A Ritual Guide by Amod Aromas
Setting Intentions with the Moon: A Complete Guide to Lunar Rituals
A gentle guide to working with the changing moon through intention, reflection, ritual and the quiet language of scent.
There is something instinctive about looking towards the moon when we need a moment to pause. Its changing shape gives the night sky a rhythm: darkness becomes a sliver of light, the light grows, reaches fullness, and then slowly disappears again.
For many people, this rhythm offers a beautiful framework for personal rituals. The moon does not need to dictate what you believe or how you practise. Instead, its phases can simply provide a recurring invitation to ask: What am I beginning? What am I nurturing? What has come to fruition? And what am I ready to release?
A lunar ritual does not have to be elaborate. It might be ten quiet minutes with a journal, a cleansing bath, meditation before bed, a walk beneath the night sky, a gratitude practice or time spent intentionally doing nothing at all.
Scent can become part of that experience too. Lighting incense gives the ritual a sensory beginning and ending — a small act that tells the mind that this time is different from ordinary time.
Understanding the Lunar Cycle
A lunar cycle moves through four broad movements: new, waxing, full and waning. Within those movements are eight recognisable phases, each offering a slightly different mood for reflection and ritual.
The practices below are not rules. Think of them as prompts. You might find that a particular ritual feels meaningful to you at a different phase, or that your own associations with a scent, season or moon phase differ completely.
What matters most is creating a practice that feels personal enough to return to.
New Moon
Stillness · Beginnings · Intention
With little or no moonlight visible, the New Moon has traditionally been associated with darkness, potential and the beginning of something not yet visible. It can be a particularly lovely time to step away from constant stimulation and listen to what you actually want.
- Begin by clearing your space. Tidy the surface where you will sit, dim the lights and put away anything that might distract you.
- Sit quietly for five minutes. Close your eyes and breathe slowly before deciding what you want from the coming cycle.
- Write down one to three intentions. Phrase them as something you are welcoming or embodying rather than something you are lacking.
- Read your intentions aloud. Let the words become something you have consciously acknowledged, rather than thoughts that remain in your head.
- Keep your intentions somewhere you will encounter them again. A journal, bedside table or personal altar can become a quiet reminder throughout the cycle.
Try meditation, visualisation, tarot or other forms of reflection, create a vision board, begin a creative project, refresh a personal altar, or simply spend an evening without social media or unnecessary noise.
Waxing Crescent Moon
Hope · Growth · First Steps
The Waxing Crescent is a phase of beginnings in motion. You may not see results yet, but something has shifted: an idea has been planted, a decision has been made, or a new direction has become possible.
Return to the intention you created at the New Moon.
Choose one practical action that will move it forward and complete that action before the day is over.
It can be remarkably small. Send the email. Open the book. Take the walk. Make the appointment. Write the first paragraph. The purpose is not to complete the whole journey, but to turn intention into motion.
Take a walk, practise yoga, stretch slowly or spend ten minutes moving without your phone.
As you move, think about the direction you are choosing rather than the destination you need to reach.
If you would like to bring scent into this phase, light Citrus Sorbet while journaling or beginning your chosen action. Its bright citrus character can become a sensory marker for freshness, movement and the feeling of starting something new. Find Citrus sorbet here 
First Quarter Moon
Action · Decisions · Commitment
The First Quarter Moon can be used as a practical checkpoint. What have you actually done since the New Moon? Where have you hesitated? What obstacle needs a different approach?
- Re-read your New Moon intentions.
- Write down what has moved forward.
- Name one obstacle honestly. Avoid judging yourself for it. Simply identify it.
- Choose one adjustment. Decide what you will do differently over the coming week.
Light a candle, sit comfortably and spend several minutes watching the flame without trying to solve anything.
When your mind settles, speak one affirmation connected to your intention. Keep it simple: I move with purpose. I trust my decisions. Progress is possible.
Light Scent Waves during your check-in, particularly when you are ready to move from reflection into action. Allow the fragrance to become associated with the decision or commitment you are making. Find Scent waves here
Waxing Gibbous Moon
Refinement · Preparation · Focus
By this stage, you may have gathered momentum. The Waxing Gibbous phase asks you to pay attention to the details: what needs improving, what needs more energy and what can be simplified?
Choose one project, intention or area of your life and spend 30 uninterrupted minutes improving it.
Put your phone away. Make the space comfortable. Work slowly enough to notice what you are doing.
Cook, paint, write, arrange flowers, make something with your hands or work on a creative project that allows you to become completely absorbed.
Creativity does not need to have a productive outcome. The ritual is simply about giving your attention fully to something.
Light Artisanal Delight while you work, journal or create. Let the fragrance mark the transition into focused time — something you can return to whenever you want to recreate that sense of concentration. Find Artisanal delight here
Full Moon
Illumination · Gratitude · Celebration
Rather than treating the Full Moon only as a time for making wishes, consider it a moment of recognition. Look back at where you began. Celebrate progress that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Run a warm bath, dim the lights and allow yourself to spend the evening without rushing.
You can add a small amount of bath salt if appropriate for you, or simply make the water itself part of the ritual. Keep the experience simple: breathe, relax and notice what comes to mind.
- Write two lists: “What Has Grown” and “What I Am Ready to Release.”
- Read the first list aloud. Let yourself acknowledge the progress, people and experiences you are grateful for.
