A Light in Dark Places: Crystal Healing + Cleansing Ritual for the Capricorn Lunar Eclipse
When I’m hurting, I often turn to the moon for solace. I stand under her brilliance at night and ask for nurturing, peace, healing, understanding.
The moon is many things: a guiding light in the night sky, a sorceress, a mystic, a keeper of wisdom.
She’s powerful, she moves the tides, and flowers bloom in the sway and cycle of her phases.
Studying the moon, following her phases and their effect on our lives, as well as rituals and devotions, has grown in popularity these past few years.
Is it the seeking of something more in our everyday lives? Or is the return to a primal, healing source that resonates very deeply to our DNA?
It’s very easy to imagine the first humans gazing upon the moon in wonder. She captures the imagination and ignites the intuition, the magic of our souls.
An eclipses, likely terrifying to them — an omen or portent of dark things or times to come…
I know these past few weeks have been hard for a lot of you.
There’s been a lot of loss, grief, shocking turn of events, stress, and emotional upheaval.
The spiritual lessons and/or soul-level healing from these events reveal themselves in time (to those who seek them out), but it doesn’t make them hurt any less in the moment.
I’m open to receiving my own lessons and healing, but having said that, I’m also going to be straight up with you: While there’s all kinds of spiritual wisdom and writings being shared out there (as well as your regular steaming heap of mumbo-jumbo) about the meanings of these eclipses and retrogrades, I could give a toss about them right now.
Right now, I just want love. And peace. And clarity. For myself and everybody else. And a touch of gentleness would be nice, too.
Gentleness. Take a moment to breathe that frequency in, if it resonates for you.
Please don’t get me wrong, there’s great and wonderful things happening during this phase, too! And we’ll get to those, in time. The lunar eclipse has its own purpose in our evolutionary process, and it’s been my experience that its effect will unfold in our lives whether we’re aware of it, or not, whether we welcome it, or not.
But for now, I’m putting some love out there for those of you who feel you need it.
This full moon’s crystal ritual came to me in a flash, and it reminded me of a fave moment from “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings”, where Galadriel gifts a vial of starlight-enchanted water to Frodo and says: “May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out.”*
Even if you’ve been having a light and easy time of it (and bless you if you have!), I encourage you to do this ritual so that you have enchanted energy to keep for future use, when in need.
The Crystal Healing + Cleansing Ritual
You will need: A piece of clear quartz (please make sure you’ve cleared its energy first), a bowl of spring water (you’ll need at least 1 liter of water), a tablespoon of natural sea salt, a piece of black cloth or silk (a pouch is fine, too, just make sure it’s opaque material)
Timing: any time on the night of the full moon after the eclipse (exact on Tuesday July 16th at 5:38pm ET). IMPORTANT: you must retrieve your bowl before sunrise (yeah, I know, that’s the only part that sucks a little about this ritual, BUT, it’s worth it. Know that I’ll be up at that time, too, retrieving my bowl). This is to keep the moonlight energy pure.
Intention: The purpose of this ritual is to charge a crystal with the moon’s healing energy and guidance.
May it bring healing to you in times of need, and may it help you receive the guidance or clarity that can help you understand your challenges, and navigate them with wisdom and love.
Instructions:
Pour your water into the bowl. Stir the salt into the water with your spoon first 3 times counterclockwise (to clear it), and then 3 times clockwise to charge it with the intention of receiving the moon’s healing energy.
Place your quartz crystal in the water.
Go out under the full moon with your bowl (yes you can set it on a windowsill or fire escape of needs be), and place it in direct moonlight**
Open your arms to the moon, and ask to receive her love, nurturing, her guidance, her healing energy.
You can stay there as long as you wish. When you feel ready, leave your bowl and return inside.
Before sunrise, bring your bowl back inside. Remove your crystal and wrap it in the silk.
Optional: Step into your shower with your bowl, and pour the water over your head and down your body. Let the moonlight charged water clear away any darkness or heaviness that’s sitting on you. Air dry if you can, don’t rinse the water off.
Let the sunrise symbolize the returning of light, the birth of a new day, and the harbinger of good times to come.
Whenever you feel you need light in dark places, remove your crystal from the cloth and hold or wear it for as long as it feels intuitively right to you. Keep it wrapped in the cloth whenever you aren’t using it. Don’t let anyone touch it! It can be recharged as needed at each full moon.
Blessings to you, dear ones 🌕
*Tolkien, J.R.R. “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”. Methuen Publications, Canada, 1971.
**If the night is overcast do not worry, the moon’s energy will still charge your quartz and water, just make sure your bowl is under the sky and not obscured by tree branches, roofing, etc.
Photo by Alexander Andrews on Unsplash
