Full Moon Sesame Bath

By Dana Gerhardt

Lighting candles and performing rituals is wonderful, but celebrating the Moon with
ordinary gestures can be even sweeter and more intimate.

Everything is juicier and more out-of-control during the Full Moon. That makes this
short sweet massage with sesame oil especially rich and rewarding. It is grounding
and beautifying. It’s an easy way to tune into the Full Moon every month. But it might
be especially nice this month, when the political madness crazies can knock you off
your feet.

Here’s the practice (to be performed on the days before, during, and after the Full
Moon): Get naked. Before stepping into your bath or shower, have some cold-
pressed (untreated) sesame oil available. Massage it on your face with a loving,
circular motion, into your scalp too. Rub it on your feet. With nice long strokes take it
up your legs. Massage your thighs, belly, curves, and breasts. Rub it into your
shoulders, arms and neck.

Leave it on for a few minutes as it absorbs into the skin (I do a few standing yoga
postures while I’m waiting, but you could also sing, dance, or drum your fingers).
Then step into your daily bath or shower as usual. You won’t need extra soap. As
your pores open, the oil is cleansing, detoxifying, and nourishing your
body. Afterwards, as you towel yourself dry, notice the difference in your skin and
spirit.

Ayurvedic doctors recommend this as a daily practice. I do it often throughout the

month, but I’ve noticed its effects are most pronounced during the Full Moon.
Sesame is a hardy plant that grows where little else can grow; it has served mankind
for milennia. It’s packed with nutrients; it’s antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral,
antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory. Massaging with it helps to increase circulation,
calm the nerves, center the mind, soften the skin, tone the muscles, energize the
spirit, and bring deeper sleep. The Full Moon multiplies all these benefits.

This is truly a Moon potion as the Moon rules both sesame seeds and your body—
which suggests a wonderful contemplation during your practice. Become aware that
the Goddess is in the oil—and in the beautiful body that your hands are
touching. Ahhh… what a lovely way to honor the Full Moon.

If you’d like to connect to the Moon throughout the month in greater depth, if you like
to journal and/or muse on your place in the celestial scheme of things, you may
enjoy my enrolling in my monthly Moon workshop (by snail-mail or email). It’s
designed to deepen your relationship with the primary guardians of natural time, the
Sun, the Moon, the zodiac, and your inner wise one.