Heathen New Moon and Full Moon Rituals

There are a LOT of tips on how to create your own rituals. They can be done in a coven, with family and friends, or just by yourself. You can be a grandiose as you please or do it on a shoe string budget. The important part is getting YOUR intent across properly. What do you feel needs to be done to make your spell work? Here are a few examples of things you can do and their uses. Try them all or pick and choose whichever correlate best to you and your practice.

The New Moon

From a heathen view point, new moons are meant for new business and was usually when a Thing* would be held. This is still reflected in the new moon being the time of wishes and starting new paths or wanting to bring in new energy or what have you. So around this time I personally work on new products for my shop and go over my new courses for the blog. I also usually always perform a bathing ritual so that I start my month over again. In the traditional religion, heathens would bring certain matter to a close or tie up lose ends two days before the New moon. That way they could start on the next phase or new issues. They also used this time to handle any kind of legal business, so while most neo-pagans might not suggest that kind of spell work, I would. They obviously found this time to be the best to handle such matters, so I trust their judgement.

For my bathing ritual, I use basic herbs and salts you can pick up in your grocery isle. It's the kitchen witch in me. I use about a
teaspoon of sage - cleansing
a teaspoon of lemon peel - removes negative energy
some dried blueberries - blocks negative energy
a teaspoon of basil - money and prosperity
a teaspoon of pink Himalayan salt - purity and harmony
a cup of epson salt
a couple drops of pine essential oil - cleanses spaces and purification

I always take a shower first before doing any kind of bathing ritual so that I don't wash away any of the magickal aspects of the ingredients. This is a practice I highly recommend as the results will have a better sticking power, so try taking a shower before, do the bathing ritual and jump straight into bed, then wait until the next night to take another shower.

Other things to do at this time are to cleanse your scared space and tools, your divination cards, clear the corners of each room that have the heaviest traffic, and relax.

The Full Moon

For the mos part, Heathens celebrate all of their holidays during the full moons of each month and, yes, we have more than just the regular either holidays that you see on the evermore popular Wiccan Wheel of the Year. You'll notice that a lot of my blogs on the holidays correspond to these times and I often don't give specific dates. This is largely because the full moon is never on the same day every year and some months in the new calender won't have holidays, for instance February. I may have waited until Friday because it was easier for me to celebrate Oimelc, but it was supposed to be observed during the wonderful Blood Blue Moon Eclipse. 

That being said, most of my full moon rituals are all spent honoring specific Gods and the changing time of the year. That's no saying you can't incorporate any of the newer ideas and customs into your ritual. The Full Moon is pretty much regarded as the all-purpose spell casting time, so any will work, however it is best for any healing you might need. Eclipses hold special meaning, so we'll do a section on those separately. You can refer to the previous post on moons to find the general substances of moon phases here.

Eclipses

Many heathens revered eclipses as bad omens. They would hold rites to please the gods in return of the moon or sun. Since they could not predict these events, it was likely a rushed offering to the temples and then followed by solemn gatherings and very light footsteps in which ever path they were going. There's not much more on these events, but I would suggest reading more in the Wolves and Mani. I'll return to this section and add on if I ever find more information. So in the mean time, plan a nice Bolt! 

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Footnotes:
A Thing -

 © 2016, Copyright The Dame and The Devil Business Blog - Writer The Dame

Moon Magick Introduction

What is Moon Magick?

Moon magick can be a little complicated. There's using the phases of the moon for everyday spells. (I say that like there are everyday spells. Hahaha.) Then there's doing specific moon rituals. For this short blog series, we will be exploring the moon rituals in detail and I'll give you ones you can do for the new and full moon. I'll go over the moon phases and what spells are best for each in this blog post. Both of these are very significant and should be studied. 

Now, the reason why we do moon magick is because our ancestors would use the moon to tell the time; its how we developed months. The sun is mainly used for seasons since it's size and appearance is rather more constant. The moon also directs the tides and generates a magnetic force field that protects life on this plant from the most harmful solar rays. Needless to say, our ancestors didn't always know these things, but they still thought of the moon as protective mother figure. She's feminine because of controlling water (emotions) and she births anew every month (like the female's monthly cycles). So when using moon magick remember it can be rather volatile, but powerful, so make sure you know what you're working with and give her respect. We use it to guide our spell work because it's a demanding force that can aid in all forms, since its both renewing and in a since ending.

Moon Phases

You can perform a spell at any point you wish, honestly, but the energies are ripe for the picking.

Dark Moon - when you can't see the moon

Most witches won't work magick at this time, however it's perfect for banishing and curses. If you're trying to rid yourself or someone else of addiction or wanting to remove someone or be removed from a situation this is when those spells will be the most powerful. If you're not casting at this time, it's great for Divination and soul searching.

Waxing Cresent - when the first sliver of the Moon appears.

This is the time for fertility magick because the Moon is starting to grow. This is also a great time for increasing things in your life, ie money, friends, relationships, personal growth, etc. This is also a wonderful time  for starting anew; new life path, new job, new home, new relationship, etc. Spells that are asking for new things in your life are going to be the most powerful at this time. 

First Quarter - when the Moon is half full

This is the time attraction spells. You already started a new path, but now you need to attract a better job prospect or a new partner. This will also help with any success magick you've been needing help with as well as finding your spirit guide or bonding with them. (Including those fur babies.)

Waxing Gibbious - when the moon is almost full

This is best for putting the finishing touches on whatever spells you've been working on, or just helping you finish a project or bring a part of your life to an end. For instance, you're getting out of a bad relationship and you're trying to start over, this phase will help bring that closure. Also great for giving you a boost of confidence, strength, and energy if you're feeling a little down or lazy.

Full Moon - When the moon is a complete circle

This is a very important time and any spells cast should not be taken lightly. These spells are meant to overcome challenges you're facing or obstacles that don't seem to be going anywhere. I would not suggest performing the mundane at this time, but you can also use this phase to help with your psychic development.

Waning Gibbous - when the moon goes from full to new

This side of the Moon is going to focus on getting rid of things in your life. Again, this is another great moon for closure, but also for cleansing. This can be a time for a monthly "spring cleaning" in your home. Use sage, remove negative energy, and clean your crystals, and divination and other spell tools.

Third Quarter Moon - another half moon, but it's going towards the dark moon phase

Temptations that you're dealing with are the types of spells you should be working on. Is someone dealing with infidelity? Having a hard time staying on your diet or exercising? There are spells to help you stay your course and remove those tempting things out of your life or at least diminish them. This also a great time for transition magick. 

Waning Cresent Moon - the last little bit before the dark moon

This is the time to end things. If they're serious issues, save them for the dark moon. Remove any bad habits or people from your life and bring them a swift ending. This is also a great point to continue any cleansing in your home to finish removing any stress or negative energy that may still be lingering.