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Working With The Phases Of The Moon

Each phase of the moon brings with it a special energy for that phase of the lunar cycle. Everyone knows the moon affects the tides of the worlds oceans, but because we are mostly liquid ourselves, these phases also affect us. Understanding what these energies bring, help you to connect.

The New Moon phase is best used for personal growth, healing and blessing of new projects. It’s also a good time to cleanse and consecrate new tools and objects you wish to use during rituals.

– 1st Quarter –

The Waxing moon is best used for attraction magic, (bring something to you) love spells, protection, and healing energy. What you want to attract to yourself and your path can be enhanced during this phase of the moon.

The Full Moon is best used for banishing unwanted influences in your life. Think of it as ‘shining a light’ on issues or challenges. It can also be a good time for creating protection magic and performing divination. You can use this time for releasing old patterns (going away from you) and open the door for healing by giving energy to positive patterns. Full Moon magic can be conjured during the 3 days prior to the rise of the Full Moon, the night of the Full Moon and during the 3 days after.

– Last Quarter –

The Waning moon is used for banishing and rejecting those things that influence us in a negative way. Negative emotions, diseases, ailments, and bad habits can all be let go and special spells for clearing negative energies from the self, home, ritual circle, tools and so on can be performed at this time. Simply remember that when you remove an energy, you want to fill the void with a more positive energy.

– Void Of Course –

The Dark Moon period occurs 3 days prior to the New Moon and it’s the shortest ‘phase’ of the moon. This is the time when you can’t see the moon in any phase. Typically no magic is performed during this time. The Void of Course moon is not recognized through astronomical means, it’s purely a nature based observance or astrological phase. Usually no magic is worked during VOC.

A Lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes into the Earth’s shadow. This type of eclipse does not occur every year. But when it does, it’s a wonderful and magical night. It lasts for only a few hours, so plan your rituals well in advance. A lunar eclipse on a full moon is perfect for all purposes. Simply plan your spells to coordinate with the passing shadow. When the moon is in full eclipse, treat those few moments as if the moon were in it’s Dark phase. Some practitioners forgo magic work all together and use this time to honor the Goddess in a special ritual.

Waning ~ get rid of
Waxing ~ bring something to you
Full ~ releasing
New ~ personal growth

(1) New Moon – When the Moon is roughly in the same direction as the Sun, its illuminated half is facing away from the Earth, and therefore the part that faces us is all dark: we have the new moon. When in this phase, the Moon and the Sun rise and set at about the same time.

(2) Waxing Crescent Moon – As the Moon moves around the Earth, we get to see more and more of the illuminated half, and we say the Moon is waxing. At first we get a sliver of it, which grows as days go by. This phase is called the crescent moon.

(3) Quarter Moon – A week after the new moon, when the Moon has completed about a quarter of its turn around the Earth, we can see half of the illuminated part; that is, a quarter of the Moon. This is the first quarter phase.

(4) Waxing Gibbous Moon – During the next week, we keep seeing more and more of the illuminated part of the Moon, and it is now called waxing gibbous (gibbous means “humped”).

(5) Full Moon – Two weeks after the new moon, the moon is now halfway through its revolution, and now the illuminated half coincides with the one facing the Earth, so that we can see a full disk: we have a full moon. As mentioned above, at this time the Moon rises at the time the Sun sets, and it sets when the Sun rises. If the Moon happens to align exactly with the Earth and Sun, then we get a lunar eclipse.

(6) Waning Gibbous Moon – From now on, until it becomes new again, the illuminated part of the Moon that we can see decreases, and we say it’s waning. The first week after full, it is called waning gibbous.

(7) Last Quarter Moon – Three weeks after new, we again can see half of the illuminated part. This is usually called last quarter.

(8) Waning Crescent Moon – Finally, during the fourth week, the Moon is reduced to a thin sliver from us, sometimes called waning crescent.

A while after four weeks (29.5 days, more precisely) the illuminated half of the Moon again faces away from us, and we come back to the beginning of the cycle: a new moon. Sometimes, when the Moon is almost new, it is possible to dimly see its darkened disk. The light from the Sun cannot reach this part of the Moon directly; but at this time the Earth (as viewed from the Moon) is at its full and very bright, and what we see is light reflected from the Earth, that then bounces back at us from the Moon. It’s a long trip for this light: from the Sun to the Earth, to the Moon, and back to the Earth.