April 16th: The Pink Moon in Libra
Release what is keeping you from enjoying balance and harmony in your life with this Lunar Alignment Ritual that incorporates herbalism, tarot, and astrology. Ritual kits available for purchase at originapothecary.com.
Full Moon in Libra: April 16th, 2022
Libra represents the scales, duality, balance, and harmony. When you’re feeling out of balance, look to the strengths of Libra to help you find your center again.
We can use this Pink Moon to help us find our center again by appreciating the beauty all around us:
In Spring, the renewal of life;
In the vibrant green bursting from every new bud and blade of grass;
In the cheerful singing of the birds flocking back for seed and earthworm;
And for the chance to start again, another year, another season of opportunity and growth.
In this Pink Moon, take this time to gently release what hinders harmony and balance in your life.
Lunar Alignment Ritual Kits can be purchased at the online store at originapothecary.com.
Setting the Stage for this Full Moon
A careful selection of the Tarot cards, herbs, and gemstones used for your ritual will help you deepen your connection and outcome of your practice.
Tarot + Astrology
Libra is associated with the Justice Card in Tarot. Here we see a beautiful woman, delicate in her touch but firm and strong in her posture as she balances the elements within her hands that feed, nourish, destroy, and replenish the earth beneath her. Librans are inherently challenged at making decisions, because they must consider all perspectives before deciding upon the direction that they will go. The most balanced individuals with Libra Sun or Moon use their heart compass to guide them when it comes to the toughest decisions in life. Also associated with Venus, she knows the importance of taking care to balance matters of the heart.
Libra is also associated with The Empress in Tarot. Known as the Mother, she is comfortable in her nature, where her beauty is interconnected with her surroundings. Her moods and thoughts affect her environment, as they do the same for her. What she tends to, she grows, and all living things around her benefit. There is an element of sacrifice in her rooted support of the tree from her crown. She knows the interconnectedness of life, and the surrender to the principle of harmony that must be honored at times, for others, but also for herself, when her body is beckoning her heart to rest. She does so amongst the flowers while the birds sing and the leaves dance to the wind in honor of their Mother.
Tarot + Astrology + Gemstones
Gemstones are a great way to supercharge your ritual. The archetypal representation of the Tarot associated with the zodiac sign of the lunar alignment cycle that you’re working with allows you to choose a theme for your work that represents the intention you’re needing to embrace at this time.
The gemstones associated with the Justice Card in Tarot and the Zodiac sign of Libra are Carnelian and Cat’s Eye.
The gemstones associated with The Empress card in Tarot and the Zodiac sign of Libra are Emerald, Rose Quartz, and Turquoise.
You can research the usages for each of these gemstones to make your selection for your ritual, or choose one from each Card to work with both.
Carnelian is also associated with Aries, the Zodiac ruling this time of the year. Moon phases last 2.5 days, in which Libra falls under this Pink Moon. Carnelian would be recommended as part of your ritual to incorporate several of the themes that resonate with this date on this Pink Moon.
Astrology + Herbalism
Herbs associated with Libra are: catnip, dandelion, foxglove, lilac, marjoram, mugwort, passionflower, pennyroyal, rooibos, rose, spearmint, strawberry, thyme, violet
Plants associated with Libra are: aloe, belladonna, burdock, damiana, mullein, vanilla.
Ritual Ingredients, Materials, and Meanings
All ritual herbs and tea ingredients in the Lunar Alignment Ritual Kit are sustainably harvested and organic from Mountain Rose Herbs.
Ritual Herbs
For this ritual, I have selected the following powdered herbs for fixing, or dressing, your 5 beeswax candles:
Damiana, Rose, Passionflower
Ritual Candles
You will need 5 tall, thin beeswax candles, representing each of the 4 elements and directions, as well as Spirit. These include: Earth in the North, Air in the East, Fire in the South, and Water in the West. We find these 5 elements together in the Pagan Pentagram.
