Dancing with the Moon: How I Found My Love of Hosting Lunar Rituals
Over my sabbatical and the months leading up to it post trauma therapy retirement, I had a massive realization.
I was working and giving. Way. Too. Much.
Much of my time and energy over the course of June was spent journaling, reflecting, dancing it out, talking with my partners, and connecting with my guides. I allowed myself ample creative still time with no agenda to daydream, ponder, and delve the shadows for answers.
I wear many hats as an entrepreneur, small business CEO, author, guide, and speaker. I’m a multi-passionate person who feels called to share my many gifts to as many people as I can. My offerings are robust, varied, and there’s something for everyone who wants to be connected with me and what I do.
But, I can’t do everything.
So I reflected on what really mattered to me, what I love to do, and what I can do. Then, I found the points of clarity along the path, the intersection of what lights me up and brings meaning to my life first so that I can pour from a full cup into others.
One of the things I realized was essential to how I show up in the world is the Sacred Moon Ceremonies I have been hosting online for over two years now. During June, I even hosted a ceremony for the New Moon in Gemini on my birthday. Throughout the rest of the month, I deepened my appreciation for these circles and how they nourish me and my soul—and I hope, yours, too.
Read on to learn how I got started hosting online moon ceremonies!
The Beginning of My Spiritual Journey
My journey with moon circles began when I was 19 years old, about a year after I woke from a deep sleep with an unshakeable knowing in my heart—“I am a Druid!”
At the time, I had no idea what that meant, but after it settled into my soul like a coming home, I began to research Druidry and seek out others who practiced similar earth-based spirituality. At 19, I found myself joining a community of Neo-pagans, Witches, Wiccans, Druids, and all other niches of alternative spirituality who came together to discuss spiritual topics like past lives, the nature of the soul, and the symbolism of the seasons.
I met so many beautiful wild and woo people that planted seeds of freedom and inspiration in my at the time very traumatized self. At 19-years-old, my story had barely started, and I truly had no idea what I was getting into, but surrounded by people celebrating the awe of Mother nature, her seasons, and the moon, I knew I was on the path to something truly wonderful.
Falling in Love with the Moon: My First Drawing Down the Moon Ceremony
On a full moon evening in fall, I attended my first drawing down the moon ceremony.
We gathered in a circle beneath the moon, lifting our arms to the heavens as if we could fill the chalice of our bodies with Grandmother Moon's glow. It was a magical experience as I felt the rays of the moon beaming down into me, filling me up with a soft, flowing, nourishing, expansive, transformational, ever-shifting, growing, changing energy.
I felt the power of simplicity, of connecting with what is right then and there. From that moment, I was in love with the possibilities of how much magic exists all around us.
Exploring Moon Magic and Ritual: My Early Years as a Ritual Facilitator
After experiencing moon ceremony first hand, I began to explore the symbolism of the moon's major phases and studied the mansions of the moon and lunar-based magic in books. But, this phase didn’t last long, as college and life in general got in the way.
After I joined the earth-based spiritual community, I apprenticed with a much older woman who I lived with for a time. She had over twenty years of experience at that point with various spiritual and ritual practices, events, and styles. I worked with her, helping as the secretary of our co-founded coven and meetup group for four years. Our private group focused mainly on providing Wheel of the Year rituals for the larger community and having monthly discussion meetings for more “advanced magical work.” I was privileged to get to lead hundreds of people in personal ceremonies honoring the here and now.
I fell in love with the symbolism of the seasons. In working with the Earth, I found my Druid roots once again, connecting with plants, animals, and crystal guides. For a time, directly connecting with the moon routinely faded into the background.
Because of these formative experiences, through my 20s, I largely considered ritual to be something fancy, meticulously planned, and often over-the-top. This made sense, as I was influenced by many witchy and Wiccan ceremony styles, and predominantly found myself surrounded by people who identified as Wiccans.
