magickal musings
This is a tumblelog, kinda like a blog but with short-form, mixed-media posts with stuff I like. Scroll down a bit to start reading, or a bit more to read more about me.
Moon Phases
WAXING MOON
Let’s start with a Waxing Crescent Moon, the kind that looks like a Man in a Moon drawing or a cute Christmas tree ornament with a smiling face and a long white beard. When the Moon is a Waxing Crescent; the dark side is to your left, more or less, and the bright Crescent is to your right. (Sometimes the Moon is tipped a little, so it may not be exactly right or left, but you will know what i mean if you go outside and look at it.) You can use this time to perform waxing, drawing, increasing, or growth spells.
The Waxing Crescent Moon
rises after sunrise and sets after sunset —
it is only seen in the night sky for a short time after the sun goes down.
Every night the Moon rises in the East a little later and the thickness of the Waxing Crescent gets fatter, until the shape of the Moon is half a circle. This is the First Quarter, also called by some people the Waxing Half Moon. It is dark on the left and bright on the right. You can continue to do waxing, drawing, increasing, or growth spells.
The Waxing First Quarter Moon
rises about at noon
and sets about at midnight.
After that, the Moon starts to look like it is pregnant — it is perfectly round on the right side, but bulged out past half-way on the left. This is the Waxing Gibbous Moon. You can continue to do waxing, drawing, increasing, or growth spells.
The Waxing Gibbous Moon
rises in the middle of the afternoon
and sets before well before sunrise.FULL MOON
It takes about 14 days of growing bigger for the moon to grow or wax completely full — that night you will see the Full Moon rise as a perfect circular disk. This is the Light of the Moon, and it is reserved for light works and dedications to benevolent lunar deities. It is used for celebrations and prayers for peace.
The Full Moon
rises almost exactly at sunset
and sets almost exactly at the next sunrise.WANING MOON
After its 14 days of waxing, culminating with the Full Moon, the entire process is reversed and the Moon decreases in apparent size. After about 3 days of appearing to be more or less full, the moon slowly begins to visibly go dark on the right side, while the left side stays the same disk-shape as it had when it was Full. This is the Waning Gibbous Moon — it looks perfectly round on the left side, but bulged out past half-way on the right. This is the time to begin waning, repelling, decreasing, or reversing spells.
The Waning Gibbous Moon
rises in the early evening
and sets some time after sunrise.
Every night the Moon rises in the East a little later and the thickness of the Waning Gibbous gets thinner, until the shape of the Moon is half a circle. This is the Last Quarter, also called by some people the Third Quarter or Waning Half Moon. It is dark on the right and bright on the left. You can continue to do waning, repelling, decreasing, or reversing spells.
The Waning Last Quarter Moon
rises about at midnight
and sets about at noon.
As the shape continues to shrink, night by night, the Moon becomes a Waning Crescent; the dark side is to your right, more or less, and the bright Crescent is to your left. You can continue to do waning, repelling, decreasing, or reversing spells. This is a powerful time to take off curses or to send evil back to the one who sent it to you.
The Waning Crescent Moon
rises between midnight and dawn,
but fades out when the Sun comes up.NEW MOON
Finally, growing smaller still, the moon has waned completely and it vanishes. This is called the Dark of the Moon or New Moon — and it is reserved for dark works and dedications to dark deities. On the night of the New Moon you will see no Moon at all, no matter how long you stay up and watch, because…
The New Moon (Dark Moon)
rises at sunrise
and sets at sunset.WAXING MOON AGAIN
The First Crescent
rises a little bit after sunrise
and sets a little bit after sunset.After that, the Moon grows (or waxes) to a nice, “Man in the Moon” type Crescent Moon. You can continue to do waxing, drawing, increasing, or growth spells. And that’s where we started out, with the Waxing Crescent Moon.
