Moon Magick

Following last weeks new Moon, I decided that for this article, I am going to talk about Moon Magick! As well as some of the history around
Moon worship, different Mood God’s and Goddesses, luna farming and Moon cycles, including some Moon correspondences and when to perform certain spells, based on the phases of the Moon, for optimum results.
I have also included some daily correspondences from my personal
Grimoire for you to use as you see fit.

The Moon has been associated with Magic and mysticism since the very beginning of time, across various cultures and traditions. While the
Sun, whose importance is unquestionable, is related to the rational, left-brain functions, all that is “Male” and the element of fire, the
Moon is connected to intuition, change, fluidity, reflection, all that is “Feminine” and is related to the element of water.

Moon worship is founded on the belief that the phases of the Moon and the growth and decline of all life on earth are related. Moon worship
has existed since earliest recorded time, in the oldest literatures of Egypt, Babylonia, India, and China, and still it exists today in various parts of the world.

Many ancient peoples regarded the Moon as the chief of the two luminaries. In the eyes of Babylonian astrologers, the Sun was of smaller importance than the Moon. One of the reasons for this may be that for the Ancients, who didn’t have the technologies we have today, the Moon, being closer to the earth, appeared bigger than the Sun when visible in the sky.

It might even surprise you to know that the Moon, appearing as a body larger than the Sun, was endowed by the imagination of ancient peoples with a masculine role, while the Sun was assigned a feminine role, this only started to change as our technologies developed and we no
loner associated the Moon as the larger luminary in the sky.

The Assyrians and the Chaldeans referred to the time of the Moon God as the oldest period in the memory of the people, before other planetary Gods of ancient Greece came to dominate the world ages, the Moon was the supreme deity. Such references are found in the inscriptions of Sargon II (ca. -720) and Nabonidus (ca. -550).

Most if not all cultures have deities associated with the Earth's Moon, which should not be too surprising, considering the position of the Moon in the skies is a harbinger of seasonal changes. Westerners are perhaps more familiar with (female) Moon Goddesses, even the word lunar, as in the lunar cycle, comes from the feminine Latin Luna. This seems natural because of the association of the lunar month and the female menstrual cycle, but not all societies envision the Moon as a woman, in the bronze age for example, from Anatolia to Sumer and Egypt, Moon God’s were an integral part of Moon worship.

Egyptian mythology had a variety of male and female deities associated with aspects of the Moon. In contrast to our female Luna, the
personification of the Moon was a male—Iah (also spelled Yah) but the major Moon deities were Khonsu (the new Moon) and Thoth (the full
Moon), both are male. The "man in the Moon" was a great white baboon and the was Moon, considered to be the left eye of Horus. The waxing Moon was represented in temple art as a fierce young bull and the waning one by a castrated one. The Goddess Isis was also sometimes considered a Moon Goddess.

The God Mên from, Western Asia Minor cultures, is a Phrygian lunar God also connected with fertility, healing, and punishment. He healed the
sick, punished wrongdoers and guarded the sanctity of tombs. Mên is usually depicted with the points of crescent moons on his shoulders.
He wears a Phrygian cap, carries a pine cone in his outstretched right hand, and rests his left upon a sword or lance.

In ancient Mesopotamia The Sumerian Moon God was Su-en (or Sin or Nanna), who was the son of Enlil (the Lord of the Air) and Ninlil (the Goddess of Grain). Sin was the husband of the reed Goddess, Ningal, and the father of Shamash (the Sun God), Ishtar (Goddess of Venus), and Iskur (God of rain and thunderstorms). It is possible that Nanna, the Sumerian name for the Moon God, may have originally meant only the
full Moon, while Su-en refers to the crescent Moon. Sin is portrayed as an old man with a flowing beard and wearing a headdress of four
horns surmounted by a crescent Moon. It is believed that Mount Sinai was named after him.

There are of course many more male Moon Gods, far too many to document in a simple blog, this was just an example to demonstrate how diverse
Moon worship is, and to shed light on some male aspects of the Moon.

