Moon Magick

Did you know that all lunar Holy-days are called Esbats, but any Wiccan ritual held
at any time other than a Sabbat may be called an Esbat? I think most
Witches call rituals performed on or around a lunar holy-day an esbat, while other
rituals are simply, rituals.

Due to the rotation of the earth, the Wiccan calendar contains 13 Full Moons,
which means a full moon happens every 28 1/4 days. Full Moon energy is used for
banishing unwanted influences, protection and divination. A Full Moon is also a
good time
for planning, releasing and working backwards in time. Full Moon Magic can be
done for seven days, three days before, the day of, and three days after the full moon.

The New Moon is used for personal growth, healing, the blessing of a new project etc.

Between the New Moon and Full Moon is the phase called Waxing Moon. Magick for this phase includes attraction magick,
increasing, growth, and gain. Make statements on how your life should be.

Between the Full Moon and New Moon is the phase called the Waning Moon.Magic for this phase includes banishing magick,
such a loosing negative emotions, bad habits etc.

Three days before the New Moon is known as the Dark Moon, as it is not visible in the sky. Traditionally, no magick is
performed at this time. It is a time for rest.

Due to the rotation of the earth there are thirteen Full Moons, each carrying a traditional name.

January - Wolf Moon
February - Storm Moon
March - Chaste Moon
April - Seed Moon
May - Hare Moon
June - Dyad (pair) Moon
July - Mead Moon
August - Wyrt (green plant) Moon
September - Barley Moon
October - Blood Moon
November - Snow Moon
December - Oak Moon

Astrologocial Correspondences

When the Moon is passing through these houses { Signs } these are some advantageous Magickal Workings.

Moon In Aries:

For initiating new projects, and speeding up old ones. Good for passionate relationships, and situations where courage, energy and an
initiative is needed. Spells involving rebirth, authority, leadership, rebirth, & healing spells of the Crown and Third Eye Chakras

Moon In Taurus:

For stabilizing, solidity and endurance. This Moon works well with projects that have been floating and need to be grounded. A Waxing Moon
in Taurus is the time to begin money Magick or stabilize a shaky relationship. the Moon in Taurus grants Boons for abundance. Spells involving relationships, love, material possessions,money, & healing spells of the Throat Chakra.

Moon In Gemini:

Have a shy violet light? Light a Communications Candle when the Moon is Waxing in Gemini. Need to learn something fast or be in 2 places at the same time? Waxing Moon in Gemini is for all communication projects and will bring friends when asked for. Spells involving communication, writing, travel & healing spells for the Heart Chakra ,arms, and hands.

Moon In Cancer:

This is an excellent Moon phase for the antique collector. All matters dealing with the home are best for the Waxing Moon. House Blessing is especially nice at this time, invoking a new home or apartment, or stabilizing a different situation. Spells involving protection, home,honoring lunar deities, & healing spells of the Solar Plexus, Heart and Navel Chakras.

Moon In Leo:

This moon phase is Regal, expressing Royalty and ceremony. All acts of loyalty through friendship. What an ideal time to throw a successful party on this day, then in initiate the Magick when the Moon is in Leo. Do things such as Solar Blasts, Uncrossing, House Blessing, and Attraction Spells. Good for Attraction, Recognition, Creative Flair, and for self expression. Spells involving courage, fertility, life, & healing spells of the Base and Navel Chakras.

Moon In Virgo:

Initiate Magick on problems that you haven't been able to solve and need help analyzing. Good for Tests and School Projects. This Moon phase is excellent for Employment matters. Communications are precise as this is a Pristine Moon. Healing Magick and all sixth house health matters should be dealt with at this time. Spells involving employment,success,partnerships, emotional balance, karmic law,
& healing spells of the Belly Chakra.

Moon In Libra:

Initiate Love Magick for a True Love, a soulmate, or just for some friendship. A most harmonious time phase. Great for Socializing
and meeting people. To redecorate the house, or change your appearance beauty knows no bounds During this Lunar Shine. If there are squabbles and disputes to be settled, then its a good time for situations where Compromise, Diplomacy and a sense of fairplay can be invoked. Spells involving justice, meetings, balance, harmony, & healing spells of the Base Chakra and the kidneys.

