Moon Magick

The ruddy shadow of earth covers the face of the moon during an eclipse.
Photo by Snowfen Studio. Used with permission.

From the first moments humans began to walk upright, when we were able to take our eyes off the ground and look up into the night sky, the moon has been a source of unending mystery and wonder.  It is the first (and, to date, only) world beyond our own upon which we've left our footprints.  It shapes the tides.  The turnings of its face help us predict the passage of seasons.  Unsurprisingly, the moon has occupied a prominent place in paganism and every other religion of the world.  Islam, the world's second-largest religion, features the crescent moon as one of its primary identifiers, as seen in the flags of many of the world's majority-Muslim countries.  The Jewish and Christian book of Genesis describes the moon as one of God's great lights to mark the passage of the year.  Hindus and Buddhists revere the moon as a symbol of the cyclical nature of life, death, and rebirth.

For pagans, the moon is a powerful source of magical energy.  It is the embodiment of light and shadow - the mirror reflecting the light of the sun's furnace of potential.  Where the Sun blazes in the sky every day with little obvious variance, the moon waxes and wanes, its face changing slightly each night as it courses through its cycle.  It governs the ebb and flow of the ocean tides.  It is the most potent reminder of the cycle of life, as each cycle it emerges new born, gives a thin sliver of light, matures into a radiant beauty, then begins to dim, fade away, and die - when it is once again born anew.

There are many ways to channel the moon's energy in rituals and spells. Moon water is a useful component in many magical practices. The full moon and new moon each provide an opportunity for a ritual celebration (known as an esbat) when one can attune to the energy of the moon and connect to emotion and intuition.  I myself have numerous tarot spreads and other rituals in my grimoire to mark each phase of the moon.  If you are looking to include moon magick in your practice but don't know where to start, I highly recommend the work of Michael Herkes, especially Moon Spells for Beginners (no, I'm not sponsored; if you read this blog for any length of time, you will quickly learn that I am a voracious reader and love to recommend books that have been helpful to me).

Last night, I stood outside and watched the near-total lunar eclipse, and I'm not sure I've ever felt a more powerful connection to the energy of the universe.  Despite a cloudy forecast, the sky was perfectly clear.  Crickets chirped loudly, the soothing sounds of a southern summer night.  I saw the bright full moon high in the sky to the south, and as darkness began to cover the face of the moon, lightning began to flash in the sky behind, distantly to the north.  I didn't have a camera that could do it justice, and I didn't try; I had a good pair of binoculars, and for me, that was enough.  I didn't need to photograph the eclipse - I wanted to experience it.  It truly was a magical moment. Being a druid is not just about seeing nature; it's about communing with nature and experiencing it fully.  

The past week has been terrible.  We lost prominent people who were near and dear to the queer community, and many of us are still reeling from that.  My tablet monitor (the instrument I use to make my living) died on me and had to be replaced.  My family is running into unexpected expenses.  My wife's car needs repair work that we can ill afford to have done.  But last night, for a brief moment, I was able to look up at the sky in wonder and forget all of that, and truly feel like I was one with nature.  It was a very timely reminder: when the moon (the symbol of intuition and the subconscious) goes dark, that can seem frightening, but in the darkness of the veiled moon, the stars (the symbols of hope and rejuvenation) seem to shine brighter and can be seen more clearly.  It's also a reminder that no matter how dark things get, the shadow will eventually pass over, and the light will return.

 Blessed be.