Some of the more commonly known Moon Goddesses that are still worshipped today are:

The Greek Goddess Selene (Luna, Selenaia or Mene) who is the Goddess of the Moon, she drives a chariot through the heavens drawn by two snow-white horses and occasionally oxen. Selene/Luna is the sister of the Sun God Helios/Sol. She is romantically connected in various stories with Endymion, Zeus, and Pan. Depending on the source, her father may have been Hyperion or Pallas, or even Helios, the Sun.
Selene is often equated with Artemis. In some accounts, Selene/Luna is a Moon Titan, and the daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Thea.

Diana, the Roman woodland Goddess was associated with the Moon, and like Selene was also identified with Artemis. Many worshipped her as a Moon deity. Diana is typically portrayed as a young and beautiful woman, armed with a bow and quiver, and accompanied by a stag or other beast.

The Aztec Goddess of the Moon Coyolxauhqui ("Golden Bells") was portrayed as in mortal combat with her brother, the Sun god Huitzilopochtli, an ancient battle that was enacted in ritual sacrifice at several times in the Aztec festival calendar. She always lost. At the Templo Mayor in Tenochtitlan (what is today Mexico City) was discovered a massive monument representing Coyolxauhqui's dismembered body.

There are of course many more Moon Goddesses, far too many to document on a simple blog but I would strongly recommend you conduct your own research, to have a better understanding on the different aspects of the Moon and the Gods and Goddesses connected with Moon worship.

Phases of the Moon
The Moon has four distinct phases depending on the Moon’s position as it orbits around the earth, and the earth’s position as it orbits around the Sun. There are four main Moon phases, also known as lunar phases: First quarter (waxing), full Moon, last quarter (waning) and new Moon. An additional four intermediate phases make up the combined eight phases that comprise the phases of the Moon: new Moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full Moon, waning gibbous, last quarter and waning crescent

For centuries, the power of the Moon has not only influenced magickal practices and worship, it has also guided many a farmer and gardener,
and still does to this day.

Moon farming
The age-old practice of performing farm chores by the Moon stems from the simple belief that the Moon governs moisture. Pliny the Elder, a
first-century Roman naturalist, stated in his Natural History that the Moon “replenishes the earth; when she approaches it, she fills all bodies, while, when she recedes, she emptiest them.”

The new Moon and first quarter, or waxing phases, are considered fertile and wet. This time is known as the light of the Moon, and it is thought to be a good time for planting above-ground crops, putting down soil, grafting trees, and transplanting.

From full Moon through the last quarter, or the dark of the Moon, is considered to be the best time for killing weeds, thinning, pruning, mowing, and planting below-ground crops.

The time just before the full Moon is considered particularly wet, and is thought to be the best time for planting during drought conditions.

The theory behind this method of farming is based on the gravitational forces from the Moon pulling on every molecule on earth, which results
in the swelling and creation of two tidal bulges on opposite sides of the earth, with the side of the earth closest to the Moon swelled by gravity and the opposite side swelled through inertia. This is where the idea of the earth being more wet and fertile during the first quarter Moon comes from.

Moon Magick
The Triple Goddess has often been associated with the Moon’s phases: the maiden (waxing Moon), the mother (full Moon), and the crone
(waning Moon). We all go through these phases in our lives (both men and women) corresponding to our youth, adult child-rearing years, and
our elder years. In one way or another we are all attuned to the different phases of the Moon, it’s jut that most people don’t realise it.

Moon phase spell work

Waxing Moon: The Waxing Moon represents the Maiden aspect of the Goddess. The Waxing Moon is from the moment after it is New until the
moment it is Full. This is the time when the Moon is growing larger in size and power. This is the best time to perform spells for growth, beginning new projects, initiation, enhancement and to attract or increase something in your life.
Attributes: Invoking, beginnings, new projects, ideas, inspiration, energy, vitality, freedom and constructive Magick, such as love, wealth, success, courage, friendship, luck or health.

