THE MOON AND ITS PHASES



We often hear Witches talk of the new, waxing, full and waning moons. What 
exactly does that mean, how do we know what phase it's in and what does it 
matter anyway?

It's actually quite simple. First the definitions:

NEW MOON: The first phase of the moon. It is not visible in the sky for the 
first couple of days. It is starting to grow in the sky in a crescent shape. If 
you don't see a moon, you're in a new moon phase.

WAXING: The moon is now visible and is starting its journey to becoming whole or 
full. You will see it as a crescent. The tips of the crescent are pointing to 
the left. If you look up at the moon, and the tips are pointing towards the 
left, you in that waxing moon phase.

FULL: I think everyone knows this one. The moon is full and round. No points are 
discernable. From this phase, the moon begins to get smaller, or wanes.

WANING: The moon's shape is now going into crescent form again. Only now, the 
tips will be facing the right. It is becoming weaker in light and will become 
non-visible as it goes into its next new moon.

Got it? Pretty simple, huh? You should be able to go outside and view the moon 
on any given night, and know what phase it's in. There are also the quarter 
moons, which is very simply this: if the moon is larger then a crescent but is 
not quite full and the tips are still pointing left, it's a waxing quarter moon. 
If it's larger then a crescent but smaller then a full moon and the tips are 
facing right, it's a quarter waning moon.

Now you're probably wondering what this has to do with anything ñ especially in 
regards to Witchcraft. The strength needed to carry out a spell in Witchcraft 
must be as strong as possible. The moon has energies that help you carry your 
wishes to their destination. When a moon is waxing, it is growing stronger ñ 
until it is full. When a moon is waning, it is growing weaker, diminishing until 
it is gone. It then goes into its new moon phase.

When we do spells to bring things to us such as money or love, we want to 
perform them during the waxing phase on up to the full moon phase, to have its 
full energy to carry our spell. When we do spells to take thing away from us 
such as sickness or negativity, we perform them during the waning moon, to carry 
it into the darkness away from us. Now it makes sense!

This is why it is SO important to know the phases of the moon BEFORE we ever 
perform a spell! What a disaster it would be to bring things into our lives that 
we don't want or to have taken away that we just asked for!

You may have also heard the term "The Dark of the Moon". THIS IS A VERY 
IMPORTANT TIME TO DETERMINE! The dark moon is the block of time that is 3 
(three) days before a new moon and 3 (three) days after a new moon. Spells and 
magick are NEVER performed on these days! The moon is at its weakest and your 
spell can easily backfire. Learn when these days are.

There! Now you know what all the phases of the moon are, how to tell what phase 
is currently in the sky and what it means. So start practicing ñ go see what the 
moon is like outside this evening and see if you can't easily guess which phase 
it's in. If it's close to full (either direction) it may be hard to tell. Give 
it a couple of days and try again. If all else fails and you simply cannot 
determine the phases, many calendars are available with the phases printed on 
them. You now know the importance of knowing what phase your moon is in before 
you attempt to hold a ritual or perform a spell.