Natural Witchery (6 page)

Okay, so how'd you do? Everyone will experience this gift from the Goddess in their own way. Do not, I repeat,
do not
think this process to death. Just get out there and experience it. Before we close up this section, here is a little more food for thought. Traditionally, drawing down the moon is performed at the full moon phase. However, try working this exercise at several different lunar phases, like the new crescent just after sunset or the waning moon in the early morning hours, and see what sort of results you achieve then.

Want more information on the other mystical lunar phases? Well, in our next section we will examine the various phases of the moon and what magick and psychic abilities are affected by them. Oh, and there are a few lunar spells in there for you to work as well.

Late yester evening I saw the new moon,

With the old moon in her arm.

Thomas Percy

The Psychic and Magickal Moon Phases

There is a subtle and enchanting rhythm to the mood of each month and the lunar cycles as they roll from one into the other. By working in harmony with these lunar tides, you can easily turn up the volume on your magick, especially when you recognize and work in accord with your intuition and personal psychic abilities.

Now that you have acknowledged your psychic talents, you can embrace the ability to be receptive. For receptive power is not passive, it is magnetic, compelling, and captivating. This type of energy draws intuition, magick, and power straight to you. Receptive lunar power will also boost your inspiration and facilitate the effectiveness of your magick.

How, you may wonder? Because the power of the lunar phases profoundly influences all life on the planet as well as human behavior. Working with and acknowledging the cycles of the moon allows us to arrange our magick in the most opportune way. Just as certain types of magick will coordinate with either the waxing or waning moon, so too will your psychic abilities be affected by the ever-changing lunar tides and energies. The trick here, my friends, is to learn to work with these psychic energies in harmony with nature and your magick.

Listed below are four major lunar phases and the accompanying psychic and magickal information. There is a coordinating psychic spell listed, and the deity aspects of the Maiden, Mother, and Crone are listed as well. May this information shed a little moonlight on the subject for you.

First Quarter

(From the new moon to the waxing half moon.) As the slim crescent moon slowly becomes fuller each night, now is the time to begin new projects, to be creative, to meet new people, and to be outgoing. Your personal psychic energy will be building, and you will notice you are more sympathetic and sensitive to other people's positive emotions at this time. Awaken your intuition and pay attention, for as the moon grows brighter your dreams and their meanings will become clearer. Here is the ideal time for magick and spells that draw things to you. Pull that affirmative change and bubbling energy straight into your life and reap the benefits. The waxing moon is a time to celebrate growth and potential. As the moon grows larger, your magickal goals will manifest. This moon phase corresponds with the Maiden aspect of the Goddess, such as Athena, Artemis/Diana, and Bast.

Second Quarter

(From the waxing half moon to the full moon.) During this lunar phase, emotions and instinct are heightened. You will notice that precognitive dreams, intuition, and clairvoyance will peak as the full moon gets closer. During this lunar phase, spells will come to fruition swiftly, especially if they are uncomplicated and sincere. The closer you can cast your spells to the actual time of the full moon, the more power and
oomph
your spells and charms will have. Now, the day of the full moon is actually a time of maximum magickal power. This is an all-purpose lunar phase, so get in there and start casting! The full moon aligns with the Mother aspect of the Goddess; for example, Selene, Luna, Freya, Isis, or Aphrodite.

Third Quarter

(From the second night after the full moon to the waning half moon.) When the moon begins to wane, its light slowly dissipates in the night sky. This is a powerful time of internal energy and an opportunity to quietly look within. Focus on dreams, instincts, and gut hunches. If you are clairaudient, pay particular attention to those internal messages. While the moon wanes, work magick to remove negativity and obstacles that you are facing. During this lunar phase, work magick to carefully dissolve problems, push away troubles, and remove negativity in the best way possible for all those concerned. As the moon wanes, so too will the situation or problem. The third-quarter moon corresponds to the Crone aspect of the Goddess, such as Cerridwen, Hecate, or Nepthys.

Fourth Quarter

(From the waning half moon until the dark of the moon.) This is the dark time of the moon. You may find that your psychic talents take a little vacation during the dark phases of the moon, or, on the other hand, they may come roaring to life with an all-out bombardment on your senses. Personally, I have found that abilities such as empathy and psychometry are more pronounced at this time. Why, you may wonder? Well, I have found that this type of psychic ability forces you to look within and to be still as the information comes to you—what better time than in the waning moon, when your powers are focused internally? Magickally, now is the occasion to tackle serious issues, such as extreme protection magick, bindings, or banishings, and keeping away criminals, prowlers, or stalkers. Casting your spells in the final days of the moon's cycle (when the moon is not visible at all) will increase the force behind your banishing and protective magick. This phase of the moon is often linked to the darker aspects of the Goddess, when she is a spiritual warrior; again, Hecate is a good one to work with in this phase, but you can also call on Sekhmet, the Morrigan, or even Kali, if you are really feeling brave.

