Using Lunar Magick

© Frances, 2002

From: Temple of the Dark Moon (http://www.ace.net.au/darkmoon/lunarmk.htm)

To practise Earth Magick, you do not need a lot of specialised tools or equipment. Nor do you have to be of any specific religious or spiritual belief. Belief in the power of the Universal energies and having an appreciation for Mother Earth is often enough.

When you begin to work with Earth Magick, it is important to decide exactly what you are after, and what you want to come into your life. Too many times people do not think things through properly, and then wonder why their magick does not work. More often than not, the magick has indeed worked, only that the results achieved were not those originally anticipated. For example, while it is considered appropriate to use magick in order to achieve money, we need to ask ourselves why and how much we need. Expecting to win the lottery is not going to work simply because all around the country, there are thousands of people wanting the same thing. Wanting money to pay off a credit card could also be hard to achieve if you do not know how to budget your finances properly. However, asking for a bit of assistance in order to better yourself, such as some money for petrol to get to that important job interview, will probably be more successful because this can be viewed as a "need" as opposed to a "want".

Magick works. We might not realise it is working because we are distracted by bigger and better things, but it does work. The Universe has a unique way of providing us with what we need, and not usually with what we want - we just have to realise the difference. So how does magick work?

Magick is energy and energy is magick. So, in order to work magick, we need to create and direct this energy. What a lot of people do not realise, however, is that this energy is around us all the time in the form of Universal energy, and therefore, so is magick. Is the world not a magickal place after all? It simply comes down to how we perceive things.

Thanks to Hollywood, magick seems to only happen amongst billowing clouds of smoke, or in a room full of candles. We also seem to need superhuman powers and a book that turns to the most appropriate incantation by itself. In reality, this could not be further from the truth. It should also be pointed out that crafting spells is a very small aspect of performing any kind of magick. In fact, a large number of magickal practitioners do not feel the need to craft spells at all. Instead, they ask for guidance from their own particular Deity to aid them in their own learning.

In order to craft a spell or perform a rite to achieve a particular goal, you must understand how to harness and use the Universal energy and have the belief in the desired outcome. You also need to be able to "forget" about your magickal working once it has been performed. This is because "thought" is also a form of energy. If you continuously think about the spell or rite you have performed and wonder when you will see the results, you are actually drawing energy away from the desired goal, not to mention opening yourself up to self-doubt as to whether you have done thing correctly. It takes time and a lot of practise, not to mention dedication, to achieve the desired outcome.

Some people are of the belief that magick can right all wrongs and give you everything you need. While this can occur, it usually comes at a price, and more often than not, the price is the lack of experience of life itself. Life is one of the best teachers we have. Being able to take the good times with the bad, being able to look at our disasters and learn from them is an invaluable gift. Therefore, when we want to use Earth Magick to bring something into our lives, we have to spend some time contemplating what we really need as opposed to what we want.

Having said all that, now let us turn our attention to actually creating magick.

One important thing that should be considered when practising Earth Magick is the timing, and this is where the Moon comes into things. The Moon has always considered as a mysterious and powerful force. It moves the tides and guides the flow of the Universal energies. As humans, we are made up of a lot percentage water or fluid, and so the Moon also affects us, especially women who, away from artificial light, will find that their own bleeding will often coincide certain phases of the Moon. In learning about the Moon and its influences, Earth Magick can be used to join with the magick of the Moon.

The Moon goes through eight phases during its 28 cycle, each lasting about three and a half days. Starting from the first sliver that appears in our skies, the Moon slowly increases in size. As it increases, so its energy also grows. It is, therefore, during these waxing phases of the Moon, we can focus on bringing things into our lives, and for starting new projects. The first phase is that of the New Moon, which lasts for up to three and a half days. Both the solar and lunar energies are combined in this phase. The New Moon offers the opportunity to start planning those long and short term goals.

As the sliver of the Moon grows, it becomes a crescent that faces to the East in the Southern Hemisphere. This period is referred to as the Crescent Moon, from three and a half days to seven days after the New Moon, and is the time for gathering information, ideas and the laying of foundations for any upcoming projects. It is also a good time to focus on business, change, emotions and feminine strength.

During the next three and a half day days, the Moon is in its First Quarter. The time has arrived to speed up those things which may be lagging, and push towards their manifestation. The focus of this phase is on continued success, or to bring the success on faster, to work on friendships, relationships and general good luck.

The final phase before the Full Moon is the Gibbous Moon, which is from ten and a half to 14 days after the New Moon. This is the time to do some contemplation on what we really "need" to bring into our lives as opposed to things we merely "want".

The Full Moon happens 14 days after the New Moon and is the time when the lunar energies are at their peak as the Moon is directly opposite the Sun. The energy of the Full Moon can be used for many things such as families, knowledge, love or romance, protection, health and healing, motivation, and self-improvement. As this time the Moon's energies are at their peak, to capture their power, timing is extremely important. The Moon can actually look full in the sky for up to three days so the most reliable way of finding out when the Moon is at its peak is use an astrological calendar or almanac which will give the exact time. This is because after the time given, the Moon's energies start to slowly diminish. Therefore, when working Earth Magick, it is recommended that you should time your rite so that it is before the time listed.

From the Full Moon to the Dark Moon, the Moon deceases in size. As it decreases, so does its energy. Therefore, these are the waning phases of the Moon and the time to focus on reducing or removing things from our lives. The first phase after the Full Moon is known as the Disseminating Moon. As the Moon's energy is beginning to wane, the time has arrived to begin removing obstacles, negative thoughts and emotions, even stress from our lives. From seven to ten and a half days after the Full Moon, is the Last Quarter, and in our skies in the Southern Hemisphere the crescent faces the west. Use this time to disentangle yourself from awkward or uncomfortable situations, for overcoming additions or debilitating physical problems. Some people even use this phase for divorce proceedings or to neutralise enemies.

The last phase of the Moon is the Dark Moon, from ten and a half to 14 days after the Full Moon when the Moon does not appear to be in the sky at all. This is the time where it is often recommended that no magick should be performed, that we should rest, after all, the Moon appears to be resting in our skies. If you want to take advantage of this time, however, it provides a great opportunity to go within ourselves and to find out who we really are, and to analyse on deeper levels the things we want. It is also a good time to focus on psychic abilities, to learn divination skills, or even analyse what our subconscious is trying to tell us through our dreams.

Again, I have only provided a brief insight into the power of the lunar energies and how we can use them to aid our lives. The best place to begin is to observe this beautiful, mysterious, luminous body that moves silently in our night skies, quietly changing and affecting us, although we might to notice these changes within ourselves at first.