Full Moon: The full Moon represents the Mother aspect of the Goddess. This is a time of optimum power and high energy. the full Moon offers
powerful energy with which to charge your crystals, charm bags and oils. Simply place the items you wish to charge on a windowsill or
outside, to bathe in the Moons light. Once charged, focus your intention for your crystal or charm to keep them working to the best of their ability. This should be done each month for best results. No matter the intention of the spell, it will be infinitely more powerful.if cast during a full Moon. This is a good time for rituals for
prophecy, protection, divination or any working that needs extra power, such as help finding a new job or healing. The days just before the full Moon are the most powerful times for fruition and completion.
Attributes: Manifesting goals, nurturing, passion, healing, strength,
power, love, knowledge, legal undertakings, money and dreams.

Waning Moon: The Waning Moon represents the Crone aspect of the Goddess. The waning Moon is from the moment after it is Full to the moment it is New This is the time when the Moon appears to be decreasing in size. Essentially this is the best time to cast any spell to do with banishing, removing obstacles, illness, neutralizing enemies, removing harm endings and releasing what no longer serves you. Decrease is the operative word, as the Moon's light is decreasing. Witch tip, The three days after the New Moon are the most powerful times to work spells for growth and beginnings.
Attributes: Wisdom, psychic ability, scrying, reversing circumstances, banishing, releasing the old, removing unwanted negative energies, addiction, illness, or negativity.

Dark Moon, also known as the New Moon: This is the time when there appears to be no Moon at all in the sky, just before the beginning of the next lunar cycle. The dark Moon is a time for dealing with attackers, for exploring our darkest recesses and understanding our angers and passions. Very potent for prophecy work. This is the best time to cast spells that centre around destructive Magick and is a powerful time for divination and contact with the spirit world to
banish powerful negative aspects in your life such as ill health, addictions, a toxic person or a curse that has been placed upon you. The dark Moon is the most auspicious time for banishing and neutralizing spells
Attributes: starting new ventures, new beginnings, love and romance, health or job hunting.

You can further increase the power of your spell work by taking into consideration the day of casting. Below is a list of colour and spell correspondences for each day. For a quick example; if your intention was to cast a spell for increasing wealth then it would be best to cast your spell on a Thurday, during a waxing moon.

Although there are several days which correspond with increasing wealth, I would personally choose to cast a money spell on a Thursday due to one of its colour correspondences being green. The colour green
corresponds with attracting and increasing money. You could symbolise this by using a green spell candle and crystals such as Aventurine.

Daily Correspondences:

Monday
Colours: Blue, White, Silver
Associated with: Peace, Emotions, Fertility, Clarity, Wisdom
Planet : Moon (the ancients considered the Moon to be a planet)

Tuesday
Colours: Red, Black, Orange
Associated with: Courage, Defence, Success, Protection, Victory
Planet: Mars

Wednesday
Colours: Purple, Orange
Associated with: Change, Fortune, Luck, Gambling, Communication Creativity
Planet: Mercury

Thursday
Colours: Blue, Green, Purple
Associated with: Wealth, Healing, Strength, , Protection, Abundance
Planet: Jupiter

Friday
Colours: Pink
Associated with: Fertility, Romance, Fertility, Pregnancy, Love, Passion
Planet: Venus

Saturday
Colours: Purple, Black
Associated with: Protection, Banishing, Cleansing, Wisdom
Planet: Saturn

Sunday
Colours: Gold, Yellow
Associated with: Success, Wealth, Fame, Promotion, Prosperity
Planet: Sun (the Sun was considered a planet by the ancients)

I hope that you have enjoyed this little piece on Moon Magick as much as I have enjoyed writing it. The topic of Moon Magick and Moon worship is so vast that it would be impossible for me to cover the topic in its entirety on a simple blog, that said, I sincerely I hope that the snippets of information that I have given you here today,
have provided you with a starting base on which to conduct you own research and expand your own magickal knowledge and workings further.
Remember knowledge is power, do with it what you will.