Moon magic is perhaps one of the most well-known forms of contemporary paganism and witchcraft. As beginners, we learn the phases of the moon, which are fundamental to our magical practice. It’s also an obvious crossover with astrology – the moon is a key placement in the natal chart. Astrologers also use the phases of the moon and of all the planetary cycles to map changing energies and relationships.
Cosmic relationships
The monthly movement of the moon around the earth, and of both around the sun, waxes and wanes. Energy builds up and then releases, as the diagram below shows. I love the lunation cycle because it reminds us that the cosmos is all about relationship. The lunation cycle is an embodiment of the relationships between the moon, the earth and the sun. In aligning ourselves with these cycles, whether we are working magic or simply acknowledging them, we become aware that we too are in relationship with the rest of the cosmos. We can see it, as we watch the moon wax and wane in the night sky.
September, for example, began with a new moon in Virgo, on the 3rd. The moon was not visible because it’s too close to the sun. Astrologically, the sun and moon are conjunct at a new moon, so that the dualities of inner and outer, night and day, illumination and shadow merge together. Symbolically and therefore magically, a dark or new moon is a seed point. And that’s common knowledge these days, with exhortations to set intentions for the new moon seemingly ubiquitous on social media.
Two weeks later and the moon is almost full, in fact a lunar eclipse this time, again as any swift perusal of social media will tell you. The energy has built and gathered strength as the moon waxes to full. Now the moon is at its most visible and brightest. Again the symbolism reflects this brightness, this peak energy. The full moon is a culmination point. It’s an energy which has gone as far as it can go. Now the cycle shifts and we are letting go instead of building up. Perhaps this is a time to celebrate, or to review. To decide what works and what needs to go.
Working with cycles…
Moon magic is useful in so many ways. If we want to do a spell of growth, the longest we’ll have to wait is two weeks and the moon aligns with that growth. Likewise for a spell of release, for two weeks of every four the moon is waning and we can align ourselves with that energy. It’s no wonder that moon magic is a practice fundamental to contemporary paganism.
Working with the moon is also an easy way to align with the cycle of the zodiac. Every month the moon travels through the whole zodiac, highlighting the sun’s longer annual journey. Every month brings a new moon, with the moon in the same zodiac sign as the sun. At every full moon, the moon is in the opposite zodiac sign to the sun, highlighting the similarities and differences of the opposing signs.
For example, the new moon in Virgo emphasised practicality and realism, as I wrote about on my personal blog. The full moon in Pisces is strengthened because it’s a lunar eclipse (more on astrological eclipse magic another time, because that’s a biiiig subject), dramatizing the order chaos dynamic of Virgo and Pisces. The “urge to merge” of Pisces is a direct contrast with Virgo’s amazing powers of detail, so that we can see both the wood and the trees.
…and living them
All of this is paganism 101, of course. And that in itself can be an issue. We can be so caught up in the “theory”, in what we read in books, that we forget to pay attention to our lived experience. I actually spent many years not really working the lunar energies much at all. I just wasn’t comfortable with the seemingly ubiquitous idea of the triple lunar goddess, as our old friend Robert Graves has it. Dividing the life of someone with a womb purely on the basis of what they might be doing with that womb makes little sense to me. I’m also not a fan of gendering the moon, or indeed any of the planets.
So I was put off lunar magic, despite working with lunar cycles in my astrological practice and finding them meaningful on a personal level. The mythological and symbolic overlay of my pagan studies and practices impacted how I experienced lunar magic. Its only been in the last few years that I’ve started to pay attention to the moon as I actually experience it. Last year I kept a sky journal for several months, as part of my MA studies. And surprise surprise, actually paying attention to the moon each night made a huge difference. I was able to forge my own relationship with the moon and its magic, one that’s genuinely meaningful for me.
So perhaps there’s also a wider issue here, of what we do if our experience of pagan practice doesn’t fit with what we read in books. Do we prioritise the theory, the tradition set out by those who have gone before us? Do we rely purely on our own lived experience? For most of us of course, it’s a middle ground, and figuring out what that looks like is an important part of our spiritual journey.
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