Esbat: Wolf Moon Celebration

The sulphur of the freshly-lit match and the jasmine incense’s smoulder lingered together, their smoke twisting and caressing one another. 

Though the moon had hung in its full, luminescent glory — belly bulging under the weight of its own light — clouds shielded her from view. According to sources, her full effect had been felt since four that afternoon. It was not until eleven that evening that anyone in the house — the jasmine, the matches, or I — made any mention of it. 

Doors shut, white candle lit, a floral teacup full of water to anoint and bless each fluid movement of hips, shoulders, and knuckles against the floor. Rehearsed chants and forced rhymes swept off the bow of my tongue as I inhaled, exhaled; in through flared nostrils, out through pursed lips.

For the first time, I had thought of something to say. I had prepared, earlier that afternoon, exactly what it was I was thankful for. As the illuminated belly of the sly Wolf Moon as my witness, that evening was an exercise in gratitude: Appreciation for my family, for their health, and for my able body. 

Familiar with the sun salutations of morning routines in meditative body moulding, I practiced the ebb and flow of a moon incantation. Familiar poses were bookended by foreign ones. A combination of the evening’s red wine, Florence Welch’s low crooning, and the vibrations penetrating my bedroom walls lulled the room into a new role. 

The four walls were no longer a childhood bedroom of a rustic lodge, but a cosmic container of possibility. Alone with my music, the solitude broken only by the flickering flame of the candle, I was brought closer to the vibration. 

Like the children of Narnia, discovering the cupboard as a vessel to transport them between one world and the next, the Wolf Moon’s presence, coquettishly hidden behind the murky clouds, transformed a bedroom into a temple of fluid communion. 

January's Wolf Moon was my second full moon celebration, also known as an esbat. Has the phase of the moon ever intrigued or affected you? Have you ever paid special attention to the full moon?

Belatedly download the Aquarius January desktop calendar, below:

Lastly, let us know if you have any plans for February's full moon, which will be featured on a calendar, posted here soon!