The patterns and pulls of a Full Moon have been traced throughout history. In more recent years, you might see Full Moon wisdom shared by a huge range of sources, from midwives and doulas to functional medicine doctors and scientists.

Some people might accept that the Full Moon affects our bodies, our habits, and our lives without a second thought, while others might wonder why.

A Full Moon occurs when the sun and moon are directly opposite each other with the earth in between. Because the Moon reflects light from the Sun, the full sphere of the moon is lit up at this position. During a New Moon, which I talk about here, the moon lies between the earth and the sun, and therefore no part of the moon is illuminated.

Similar to the New Moon phase, there is a two-week period as the moon waxes to full in which leads to a three-day period in which the moon is at its most full, and the effects of the Full Moon are felt.

On a symbolic and spiritual level, as the light from the moon increases, we shed more light on our lives, to take inventory and become more aware of the way our spirit interacts with our emotional and physical bodies.

If the New Moon invites us to examine ourselves internally, the Full Moon encourages us to examine how we express ourselves externally.

The phases of the moon act like a question and answer: the New Moon is an invitation to ask questions that are then answered in the clarifying light of the Full Moon.

Things that you might not be ready to see and receive during the New Moon are brought into full relief during the Full Moon.

What you wonder about in the darkness, you know fully in the light.

Just as the moon is fully on display and we all stop to stare at it floating in the night sky, we are invited to show our full selves so we can wonder and observe.

Committing to stick with that energy for the full three days that mark the height of the moon’s light is so important. Instead of just taking an epiphany and running with it, it’s a disciplined act to sit with your realizations and wait for their fullness to filter into your conscious mind.

Your realizations might have to do with your emotional body.

What choices and behaviors are being illuminated?

What patterns are you trying to hide from others, from yourself, that need to be brought to the light?

How can you become more aware of self-destructive tendencies?

This work is not easy or fun, and it might not always inspire immediate action. Sometimes your first response might be to cry, to mourn, to share your new understanding with a friend. Whatever you do in response, know that you’re being shown a new aspect of yourself, and that knowledge is a gift. The moon doesn’t fear the shift that comes when she wanes from full to new moon. Trust that emptying is part of the process, and the rest of your life will follow this process of fulling out and emptying again.

Just like a New Moon, Full Moons also have their own style and flavor. Full Moons also have zodiac symbols as well as traditional names associated with them.

A simple Google search will tell you if the Full Moon you’re in is a Scorpio moon or a Taurus, a Worm moon or a Wolf Moon. Whatever the zodiac sign of that Full Moon is, that will determine the focus of not just your Full Moon practice and reflection, but also the New Moon.

You can even track the lunar cycle and keep that in mind through each moon cycle so you can more specifically focus your introspection.

And as the things you need to release become clear to you, a Full Moon ritual is essential to help your body and spirit move into a new space, supported by your new-found clarity.

I share my exact Full Moon ritual with you here. I give you full access to my Full Moon journal prompts, the meditation I listen to, and links to all the products I use to examine my outward facing self during the Full Moon.