Category: The Witches Moon

Making Moon Water

Making Moon Water

 

Moon water is at its most potent when made on the night of the full moon or during a partial or total lunar eclipse. You can also make it in the two or three days before the full moon if the skies are clear and the moon is shining brightly.

1.   On the night of the full moon (it rises around sunset) set a silver colored or clear crystal bowl outdoors where the moonlight can shine on it.

2.   Half-fill it with still mineral water, if possible from a sacred source, and, if you have any add a few drops of water from a holy well. You can substitute bubbling tap water.

3.   Surround the bowl with pure white flowers or blossoms or small moonstones.

4.   If you have a small silver bell, ring it three times, saying for each ring:

“First the Maiden, now the Mother, then the Wise Grandmother.”

5.  Raise your arms on either side of your head, your hands facing upwards flat with pal uppermost and repeat the same words three times.

6.   Stir the water nine times moonwise (anticlockwise) with a silver colored paper knife (silver being the color and metal of the moon) or an amethyst crystal point. Ask the moon mother to bless the water and those who use it.

7.    If you are not carrying out a moon ceremony, leave the bowl in position, covered with fine mesh, overnight.

8.  Ring the bell three times more before leaving and say:

“Blessings Be.”

9.   If you don’t have a bell, kneel and put your hand round the bowl, saying:

“Blessings Be.”

10.  Using a glass jug and filter, pour the water if possible into small blue, silver or frosted glass bottles that you can seal and keep in your fridge or a cool place until the next full moon night. If you use a plain bottle label it so you don’t mistake it for another magickal water.

11.  Any water left at the end of the moon period should be poured into the ground before moonrise on the next full moon night.

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Making A Moon Altar

Making A Moon Altar

 

1.   Outdoors, use a rock or a table and on it either set a silver tray or make a circle with white stones, shells or clear glass nuggets. Thirteen stones for the 13 moons is most symbolic unless you are superstitious, in which case use nine (for the three by three of the triple moon goddess).

2.   Set the stone circle anticlockwise if following moon lore or keep to the normal clockwise direction if you prefer.

3.   If you are using an indoor altar, place a white or natural beeswax candle at the four main direction points. If you decide to work outdoors,  you can use small, glass enclosed white night lights that will not blow out in the wind or you can rely on the moonlight.

4.  In the center of the altar place a dish of moon water (in beach rituals you can collect sea water, the water ruled by the moon).

5.   Circle this bowl with moonstones of white shells (13 or nine), creating an inner circle.

6.   Position a moon incense to the right of the dish of water as you face west, still within the moonstone inner circle.

7.   You will also need a metal or ceramic oil burner with a night light underneath it to the left of the water bowl with the middle circle as you face west.

8.   You can enclose just the bowl in a third even smaller circle of three small white stones, shells or moonstones, thus giving one circle for each phase of the moon.

9.  The bowl of water will act as the medium for raising the power.

10.  If you have a willow wand (or a pointed twig willow twig), lay this directly in front of the bowl with the tip facing west (outside the innermost circle if you make one).

 

The Phases of the Moon In Magick

The Phases of the Moon In Magick

 

The different phases of the moon offer differing energies that can help not only the timing of a spell, but add power to strengthen a wish (waxing) or can or banish sorrow or bad luck (waning).

The full moon is the most powerful force of all for change and for action. You can follow the different moon phases in the weather section of the paper or a diary or here on this site. But what you see in the sky and what you feel are always your best guides to using moon energies in spell casting. The best way to follow the monthly journey of the moon is to watch her in the sky, not just for one month but for several. Each day in your Book of Shadows write just a line or two on the way you feel and over the months you may detect a pattern that explains hitherto seemingly random mood patterns and energy flows. Even in town you can use building as markers and will not slight variations in position on ensuing months, because of the moon’s irregular path.

