I once had a friend who claimed the spiritual last name of BloodMoon. She explained to me that she once had a vivid vision about giving birth under a red moon; that there was blood on the moon. This was a spiritual initiation, of sorts, and stuck with her for her entire life. She felt it was actually a memory from a past life. I’ve never had such a powerful vision of the Blood Moon, but I do find it a potent time for ritual. In this article, we explore the blood moon meaning, its rich history, and clear up some confusion on lunar eclipse rituals.

What is a Blood Moon, Exactly?

You’ve probably heard the term Blood Moon. But does this mean the moon looks like it’s covered in blood or that it’s tinted red? When people say a Blood Moon is coming, it actually means there will be a total lunar eclipse. According to NASA, “during a total lunar eclipse, the entire Moon falls within the darkest part of Earth’s shadow, called the umbra. When the Moon is within the umbra, it will turn a reddish hue.” And according to the National Weather Service, lunar eclipses, on average, occur once or twice a year. But when they do, they bring recognizable energy shifts.

Blood Moon Meaning, Intentions, and Clearing up Misinformation

Working magick or performing ritual on a Blood Moon comes with a lot of backlash from the metaphysical community. I’ve literally heard people say not to perform ritual on a Lunar Eclipse (aka Blood Moon), not to collect moon water or charge one’s tools or crystals, and sometimes it’s discouraged from even being outside of one’s own home.

Why are folks so scared of the Blood Moon? I have a feeling it has something to do with the word “blood” and the taboo around it. You’ll also hear people say working a ritual on the Blood Moon is “forbidden” and causes misfortune and chaos. I don’t believe that, because I’ve never had that experience. If you feel safe or drawn to working magick or performing ritual on a Blood Moon, I say go for it. There’s no lunar eclipse ritual police…that I know of.

A Shift in Energy Causes Anxiety to Some…

What I will say is this – the Blood Moon meaning is a powerful one, and its effects are not to be taken lightly. At the same time, I’ve always felt working with the moon isn’t to be taken lightly…no matter the phase or astrological event.Lunar Eclipses bring intense shifts in energy in our environment, as well as within ourselves. Most people are afraid of change, therefore it makes sense they would also be afraid of the Lunar Eclipse or the Blood Moon.

Let’s talk about the energy and intentions surrounding the Blood Moon Meaning:

• Powerful change and transformation
• Releasing old habits and toxic people from our lives
• Past life regression: exploring and releasing past life traumas
• Divination and connecting with ancestors and chthonic deities
• Journeying to the Underworld
• Shadow work and healing from the past
• Cleansing the blood and your aura of negativity and toxins

Typically, a Full Moon’s energy is all about manifesting and bringing desires into reality. And yes, a lot of sources online will tell you to use the Full Moon to release things…to banish things from your life. But I learned a different way. I learned we release on the Waning Moon…not on the Full Moon. Conversely, a Lunar Eclipse and a Blood Moon is the time when releasing on a Full Moon DOES make sense and aligns with the moon’s energies.

Blood Moon Meaning: Folklore and Superstitions

I we dig into ancient beliefs about the Blood Moon, we notice a pattern of fear and reluctance. This fear of the Blood Moon might be ingrained in us, which would explain why so many magical practitioners warn against doing magick on the lunar eclipse. According to Scroll.in, the Blood Moon was considered an attack against the king in Ancient Mesopotamia. I assume this is because they believed the king was some sort of god or incarnated child of the moon. During the Lunar Eclipse, a “temp” King would replace the real king until the eclipse was over. This ensured the real king safety during this uncertain time.

In addition, many ancient cultures believed when there was blood on the moon that there would be impending war and death. The Incans believed the great jaguar was attacking the moon and soon might turn his attention to Earth. So the custom was to try to scare the jaguar off with war cries and cries of wolves.

While these beliefs seem silly to us, we have to remember that they didn’t have science and telescopes like we do today. So when the sun or the moon looked different, it was a bit unnerving to say the least. And because our ancient ancestors believed the Sun and the Moon were either divine beings themselves OR were connected to the gods, any type of astrological event that changed their appearance would bring anxiety. I mean, when we see a total solar eclipse in modern times, we are still amazed and sometimes even a bit frightened. Not to mention how people seem to lose their minds every Full Moon.

