Slowly, silently, now the moon
Walks the night in her silver shoon;
This way, and that, she peers, and sees
Silver fruit upon silver trees.– Walter de la Mare
From the first moment that humans looked up into the sky, they felt an intense draw to the ever-changing moon. While the sun offers us assurance and reliability, easing up into the sky each day and dipping behind the horizon every evening, lengthening and shortening the days as the earth moves around it in orbit, the moon reminds us that all things are transient. The moon rides her month long cycle, showing her bright, full face and then gradually turning away again to leave us in the darkness.
Honoring the moon as it moves through its cycles is yet another way of celebrating ourselves and our place in the natural world, as well as honoring the cycles that move through our own bodies and human lifestyle.
The phase of the moon lends the energy of the cycle of new beginnings, fruition, lessening, and banishment. The New Moon period is a time of growth and fresh starts. Waxing Moon is a good time to begin actions and work toward adding to your life in some way. Full Moon is a time of fruition and fullness. Waning Moon is a time to work toward what you would like to have leave your life and diminish. Dark of the Moon (the period before the moon breaks out new in the sky) is a great time for banishing things.
Nearly all goals can be phrased in such a way as to use the energy of the moon phase in which you are working. For instance, if my goal is to lose weight, I might be momentarily stymied if it is a New Moon. New Moons are for gaining, not for losing. I can, however, ask for will power, good health, a strong and vibrant body, greater self-esteem, etc. Working for wealth and prosperity during a waning moon can switch over to banishing poverty and want. Just turn your wishes inside out to fit the moon cycle.
New Moon:
New Moons are used for internalized work that often takes the form of meditation, visualization and relaxation exercises and chakra balancing work. We may also use the New Moon to start a manifestation process that will culminate at the Full Moon if there is something that we would like to bring into being. New Moons are a time of deep introspection and self-study. This time of intense introspection provides the clarity we need in order to plan wise manifestation in the coming waxing phase.
Waxing Moon:
Waxing Moons occur during the time between New Moon and Full Moon and are dedicated to the energy of manifestation. During this time, we create, build, and develop, bringing new projects into being.
Full Moon:
Humans react to what they see and a as result, the Full Moon may be used as a time to celebrate what we have received that has come into full manifestation (The Full Moon representing the “full result”). Full Moons were historically a time of tremendous work because of the extra light they provided. Now, we use Full Moon energy to honor what we have created.
Waning Moon:
Waning Moons are the time between Full Moon and New Moon and during this time our focus is on what we wish to diminish or eliminate in our lives. As the moon begins to get smaller in the sky, we use that energy to assist in the removal of attitudes, circumstances, and connections that no longer serve our greatest good. This is when we banish what no longer serves us.
Dark of the Moon:
The Dark of the Moon is traditionally the last three days of the lunar cycle, just prior to the appearance of the first sliver of New Moon in the night sky. During Dark of the Moon, the energy is best for scrying and divination as it is a time of tremendous psychic power. It is a time of stasis, rest, and quiet before the manifestation time of New Moon begins.
How to Use the Moon Phases in Magic
Just as the moon’s light is a reflection of light generated by the sun, the cycles of the moon reflect the sun’s cycles as well. The sun is “birthed” Winter Solstice when the light begins to incrementally return to the sky (New Moon). It reaches its fullness at Midsummer when we have the longest day of the year (Full Moon) and it takes us into darkness at Samhain (Dark of the Moon). As my husband and I described in the book CUSP, we can use the cycles of the year to tackle large projects and create long-term, major life changes. Similarly, we can use the moon phases for more immediate needs.
As the moon grows, manifest wealth, security, and prosperity.
As the moon wanes, banish poverty, lacking, and fear.
As the moon grows, manifest health, strength, and well-being.
As the moon wanes, banish illness, insomnia, and fatigue.
As the moon grows, manifest love, romance, and healthy companionship.
As the moon wanes, banish toxic relationships, loneliness, and social awkwardness.
As the moon grows, manifest joy, gratitude, and self-love.
As the moon wanes, banish insecurity, obstacles to success, and negative self-talk.
My favorite cycle to work for moon magic is full to new to full again. This allows me to spend two weeks banishing obstacles to the success of the work as the moon wanes. I then build what I want to achieve for the coming two weeks of waxing and celebrate my success in the moon’s fullness once again.
After a few months of working with moon magic on a regular basis, it becomes natural to automatically know what phase the moon is in simply by how the energy feels. Like those 3-D, Magic Eye pictures, it takes time and practice to tune into the energy of the moon, but once you find your groove with it, it is easy step right into this flow of magical energy that is there for us any night of the month. Once you train your inner eye to see the energy flow, it is suddenly right there.