Small Batch Under a New Moon
Photo of handcrafted soap by Tasia Mantzoros. Lavender + Sandalwood Bar. Prepared on the 4/27/2025 New moon. Cut and Packaged on 4/30/2025
There is something undeniably sacred about crafting under a New Moon—a practice steeped in ancient wisdom, reverence, and the quiet knowing that nature's rhythms hold profound power. As the moon reaches its luminous peak, its energy spills over the earth, illuminating the unseen, amplifying intention, and stirring creativity in those attuned to its glow. This is the night I choose to craft my small batch soaps—not merely as a maker, but as a participant in an age-old ritual of transformation.
The ancient Egyptians understood the celestial symphony, aligning purification rites and healing elixirs with the phases of the moon. Under moonlight, they prepared herbal infusions, believing its energy could enhance the restorative properties of plants. Ayurvedic practitioners, too, acknowledged the full moon as a potent moment for harnessing the life force of botanicals, carefully timing herbal preparations to ensure their vibrational harmony. Among Native American tribes, full moon ceremonies centered around sacred herbs like sage and sweetgrass, drawn into rituals of cleansing and renewal. In medieval Europe, herbalists gathered their plants by moonlight, convinced that lunar energy strengthened their medicinal potency. Even Traditional Chinese medicine recognizes the dance of yin and yang within the waxing and waning moon, using its cycles to guide healing practices.
In honoring these traditions, I craft my soaps with reverence—not simply as a blend of oils and botanicals, but as an offering to the abundant gifts of nature. I select ingredients with care, choosing herbs that cleanse, soothe, and ground. Frankincense, known for its ties to ancient purification rituals, swirls into the mix, connecting me to its time-honored essence. The Lavender lends its calming embrace. A touch of myrrh whispers of protection, wisdom, and the echoes of ceremonies once performed beneath moonlit skies.
The process is slow and deliberate, each movement infused with intention. The stirring of oils, the gentle folding of botanicals, the patient waiting as the batch takes form—all feel like an invocation, a quiet communion with something greater than myself. As I pour the soap into its molds, the full moon watches, casting its silver glow over my work.
This moment reminds me that crafting is more than creation—it is connection. It is a recognition that nature provides, that energy lingers in the spaces between, and that to make with mindfulness is to weave oneself into a lineage of makers who, across time and culture, have honored the moon’s presence in their work.
As I cut and gently wrap the soap I crafted the night of the New Moon, I whisper my gratitude for its healing power. For the moon, for the plants, for the knowledge passed down through generations. And when the bars are finally ready, they will carry the imprint of this night—the stillness, the intention, the quiet power of the full moon’s embrace.
