What are some good practices to follow during the full moon? I used to congregate with my close friends/found family and discuss themes related to the corresponding moon, but I've decided to pull back from socializing to explore my spirituality more singularly.
First off, thanks for the ask, I got super busy right when I decided to try and start it, I will try and make more posts in the coming week :S
In regards to your question, my Esbat ritual is one based on self-acceptance. I see the Full Moon as a mirror; and just as She reflects the light of the sun, so too does She reflect the true image of ourselves—that is, the Beast within. I start my Esbat with an offering of cake and wine, inviting both divine Luna and my inner Beast to partake. This being done, the rest of the night is for indulging my animalistic tendencies: eating good food, guilt-free rest and relaxation, and shameless uh, 'physical pleasure'.
Essentially, the focus is on being okay with the parts of me that contemporary society would consider "sinful" but are really just aspects of being an animal trying to survive: hunger, energy conservation, sexual reproduction, etc. Self-acceptance has a part in every day of the lunar cycle, of course, and so too does self-improvement. It's just on the Esbat, self-improvement steps aside for the acceptance to shine.
As a final note, this is not a justification to be harmful to others. Animal that I am, I may desire to overeat, but I need not hunt for my food; nor does anyone else owe me pleasure that I seek to satisfy. Violence and aggression may be natural, but I need not protect or extend my territory, and so have no need for it. I have shelter, I have food, and I have self-love. My inner Beast has no need to enter conflict with others.
