Full Moon Rituals

[Libby]

This Sunday was a Full Moon, I think it was the Wesak "Blue Moon", it
was in Taurus and will be again next month on May 20th. Will the group
celebrate the Blue Moon, do we write a ritual or meet online May 20th?
Can we share ideas and our blessing oil recipe or sprinkling powders?

Legend of the Wesak:
There is a valley, lying at a rather high altitude in the foothills of
the Himalayan-Tibet ranges. It is surrounded by high mountains on all
sides except towards the northeast, where there is a narrow opening in
the mountain ranges. The valley is bottle-shaped in contour, with the
neck of the bottle to the northeast, and it widens very considerably
towards the south. Up towards the northern end, close to the neck of
the bottle, there a huge flat rock. There are no trees or shrubs in
the valley, which is covered with a kind of coarse grass.

Approaching the time of the full moon of Taurus, pilgrims from the
surrounding districts begin to gather. The holy men and the lamas find
their way into the valley and fill the southern and the middle parts,
leaving the northeastern end relatively free. There, so the legend
runs, gathers a group of those great Beings Who are the Custodians on
Earth of God's Plan for our planet and for humanity.

They arrange Themselves in the northeastern end of the valley, in
concentric circles, and prepare for a great act of service. In front
of the rock, looking towards the northeast, stand Those Beings Who are
called by Their disciples The Three Great Lords. These are The Christ,
Who stands in the center; the Lord of living forms, The Manu, Who
stands at His right; and The Lord of Civilization, who stands to His
left. These three face the rock upon which rests a great crystal bowl,
full of water. Those present in their physical bodies have found their
way there by ordinary means. Others are present in their spiritual
bodies, and in the dream state. The "dream," which they later relate,
has been uniformly registered by people throughout the world, and
bears the testimony to the recollection of an inner spiritual
happening.

As the hour of the full moon approaches, a stillness settles down upon
the crowd, and all look towards the northeast. Certain ritualistic
movements take place, in which the grouped Masters and Their disciples
of all ranks take up symbolic positions, and form on the floor of the
valley such significant symbols as the five-pointed star. This is all
done to the sound of certain chanted words and esoteric phrases,
called mantrams.

Through the entire body of people there seems to be felt a stimulation
or potent vibration which has the effect of awakening the souls of
those present, fusing and blending the group into one united whole,
and lifting all into a great act of spiritual demand, readiness, and
expectancy. It is the climax of the world's aspiration focussed in
this waiting group. The chanting and the rhythmic weaving grows
stronger, and all the participants and the watching crowd raise their
eyes towards the sky in the direction of the narrow part of the
valley. Just a few minutes before the exact time of the full moon, in
the far distance, a tiny speck can be seen in the sky. It comes nearer
and nearer, and grows in clarity and definiteness of outline, until
the form of The Buddha can be seen, seated in the cross-legged Buddha
position, clad in his saffron-colored robe, bathed in light and color,
and with his hand extended in blessing.

When The Buddha arrives at a point exactly over the great rock,
hovering there in the air over the heads of The Three Great Lords, a
great mantram, used only once a year, at The Festival, is intoned by
The Christ, and the entire group of people in the valley fall upon
their faces. This Invocation sets up a great vibration or thought
current which is of such potency that it reaches up from the group of
aspirants, disciples and initiates who employ it, to the Being we know
as God. It marks the supreme moment of intensive spiritual effort
throughout the entire year, and the spiritual vitalization of humanity
and the spiritual effects last throughout the succeeding months.

The effect of this great Invocation is universal or cosmic, and serves
to link us up with that cosmic center of spiritual force from which
all created beings have come, and the Blessing is poured forth.

Thus, so the legend runs, The Buddha returns once a year to bless the
world, transmitting renewed spiritual life.

I wanted to share this legend.

[Dyllea]

A "Blue Moon", or the 2nd full moon in one month, can happen once a
year- and yet not every year. I like to make amulets during a Blue
Moon because it is infrequent and so has some significance outside of
our calendar.

Taurus influences the moon by stabilizing the emotional lunar
influence, that which brings out the "lunacy" that is well known
during the period of a full moon. The moon in Tuarus creates emotional
balance, which means it is a good time in enjoy the pleasures of
physical closeness, friendships, and the beauty in our every day
world. It is significant to say "stop and smell the roses". Enjoy the
simple pleasures you often ignore, indulge your "self" and say yes to
any happy circumstance... an invitation to lunch, a movie, whatever it
is, you will enjoy it at this time more than usual, and offering
pleaseure is even more enjoyable!

Thanks Libby, for sharing the Legend, and yes we could plan a "Full
Moon Ritual" for May 20th, all we need to do is create an incense
recipe, and put together a short ritual that we can all do solitary.

We can go a step further to coordinate our time and do a ritual as a
group even though we are separated by distance.

Please give me some feedback and I'll try to help coordinate whatever
is suggested.

Thanks~