It might look like we are in the business of skincare, but it’s just a front for the reclamation of ritual.Like the skin itself, what is on the surface is just an aspect to a whole universe underneath. The skin is the frontier of where we come into contact with the world, it is a complex sensory organ, the external aspect of our nervous system. So while the skin is a place where we receive, it is also an organ of release. 

Remember the newsletter from a few times back making a distinction between ‘clean’ and ‘cleanse’ (and the cringe at being called a ‘clean’ brand)? 

Well, here is the magical manifest of what we mean….

Healing with the Moon and the Sun

As you go through your life, and your day- there are lots of things that can start to pile up. Difficult experiences, injuries, unresolved arguments, a grudge that won’t budge, grief, micro-aggressions, air pollution, sound pollution, light pollution, negative thought loops, negative self-talk, and on and on…we often don’t have time to recover before the next thing hits. These experiences are held in the mind, heart and body. 

There is a reason cleansing and protection are two of the main themes in magical folk practices. By aligning with greater forces (i.e. relational/community, botanical wisdom, cosmic) we expand and can dilute these ‘build up’ experiences to either let them go or lessen their negative impact on us.

The circadian and circalunar cycles of our bodies naturally sync with the sun and moon. Our mood, interstitial/cerebral/ lymphatic fluid systems, skin regeneration, menstrual cycle, sleep cycle, immune system, and fertility are all connected to the cosmic tugs from the sun and the moon. These cycles, matched with intention, are potent.

Cleansing with the Full Moon: A Practice, with Balkan Roots

When the full moon opens, let’s do as the babas did. 

The energetic aperture is wide. This is a time to release, to kick out and also to feel something fully. When the build up needs a slough, it is time to bathe under a full moon.

• Draw a bath or have a bowl with water. When you’re running the bath or filling your bowl, infuse the water with thoughts of flow, expansiveness, benevolence and support.
• On a piece of paper, write what you want to cleanse. Tear the paper in half, burn it and add a bit of the charred paper to the water. The charred paper absorbs, like charcoal does poison.
• Add cleansing herbs you are working with, or that are in your garden like garden sage, rosemary, basil, yarrow, etc. These plants both cleanse and protect, and negotiate with pathogenic energetic organisms on your behalf. You are building relationships with the plants when you work with them in this way.
• Get into the water, if you’ve got a bowl of water, submerge your hands and wipe the top of your head and face. Say out loud or clearly, but silently to yourself what you want to cleanse. Imagine the force of the moon, opening, allowing, releasing, aligning with the skin’s detoxification. Let what you want to release flow out of the skin.
• Now wipe the water off your body, and towards the water. Before you drain the tub, take out a bowl full of the water. Take your bowl of water and put it outside where no one else will come in contact with it. Apply a thick lotion or oil to your skin to soothe and buffer yourself. Let the bath water sit out all day the following day, so it will be cleared by the sun. Then in the evening, dump the water outside.