Full Moon Love Release: Letting Go of Past Relationships

The Full Moon's Gift of Release

The full moon illuminates everything—including what we need to let go of. When it comes to love, this bright lunar phase offers the perfect energetic window for releasing past relationships, healing heartbreak, and cutting cords that keep you tethered to what no longer serves you.

While new moon magic calls things in, full moon magic releases them. And sometimes, the most powerful love spell you can cast is the one that sets you free.

Let's explore how to use full moon energy to let go of past love and make space for what's truly meant for you.

Why Full Moon for Love Release?

The full moon represents culmination, illumination, and completion—making it the ideal time for release work.

Full moon energy supports love release because:

• Maximum illumination: The full moon reveals what's been hidden, including attachments you didn't realize you were holding
• Peak power: Lunar energy is at its strongest, giving you the force needed to break energetic bonds
• Natural completion: The full moon marks the end of a cycle, perfect for closing chapters
• Emotional amplification: Feelings surface more easily, allowing for deep cathartic release
• Cleansing energy: Full moon light purifies and clears stagnant emotional energy

If you've been holding onto an ex, a past hurt, or a relationship pattern that keeps repeating, the full moon is your ally in letting it go.

What to Release on Full Moon

Full moon love release rituals are perfect for:

Ideal for full moon release:

• Energetic cords to an ex-partner
• Lingering feelings for someone unavailable
• Heartbreak and emotional pain from past relationships
• Toxic relationship patterns that keep repeating
• Resentment, anger, or unforgiveness toward a past partner
• Limiting beliefs about love and worthiness
• Attachment to a specific outcome or person
• Fear of vulnerability or intimacy

Not ideal for full moon:

• Calling in new love (use new moon)
• Building attraction (use waxing moon)
• Deep shadow work (use dark moon)

Signs You Need a Full Moon Release

You'll know it's time for a full moon love release ritual if:

• You keep thinking about an ex despite wanting to move on
• You're attracting the same type of unhealthy partner repeatedly
• You feel energetically drained when thinking about past relationships
• You're unable to fully open your heart to new connections
• You're holding onto anger, resentment, or hurt from the past
• You feel stuck in your love life with no forward movement
• You're comparing every new person to someone from your past
• You have dreams about ex-partners or unresolved relationships

Full Moon Love Release Ritual

This powerful ceremony helps you cut cords and release past love:

You'll need:

• White candle (purification)
• Black candle (banishing)
• Paper and pen
• Fireproof bowl or cauldron
• Black tourmaline or obsidian (grounding and protection)
• Scissors or athame (for cord cutting)
• Salt water in a bowl
• Access to full moon light (window or outdoors)

The ritual:

1. Prepare under moonlight (5 minutes)
Set up your space where you can see the full moon. Arrange your tools. Light both candles. Place the black tourmaline in front of you for grounding.

2. Call in protection (3 minutes)
Cast a circle of salt around your space. Say: "I am protected and safe as I release what no longer serves me. Only love and light may enter this space."

3. Write what you're releasing (10 minutes)
On the paper, write everything you're letting go of. Be specific. Include the person's name if relevant, the emotions you're releasing, the patterns you're breaking.

Example:
"I release my attachment to [name]. I release the pain of our ending. I release the hope that we'll get back together. I release the pattern of choosing emotionally unavailable partners. I release my fear of being alone. I release all cords, contracts, and karma between us."

4. Read aloud to the moon (5 minutes)
Stand or sit facing the full moon. Read your list aloud with conviction. Let yourself feel the emotions that arise. Cry if you need to. Scream if you need to. The full moon can hold it all.

5. Cord cutting visualization (10 minutes)
Close your eyes. Visualize the person or pattern you're releasing. See the energetic cords connecting you—they might look like ropes, chains, or threads of light. Take your scissors or athame and physically cut the air in front of you while visualizing cutting each cord. Say with each cut: "I cut this cord. I am free. You are free. We are released."

6. Burn the release (5 minutes)
Carefully burn the paper in the fireproof bowl. As it burns, say: "As this paper turns to ash, so does my attachment dissolve. I release you to the full moon's light. I am free. So mote it be."

7. Cleanse with elements (5 minutes)
- Wash your hands in the salt water (purification)
- Pass your hands through the candle smoke (transformation)
- Hold the black tourmaline (grounding)
- Stand in the moonlight (blessing)

8. Fill the void with self-love (5 minutes)
Place both hands over your heart. Visualize the space where the cords were now filling with golden, loving light. Say: "I fill this space with love for myself. I am whole. I am complete. I am ready for what's truly meant for me."

