Waning Moon Ritual Guide - Release

Why the Waning Moon Matters

The Waning Moon marks the descent of the lunar cycle — the period where energy naturally contracts. In nature, this is the exhale of the month. Leaves drop, tides recede, and the environment shifts from activity to recovery.

Humans mirror this rhythm:

• your capacity dips

• your patience thins

• your intuition sharpens

• your body asks for rest

• your mind begins clearing out what’s no longer necessary

This ritual is about intentionally cooperating with that rhythm instead of pushing through it.

Where the Waxing Moon builds, and the Full Moon illuminates, the Waning Moon releases — softly, without force.

What You’ll Need

• Your Waning Moon – Release candle

• Amethyst gemstone

• Pen + paper

• 10–15 minutes

• A quiet, comfortable spot

• Optional: blanket, warm tea, low lighting.

Step 1 — Slow Down Your Environment (1 minute)

You can’t release what you haven’t acknowledged.
Start by creating a sense of slowness in your physical space.

Do this quickly:

• dim a light

• take a seat

• put your phone out of reach

• place the amethyst beside your candle

You’re signaling to your nervous system: we’re switching gears.

Step 2 — Light Your Candle (15 seconds)

As the flame settles, inhale gently.

Say silently or aloud:

“I am safe to let go.”

Amethyst is associated with calming and unwinding; here, it simply acts as a reminder that release requires softness, not pressure.

Step 3 — Regulate Your Body (1 minute)

Use a release-focused breath pattern:

Inhale for 3 → Exhale for 6

Long exhales activate the parasympathetic nervous system, helping you downshift from stress into clarity.

• Let your shoulders drop.

• Let your jaw release.

• Let your breath lengthen naturally.

Step 4 — Identify What You’re Carrying (2–3 minutes)

Release requires awareness.

Answer the following prompts gently, without analyzing or performing:

1. What has felt heavy this week or month?

2. What thoughts keep looping without resolution?

3. What expectations am I struggling to meet?

4. What am I holding onto out of habit rather than desire?

Let your words be simple.

You’re naming weight so you can set it down.

Step 5 — Choose What to Release (2 minutes)

Look at your notes and ask:

“What can I stop carrying right now?”

Examples:

• tension in your body

• a fear you’ve been negotiating with

• resentment

• a decision you’re delaying

• someone else’s expectations

• overcommitment

• unrealistic pressure

Choose one thing only.

Release is most effective when it’s small, specific, and immediate.

Step 6 — Create Your Release Statement (1 minute)

Complete one of these:

• “I release the need to ___.”

• “I no longer carry ___.”

• “I let go of ___ so I can return to myself.”

Keep it concise.

Release isn’t dramatic — it’s honest.

Step 7 — Rest Into the Intention (1–2 minutes)

Close your eyes.

Hold the amethyst or place it on your chest or beside your hand.

Then repeat:

“I rest and restore; clarity flows through me.”

This is not about forcing yourself to feel peaceful.
It’s about giving yourself permission to stop.

Let stillness be enough.

Step 8 — Close the Ritual (30 seconds)

Blow out the candle slowly.

Take one final, gentle exhale — the kind that deflates your whole body.

Place the amethyst where you’ll see it as a reminder that slowing down is not regression; it’s integration.

How to Integrate Waning Moon Energy This Week

This is the recovery phase of the cycle.
Use it for:

• cleaning out physical or digital clutter

• reducing commitments

• simplifying your schedule

• closing loops

• saying no

• choosing ease over effort

• quiet nights, early mornings, lower expectations

This is not the time for pushing, forcing, or overextending.
Your clarity depends on your ability to pause.