know when to rest and when to start new projects. It can help you manage your emotions better as well as understand your emotions better.

Rituals and the nervous system.

Next rituals. Your nervous system determines your level of anxiety/calmness in your life. In the book “The Secret Language of the Body” by Inna Segal, she describes the nervous system as this: “The function of the nervous system is to supply the essential communication link between our internal and external worlds. External information is received by the sensory organs of the nervous system and is then transmitted to the brain, which passes it on to the organs, tissues, and cells so that they can adjust to changes. The nervous system consists of the brain and the spinal cord (central nervous system) and the nerves (peripheral nervous system). The nervous system begins to break down when you experience internal and external conflict, stress, fear, strain, blame, negativity, and depression. Here you need to learn about relaxation, inner strength, wisdom, personal responsibility, and how to develop a sense of humor.”

A ritual is an action or ceremony that is repeated with a deliberate intention. They prepare our nervous system and body to know what comes next. To use Inna Segal’s metaphor, they are actions practiced in the external world that prime the internal world and lessen the effect of external conflict.

Rituals slow us down and bring us so very deeply into the present moment. They relax our nervous system, and connect us to the innateness of our spirit. I have found that as my rituals become more and more intimate and I infuse then all throughout my day in different ways between my work and my obligations that I have a much calmer demeanor. That calm demeanor translates into more creativity, better communication with others, better choices for myself, and better contribution in the world.

Rituals have helped me to trust myself and my intuition more deeply because they keep me from getting pulled into the world of mindless scrolling, technology induced anxiety, and polluting my brain with too much information. In this day and age we need rituals. Rituals have become a somewhat lost practice but I believe they are slowly making their way back into the lives of humanity now and through this reintroduction we can become a happier and more simple version of ourselves who can learn to better co-create together.

My rituals include my meditation practice, getting into nature and my playlists that I create (and you can find an example of one at the end of this piece) and they are a big part of what brings me calm, creativity and freedom.

Archangels and Ascended masters

Archangels and Ascended masters are like spirit companions. How many of us these days feel lonely and isolated? Learning about them, building a relationship with them, invoking them and knowing which ones are good for the different areas of your life can drastically help with feeling supported, secure, and safe. So many of us confine ourselves and isolate ourselves spending hours staring at the wall completely paralyzed and feeling empty and unfulfilled in our lives. And I speak from experience as this used to be me. We have become disconnected from our creativity, our life force, our spark and our purpose. Archangels and ascended masters can help us to feel like we don’t have to do everything alone. They are wonderful light beings who want to collaborate with us but we have to learn to ask and develop an actual relationship with them.

Learning more about these practices.

So many possibilities have opened in my life and the lives of my clients through developing these practices. These practices have transformed my relationships, my creativity, my emotional and spiritual health. I am in more alignment. I laugh more, communicate better and know how to create a sense of calm even as there is chaos around me. As part of exercising my GLOW for myself and the world, I have continued to include these practices into my life daily, as well as teaching my clients to do the same. If you are curious and want to learn more about how they can transform your life, then I have an event coming up in association with Healers for Humanity, and you can find the link here. If you feel as if you are observing life rather than participating fully - as I did staring at those photos of Hawaii before I moved there - then this is just the event to attend where you can learn about the practices that continue to transform my life.