Moon In Scorpio:

The effects of this powerful moon phase are very strong. Scorpio is a regenerative sign, meaning that things must die to be born. be sure your Magickal requests can handle a Phoenix phase before you begin. Excellent time to lay back and plan Magickal operations for this is a good Occult Moon. Taurus, Leo, and Aquarius shouldn't do Magick at this time. Spells involving strength, power, sexuality ,& healing spells of Navel Chakra

Moon In Sagittarius:

Good will abounds here and if you've been asking for a miracle start now. It's likely you'll get it. This is a good Moon Phase for Legal Matters as shown in the " win at court " seal. People who work on tips should always have a Jupiter Candle burning on these moon phases. If philosophy is your bag, light a Wisdom Candle and travel the Spheres.
Ancient Knowledge is an open door during this Lunar Phase. Jovial good
times are in for Gamblers watch it though, you could lose a lot too. Spells involving travel, truths, finding lost items, & healing spells of the liver and thighs.

Moon In Capricorn:

When you have a project that requires no nonsense and a lot of hardwork, tedious labor, and difficult business situations, this is the time. All situations that call for self discipline and ambitious effort. Spells involving organization, personal gains, recognition,career, & healing spells of the Base Chakra, bones, teeth, skin. Spells involving organization, personal gains, recognition, career, & healing spells of the Base Chakra, bones, teeth,skin.

Moon In Aquarius:

Looking to start a revolution in your office, job or school? Also good for Humanitarian Endeavors, Group Projects, and Bonding Friendships.
All Magick will be of a progressive nature. Inventions, Electronics, and
Higher Knowledge of an Intuitive Nature. Sudden brilliant insight so its
good when you are blocked to invoke now. Another PartyMoon; just open the door and invite all the neighborhood Eccentrics.! Spells involving binding spells, freedoms, friendship, breaking bad habits or addictions, & healing spells of the Base Chakra, and blood.

Moon In Pisces:

The Psychic Phase of the Moon brings internal insight through Mediumistic Thought Processes. Good for developing all phases of Psychic Development, Dreams ESP, etc. Good if you are doing Magick for Divination, Crystalmancy, Tarot Card, Pendulum, Psychic Healing, and all forms of Psychic Work. Spells involving music, art, telepathy, dreams, communications of all kinds, & healing spells of the Base Chakra and lymph glands.

Moon Correspondences

WAXING MOON

Time: from new moon to full (approx. 14 days)
Goddess Aspect: Maiden
Associated Goddesses: Artemis, Branwen, Eriu, Nymph, Epona
Magickal Attributes: INVOKING Beginnings, new projects, ideas, inspiriation, energy, vitality, freedom. Workings on this day
are for "constructive" magick (love, wealth, success, courage, friendship, luck or health.)

FULL MOON

Time: Approx. 14 days after new moon (energy lasts from three days before to three days after actual full moon)
Goddess Aspect: Mother
Associated Goddesses: Danu, Cerridwen, Gaia, Aphrodite, Isis
Magickal Attributes: FRUITION Manifesting goals, nurturing, passion, healing, strength, power. Workings on this day are for
protection, divination."extra power", job hunting, healing serious conditions Also, love, knowledge, legal undertakings, money
and dreams.

WANING MOON

Time: From full moon to dark moon (approx.14 days)
Goddess Aspect: Crone
Associated Goddesses: Callieach, Banshee, Hecate, Kali, Morrigan
Magickal Attributes: BANISHING Releasing the old, removing unwanted negative energies, wisdom, psychic ability, scrying,
reversing circumstances. Workings on this day are for banishing magick, for ridding oneself of addictions, illness or negativity,
physical and psychic cleansings.

NEW MOON

Goddess Aspect: Maiden
Associated Goddesses: Artemis, Branwen, Eriu, Nymph, Epona
Magickal Attributes: INVOKING. Workings on this day are for starting new ventures, new beginnings, love, romance, health
or job hunting.

Moon Myths

When people lived with Nature, the changing seasons had a great impact on religious ceremonies.
The Moon was seen as a symbol of the Goddess. Because of this, the light of the Moon was considered magickal, and a source of energy. Wiccans often practice magick at a Full Moon to tap into this energy thought to exist at this time.