9. Gratitude and closing (3 minutes)
Thank the full moon for witnessing your release. Thank yourself for having the courage to let go. Blow out the candles. Dispose of the ashes by burying them or releasing them to running water.

10. Ground and integrate (5 minutes)
Eat something grounding (chocolate, bread, nuts). Drink water. Journal about how you feel. Rest.

Advanced Full Moon Release Techniques

Deepen your release work with these additions:

Cord cutting bath:
Before the ritual, take a bath with salt, rosemary, and black tourmaline. Visualize all cords dissolving in the water. Drain the tub and watch them go down the drain.

Photo release:
If you have photos of the person, burn them during the ritual (safely) or bury them in the earth, returning the energy to the ground.

Letter burning:
Write a letter to your ex saying everything you never got to say. Read it aloud to the moon, then burn it. This isn't about them receiving it—it's about you releasing it.

Mirror work:
After cutting cords, look in a mirror under moonlight and say: "I see you. I love you. I release you from the past. You are free to love again."

Sound release:
Use a singing bowl, drum, or your own voice to create sound that breaks up stagnant energy. Scream, tone, or chant to release.

What Happens After Release

In the days following your full moon release ritual, you may experience:

Immediate effects (1-3 days):

• Emotional exhaustion (this is normal—you did deep work)
• Vivid dreams about the person or situation
• Final waves of grief or anger surfacing
• Physical sensations of lightness or spaciousness
• Sudden clarity about the relationship

Integration period (1-2 weeks):

• Less frequent thoughts about the person
• Reduced emotional charge when you do think of them
• More energy and vitality
• Increased self-love and confidence
• New opportunities or connections appearing

Long-term shifts (1-3 months):

• Complete emotional neutrality toward the person
• Ability to wish them well genuinely
• Breaking of old relationship patterns
• Attracting healthier connections
• Feeling truly free and available for new love

Supporting Your Release Between Full Moons

After your ritual, maintain the release with daily practices:

Morning practice:
Affirm: "I am free from the past. I am open to the present. I am ready for my future."

When thoughts of the person arise:
Visualize cutting the cord again. Say: "I release you. I am free." Redirect your attention to the present moment.

Weekly check-in:
Journal about your progress. Notice what's shifted. Celebrate small victories.

Self-love practices:
Fill the space the person occupied with self-care, hobbies, friendships, and activities that bring you joy.

Boundary setting:
If the person tries to contact you, maintain firm boundaries. Your release is sacred.

When Release Feels Incomplete

Sometimes one full moon ritual isn't enough for deep attachments. That's okay.

If you still feel attached after the ritual:

Repeat monthly: Do the full moon release ritual for 3-6 consecutive full moons. Deep cords take time to fully dissolve.

Add therapy: Professional support can help you process what magic alone can't reach.

Do shadow work: Explore why you're holding on. What need was this person meeting? How can you meet it yourself?

Practice forgiveness: Forgiveness doesn't mean condoning their behavior—it means freeing yourself from carrying the weight of resentment.

Be patient: Healing isn't linear. Some days will feel like progress, others like regression. Trust the process.

Releasing Without Bitterness

The goal of full moon release isn't to hate the person or the relationship—it's to free yourself with love.

Healthy release includes:

• Acknowledging what was good about the relationship
• Recognizing what you learned
• Forgiving yourself for any mistakes
• Wishing the person well (even if from a distance)
• Gratitude for the growth the relationship brought

You can release someone and still honor what you shared. The two aren't mutually exclusive.

Full Moon Release for Patterns, Not Just People

You can also use full moon magic to release relationship patterns:

Pattern release examples:

• "I release the pattern of choosing partners who are emotionally unavailable"
• "I release the belief that I'm not worthy of healthy love"
• "I release the need to fix or save my partners"
• "I release the fear of being alone"
• "I release the pattern of losing myself in relationships"

These pattern releases can be even more powerful than person-specific releases because they prevent the cycle from repeating.

Combining with New Moon Magic

For complete love transformation, pair your full moon release with new moon intention:

Full Moon: Release the ex, the pain, the pattern

Two weeks later, New Moon: Set intentions for the healthy love you're now ready to receive

This creates a complete cycle of clearing and calling in.

Your Liberation Journey

Full moon love release is an act of self-love. You're choosing your own freedom over the comfort of familiar pain. You're choosing your future over your past.

The full moon doesn't judge what you're releasing. It simply illuminates it, holds space for it, and helps you let it go.

Every cord you cut is a declaration: "I am worthy of love that doesn't hurt. I am ready for what's truly meant for me."

Stand in the full moon's light. Release what's heavy. Make space for what's light.

You are free.