The Magic Moon
In magical terms Luna, our Moon, is the first luminary beyond the earthly realm. and thus the gateway to the astral or causal realms. The Pearl of the Night also represents the Goddess, and subsequently the feminine aspect of the individual.
Further, Luna is the inner self, both the private mind shown in your astrological Moon Sign and the unconscious part of your being, represented by the Shadow concept of Jung and of many modern Pagan philosophies.
Deities like Hecate are symbolic of the moon’s intricate and intimate connection to the mysteries and magic Similarly, and due again to her placement in proximity to us within the great scheme of creation Luna and her spirit play a major role in manifestation of magical results.
These are only the high points. I could carry on for pages about the finer points of the Lady’s nature and persona.
Magical Timing of the Moon Made Simple
While there is much to learn of the moon and her magic, all lunar metaphysical systems tend to agree on the importance of aligning operations with the cyclic movements of the Lady as she progresses along her 28-day cycle. Here is a simplified view on this cycle and how it can be harnessed within your magic.
New Moon
The New Moon, of course, is actually more like no moon in terms of her visibility. Also called the dark moon because there is no visible trace of the lunar body, this is an obvious beginning for the cycle.
A clean slate. The void.
Magical operations relating to beginning, initiation, renewal, blank page or clean slate, forgiveness, rest & replenishment, healing, birth and etc. are ideal at this time. So are rituals or spells dealing with entry, preceding or beforehand, empty (and ready for filling), honesty & truth, mystery, the unknown, etc.
Don’t just fixate on the word new or the notion of blank or vacant. The Dark Moon and the Wane that brings her is also close to Saturn’s finality, and (esp. paired with the Waxing to come) Pluto’s death-and-regeneration. Intuitively, you can see from the symbol of the black, empty disc concepts like death, defeat, silence, cessation, ouroboros, the nexus of a cycle, etc are inherent to the mechanics of the New Moon.
Waxing Moon
This phase is the growth and expansion, also filling or fulfillment to come out of the New Moon and travel for two weeks into the Full Moon. It should be clear that all things pertaining to growth, acquisition, manifesting, bearing fruit, reaching a goal, and so forth are the magical domain of this phase.
Most authors and teachers today will sell you the idea that waxing tide is for gain or increase, and waning tide is for loss or decrease. This is obviously correct, but it is also only a partial or surface representation of the opportunities at hand.
Technical applications during the waxing should be geared towards increase, expanding, et al but actual goals can run the full spectrum of desires and intentions. People understand readily that a waxing moon can be used to gather money, but improperly believe this is a poor time to cast for weight loss or some other call for a decrease.
In the latter example you could easily apply the filling moon’s tidal force to bolster your resolve or enhance the effectiveness of your weight loss medicine or diet program. The net result would be an increase in quality or value of x which hopefully helps with the loss of unwanted weight.
Full Moon
The point of maximum, of fulfilment, the Full Moon corresponds to the nature of completion. For this reason all magic of success and final victory is well-applied here. There’s no limit to how and where you might put this force to work within your magic as literally success or finality in any venture is fair game.
This is also typically a good time for communion or gnosis centered around any Goddess figure. Venus, Saturn, the Earth, and all feminine divinity in between ALL have their center or sister within the lunar sphere and her time of great radiance is thus a good time for any of them as well.
Waning Moon
The decline or decrease from fullness and into the path toward newness or darkness is ideal for – you guessed it… magic of decrease, decline, limitation, termination, etc. Obviously this can be applied to the final goal: prevent her from calling, take away this desire, remove these obstacles, reduce this party’s interest in x, and so on.
Just as you saw with the waxing tide, the waning moon can be applied to any objective, even those directly opposite the tide’s nature. You could increase gains by taking away or decreasing certain opposition, or cause fulfillment by reducing doubts.
Appropriately, Luna is the Queen of Imagination, so you need not be limited by the rigidity of modern magical theory as it clings to popular dogma and the low hanging fruit of the cooperative consensus.
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