How To Have A New Moon Ritual With Yourself

I pause to offer guidance in the realm of lunar magick here because of how saturated and shallow it has become in what is available to study on. My hope in you reading this article is not a scientific or historical account of how or when we sat with the moon, but rather an invitation to discover the power of ceremony within your own practice. 

In this article, I will detail what has worked for me over the years very practically as a woman attempting to deepen my practice.

There is nothing new or trendy about a ceremony with the moon. Trend or not, I have found myself intuitively clearing a lot of space around the new moon and weaving magical for the upcoming lunar cycle. You know EXACTLY how to be with your body (and the moon!), and you know how you like to show up within the delicious space you create. And if you aren’t feeling that confident yet I hope you will be by the end of this article.

What is a New Moon Ceremony?

I have changed my life many times over in the silence of smoke and candlelight with me and me. What I want you to come away with is a newfound curiosity with CREATING SPACE.

This phrase “creating space” is an art form I have been practicing for nearly seven years in my Priestess arts - both privately and with other women. This is not to say anything in this article is gender-specific at all. These arts are waking up with people all over the world, and dare I say within you as you curiously scan this article looking for someone to confirm what you already know to be true. There are specific windows of time where you can adjust the timeline of your life with a ceremony.

We are all craving more of a sense of control with our reality. Especially this year and the years to come will most likely not become a quick picnic for the collective - so we must care for the tools we have and act on what we know. Two of the tools I’d like to define here for you are Ritual and Ceremony.

Ritual is experienced regularly. Example: I have a ritual of preparing a warm morning drink. I have a ritual of sitting and looking at myself in the mirror and reflecting before bed. Rituals are sacred, and I’m always examining my rituals or the lack of them.

Creating and continuing rituals is a powerful way to build trust with yourself. Keeping the rhythm of ritual brings stability and helps soften the responsibility of showing up to day-to-day life. I don’t have a ritual with the new moon or full moon - I have a CEREMONY. I will know in my bones when it is time to show up and create a ceremonial space for myself, and I find great power in aligning that with the new moon.

Ceremony is a marking in time, but so much more - you go into ceremony as one version of yourself, and you leave the ceremony as a different version of yourself. There is an intention or prayer for further clarity or healing to take place. If you find yourself naturally drawn to the Priestess archetype, it’s easy to get really REALLY excited about ceremony. For me, there is nothing more intimate than to create ceremonial space for myself and fully immerse myself in it.

As soon as you mark that day and time in your calendar, the ceremony starts to develop and unfold. There are candles to buy, flowers, or branches to gather and arrange, a music playlist to perfect, the sacred essential oils to anoint yourself with are all lined up intentionally. 

The beauty unfolding in the ceremony is a language within itself. In this “Beauty Way,” I feel I can speak directly to God in a symphony of intentions in the way the space is set up by you. 

Creating space is the act of getting very real and honest with the space you are resting in. It is helpful to have an altar practice because it gives us an excuse to really interact with our physical reality in a sacred way. It is useful to really think about the last time you cleaned under the furniture or mopped the floors and cleared away any stagnant energy lingering that is not in your highest and best good any longer. This sort of intention and focus on detail will create the ideal space for you to step into communion with yourself.

Imagine if you would have just paid thousands of dollars to come to a one evening only event. All of your highest guides would be there to talk to you. The air would be electric with possibility. You would probably put more energy into what you are wearing, how you ate before the event, how you would give yourself time the next day to transition back into reality. Now take that concept and apply it to your space - how would you modify things to create an experience such as that for yourself? The physical act of preparing for the ceremony will be rewarded in the ceremony itself - more on that below.

I want a sensually harmonic experience that is songs within songs dedicated to the totality of my spirit - this is never the same experience twice, which is a massive part of the thrill of practicing ceremony. You have a chance to dance with yourself to amplify your intimacy and sensually remember who you are and who you are not. Suppose you can become willing enough to be truly intimate with yourself in the ceremony, in that case, you are on your way to having much more satisfying relationships in all aspects of your life.

If you are totally new to leading ceremony, you can begin by feeling into what it means to, again, CREATE SPACE for yourself and reflecting on what I have shared here. Take a few minutes to write about it and see what you’re being led to explore or heal in creating space for yourself.

Why is ceremony important?

By creating a safe space for you to process and digest all that is unfolding around you, you honor your journey.

By honoring your journey, you know that you’ve got you, and that is *everything* right now. 

It is safe to become clear on exactly what is yours to do and what is not yours to do. Source is working through you to become unwavering in your understanding of both.

This takes incredible trust and belief in ourselves to step on the path of absolute freedom. Once you touch into the amount of freedom you actually have, it can be absolutely terrifying. At least that is my experience!

Becoming aligned with the totality of you. Kind of a big deal. Lots of love required. Like, a LOT. Love, respect, acceptance of you. Again and again, all day long. How do we do this?

One way is ceremony. Intentionally set up an evening with a prayer to deepen into your power, your magick, your purpose, your willingness, your love, your divine inheritance, your purity, whatever is on your heart to be cleared and restored to truth.

I believe in you to create the space for this and more to come to you and through you. ACTING in this way it invites us to act in this ceremonial way continuously through our day to day lives. It asks us to respect ourselves this much in the face of so much disrespect for what it means to be a human being.

Cleaning space happens today if your ceremony is tomorrow. I have found taking the daytime (before an evening ceremony) to clean up and get all the things in order is crucial for my energetic field to fully receive a beautiful experience. I’ve found that the more time and energy I put into preparing for these events, the more elevated of experience will unfold. Make an outline in your mind TODAY if you are planning a ceremony tomorrow.

How to begin your New Moon Ceremony:

I take the first 20-30 minutes of this ceremonial time to do self-care with my physical body to transition into fully relaxing into an evening with myself, like a long shower or manicure. My space is clean, my body feels totally nourished, and I feel safe to tune in to the inner realms with the assistance of a new lunar cycle.

For my intention, I prepare a conversation within the privacy of my writing by outlining questions and writing prompts. When I have compelling visions or moments of clarity, I speak those OUT LOUD. Sometimes it feels best to burn something or wash something away with water as you are in communion with yourself. Intuition will lead. 

Here are some ideas for your cozy ceremony space… Start with:

“I am Listening. I am Receiving. I am Willing.” And then…

+If you are feeling stuck creatively -> How can I value my creative vessel in deeper ways?

+If you are not feeling prosperous -> How can I become clearer about the level of wealth I am ready to transfer to my life? What steps am I willing to take to up-level my prosperity consciousness?

+If you are feeling unworthy -> How can I become even more honest about the totality of who I am and what I am capable of in this time of quickening?

+ If you are feeling ungrateful -> I am sitting in a position of privilege, authority, gratitude, and willingness to do what is needed for myself and loved ones, tell me how I can show up to all of this in the next lunar cycle? 

+ What are five steps I can take to move my life in the direction of my highest self?

Writing reflections and conversations you are having with aspects of yourself is invaluable, so don’t forget to get the pen moving. Really coach and encourage yourself to keep that pen moving.

In closing, the ceremony offers gratitude to ALL that assisted in the presence and creation of your sacred space. When you think you are complete with that list, spend a few more minutes reflecting on the team of support around you now. 

You have all of my love and support as you create containers of safety to explore your divinity. I love you so much. -Katherine

Katherine Burke is a healer and mother studying the Priestess Arts for practically unraveling trauma, depression, and anxiety. 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katherineburke.co/