THE POWER OF THE MOON
"The moon is a loyal companion. She never leaves. She is always there, watching, steadfast, knowing us in our light and dark moments, changing forever just as we do. Every day she is a different version of herself. Sometimes weak and wan, sometimes strong and full of light. The moon understands what it means to be human. Uncertain. Alone. Cratered by imperfections." -Tahereh Mafi
For thousands of years, we worshipped the Moon, we held her phases and cycles in reverence. But overtime the constructs the patriarchy put in place replaced Moon worship with Sun worship: old Greek myths began to be reworked, libraries were burned down, manuscripts and ancient texts were destroyed or forced to be hidden away. The matriarchal lineages were being suppressed, forgotten, deemed “witchcraft” because the moon was replaced with the sun, being “Son of God”. It is only now in the Aquarian Age that we are preparing to take back the Matriarchy, the ancient ways and free ourselves from the Patriarchal system that no longer serves us.
Moon worship is Feminine worship. The Moon is darkness and light. She is birth and rebirth. She is the duality that we hold within ourselves as women. Since working with the Moon for over 10 years, she has become my compass for inner power and reflection; it is with the awareness of her influence on us, on our emotions, flavoured by her astrological passages, that I invite her guidance.
The way I like to connect to the Moon is through Ritual. And I am passionate about connecting to the cyclic patterns around us, connecting to the Moon.
The character of our dear Moon Mother is highlighted with each of her phases – each phase allowing connection with a different energy within her cycle. Setting specific intentions with each phase of the moon creates an opportunity to live intentionally, allowing you to bring meaningful and deep transformation into your life.⠀
The moon constantly changes, gently teaching us that change is not something to fear but rather to embrace. As she grows, she invites in new energy and opportunities. As she wanes and moves into darkness, she releases her shadows. Connecting with your inner moon goddess allows for deep transformation and creation through the moon cycle.
The two phases that I like to work with in ceremony are the New Moon and Full Moon. The Dark or the New Moon is the first phase of the lunar cycle. It is the two or three days when the moon is not visible in the sky and contrary to what the calendar suggests, the New Moon is not just one day, her energy can in fact be felt one day before and one day after - this is the fluidity and the gentleness she gifts us, gradually settling into each phase, allowing herself and us to ease into it, gifting us the time and space to gracefully embody her wisdom.
This three-day journey that is the Dark Moon phase is a time to discard things that you don’t want. It is the phase in which we contemplate our accomplishments from the previous phase and begin to discover the seeds you want to plant in the future. This is a time to go inward and to let go. Because once we let go, we can become clear on what we want and the intentions that we wish to set as she grows in size and energy from New to Full. The New Moon or Dark Moon is that blank canvas, the place from which we observe where we are now and allow the visions for where we want to be.
Following the Moon cycles through Ritual is an opportunity to slow down, to discover the subtleties and the mysteries within you, to connect with your inner power and reverence away from all of the societal chatter. Change begins within us.
So many of my offerings at The Ritual revolve around the moon and her cycles. If you wish to dive deeper into these teachings or follow along in ceremony, I invite you to join me in a recorded New Moon Workshop in which I discuss the planetary influences and guide you through a series of prompts and meditations based on the Moon’s astrology or subscribe to Moon Mail and read a letter written by me about the Moon astrology and follow through with guided intentions for the month.
If you're interested in discovering more about my perspective on Moon Magic, I also invite you to listen to my Podcast Episode “Moon Magic and Lunar Guidance” on iTunes. And if you have any questions about the Moon and her cycles, feel free to ask them in the comments. I look forward to delving deeper into this magic with you.