- Read the second list quietly. You do not need to solve everything tonight. Simply acknowledge what you no longer wish to carry.
The floral character of Jardins de l'Inde makes it a natural companion to a Full Moon ritual centred around appreciation, beauty and presence. Light it during your bath, gratitude practice or evening reflection. Find Jardins de l'inde here
Step outside if the night is clear and spend a few quiet minutes looking at the moon.
You do not need to perform anything. Let simply being outside become the ritual.
Waning Gibbous Moon
Gratitude · Release · Reflection
The Waning Gibbous is a useful phase for looking back without judgement. What did the cycle teach you? Which expectations no longer fit? What are you carrying simply because you have carried it for a long time?
Choose one small area — a drawer, shelf, desk or bedside table — and remove anything you no longer need.
Physical decluttering can become a simple metaphor for the internal work of releasing what has become unnecessary.
Practise slow stretching, yin yoga or restorative movement while focusing on long, relaxed breaths.
With each exhale, imagine creating a little more space.
Light Celestial Scent while decluttering, journaling or practising slow movement. Its deeper botanical character can act as a sensory cue for turning inward and making space. Find Celestial scent waves here
Last Quarter Moon
Closure · Forgiveness · Surrender
Write a letter to a person, situation or former version of yourself that you are ready to make peace with.
Say everything you need to say without worrying about how it will be received. This letter does not need to be sent.
When you are finished, fold it away, tear it into pieces or otherwise put it somewhere you will not continue revisiting it.
Take a warm bath, read a few pages of a book, stretch gently or go to bed earlier than usual.
The Last Quarter does not need to be productive. Sometimes closure begins by allowing yourself to stop.
Light Exotique during a quiet evening, reflective bath or journaling practice. Allow the scent to become a marker for the transition from holding on to letting go. Find Exotique here
Waning Crescent Moon
Rest · Surrender · Renewal
There is a temptation to treat every phase as an opportunity to do something. The Waning Crescent offers a different lesson: sometimes the ritual is rest.
This is the time to reduce the noise, restore your energy and let the previous cycle settle before deciding what comes next.
Turn off unnecessary notifications, make yourself a warm drink, dim the lights and give yourself permission to have an unproductive evening.
If your body wants movement, choose gentle stretching or restorative yoga. If it wants stillness, simply rest.
- Read back through your lunar journal.
- Write down three things you learned.
- Write down one thing you no longer need to carry into the next cycle.
- Close the journal and leave the final question unanswered. The next New Moon will offer space for a new beginning.
Making Scent Part of Your Lunar Ritual
Scent does not have to be the ritual itself. It can simply be the element that helps you enter it.
Try lighting your incense a few minutes before beginning your practice. Put your phone away. Take a few slow breaths. Notice the fragrance as the room changes. Then begin your journaling, meditation, bath, movement or reflection.
Over time, returning to the same scent during a particular phase can create a sensory association with that kind of attention. The fragrance becomes a familiar signal: this is my time to slow down.
You might therefore create a simple lunar scent ritual around the phases for which you have a preferred Amod fragrance:
Waxing Crescent
Citrus Sorbet — Bergamot, Neroli & Tea
Light it before a morning walk, intention check-in or the first practical step towards a new goal.
First Quarter
Scent Waves — Geranium, Rosewood, Clove & Ambergris
Light it before making a decision, working through an obstacle or committing to your next action.
Waxing Gibbous
Artisanal Delight — Mandarin, Rosemary & Patchouli
Light it when you need uninterrupted time for creative work, preparation or refinement.
Full Moon
Jardins de l'Inde — Rose, Tuberose & Violets
Light it during a gratitude practice, cleansing bath or quiet celebration of what has grown.
Waning Gibbous
Celestial Scent — Basil, Rose, Labdanum & Oakmoss
Light it while decluttering, journaling or reflecting on what you are ready to release.
Last Quarter
Exotique — Pine Needle, Eucalyptus & Elemi
Light it during a quiet evening of forgiveness, closure, stretching or reflective journaling.
For the New Moon and Waning Crescent, you can simply work without a designated scent, or choose a fragrance that already holds personal meaning for you. The most important part of the ritual is the intention you bring to it.
Your Lunar Ritual, Your Way
A lunar practice does not have to look like anyone else's. You may prefer a highly structured ritual with candles, journaling and incense, or you may find that your most meaningful practice is simply stepping outside to look at the moon before bed.
You can work with one phase, follow the entire cycle or return to the same ritual whenever you need it. You can write intentions, meditate, move your body, take a bath, make something with your hands, practise gratitude or consciously let something go.
The value lies in creating a pause — a moment in which you step out of the pace of everyday life and listen to yourself.
And perhaps that is the most beautiful part of working with the moon: there is always another phase. Another opportunity to begin. Another chance to grow. Another evening to release what has become too heavy.
A Ritual for Every Cycle
The moon does not ask us to remain in one state. It changes, disappears, returns and changes again.
Let your rituals do the same.
Some nights may call for intention. Others for action. Some for celebration, some for release and some for nothing more than rest.
Light an incense. Open your journal. Take a bath. Go outside. Breathe. Or simply sit quietly for a while.
Whatever form your ritual takes, let it be a small reminder that you are allowed to move through your own cycles too.
reflect, release and begin again.