Blood Moon Magick: Crystals and Herbs

The crystals and herbs we recommend in our lunar eclipse blood moon rituals below are indeed powerful and in alignment with the energy of this time. But you should feel free to adapt these rituals to your own needs and preferences. That’s why we’re giving you some more ideas as to what crystals and herbs align with the Blood Moon:

Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse Ritual for Releasing a Toxic Relationship

During a lunar eclipse, the Earth blocks out the Moon’s light and this phenomenon sometimes turns the moon a reddish color. Therefore, we consider these aspects when performing this lunar eclipse ritual to release and banish toxic relationships from our lives.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• A cauldron or fire safe bowl
• Red candle
• Lighter/matches
• Paper
• Red pen
• Red thread or string
• Photo or small personal effect of toxic person you’re releasing
• 3 fumigatory-safe herbs linked to the moon (see table above)
• Moonstone: 1 small stone to ground the moon’s energy
• Clear quartz: 1 small stone to bring clarity to the situation
• Bloodstone: 1 small stone to aid in releasing energetic cords

How to perform this Blood Moon Ritual:

1. On the Blood Moon, gather your supplies and head outside.
2. Write the person’s name in red on your petition paper, then fold it up away from you including the picture or personal effect of the person.
3. Tie the bundle together with red string, all the while envisioning the connection between you and this toxic individual. The red string symbolizes the cord that must be severed.
4. Set red candle in middle of the cauldron.
5. Place the 3 stones around the candle in a triangular format (one stone at the top and two to the sides of the candle).
6. Light the red candle, then use the flame to set the paper and red string on fire. Drop it in the cauldron and let it burn. During this time, chant “As the moon is stained red with blood, so has my connection with ________ (insert person’s name). Too long has the cord remained, now I release _________ to go his/her own way in the goddess’ name.” Repeat 3-13 times. Or continue repeating until you feel the release energetically.
7. Encircle your candle with the 3 herbs, this is your offering to the moon for doing its work.
8. Bury the remnants far away from you, at a crossroads, graveyard, or throw it in the dump on the other side of town.

Blood Moon Ritual for Leaving the Old Self Behind

Another releasing type of ritual for the Blood Moon involves leaving the old self behind. That part of you that holds you back. That part of you that doesn’t want you to succeed and believes what everyone told you for so long. It’s time to let go of the past so that you can heal and become whole in the present. The Lunar Eclipse, Blood Moon or not, is the perfect time to do this simple ritual.

What You’ll Need:

• Small mirror
• Marker
• Hand shovel

What to do:

1. Gather your mirror, marker, and shovel and go outside to see the Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse.
2. Gaze up at the moon and think about all of the negative thoughts you’ve had of yourself recently. See it as a black cloud that’s only holding you back.
3. Now write those negative thoughts on the mirror and look into the mirror one last time.
4. Color over those thoughts with the marker, also making it into a black cloud.
5. Lastly, bury the mirror. This is the point where you bury those old negative thought patterns and leave them in the ground forever.
6. Turn and don’t look back, knowing that you are now in alignment with your higher self and the old self is gone.

Blood Moon Bath Ritual for Self Acceptance

Since the Blood Moon meaning aligns with shadow work and banishings, consider taking a rithal bath to increase your self love and self acceptance. Baths are always relaxing and cleansing and give us time to focus on what is important.

What You’ll Need:

• 2 sprigs of rosemary
• 2 red rose heads (with the stems cut off)
• 2 teaspoons of Himalayan pink salt

What to do:

1. Draw your bath and add the 2 sprigs of rosemary and say, “rosemary sweet. Rosemary gay. Align my physical body with my higher self today.”
2. Next add the 2 red rose heads and say, “Roses are red, violets are blue. I see myself as beautiful, pure and true.”
3. Last add the 2 teaspoons of pink salt and say, “purify my mind, body and soul, salt of the earth make me whole.”
4. Soak in the bath for at least fifteen minutes, then dry off from foot to head to draw more of the earth’s loving energy into yourself.

Read More about the Moon:

• Waxing Moon Magic and Rituals for Success, Hair Growth and More
• New Moon Magic Cleansing Rituals, Spells and More
• Moon Sign Meanings: The Moon’s Power and Your Moon Sign