Men as well as women are affected by the moon, emotionally and perhaps also physically. If we can tune in with the ebbs and flows then we become more harmonious and able to use natural energy surges as the moon waxes and not try to force ourselves more than necessary or to take risks when the moon is waning.

There are many ways of dividing the moon cycle. In magick there are three main divisions: the waxing or increasing period, the time of the full moon and the waning period. The waxing period is usually calculated from the crescent moon to the night before the full moon. The time of the full moon is calculated as anything from the second the moon becomes full (by purists), the day of the full moon and the period until the next day or even the week of the full moon. the waning period extends until the moon disappears from the sky. The intervening two and a half to three days are called the dark of the moon and while this generally is not used for magick, it is a powerful period for divination and meditation and for allowing the seeds of the future to grow.

The triple divisions accord with the Maiden, Mother and Wise Woman mythology.

Other practitioners have the dual waxing and waning periods with the full moon in the center as the waxing reaches a climax of power.

 

 

Moon Associations For Magick

Moon Associations For Magick

 

There are the general associations given for moon work but there are variations in different traditions.

Element:   Water

Color:   Silver or white

Day of the week:   Monday

Metal:   Silver

Crystals:  Opal (unpolished green or pink ones are very cheap), moonstone, mother of pearl, pearl, selenite, white or pearly sea shells, especially double ones

Animals/birds:   Bat, heron, moth, owl, snake, wolf

Herbs, incenses and oils:   Jasmine, lemon, lemon balm, lotus, mimosa, myrrh, poppy, wintergreen

Flowers:   Any with small white flowers or which are especially fragrant at night

Trees:   Alder, eucalyptus, mimosa, willow

Archangel:   Gabriel

Use moon magick for:    Spells concerning the home and family matters, especially the mother, children and animals. Its prime focus is fertility and it rules over all the ebbs and flows of the human body, mind and psyche. The moon will provide protection, especially while traveling and will aid psychic development, clairvoyance and meaningful dreams. It is potent for all sea and gardening rituals and for herb magick and healing – as well as for keeping secrets.

The Chinese Moons

The Chinese Moons

 

Chinese tradition tells how once there were 12 moons, one for each month of the year. Their mother Heng O, who was also mother of the ten suns washed her 12 moon children in a lake at the western edge of the world and each traveled for their month’s journey to the East where the sun children waited.

In one version the divine archer Yi killed nine of the sun children and was punished by their father (whom he also killed)by being made mortal. Yi then married Heng O, who agreed to spare her life and those of the moon children, if she became his wife. But he tricked her and killed 11 of the moon children as well. She stole from him the herb of immortality and fled with her youngest child to the skies where Yi could not follow her. Here she took the form of the toad who can still be seen in the moon and who is a symbol of prosperity and good luck in China. In some versions all the moon children were saved and they went to the physical moon from which each still flies his moon chariot on his appointed month high across the sky so that Yi cannot harm him.

Mythology of the Moon

Mythology of the Moon

 

In legend, the Moon was seen as the home of the Goddess or as the Goddess Herself and like the Sun was among the first things to be created.

The Creation Of The Moon

The Navajo legend tells of the creation of the Sun and Moon. The first people emerged from the Underworld to live on the surface of the Earth. But the Earth was dark and cold and so First Man and First Woman fashioned two disks from glowing crystal quartz to form the Sun and Moon so that there would be light by both day and night.

First the Sun disk was adorned with a mask of blue turquoise with red coral around its edge and it offered warmth as well as light. First Man and First Woman next attached eagle and lark feathers to the Sun so that its light and heat would be cast to all four corners of the Earth. The Sun disk was fixed in the Eastern sky with lightning darts. First Man and First Woman paused to admire the great beauty they had created for the day and then turned to the night.

The moon disk was decorated with clear shimmering crystal and pearl white shells, and like the Sun was fixed high in the sky. But to the sorrow of the first people, their creations were static and lifeless.

