Full Moon Insomnia: Why does she always wake me?

The number one question I receive each Full Moon is - why can’t I sleep? I have many answers for you, some from astrology, some from personal experience. The most important one being- you are not alone. The effects of the Full Moon are felt by everyone I know, even people who don't know anything about astrology, or the lunar cycle. It is a universal feeling, and I’m sure if we could go back in time, we’d find cave dwellers with insomnia on the Full Moon. I’ve listed some reasoning behind this phenomenon and some tips on how to work with the Full Moon while getting some shut-eye.

First of all, a Full Moon is bright. She lights up the night sky like a flashlight. These rays are reflected, but they are still rays of the sun. For those of you who are light sensitive, meaning you wake with the sunlight, it may be as simple as your brain thinking it’s morning. This is easily fixed by getting some blackout curtains- even if you only use them during the Full Moon.

A little more magical of an explanation, the Full Moon sits in opposition to the Sun. This creates energetic friction that we earthlings sit amongst. Both the Sun and the Moon have a gravitational pull on the Earth, so we are being pulled in opposite directions. Image if you could isolate one of your cells and place opposing magnets on either side of it. This is what it feels like in our energetic body during a Full Moon. Luckily we have crystals to help. Try sleeping with crystals around you during the Full Moon, or any time. I personally use Morganite and Amethyst to form a triangle around my bed with one on either nightstand and one piece at the footboard. Test it out and see which crystals work best for you. Great ones to try are; moonstone, fluorite, labradorite, and black obsidian, all known for their ability to deflect energy. They don’t have to be large- it’s the energy that matters.

Putting gravity aside for the moment, it dawned on me about 10 years that maybe I SHOULD be awake during a Full Moon. The Full Moon consistently woke me up for years. Each month I would fight it, becoming more and more anxious as the moments until my alarm sounded. I would feel panicked, not knowing what to do, until one night I just got up. I made myself some tea, grabbed my journal, lit some candles and practiced a Full Moon circle with my dog, Juno. This became my ritual for years. The Full Moon became a time when I embraced the night, and the silence that comes at 3 am in the morning. I would meditate, pull cards, sometimes take a bath, other nights I’d have a dance party in my living room, but I stopped fighting it. Most of the practices I teach have come out of those nights. I feel they were powerful times to get to know myself better. So, maybe the Moon is trying to teach you, she just happens to like the darkest time of the night to bestow her guidance.

The Full Moon also likes to align you and your heart. The Moon rules our emotions, we feel her vibrations, and they shift us. Sometimes we need a significant shift, and that’s what is waking us up. One of the most powerful Full Moons I’ve ever felt was sleeping on the deck of a boat in Catalina (an island off California). It was a very intense Full Moon in Capricorn conjunct Pluto, so highly transformational and healing. I always work deeply with release and water on a Full Moon, and this one was no different. I practiced my Full Moon rituals then fell asleep. In Catalina, there is no other light pollution, only the Moon, and around 2 am she woke me up. She was directly above me. As my eyes popped open and I felt her pulling at my heart. It was if a beam of light went from her to me and we were connected. I could actually feel her aligning my heart, shifting the energy around it. Now, the scientist in me would love to refute this but I know it was reality- the Full Moon aligned me. She aligned my heart. I could have fought it or panicked at the sheer absurdity of it,  but instead, I embraced the connection and the healing that came with it. The release I had put forth in my intentions earlier came effortlessly. An old wound healed and my heart felt the relief. Under that Full Moon, I was finally able to step away from my past into my future all with a little energetic tuning of the Moon.

Does this magic happen every Full Moon? Probably not- but it can. The Moon is powerful and mysterious, her true powers and vibrations are yet to be fully understood. The next time the Full Moon wakes you up, see what she has to say. Instead of fighting her and trying to sleep, embrace the connection and use the time to go deep within, without the distraction of the day.

Need something to do when the Full Moon wakes you up? Try the Full Moon Workbooks. Afterall, it's the whole reason I invented them...