Merry Meet.
Today I’m going to be discussing the phases
of the moon.
Now traditionally in magick most practitioners
will focus on the three main phases which
is: the waxing, the full and the waning.
However, there are actually six phases: The
new moon, the waxing moon, the full, the waning,
the crying moon and the dark moon.
So hopefully with this lecture you’ll learn
a little more about all the six phases and
how they can be worked with.
Now the New Moon is the very first crescent
of the moon.
This is the first visible sign of the moon.
The new moon only lasts one night.
Some people may call it the young moon or
the waxing crescent, but since it’s the
starting of the lunar phase it is correctly
termed the new moon.
Magickally this represents new beginnings,
fresh start.
It represents rebirth.
So anything that you are starting with a new
fresh perspective that would be done on this
one night of the new moon.
The waxing moon is the period as the moon
becomes full.
Once it reaches past the half way mark we
call it the waxing-gibbous moon.
Gibbous means having the observable, illuminated
part greater than a semicircle but less than
a circle.
So that would be from the halfway point forward
to the full that we call it a waxing gibbous.
The waxing moon will last up to fourteen days,
give and take from the new moon to the full
moon.
Magickally as the moon is getting bigger or
visibly getting bigger, this represents drawing
or pulling energy to you.
So during this time you will do magick that
would increase energy.
For instance if you were increasing prosperity,
if you were wanting to increase your prosperity,
you’ll do that during the waxing moon.
It brings in positive change, positive energy.
So you’re pulling it in and making it bigger
like the moon is getting bigger.
Now the full moon of course is when the moon
is fully visible on the sky.
Technically this lasts just for one night,
however magickally we see this is lasting
for three nights in most paths.
Some paths only will acknowledge it for the
one night, but some paths will acknowledge
it for three nights.
The reason of this is because of the way that
we look at the idea of the triple Goddess
and the Goddess is represented by the moon.
So the last night of the waxing moon will
represent the maiden, the full moon itself
represents the mother aspect and the first
night of the waning moon will represent the
crone.
So that’s why some places will do a full
moon for three evenings rather than just one.
During the night of full moon we consider
that to be a night of full energy.
Technically any positive spell work could
be done at this time if you needing full energy.
A lot of practitioners like to work with the
full moon.
However in some paths, the full moon is not
a night to do magick but a night of celebration.
The full moons are called the aspects and
during it we will celebrate a specific purpose,
a specific energy and that is dependent on
the month that we are actually in.
So where some paths will do just about any
time or form of magick during the night of
the full moon, other paths will only do specific
magickal workings.
So it’s all dependent on the path that you
are on.
The waning moon is when the moon starts to
look like it’s getting smaller.
Now like with the waxing moon, when the moon
is waning but over half way it is considered
waning-gibbous and then when it gets past
that halfway mark, it’s simply waning.
So it starts out with waning-gibbous and then
moves onto the waning phase.
Just like with the waxing moon, it will take
about fourteen days for the moon to move from
the wane to the crying moon.
During this time we are pushing out energy
so we will be magickally removing things that
we no longer need from our lives.
This will be when we will be eliminating energy,
banishing negative energy, removing those
unwanted things.
It’s a good time to start breaking bad habits
and just getting rid of those things or even
people that are holding us back in life.
We want to get rid of that stuff so that’s
done during the waning moon.
Now the crying moon is a phase of the moon
that most people in the magickal community
don’t work with it.
Now just like the new moon, the crying moon
would be the final crescent of the waning
moon.
And it’s the last viewable portion of the
moon.
And also just like with the new moon, the
crying moon only lasts one night.
It’s a very small period of time.
The reason why most people who work magick
don’t work with, or even in some cases don’t
even acknowledge the crying moon is because
it tends to be a time when most people who
do work with negative energy, that negative
energy is utilized.
In many paths this night is when anyone who
would utilize negative energy would do very
negative energy such as a curse.
So that will be when that sort of magick will
be performed.
Just that one night a month, during that one
phase.
The reason that this is called a crying moon
is because whenever we work with negative
energy, or whenever we completely purge negative
energy, from us there is a lot of high motions
running.
A lot of sorrow.
So either you will be crying or if you are
working with curses someone else will be.
This is actually the best night, of the moon
phase, to let go off the negativity that you
are holding.
This is a night when we can mourn our losses,
for anything that we’ve done, we can prepare
ourselves to forgive.
Not only other people but very importantly
ourselves.
A lot people tend to forget themselves when
it comes to forgiveness.
So this can be a time of cleansing our spiritual
souls and acknowledging our regrets and our
negative parts.
Bringing those to light and sometimes we don’t
like what we see during the crying moon and
that is ok.
It is important to forgive ourselves but it’s
not always easy to do.
And this is that one night that you can fully
just get rid of it, it’s that last crescent,
that last time that you have little bit of
energy pushing out and it’s that final push.
The dark moon, which some people mistakenly
call the new moon, is when the moon is no
longer visible, it is completely dark.
That dark moon falls between the crying moon
that last crescent and the new moon – the
first crescent.
So it will only last one night.
Many practitioners do not do magick on the
night of the dark moon, and that’s because
of the misconception that this is the time
of negativity.
It isn’t.
So where the crying moon was the time to let
go and I guess you can say that of one phase
and the new moon is the rebirth, the dark
moon is the time of transformation between
those two, between the old and the new.
So during this time practitioners can reform
and prepare themselves for that new phase.
It is kind of a time rest so it can be understood
why practitioners may not utilize but it can
also be the time prepare yourself for that
reform
So those are the six phases of the moon.
You can learn more about the moon phases in
the moon musing series that we have at the
school, there is the understanding and working
with the moon which just concentrates on different
moon phases and how to chart and then there
is an entire series for each season of the
moon, which covers summer, spring, winter
and fall; and the it also covers the understanding
of the blue moon, the black moon and a lunar
eclipse.
So hopefully this has helped you to learn
a bit about the moon phases and will encourage
you to work with all aspects of the moon not
just the main three that people usually work
with.
So thank you for joining me.
Merry Part.