Plutarch once said "Egyptian priests called the Moon the "Mother of the Universe," because the moon, "having the light which makes moist and pregnant, is promotive of the generation of living beings.." The Gnostic sect of Naassians believed in a primordial being known as "the heavenly horn of the moon." The Moon was the Great Mother.

Menos meant "Moon" and "power" to the Greeks. To the Romans, the morality of the Moon Goddess was above that of the Sun God.

In many cultures the Moon Goddess and the Creatress were the same.Polynesians called the Creatress Hina, "Moon." She was the first woman, and every woman is a wahine, made in the image of Hina. Scandinavians sometimes called the Creatress Mardoll, "Moon Shining Over the Sea."

Ashanti people had a generic term used for all their deities, Boshun, meaning Moon. Sioux Native Americans call the moon The Old Woman Who Never Dies. Iroquois call her " Eternal One."
Rulers in the Eritrean zone of South Africa held the Goddesses name "Moon." The Gaelic name of the Moon, gealach, came from Gala or Galata, the original Moon-Mother of Gaelic and Gaulish tribes. Britain were called Albion, the milk-white Moon-Goddess. The Moon was called Metra, which means Mother , "whose love penetrated everywhere." In the Basque language, the words for deity and moon are the same.

The root word for both "moon" and "mind" is the Indo-European manas, mana, or men, representing the Great Mother's "wise blood" in women, governed by the Moon. The derivative mania used to mean ecstatic revelation, like lunacy used to mean possession by spirit of Luna, the Moon. To be Moon-Touched or Moon-Struck meant to be chosen by the Goddess.

When patriarchal thinkers belittled the Goddess, these words came to mean craziness.

Orphic and Pythagorean sect viewed the Moon as the home of the dead, a female gate known as Yoni. Souls passed through on the way to the paradise fields of the stars. Greeks often located the Elysian Fields, home of the blessed dead, in the moon. The shoes of Toman senators were
decorated with ivory crescents to show that after death they would inhabit the Moon. Roman religion taught that "the souls of the just are purified in the Moon." Wearing the crescent was "visual worship" of the Goddess. That was why the prophet Isaiah denounced the wearing of lunar amulets
by Zion women.

Because the moon was the holder of souls between reincarnations, it sheltered both the dead and unborn, who were one in the same. If a man dreams of his own image in the Moon, he would become the father of a son. If a woman dreamed of her own image in the Moon, she would have a
daughter.

The Moon Goddess created time, with all its cycles of creation; growth, decline, and destruction.
This is why ancient calendars were based on phases of the moon and menstrual cycles. The Moon still determines agricultural work in some parts of India. Indonesian moon priestesses were responsible for finding the right phase of the moon for every undertaking.

The Moon was to have been the receptacle of menstrual blood by which each mother formed the life of her child. This sacred, taboo moon-fluid kept even the Gods alive. The moon was "the cup of the fluid of life immortal, quickening the vegetable realm and whatsoever grows in the sub-lunar sphere, quickening also the immortals on high."

The Moon was supposed to rule life and death as well as the tides. People living on the shores were convinced that a baby could only be born on an incoming tide and a person could not die until the tide went out. It was often said birth at a full tide or a full moon meant a lucky life.

Girls in Scotland refused to wed on anything but a Full Moon.

Witches invoked their Goddess by "drawing down the Moon." It is said to be a rite dating back to moon worship in Thessaly, centuries before the Christian era.

The moon has an elliptical orbit. This means that at times it is further away from the earth than at other times in its orbit. It also rotates on its own axis in the same time period as it revolves around the earth. Because of this, we always see the same face of the moon.

Esbat Invocation

Mother of all
Goddess above
Look down on Your children
With goodness and love.
Grant to us strength
To heal and to grow.
Share Your fertility
With us here below.
Show us Your power
To sprout things from seed;
Help us all here
In our time of need.
We worship Your symbol, the Moon,
And pray to our Mother
To grant us this boon.
Be with us, Goddess,
Your children below,
And give us the knowledge
That we need to grow.

Esbat Celebrations

Here now is a brief look at the 13 Esbat celebrations listed in the order of their occurrence.

The Esbat of the Blood Moon
During the season of the third and final harvest festival of the year. At the end of the turning of the Great Wheel of Seasons. Just
prior to Samhain, the New Year in the tradition of the Old Ways.

