Part 4 – 🌘 How to Embrace a Waning Moon: A Time for Deep Inner Healing

donna conley
Jul 15
2 min read

As the moon begins to wane, its soft retreat invites us into our own. This final phase of the lunar cycle is not for striving or pushing—it’s for releasing. For forgiving. For gently laying down what we've carried for too long.

We often hear the phrase “let it go,” but what does that truly mean? Letting go isn’t a single action. It’s a layered, courageous surrender. It’s not about forgetting the pain or pretending it didn’t matter—it’s about choosing not to carry it anymore. The waning moon asks us to unburden ourselves so that we may begin again, lighter and more aligned.

🌿 This Phase Is for:

Releasing emotional weight
Surrendering pain, shame, and guilt
Practicing radical self-care
Forgiving yourself and others
Honoring your past while choosing your future
Returning to the body through mindfulness, breathwork, and rest

What Are You Ready to Let Go Of?

Maybe it’s a relationship that no longer supports you. Maybe it’s the story you tell yourself about your worth. Or perhaps it's a grief that has shaped your life for so long, you forgot who you were before it.

Letting go isn’t logical. Emotions are not neat. They are nonlinear, messy, and beautifully human.

That’s why we need this moon phase—to allow feelings to surface without judgment, so they can flow through us instead of staying trapped within.

Reflective Practice: Shadow Journaling

Sit with yourself under the fading moonlight.

Ask:

What am I holding onto that’s no longer mine to carry?
What behavior, belief, or relationship is draining my energy?
Where do I still feel shame, guilt, or anger?
What part of me is asking for forgiveness?

Write with compassion. Cry if you need to. Let this be an act of release, not resistance.

Visualize your burdens as balloons. Watch yourself as you release them.

Return to Your Body

Our bodies hold what our minds cannot.

As we process emotions, they need somewhere to go.

Breathwork, movement, grounding practices, and mindful rest can help restore flow. Place your hand on your heart and ask, “What does my body need from me right now?”

Forgiveness as Freedom

Forgiveness of self is perhaps the deepest work of all. Forgive yourself for what you did while trying to survive. For the decisions you made before you knew better. For the ways you coped. For the times you forgot your worth.

You are not your wounds. You are not your mistakes. You are the one brave enough to heal.

Choose Love as the Waning Moon Grows Dark

As the sky darkens, we’re reminded that rest is sacred. In the stillness of the dark moon, we plant the seeds of our next chapter. But before we do, we must make room.

Let this final phase be your invitation to stop gripping and start trusting. Trust that it’s safe to let go. Trust that what’s meant for you will rise again. Trust that you can love yourself through anything.

Affirmation:

I forgive. I surrender. I choose love.

I let go of what no longer serves me so I may step fully into who I am becoming.

Looking for support on your emotional healing journey?

🌕 Explore my books, Reiki, sound healing, meditation, and courses at Wild Moon Healers