Moon · 7 min · 17 October 2026
Full Moon Ritual for Letting Go: A Simple Guide
A full moon ritual for letting go is simple: on the night the moon is full, you light a candle, write down what you are finished with, and then let the page go, safely burnt in a fireproof bowl or torn and buried.
Title image created with AI
A full moon ritual for letting go is simple: on the night the moon is full, you light a candle, write down what you are finished with, and then let the page go, safely burnt in a fireproof bowl or torn and buried. The next full moon falls on Tuesday 24 November 2026 at 15:53 CET, so the evening of the 24th is your night.
The full moon is the one night of the month when everything is lit. You can read by it, walk by it, see the shape of the garden at midnight. For as long as people have counted months, this bright night has been a marker: the moon is at its fullest, and from tomorrow it begins to wane. Many people today use that turning point to close something. Not a big ceremony, just an honest look at what you are carrying and a decision about what can go.
This guide shows you a full moon ritual in three steps, what you need, where the custom comes from, and how to do the burning part safely.
What is the full moon, exactly?
At the full moon the earth sits between the sun and the moon. The side of the moon that faces us is lit completely, and it rises in the east just as the sun sets in the west. It happens about every 29.5 days, twelve or thirteen times a year.
The exact moment is calculated, but the night belongs to it. If the full moon falls at 15:53, the evening of that day is the full moon night. If it falls at 02:28, the night just before is.
The next full moons (German time, CET):
- Tuesday 24 November 2026, 15:53
- Thursday 24 December 2026, 02:28, so the night before Christmas Eve, right at the start of the twelve nights
- Friday 22 January 2027, 13:17
- Sunday 21 February 2027, 00:23
Our free moon calendar lists every new and full moon until the end of 2027.
Why let go at the full moon?
The idea is old in its rhythm and young in its words. Farming calendars across Europe timed work by the moon for centuries: in the Alps, timber for houses was traditionally cut in the waning moon of winter, and some carpenters still sell it as Mondholz, moon wood. The waning moon, the time after the full moon, was the time for cutting, clearing and ending.
The "full moon release ritual" as people practise it today is modern. In modern Wicca the full moon has been a night for gathering since the 1950s, and from there the custom spread far beyond any one tradition. Today it is one of the most searched rituals of all. We like it because it is honest about what it is: a monthly appointment to stop carrying things you no longer need to carry. It promises nothing. It just gives you a night for it.
The names help, too. Many people know the full moons by their English names, the Wolf Moon in January, the Cold Moon in December. These names were spread by American farmers' almanacs in the 20th century and draw on older English, Germanic and Native American month names. Each one is a small story about the season it falls in.
What you need
- One candle. A woodwick candle crackles softly, which suits a night for quiet.
- A small piece of paper and a pen
- A fireproof bowl or a small cast iron pot, or a spot in the garden or a flowerpot if you would rather bury the page
- Optional: frankincense resin on a burner, and a selenite wand on the windowsill. Selenite is named after Selene, the Greek goddess of the moon. It is soft gypsum, so keep it dry.
Cast Iron Ritual Pot with Pentagon
The ritual in three steps
1. Light
Turn off the lamps. Open the curtains, so the moon can be part of the room if the sky is clear. Light the candle and sit for a minute. If you use frankincense, warm a few grains now and let the scent settle.
2. Name
Write down what you are finished with. One thing is enough. It can be a habit, a worry, a sentence someone said to you, a plan you have quietly given up. Write it as plainly as you can: "I am done with checking my phone in bed." Then read it once, out loud.
3. Let go
Choose how the page leaves you:
- Burn it: tear it into a narrow strip, light it from the candle over the fireproof bowl and let it burn out in the bowl. Do this by an open window, with water within reach.
- Bury it: fold it small and bury it in the garden or in a flowerpot. Paper turns back into earth in a few weeks.
- Tear it: if neither is possible, tear it into small pieces and throw them away. It counts.
Then let the candle burn a little longer and do nothing at all. That quiet part is the ritual, too.
If you want a little more
- A dish of salt. Some people place a small dish of salt beside the candle. Salt has marked thresholds in many European customs, from bread and salt for a new home to a line of salt at the door. At the full moon it is a modern addition, and a pretty one.
- Moon water. Many leave a glass bowl of water on the windowsill on a full moon night and use it the next day for plants or to fill a vase. It is decorative, never for drinking. Our Moonwater ritual is built around this custom.
- Your stones. Give your stones a moonlit night on the windowsill. Selenite stays inside and dry.
Safety when you burn paper
Only burn a small, thin strip. Always over a fireproof bowl or a cast iron dish, never in your hand and never near curtains, shelves or wood. Keep water within reach and let the ash cool completely before you empty the bowl. If you live in a small room or have pets or children around, choose burying or tearing instead. Our candle and smoke safety page has the details.
What a full moon ritual is, and what it is not
It is a fixed point in the month to look back and close something. It is not a spell that makes things disappear, and it does not replace help when something weighs heavily. If you notice that the same thing appears on your page every month, that is worth knowing too.
Frequently asked questions
Everything for the bright night
If you would like it all together, the Full Moon Ritual brings the woodwick candle "Wolf's Moon", a selenite wand, frankincense resin and a hanging brass burner, with the three steps on a card.
Do I have to do the ritual at the exact time of the full moon?
No. The evening of the full moon or the night before is fine. Many keep the whole three nights around it.
What do I write in a full moon ritual?
One thing you are finished with. A habit, a worry, a sentence, a plan. Short and plain is best.
Can I do a full moon ritual without burning anything?
Yes. Burying or tearing the page is just as old a gesture, and the candle alone is enough.
What is the difference between a new moon and a full moon ritual?
Traditionally the new moon is for beginnings and intentions, the full moon for reflection and letting go. Our [new moon guide](/blogs/journal/new-moon-ritual-guide) shows the other half of the month.
Is a full moon ritual good for beginners?
It is one of the easiest. One candle, one page, ten quiet minutes.
What is the full moon in December called?
In the English almanac names it is the Cold Moon. In 2026 it falls on 24 December at 02:28 CET.
Everything you need
All of it, in one ritual
A letter every Sunday
A ritual for the week, the story behind a custom and the moon ahead. Every other week, word of new rituals and boxes.