The Esbat of the Snow Moon
A time of contemplation on the Goddess as She waits for the birth of Her Son, the God who when born of Her will bring back
the Light to His children on Earth. Witches lay in the soft caress and cradling embrace of the Great Mother as they wait for the
coming warmth. It is a time to prepare for Yule and the coming of the Holly King for some.

The Esbat of the Oak Moon
As Yule edges closer, so does the Light of the God. The eternal promise fulfilled is at hand. He is about to rise again from the
womb of the Mother and She is laden with Her child. Thanks are given for the strength and perseverance to make it through the
cold time of year.

The Esbat of the Wolf Moon
Though the winter is long, the Sun comes closer and the Light of the God King is released onto the land. The Goddess aspect
changes slowly from that of the Mother to the Crone. She prepares to regenerate anew. The God is young upon the Earth. He
strives to grow and stretch and gain in strength. A time when Nature culls the weak and the strong emerge to survive.

The Esbat of the Storm Moon
A tempestuous time of year in weather. The God has grown stronger and ascended into His new aspect of Consort to the
Goddess. She is slowly changing from Crone to Maiden and will soon join Him in the Dance of Spring. The weather fluctuates
and there are breaks in the cold. The undercurrent of energy that is the God slowly awakens the Maiden. She stirs from Her
frozen slumber and opens Her eyes. The time of change on the turn of the Great Wheel has come around.

The Esbat of the Chaste Moon
It is but a week and Ostara will be upon us. The crocus’ are breaking through the crust of the Earth. The grasses are being
rejuvenated. Birds begin to return and lend their song to the air. Woodland creatures stir and find new food in abundance. The
Maiden is pursued by Her Consort. While She does not fear Him, neither does She seek to control Him. Their Spiral Dance
grows in its Power and vitality.

The Esbat of the Seed Moon
The planting has begun in earnest. The Moon sits higher in the sky and the winds are quieter. In this time of sowing, Witches
celebrate the "sowing" of the seed of the God. With the growth of His union with the Goddess, the fields will swell and nurture
the fruits of the planting. Surely now it is plain to all that the fires of the Sun are as the God and the resultant warmth of the
nurturing Earth are as the Goddess. There is much for Witches to give thanks for. We revel in this time.

The Esbat of the Hare Moon
We shake off the very last remnants of the icy grip of Winter. A second wave of planting is begun. Witches find it to be a time
when they get together more frequently and in larger groups. The Sun warms our houses more easily than before. The palpable
change in the elements brings a new feel to us as we practice our Magick
in the Circle. The cauldron fire burns a little brighter.

The Esbat of the Dyad Moon
The lush green blanket of foliage surrounds we Witches as we gather in a Circle in the wood. Around the fire we dance deosil
(clockwise) to the steady rythym of a chant. What is it that we chant? We chant an exultation of thanks and praise to the Old
Ones. We invoke them and ask their help in sending our energy to its intended purpose. Midsummer is close and the heat of the
Goddess and God increases steadily.

The Esbat of the Mead Moon
The fields, orchards and livestock pens are burgeoning with the fruits of the sowing season which have been tended and
nurtured all Spring and Summer. As the name might imply, mead is often brewed at this time of year. The Mead Moon is one of
the most beautiful and the rituals on this night are touched with that special presence that only a huge, slowly-rising bountiful
Moon can bring. Truly this is Magick.

The Esbat of the Wyrt Moon
Now is the time for "Wort cunning", the knowledge of plants, specifically herbs, and their uses, Powers, methods of collection,
preparation and storage. Plants all have their own vibrational rate and are useful in Magick. A Circle on this night might well
include the charging of herbs and medicinal plants before
They are prepared and stored.

The Esbat of the Barley Moon
The second wave of crops is almost ready for the harvest. Gatherings on this night are in keeping with the heightened sense of
thanksgiving that the harvest season brings. The Sun continues to recede. The Earth grows a little colder everyday.

The Esbat of the Blue Moon
With only one week until the last of the harvest festivals to go, the year is coming to a close. The leaves have almost all turned
with the shortening of the days. The cold is closer. The warmth of the Sun and the God's Light is fainter. The Mother grows
harder and more frigid. The veil between the worlds is getting thinner. Rituals done now have a more quite focus. Samhain and the new year are approaching.