Two wise old men offered their spirits to the disks that they might live and move forever. First Man and First Woman then marked out the daily path of the Sun by fixing twelve eagle feathers at equal points. At dawn, the Sun began to move across the sky, warming and illuminating all in the blackness beneath. At dusk, the Sun returned tired from his journey, and the Moon, also adorned with eagle feathers began his course.

However, Wind Boy, who thought it unfair that the Moon should have to travel so far by night alone, blew his strong breezes so that the moon might glide effortlessly across the darkened heavens. However, the moon’s eagle feathers blew across his face, temporarily blinding him and so to this day the moon follows an irregular passage across the night sky.

Casting Your Spells – Working by the Moon

Casting Your Spells

Working By The Moon

Moon time is the oldest measurement of time used by humans and it accords with our natural rhythms in the lives of men as well as women. In magick, we primarily look to the moon for timings.

The waxing or increasing moon from the crescent to the night before the full moon is potent for all forms of attracting magick, for the gradual increase of money, love, happiness or health and for fertility spells. These powers will grow daily as the physical moon size increases, to reach their height on the full moon.

The full moon represents a surge of power that can be plugged into for fertility, that consummation of love or commitment, a major money gain or for launching a creative venture. Also, because the full moon is unstable, this day and night is good for initiating change.

The waning moon helps us to let go of what we no longer need or wish for in our lives and banish pain, sorrow or a destructive influence; a perfect phase for starting diet spells. As the moon decreases in size so the pull that holds negative people or factors in your life likewise weakens.

Moon Void Of Course

This term does not mean that the moon is invalid and everyone knows it but you. Void of Course refers to the time the moon spends between astrological signs. The term “void” refers to empty, and “course” refers to the path the moon travels. Technically, when the moon is void of course it means it has left the last aspect of one sign, and has not yet achieved the first aspect of the next sign. When you’re attempting to use lunar energy and the moon is between signs in this way, clearly defined lunar energy isn’t accessible.

Think of it as someone going through a tunnel when you’re trying to talk to them on a cell phone: their signal cuts out and you can’t communicate until they’re back on the open road again. It’s the same with the moon

A void can be anywhere between a few minutes to nearly two-day long.  The best thing to do is check an astrological calendar for lunar positions. A regular wall calendar or agenda usually tells you the moon phase, but nothing more. Pick up a copy of the Farmer’s Almanac and you’ll be able to plot out spells.

Can you perform a spell when the moon is void of course? Of course you can. You’d be better to draw on something other than lunar energy to power it, because otherwise your efforts are likely to fizzle.

Moon Signs

Just as the sun does, the moon travels through the constellations of stars that we call the zodiac; or astrological signs. Whereas the sun take a year to travel through them all, spending approximately thirty days in  each sign, the moon usually spends two and a half days in a sign, thus  passing through the whole zodiac in approximately one lunar month. Does the moon actually travel through these signs? No, of course not. It appears to do so from our vantage point on Earth, however.

Each sign has a different personality that affects the lunar (or solar) energy when the luminary is passing through it. For example, if your spell is to help you meet new people, then you might choose to cast it when the moon is in the sign of Libra, the sign associated with social issues.  The lunar energy you use to power your spell will be enhanced with Libran energy. Here’s a list of correspondences for the signs of the Zodiac. The correspondences are applicable to the moon, and of course to the sun as well:

  • Aries   energy is good for new beginnings and action

  • Taurus   energy is good for manifestation

  • Gemini   energy is excellent for communication and intellectual pursuits

  • Cancer   energy is associated with family and the home

  • Leo   energy is good for success

  • Virgo   energy is organized and practical

  • Libra   energy is terrific for social issues

  • Scorpio   energy is passionate and just

  • Sagittarius   energy is associated with study

  • Capricorn   energy is stable and good for business issues

  • Aquarius   energy is excellent for issues involving groups of people

  • Pisces energy is associated with mysticism and spiritual evolution