Your beeswax candles will be rolled together with your hands, warming with the energy between your hands. The softened beeswax candles will then be rolled in your ritual herb blend that you sprinkled onto the the slate board where you have laid your writing capturing your intentions and spiritual work on this full moon.
Once fixed (or dressed) with the herbs, they are ready to be lit. You can place each individually at their location of the directions with Spirit in the middle, or at the 5 points of the Pentagram. Alternatively, you can twist them together to create one large flame placed in the middle of your ritual space (on a safe surface for burning candles, such as the slate board included in the ritual kit). These candles will stand upright without a holder. The twisted single candle can also be splayed at the end to provide a natural base for the candle.
The beeswax candles and slate ritual board for safely preparing your ritual candle, beeswax drippings, etc. are included in the Lunar Alignment Ritual Kit ($45) found at originapothecary.com.
Ritual Tea Blend
The following herbs are associated with Libra and intended to consumed for this full moon, and for any time you need to find balance and harmony in your life. It is sweet, gently invigorating, and refreshing. Properties associated with lucid dreaming (mugwort) and liver cleansing (dandelion) make it a great soothing beverage before bed to strengthen your ritual intentions into dreamland and the hour of the liver in the Chinese Medicine Body clock, which is between 1–3am, when toxins are flushed from the body and new blood is made.
Ingredients: Dandelion, Mugwort, Rooibos, Spearmint, Strawberry, Vanilla
Ritual Crystals
For this Ritual, I have selected a heart-shaped Carnelian palm stone and raw Emerald.
Carnelian aligns with the following themes:
Aries, the Zodiac sign that rules this time of year
Justice, the Tarot card associated with Libra
The Sacral Chakra, where the reproductive organs are intricately bathed by the strength of energy center. Here we find our relationship to our sexuality and our relationships. Our ability to find balance in our relationships, creativity, and emotions are deeply impacted by hormonal balance. Carnelian balances hormonal health and the water element, which can be overwhelmed by Aries’ heat at this time of year.
Emerald aligns with the following themes:
Libra, the Zodiac sign aligned with this Pink Moon; and Aries, the Zodiac sign that rules this time of year
The Empress, the Tarot card associated with Libra
The Heart Chakra, which represents affection, balance, beauty, compassion, empathy, healing, love, mindfulness, nurturing, and relationships.
Putting the Pieces Together: The Ritual
Step 1: Preparing Your Ritual Space
Smudging + Chakra Alignment
Step 2: The Altar
Place your ritual board in the center of your sacred space.
Welcome the four elements and the four directions by placing the following at their proper position:
- Carnelian and Emerald at the North direction and the Earth element
- A feather, a bird image, white sage, or a writing implement at the East direction and the Air Element
- A candle for the South direction and the Fire Element. There are two options for placement and number of candles. You can use one single beeswax candle at each direction and one in the middle for Spirit, or one combined twisted candle (5 together) at the South direction and Fire Element)
- A small bowl of water at the West direction and the Water Element
Step 3: Journaling Practice
At this Libra Pink Moon, the following questions can help support releasing attachments to things that hinder balance and harmony in your life.
- What am I missing in my life that I need to feel more balanced?
- What do I need to release to unblock my ability so that I can hear my intuition and make the best choices for myself?
- What do I need to do to encourage harmony in my intimate relationships?
- What area of my life is most out of balance in this moment?
- What affects my confidence in my decision making abilities?
- How can a create and nurture more beauty in my life?
If you would like assistance creating your own ritual, exploring your spirituality, deepening your intuition, getting tarot-guided coaching, or learning about the chakra diet, please contact Sara at mindlife.academy@gmail.com or visit originapothecary.com
— Sara is the Founder of Origin Apothecary & Nutrition. In addition to her love of ritual and nature, she is also a Functional Nutritionist, Herbalist, Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach, and Board Certified in Holistic Nutrition ( C).
