Full Moon

Week #12 - the letter "F" again

I must confess...I've been having an affair.  It has been going on for more years than I can count.  And oh do I love her!  I love her in all of her phases, but every 29.5 days (approximately) she appears in all of her full glory and I fall in love all over again.

As I child, I loved finding the moon in the sky.  It was always a pleasure to discover her peeking out from the blue sky of day.  But it was her at night, among the stars, that would take my breath away.

The moon has been special to me my entire life.  When I became a Pagan and learned about Esbats (Full Moon celebrations) I was beyond ecstatic.  There was major clicking going on when I found rituals dedicated to the moon and some of her different phases.  These rituals and connections helped me be sure I was on the right path and made me want to dig deeper and learn more.

I often find myself restless on the day and the night of the Full Moon.  I long to be outdoors to dance and frolic under Her light.  I could gaze at Her for hours and just be lost but happy.  The moon most certainly affects me and my moods.  Luckily, it is a positive thing where I feel filled with energy, increased creativity, and so incredibly alive.

The Full Moons all have names but I've often found that they don't always click with the natural world that I experience in Nebraska.  It is because of this that I have been working on selecting names for the Full Moons that fit for my practice.  There are notes jotted everywhere and I just need to sit down and commit to it and hammer those names out.  Until that point, these are the names I use:

• January - Wolf Moon - the time to conserve energy by working on personal problems that involve no one else. It is also a time for protection rites and reversing spells. During this month the energy flow is sluggish and below the surface.
• February - Ice Moon - the time for loving the self, accepting responsibility for past errors, forgiving yourself and making future plans. At this time the energy flow is working toward the surface; good for purification, growth, and healing.
• March - Chaste Moon - the time for new beginnings, breaking illusions and seeing the truth in your life however much it may hurt. The energy flow breaks into the open, a good time for growing, prospering, and exploring. Light and Dark are in balance now.
• April - Seed Moon - the time for working on your temper, emotional flare-ups and selfishness. The energy is flowing into creating and producing; a good time for change, self-confidence issues, taking advantage of opportunities and realizing self-reliance.
• May - Hare Moon - the time for strengthening the connections with supernatural protectors and beings around you. The energy is in full flow making this a good time for intuition, reproducing and connecting with faeries and nature spirits.
• June - Mead Moon - the time for decision making, taking responsibility for present happenings, working on personal inconsistencies and for strengthening and rewarding yourself for your positive traits. The energy is in full, but resistive.  The Earth tides are turning making this a good time for protection, strengthening and prevention.
• July - Hay Moon - the time for dream-work, divination and meditation on spiritual goals and plans. The energy is slower and more relaxed, proper for success and prosperity spells. This month is the time to start preparing for the colder and darker months ahead.
• August - Corn Moon - the time for harvesting, gathering and appreciating. The energy flow is slowing more and now is the time of vitality, health and friendships.
• September - Harvest Moon - the time for organizing and straightening up physical, mental, emotional and spiritual clutter. The energy flow is resting and Light and Dark are once again in balance.
• October - Blood Moon - the time for inner cleansing. Meditate on the laws of Karma and thoughts of reincarnation. This is the time of letting go, justice, balance and inner harmony.
• November - Snow Moon - the month of transformation. It is time to prepare for the coming winter and a time to strengthen communication with the god or goddess closest to you. The energy flow is taking root and preparing to flow once more.
• December - Cold Moon - the time of Spiritual Paths. The Earth tides are turning and it is time to reach out to friends and family, the lonely and the needy. This is the month of death and renewal. Spells should be aimed at endurance and provision.

The Blue Moon occurs when four full moons fall within the same season (as regular seasons only have 3 full moons, the fourth full moon between solstice and equinox, or vice versa, is the Blue Moon) or more commonly recognized when there are two full moons in any given month with the second full moon being considered as the Blue Moon. The Blue Moon is considered the 'goal moon’; at this time it is customary to set specific goals for yourself and to review your accomplishments and failures since the last one.

Recently, I heard the term Black Moon.  A Black Moon is the name given to the second New Moon in any given month.   I know it has nothing to do with a Full Moon but I think it is incredibly interesting and wanted to be sure to get it into my blog. Another moon fact I just learned deals with the times of moonrise.  The New Moon always rises near sunrise.  The First Quarter Moon rises near noon.  The Full Moon rises near sunset.  The Fourth Quarter Moon rises near midnight.

I also like to "harness" the energies of the Full Moon.  I often will put my stones and crystals out to soak up the light of the moon.  I charge a small container of water that I keep sealed and use throughout the month for rituals or spells. 

When I taught a class on Moon Magick, I found this ritual (modified in places by me, no clue the original source) that used cords to "capture" the energies of the moon.  By directing energy during the different moon phases into knotted cords, the energy can be harnessed and preserved until it is needed. By using a technique similar to that of Drawing Down the Moon, we can capture the essence of the moon phases in the knots of the cord; this power can be released at a later time as needed. Think of the cord as a source of emergency reserve power for those times when your need is immediate but the time available for a lengthy ritual is not. Once made and charged, the cords can be utilized in all future spell work. For example, if you need to quickly banish a negative influence but don’t want to work your spell while the moon is waxing, use your waning moon cord to lend banishing energy to your magick.

To use the energy of your cord you can hold it, wear it around your neck, encircle a candle or stone with it, drape it across your spell items, tie up your magickal catalysts or use it to charge herbs by encircling them with the cord. I personally like to use the untying method. This theory reflects a belief that each knot represents the moon energy; to release it, the knot must be untied during the spell.

Traditionally, moon cords are 3 feet in length and between a quarter-inch to half-inch in diameter. I use white for the Maiden aspect/Waxing Moon, red for the Mother aspect/Full Moon, and black for the Crone aspect/Waning Moon.

During the ritual, you raise your cord so it is in your field of vision and directly in front of the moon. As you
do this, feel the lunar energy begin to flow into the cord and tingle on your palms. You can chant if you wish.  While holding the cord in front of the moon, begin tying the first eight knots, an equal distance from the last. As you are doing this, try to line up the cord so that you are viewing the moon through the loop in which each knot is being tied. This visual image will, more than any words could, get the message through to your deep mind that you really have captured the lunar energy within your cord. You must know – not believe, but know – that with each knot you make a part of the moon phase’s energy is held within the knot for it to be effective.

The moon has always been special and sacred to me and it is an integral part of my personal practice. Should I veer from my Pagan path and start to follow a completely different religion or spiritual practice, the moon will still be there for me to honor and observe.  She is a constant and I know that she is always out there, even when I cannot see her.