“In ancient times, the moon was known and worshipped as The Great Mother, whose feminine essence was contained in the dark, fertile places of a woman’s body and in the blood that flowed from the womb each month. From Her, all life came forth and will at the end, return to Her again. It is She who nourishes, heals, and guides us. It is The Great Mother’s gentle, magnetic pull and beautiful light that calls down our blood.” From my book, ‘You are Woman, You Are Divine’.
THE 9 MOONS OF MAGIC
I look up often, to the beautiful, and magnificent moon to see where she is in her journey across the sky, so that I will know where I am in mine, here on earth. Each phase and astrological sign that she moves into offers me very specific and very helpful guidance for when I should be in stillness, action, expansion and contraction. By aligning my life to the lunar cycle, I have found that my life moves in a more graceful and easy way—so much so, that whenever I am experiencing difficulty, I can be sure that it is because I am out of synch with lunar rhythm.
Feminine in nature, the moon travels silently across our night sky shining her light down upon us, governing our inner, private self, our emotions, our dreams, intuition and moods. She is a celestial magnet that draws us closer towards her when she is waxing (increasing her light) and gently releases us from her embrace when she is waning (decreasing her light).
The waxing phases of the moon; new, first quarter and gibbous, are a time for gathering, expanding, expressing and receiving, while the waning phases; waning gibbous, last quarter, waning crescent are a time for letting go, contracting, going within, and surrendering. The dark and full moons are neither waxing, nor waning, but rather mark the beginning—and ending of both cycles. We may also consider these phases to both waxing, and waning.
Modern day calendars will show us that the new moon occurs when the moon is dark, and not visible, but this is not true, as the dark moon is a phase in an of itself, and it is a phase that is very magical, and most sacred. The new moon does not actually occur until the very first sliver of light appears in the night sky.
The moon witch begins her moon cycle on any phase, such as the new moon, and then completes the cycle when that phase occurs again, thus creating a full circle of the lunar cycle. I like to call this true cycle ‘The 9 Moons of Magic’, and I have listed them belo, along with each of their key essences.
- Dark moon: a time for stillness
- Waxing crescent/new moon: a time for beginnings
- First quarter moon: a time of in-between
- Waxing gibbous moon: a time to finalize
- Full moon: a time for releasing
- Waning gibbous moon: a time of gratitude
- Last quarter moon: a time of assessment
- Waning crescent moon: a time to prepare
- Dark moon: a time for stillness again
I like to start my moon magic rituals, and almost all of my lunar workings on the dark moon, for it is the dark moon that sets the tone of the entire lunar cycle, for it is time of stillness, meditation, inwardness, reflection, visioning, trust…and prayer.
DARK MOON PRAYER
Dark Mother, Crone Woman, Ancient One.
I call upon your knowing.
And I ask for the blessings of wisdom.
Bones of the ancestors, blood of the moon, stars in the night sky.
I call upon your teachings.
And I ask for the blessings of understanding.
Wheel of time, wheel of seasons, wheel of wisdom.
I call upon your guidance.
And I ask for the blessings of direction.
Heart of my heart, soul of my soul, womb of my womb.
I call upon your mystery.
And I ask for the blessings of acceptance.
Dark moon, starry sky and black of night.
I call upon your magic.
And I ask for the blessings of surrender.
All that is asked is given.
All that is given is received.
And, so it is.
As you study the moon’s ever changing goddess, shamanic, alchemical, planetary, elemental, and astrological aspects, you will find that this reveals not only the hidden underpinnings of lunar wisdom, but it also becomes a powerful guide for your life. And, by following the moon, as she moves through her own cycles, and also the cycles and phases of nature, you will begin to experience a re-awakening, and a stirring within your soul, and an activation of your own inner wisdom. You will align your nature with the nature of the world, to become The Moon Witch.
The above article is an excerpt from The Moon Witch course, which is now open for enrollment
All content © 2018 Renée Starr
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