Hello, my darlings! I hope you’ve spent the last few weeks focusing on your manifestations from Imbolc’s new moon, because the sixteenth of February marks the second Full Moon of 2022. This one goes by many names for a lot of different reasons. The first name I heard for February’s full moon was the Bone moon, but in researching for this post, I learned it is also called the Snow moon, the Ice moon, and the Quickening moon.
I always liked the name of the Bone moon, because it makes sense historically. Food reserves were running low around this time of year, and people relied on bone broths and gnawing the last of the meat off of bones for sustenance before spring made her grand entrance. However, we’re a bit removed from that lifestyle these days with 24 hour grocery stores and year round abundance, so I wanted to look into other names that may resonate more with the earth and the lives we lead now. The Snow moon and Ice moon make sense, especially considering that here in the Midwest we just had one to two feet of snow fall in 2 days a couple weeks ago.
The Quickening moon intrigued me. I like the tie it gives to the cycle of the planet. In my Imbolc post, I talked about how the very first stirrings of life were beginning to move in the earth again, and Imbolc translated means “in the belly”. The Quickening moon echoes this to me. Spring is building beneath the surface. The earth is rooting and waking. She’s preparing, much like a mother who feels her child kick for the first time. She’s not here yet, but she’s coming. Now is the time to strengthen our resolve and patience before change arrives. Take time to be grateful for that which you have now while we wait for the greenery to burst forth and change the world, yet again.
The Quickening moon is going to be in fiery Leo, so if you want to harness some of that creative, warm-hearted and cheerful lion energy, I would encourage you to safely have a representation of fire on your altar. I intend to make a need fire for burning Rosemary and Chamomile since they’re associated with Leo (one of my favorite ways to work), but if that’s something you’re not comfortable with, don’t worry! You can pull out Sunstone, or Peridot, have a representation of a lion, or the sun on your altar. If those are out of your realm as well, you can simply add gold or orange colors. Remember, it’s less about tools and more about intention.
Like any other full moon rite, you can focus on what you would like to let go of as the full moon wanes. With Leo being our point of reference for the moon, it could be a good time to release the weaknesses associated with this sign such as arrogance, stubbornness, or inflexibility if you’re feeling that you struggle in those areas. I know I will be releasing an arrogant inflexibility that manifests in needing to control situations this month! So let’s talk about what that release looks like.
I’m going to add this reminder every time I post a ritual or spell working. Every witch’s practice is a little different. This is mine.
1. Cleanse your space. This is the staple beginning point for any ritual or spell. Having a clean workspace helps us make sure our energies don’t get mixed. Just like for the Wolf Moon ritual I posted last month, I like to clear the workspace of old workings or stray items, and wipe the table down with moon water. For the full moon, try wiping in a counterclockwise circle for releasing or banishing. Clockwise can help with manifesting or bringing in new energy. Then I’ll do smoke cleansing of the area with incense. If you feel like you need to clear the entire room, try using a singing bowl to raise the vibration in the room or clear any lingering energy.
2. Dress your workspace. This is my favorite part. I set out my associated items for this working stones, herbs, colors, what have you. The Quickening moon is associated with bones, (shock!) Jasper, Amethyst, and Rose quartz for stones. It’s associated herbs are Myrrh, Sage and Hyssop, and its colors are purple and blue. If you are intending to include items for Leo, its stones are Sunstone, Peridot, and Onyx. Herbs, like I said before, are Rosemary and Chamomile, and it’s colors are gold and orange. I put out candles for my deities and light them to invite them to join me in my working. Since I am going to burn herbs and my intention to release, I am also going to make sure I have salt, rubbing alcohol and my cauldron in the space. I’m also going to have bay leaves and a marker nearby to write my intended release, but this can be done on a piece of paper as well. Personally, I prefer to burn herbs. They smell nicer than paper. I’ll also be keeping my djembe drum nearby for this working.
3. Meditate and connect. This step is crucial for me. I take time to quiet my mind and connect with the earth and the moon. Meditate on that which I want to release, and let the energy flow through me. For this particular moon, I will be using the following incantation:
I drum beneath the Quickening Moon to awaken the Earth beneath me. She who stirs with potential and grants us life, food, and shelter. I awaken my own potential alongside her. I take advantage of my strengths and gratitude in this time of preparation. Mother Earth, hear my drum and awaken with me.
I will drum on my djembe until I feel ready to do my working. I tend to focus on the energy in my hands the most, though in awakening the earth, I also extend my energetic root to the earth and envision the energy she offers coming up to me for this working.
4. Charge your release vehicle. Once I feel the buzz of energy, I will grab my bay leaf and marker and write that which I want to release on it, visualizing the energy moving this need to control, this inflexibility and stubbornness, out of me and into the leaf through the writing. Sometimes after writing, you may feel that there is more energy to be moved out of you and into your leaf or paper. Take some time to sit with the item in your hand and continue moving energy into it until you feel like you’ve completely eradicated that which you want to release.
5. Burn to release. At this point we’ll set aside the leaf or paper, and bring up our cauldron, salt, and rubbing alcohol to make the need fire. Please remember to never leave your open flames unattended. Need fires burn bright and hot, but don’t burn for very long; only a few minutes. In your cauldron put one tablespoon of salt, and 1/2 to 3/4 tablespoon of rubbing alcohol. Mix this together until the rubbing alcohol has been absorbed and it’s a little gooey in consistency. Then use a long match or a long candle to light. It goes up quick, so use smart fire safety when making your own need fire. Once your need fire is lit, you can add herbs if you like, or just light your leaf or paper that you wrote on. As it burns, visualize the negativity being burned with the vehicle. When the fire goes out, it is done.
6. After drawing energy from the earth, I take a moment to move any excess energy in my body back down into the earth and then pull up my energetic root. This can help if you wind up with a high energy of mind and body after workings. I usually still have a bit of an aftershock effect, but this step can definitely help in mitigating it.
7. Closing the ritual. Once your need fire goes out, you can do any other workings you have in mind or you can close with the following incantation:
Thank you for listening and assisting in my working. I release that which blocks me from my Highest Good and retain that which keeps me aligned with my Highest Self. And so it is. And so it is. And so it is. Blessed be.
I then thank my deities for joining me, invite them to stay or go as they will, and extinguish their candles.
And look at us! We did our second full moon spell together! Thanks for joining me, my darlings. I hope removing whatever obstacle you released helps lessen the struggles in your path! If you changed anything or did something different, let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear about everyone’s nuanced differences.