Since the power of the Full Moon can be used to boost any type of magic, Her
arrival is of major importance when it comes to magical work. It’s so important,
in fact, that many practitioners actually perform a celebratory ritual to honor Her
presence. This ritual is commonly known as the Full Moon Circle or Esbat.
Aside from paying homage to the Moon’s power, though, there’s a second
reason for the event. Simply put, each Full Moon has its own sort of energy, an
energy that flavors the ruling month, and this means that certain months are
more powerful for working with particular types of efforts. Practitioners use the
celebration as away to draw upon this energy and apply it to their workings.
The Esbat usually includes a formal casting of the ritual Circle and a fair
amount of structure. For those of you who enjoy that sort of thing, a sample
ritual follows. Because it’s very generic in nature, this ritual should be used as a
guideline only. Why? Because the Esbat should suit your lifestyle and your
purpose. More importantly, since every Full Moon exudes different energy,
you’ll want to structure each ritual to reflect the appropriate theme.