This is most certainly an energetic day. Not only are my friends and colleagues in the US (and around the world) celebrating their Thanksgiving holiday, but the Sun has moved into Sagittarius and Grandmother Moon is now half-way through her lunar journey, and is fully illuminated, manifesting as a Full Moon in Gemini.
Sun enters Sagittarius
This initiates a season of giving, and realizing one’s potential. Remember the Three-Fold Law aka the Rule of Three: what you put out to the universe — positive or negative — comes back to you three times. What are you giving and manifesting?
Full Moon in Gemini
Arrives 22-NOV @ 9:39 pm PT / 23-NOV @ 05:39 UTC
Ah, Gemini — a mutable Air sign, inspiring us, stimulating our minds and spirits —and reminding us that Air can freshen our thoughts like a sweet breeze or, like a tornado, sweep powerful change through one’s life. The Gemini Moon facilitates lively conversations and social gatherings. Perfect for those celebrating Thanksgiving today!
Goddess Support
At the Full Moon, the Mother goddesses support us: Gaia, Isis, Hestia, Danú and others. These goddesses bring forth our creativity and fecundity in all aspects. Tap into their wisdom and their qualities of nurturing — giving life to new things, new ideas — and resiliency in manifesting the potential of those new seeds.
Herbal Support for the Gemini Full Moon
When I think of the Gemini influence in this Full Moon, I think of the sign’s lively Air sociability quality and its mutability, and the potential for changeability (some may say fickleness!). We might be tempted to expend too much energy in our desire to embrace all that is around us… and may need a tonic to soothe and stabilize our energy, or revive us when we approach burnout.
If you are burning the candle at both ends, consider working with Cardamom (Ellettaria cardamomum) for its calming and grounding properties for both the mind and one’s emotions, and its ability to promote balance.
- Diffuse a few drops of the essential oil, or add a couple of drops to a drop of your favourite carrier oil and rub onto pulse spots such as the wrist
- Add a few cardamom seeds to an herbal tea (chai anyone?)
- Make a ginger-cardamom tea such as this one from Taste of Home:
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 4 teaspoons honey (or sweetener of choice)
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 6 individual tea bags (if using loose tea, most recommend one teaspoon —roughly 5 grams by weight — per 6 ounce cup. If you like your tea stronger, increase to taste. If you like it weaker, decrease to taste.)
- FYI, the website doesn’t specify type of tea but I would suggest a black tea for a chai-like experience, or simply any tea you prefer
- 1-1/2 cups fat-free milk (or dairy-free mylk of choice)
TIP: For those on a carb or sugar restricted diets, you could substitute a low carb sweetener for the honey. Those on a Keto diet could use heavy cream rather than fat-free milk (start by adding a 1/4 cup and increasing to taste from there). As always, you can substitute almond or other nut milk for the dairy.
Not a cardamom fan?
Consider Bergamot essential oil (Citrus bergamia) which is also a powerful tonic, stimulating the senses when depressed or exhausted. The oil can be used as per the Cardamom EO suggestions above, diffused or added to a carrier oil. You could also add a few drops to your favourite bath salts (Epsom, Himalayan, Dead Sea, Magnesium flakes, etc) for a Full Moon Goddess bath. (see formulation at end of this post).
And as for tea…. how about a soothing cup of Earl Grey Tea which is flavoured with Oil of Bergamot?
Caution: Cold pressed Bergamot EO is known to be phototoxic. Per AromaWeb, “it must be used with care on the skin and avoided when exposed to the sun or UV rays.
Or . . . work with both!
A friend recently shared a couple of her essential oil diffuser blends using both Cardamom and Bergamot, one blend with a dash of Peppermint (Mentha piperita) and the other using Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi):
Cardamom-Bergamot-Peppermint Diffuser Blend
- 5 drops Cardamom EO (Ellettaria cardamomum)
- 3 drops Bergamot EO (Citrus bergamia)
- 1 drop Peppermint EO (Mentha piperita)
Grapefruit-Bergamot-Cardamom Diffuser Blend
- 9 drops Grapefruit EO (Citrus paradisi)
- 5 drops Bergamot EO (Citrus bergamia)
- 4 drops Cardamom EO (Ellettaria cardamomum)
Full Moon Goddess Bath
Any of the above oil blends (or just the single oils such as Bergamot and/or Cardamom) can be added to your favourite bath salts formation for a Full Moon goddess bath. After all, aren’t each of us a goddess?
This is a wonderful way to relax and to release.
I would recommend about 7 drops of your EO blend to each bath but first blending those drops into a cup or more of your favourite bath salt. I also add those drops first to a tablespoon of carrier oil (almond, grapeseed, jojoba, etc) for better distribution through the salts and the bath water.
I like to keep this as a master or “mother” blend and then customize each bath experience with additions such as essential oils, dried herbs, etc.
You could start with a basic bath salt blend such as:
- one part Epsom Salts (a “part” can be any size of your choosing by dry measure — e.g. a half-cup, cup, two cups — or by weight such as 250 grams, half-pound, etc.
- one part Magnesium Flakes
- one part Sea Salts
- You can use any combination of salts, coarse or fine: Himalayan, Dead Sea, Celtic, etc.
- If you use coarse salts only, they may not dissolve thoroughly in the bath water. You can avert this by soaking your bath salt blend in a larger bowl of water overnight, or for a few hours (if you have prepared a Full Moon Flower Water, it would be perfect for this!)
- Optional: add one part of baking soda (Sodium Bicarbonate), which is also great for soothing the skin and further detoxifying.