After moving to a new city, I hosted various Wheel of the Year and earth-based spiritual rituals for a Unitarian Universalist Church. Eventually, I stopped hosting publicly as I was focused on my teaching and then therapy careers.
However, I couldn't stay away from ritual forever. I continued to do rituals at home, offering them privately for my polyam partners (aka polycules), friends, and dinner potlucks, but not the big, lavish rituals and retreats I had done previously.
Returning to Ritual Professionally: Teaching at the Starseed Mystery School
I came back to ritual shortly after scaling my therapy practice, but feeling dissatisfied. I joined a Starseed Mystery School and began studying Astral Projection again, fine tuning my clairs (think clairvoyance but other senses as well), and meeting with my Higher Self. Long story short, I showcased a level of mastery of the material such that when the founder and sole instructor of the material needed to take a step back for a medical procedure, she hired me to be her substitute teacher.
In this role, I had the freedom to promote the spiritual well-being of the community and bring sacred healing home. I began hosting circles for the illumination portals (1/1, 2/2, 7/7, etc) which during my time as a teacher there often aligned closely with new moon and full moon phases. This sparked my curiosity about how zodiac energy influenced other rising spiritual energies, and I started incorporating moon symbolism into the rituals for the mystery school members, teaching myself how various zodiac moon phases bring in certain energies we can harness for our own expansion.
When my services were no longer needed at the mystery school, I knew I’d uncovered something integral to my future offerings and path. As it turned out, being a spiritual teacher again was exactly what I needed to make me realize I was not satisfied in my career as a therapist.
To build the bridge between my career and full expressive freedom, I began the Sacred Moon Circle. It was a small group opportunity offering paid moon circles digitally for a private community.
But shortly after beginning the membership, I felt dissonant. While I loved the people I was sharing space with, there was something more I wanted to do. I had a strong calling to bring these moon circles to anyone and everyone who needed them so we could all practice routine touch points together. As many people as need and want it. So, I made the ceremonies available to public, for free, with the option to donate if they felt called.
Now—2024 & Beyond
My intention for now is to keep offering these ceremonies to anyone and everyone who wants to participate. By doing them live with no private room, there are many benefits for us as a community.
These rituals are now more neurodivergent friendly, just as trauma-informed, and available on YouTube and Facebook with an instant replay for anyone who can’t make them live. We all get to settle into the familiar structure of the ceremonies, while allowing ourselves to flow. And we’re building a sense of community support regardless of comfort getting on camera or even replying in comments. I love being able to serve people at all levels of engagement.
So, friend, here’s where I could use your help!
Having done both paid and free models, I am now considering a hybrid approach with a private Living LUNAs Spiritual Circle. I have created a survey to gather input from participants and potential participants about what they enjoy in the free ceremonies (which I’ll continue to offer as is), what's working or not working with those public calls, and what they would consider if I offered a paid upgrade experience.
A membership upgrade could include things like an additional hour with me as a group before or after the moon ceremonies, individual card pulls for participants, spiritual or goal check-ins, an intention setting or integration meditation, educational resources like e-books or mini-classes, additional guided meditations, pocket guidance via a private Voxer group, etc.
Would you consider taking the survey? I created in on Google Forms, and it can be found here: https://forms.gle/kURy8Y2UZAhnRBe36
I very much look forward to continuing to offer these moon ceremonies for as long as the energy flows and feels aligned. We’re at two years and counting! If you want to join us, be sure to follow me on the Living LUNAs YouTube and/or my Facebook page to catch the lives or replays.
Thanks for reading, for joining me in ceremony, and for all your support!
Loving You Fiercely,
Safrianna Lughna
The Queer-Spirit Guide
P.S. This photo is by the incredible eye behind Amanda Lucia Photography. Click the picture to check out her Insta.
This month, I’m participating in the Ultimate Blog Challenge and share wisdom gleaned from my sabbatical, butterfly medicine, and more. Feel free to follow along if you want to learn more about my story! #UltimateBlogChallenge https://www.ultimateblogchallenge.com/
