New Moon Ritual: March 2024

This month’s New Moon Ritual resulted in another very visual, visceral experience similar to the first ritual that resulted in this monthly endeavor. I’m a few days late in posting this because it took a while to figure the words, and even now I’m not entirely sure I’m capturing everything and doing the experience justice. I’m going to provide a brief narrative of what I experienced, followed by a few closing thoughts on what meaning I am finding. That doesn’t mean you’ll walk away from this with the same understandings.

I found myself in a dark wood being lead by a figure I could not quite identify. It was a human person, that much I’m sure of, but there was not enough light for me to make out any features. They had me by the hand and were leading me purposefully towards something. I could tell we were coming to the edge of the woods and there was a very bright light. Again, their features remained obscured, this time because they were so strongly backlit by the source of the light that it was hard to see them.

We exited the woods onto a vast plain. The source of the light was a large bonfire. Surrounding the bonfire was a ring of people. As we got closer I realized these folks were armed - weapons from across time and culture - and facing outwards, serving as a perimeter guard to what I realized was an ecstatic gathering around the fire. We were allowed to pass beyond this ring of guards and I spent some indeterminate amount of time mingling, dancing, and enjoying the light and warmth of the bonfire in what I realized was a very dark and cold night.

At some point I noticed there was a second ring of guards, just inside the first one. These guards were facing inward, and every so often one of them would step into the crowd and apprehend a reveler who was revealed to be armed with a short, cruel looking dagger. This person was cast out into the night.

At some point I wandered close to the far edge of the gathering opposite the wood line. As my eyes adjusted to the night and the bright light behind me I began to see what I originally mistook for stars. It dawned on me what I was looking at was other bonfires, I’m assuming with their own gathering and revelers, spread across an immense rolling plain.

At some point I think I returned to the dancing and mingling, but I’m not sure.

So, what do I think this means? What are my takeaways?

The more I sit with this the more I believe that vision of a vast expanse in the dark, with folks gathered around bonfires scattered about, represents our local communities. We can see each other out there, but we’re so disconnected.

Additionally, the two sets of guards stands out to me. Clearly, we are defending ourselves from whatever is out in the darkness, hence the ring of guards facing outwards. But what of that second group? I take that to mean that we must remain vigilant of threats from within. Honestly, the example that keeps coming to me is folks of the queer community who see fit to throw our trans siblings under the bus. That example feels so strong to me that I truly believe the connection is purposeful, and I need to sit with it more.

But I’m also wondering: Who was leading me and where did they find me? Did someone bring me to this bonfire from another one? If so, how and why?