Psychic Spells for the Four Moon Phases

Supplies

• A white tealight candle
  
• A clear candleholder cup
  
• A small magnet (to represent the moon's magnetism and “pull” in your life)
  
• A lighter or matches
  
• A safe, flat surface to set up on
  

Directions

Set the candle inside the candleholder, and place the magnet in front of it. If you choose, you can jazz up these spells with silver glitter sprinkled on your work surface. Or how about a silver or white altar cloth, or fresh white flowers tucked in a vase? Try fragrant flowers such as white roses, lilies, freesia, or daisies.

Once you have things arranged to your liking, take a moment to ground and center. Visualize all the fresh energies that the moon in her various phases provides. When you are ready, light the candle and repeat the spell corresponding to the moon phase you are in three times. Allow the candle to burn out in a safe place when you are finished. Please note: tealights take about four hours to burn.

First Quarter Moon Spell

This lunar spell encourages fresh starts and helps you to sense the magnetic and feminine powers of the moon. At this time, your psychic abilities will begin to burgeon out and your empathy will increase.

Increase my sensitivity during this first lunar phase

Bringing fresh starts and inspired magick into all my days

Lunar powers are magnetic, they do pull in positive change

May the Maiden goddess hear my call and bless me in many ways.

Second Quarter Moon Spell

This lunar spell calls for you to ride the psychic wave with the increasing lunar energies and light of the moon as it grows fuller each night. This is a good “opening spell” to use in a ritual throughout this waxing lunar phase.

As the moon rolls through its second phase, magick will surely grow.

The gifts of sight, dreams, and intuition now begin to flow.

Bless my spells with extra power, may I use my gifts wisely,

While the Mother's moon waxes full, shining love straight down on me.

Third Quarter Moon Spell

The following lunar spell works in harmony with the waning moon. This is the point in time where you work magick to remove obstacles and problems. This is the time of the clairaudient's greatest powers, so focus those psychic abilities internally and listen carefully for messages and wisdom. The magick is inside you. Be still, and let it unfold.

As the moon starts to wane, the third lunar cycle begins,

So look quietly within, reflect, and soul-search again.

Work to remove problems now, spells I'll carefully weave,

As the moon grows smaller, so too will my troubles leave.

Fourth Quarter Moon Spell

Finally, here is a spell for the final phase of the moon. This is the Crone's moon, and at this time your psychic gifts may be at their strongest. As the energy turns to a hushed, waiting mode, it doesn't mean it's gone, just that it is extremely focused and internal. So if you aren't paying attention, you may not pick up on those psychic impressions. If this is a problem for you, ask the wise old Crone for her assistance. As far as magick is concerned, this is the time to deal with those more serious issues. Check out the final line of this spell and adjust as necessary for your purposes; for example, the word “protection” can be easily switched to “banishing.”

The Crone's moon grows smaller at the passing of each eve.

For this magick to work, in myself I must believe.

Charms performed now require a wisdom most sublime

The protection spell is now cast, sealed up with a rhyme.

That orbed maiden with white fire laden
whom mortals call the moon.

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Enchanting Lunar Eclipses

If there is ever an opportunity to cash in on a phenomenal period of natural psychic and magickal power, it is during a lunar eclipse. These celestial events offer us a wonderful chance to work very powerful intuitive magick. Over the years, I have noticed that on the day of a lunar eclipse my psychic abilities get turned up to full volume. And I have also discovered that any type of moon magick is especially potent if performed during the lunar eclipse.

Why? Well, during the eclipse, the moon appears to go through all of its phases in a few hours—so you can literally tap into each phase of the moon in a brief period of time. As you watch the moon roll through that lunar eclipse, you are experiencing one of nature's most incredible shows. It is easy to imagine how in ancient times an eclipse filled people with awe. Seeing the moon change in front of your very eyes surely had to be the work of the gods. Actually, a friend of mine once described the lunar eclipse to her young daughters as a time when the Goddess slowly pulls her burgundy cape across the moon, which I think is a wonderful visualization.

Technically, an eclipse occurs when one celestial object passes into the shadow cast by another—as with an eclipse of the moon, when the moon falls under Earth's shadow. If this occurs during a full moon, where the moon will travel through Earth's shadow, it is called a lunar eclipse.

Much to my surprise, the term
solar eclipse
is a misnomer; an
occultation
is the correct term for a solar eclipse. The term
occult,
in fact, means “hidden.” And according to astronomical terminology, an occultation is defined as an event that occurs when one heavenly body passes in front of and hides or blocks another. For example, in a classic solar eclipse, the moon is at its new phase, and it passes in front of and blocks, or “occults,” the sun—as seen from Earth. The moon casts a shadow on Earth, and, depending on the viewer's location, if they are under the path of the shadow, they see the event as a total solar eclipse.

Okay, so you probably remember your earth science classes from middle school, and you are all set to tell me how you already understand the mechanics of an eclipse. But as I researched this lunar section of the book, a few lunar terms kept popping up, and after consideration I decided that they are important words to add to any Witch's vocabulary—especially as you are studying lunar magick. For example, do you know what
earthshine
is? I had noticed this during waxing and waning crescent moons for years, but I never knew it had a technical term.