HOW YOU CAN TELL WHAT PHASE THE MOON IS IN
To tell whether the Moon is waxing or waning is fairly simple. Basically, all you have to do is go outside at sundown and take a look — if you don’t see the moon then, you will have to go outside later at night and check again, or check during the day:
If the Moon is already up in the sky in the evening, when the Sun goes down, then the Moon is waxing. Every night it will rise a little later in the day and look a little fuller. At Full Moon it will rise almost exactly when the Sun sets.
If the Moon is not already up in the sky when night falls, but instead rises long after sunset, or if you see it faintly during the day, then the Moon is waning. Every day it will rise a little later and look a little thinner. At New Moon it will rise almost exactly when the Sun does, but you won’t be able to see it at all.
Protection Invocation
O Goddess, protect my loved ones every day,
As they sleep and as they play.
Help them to always smile bright, and keep them safe in Your loving light.
Protect them from harm and from all they fear.
For they are the ones that I hold dear.
I thank the Goddess for helping me.
I trust in Her aid So mote it be!
Just did a tiny thing for imbolc, read my cards from both my oracle and tarot and … more change! Tarot included death and wheel of fortune; basically all my cards tell me these days is that there is serious change afoot/about to be afoot. Graduating and paying my own way and all, it’s definitely true, but it’s… cool? that they would keep showing up so consistently.
elemental circle cast
To the element of air
grace us with your knowledge to guide us through the year
To the element of fire
purge us of our inequities of mind and body to overcome fear
To the element of water
who may cleanse us of our irrational emotions and fill our well of souls
To the element of earth
grant us with fortification for the next day and each step we take after that
to all elements we welcome you to our circle, to safeguard and guide us as we move into the next turn of the wheel. with this invitation we cast this sacred space, a home within our hearts and minds, in the world unseen, to create and will, to learn and love.
as above, so below, the circle is cast and true
encircle us until our work is through
so mote it be
we thank the element of earth for guarding us tonight. hail and farewell.
to the spirit of water we thank you for soothing us this night. hail and farewell.
we thank the element of fire for fueling us tonight. hail and farewell.
to the spirit of air we thank you for inspiring us tonight. hail and farewell.
the circle is open, but unbroken. merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again.—-
i just did this for this weekend’s imbolc and i thought i would like to share it with my friends.
Cooling your anger
Make a cup of your favorite tea. While it is seeping, chant:
Fiery anger, go away.
Calmness come and with me stay.
Soothe my mind so I can think,
Steep peace of mind within this drink.
****
Make yourself a nice cup of mint tea. Sweeten it. Chant the following over the tea before drinking:
Cool my anger, herb of mint.
Honey/Sugar sweeten my intent.
My attitude, I ask you, change.
Toss heat of temper out of rage.
or
Cooling mint I ask of the, take this anger far away.
Soothing herb I beseach you, keep those emotions at bay
Moon Protection for the Amulets
This technique can be used to protect an object that you use as an amulet. Obviously you are also taking in the power from the Moon as well. This is best done at the time of the Full Moon.
You will Need:
- Your chosen amulet
- A glass of spring water
Method:
Place a crystal or amulet that you regularly carry in the cup of spring water a day before the Full Moon.
The following day, on the evening of the Full Moon, stir the water three times with the fingers of your right hand in a clockwise motion.
Then take the cup in your hands and swirl the water in the cup around, moving the cup in a clockwise, circular, stirring motion three times.
Then repeat these word aloud:
Oh Light of the Moon
Wrap me
Protect me
Keep me from harm
Remove your amulet from the cup.
Raise the cup towards the sky, acknowledging the Moon.
Lower the cup, bring it to our lips and drink the water.
Carry the amulet with you till the next Full Moon in order to ensure full protection. Repeat this process every month to benefit from the amulet’s influence.
When an object has been blessed by the Moon, you enter under her protection. You symbolically take in her power by drinking the water. Amulets are seemingly inanimate objects which have been given power by the incantation.
Pg. 200 - Book of Spells
By: Pamela J. Ball
