Re-Thinking Moon Magick for the Modern Witch.
Re-Thinking Moon Magick for the Modern Witch.
This a very long-boring essay about moon deities and their perception in modern times, from a cis-gay man.
Have passed exactly; 21 years and two months since that spell, my first spell with the moon, perhaps the most stupid, nonsense, and meaningless moon spell made by a novice in witchcraft, but since then, 21 years and two months have passed. I was in my first months of academic studies at the military school, a great preparation evaluation was coming, and I was extremely nervous. I had studied and prepared myself adequately, even though my nerves were eating me up, everything depended on this evaluation.
So I took mom's witchcraft books, looked for some kind of assistance (something that wouldn't resort to sacrificing innocent animals just for the hell of it), and I find these notes in her notebook perfectly written in blue pen, a couple of spells that she used to feel confidence before university exams, in fact, I recognized the spells and I knew perfectly well that she wrote the theme from somewhere, so I searched until I found the originals in a small book with a blue cover, I copied the same spells in the last pages of my notebook and I started to practice.
One of the spells was an adaptation Mom made of another spell "for poetic inspiration," she modified it slightly to inspire courage and confidence, changed the names of certain Greek gods to some local spirits, and replaced a couple of words, anyway. the ways the rhyme was perfect and you just had to recite it in front of the light of a purple or lilac candle.
The other was to pour a certain variety of essential oils (just a few drops) into a saucer of dried herbs, then grind it all together and burn it as incense while studying. Subsequently, the ashes should be sprinkled under the student's desk or bench at the time of taking the exam.
One thing in particular, both spells had to be performed with the new moon and before midnight. Simple and perfect as that, I liked so much that kind of spells that resorted to action and creativity, to the lunar phases, which are explained simply and without too many lines. Today there are no spells like these out there, today the authors must specify where exactly to spray perfumes what to do with the remains of the candles, or where to throw the incense ash after a ritual, otherwise, always some individual without common sense will come to complain arguing "the author did not tell me what to do with the candle wax that I already use", "the author suggests spraying this perfume but I am allergic to those ingredients" (no one mentions that the spell is optional and you may or may not do it).
Anyway, those spells were great, they were practical but creative, really effective, love spells that worked in seven days, good fortune rituals that got you a job in less than two weeks, nobody said "You have to have faith and wait around." six months for results".
Those spells had a quirk, something that though mostly off-topic in my own books, I've always tried to include; the lunar phases and their effectiveness in each ritual.
The 13 Moons and My Books.
In my previous book "The Magical Art of Crafting Charm Bags" (Available here) I added a short but comprehensive section on the use of available energy during the lunar phases for each spell, ritual, or amulet. Even when for editorial reasons the section is kept to a minimum, it retains the most relevant and useful information for the reader.
In my next book Manifestation Magic (Available here) there were 13 Abundance rituals created to be performed during each of the 13 full moons. These rituals were not included in the book either to keep the original idea of only 21 rituals, so I have been sharing them. occasionally in my virtual classes over and over again.
The moon moves around the earth, and the earth rotates on its own axis around the sun, sorry flat earthers, the truth can be shocking. As the satellite moves around us it shows us different phases but always the same face, said phases associated with various deities, myths, and legends. And a large part of these myths are related to lunar deities, in their vast majority, female deities that embody the essence of the primordial mother.
Throughout the year we witness a total of 13 full moons divided between the twelve months, although we could continue complaining that the solar calendar does not make sense and that we should return to the lunar calendar, we know that this is not going to happen, the reality is as it is and we must adapt to it. This does not mean that we cannot work with the 13 full moons and that we should only limit ourselves to working with twelve moons.
My first book was originally published in Spanish by "Circulo de Lectores" (The Readers Circle) and later in English by a German publisher, prior to a publication with an expanded edition independently on AMAZON, my book Wicca! Love & Soul (Available here) Although a small part of the information can be considered dated today, the spells formulated there are practical, all created one by one according to the lunar phases represented throughout the book, as well as the information about the moon and creation. of spells with this, it continues to be, even for myself as a consultation, extremely useful. In this book I not was focused or even interested in just going deep into the history and bios of other authors, while my focus was more in teach spells that actually work and why these work.
Why 13 Moons?
For the indigenous Latin American peoples, not exactly all, but a notable majority, as well as for the Native American "Cherokee" peoples, the counting of the days was based on the lunar phases and not on the movements of the sun. For the Arawak of the coast and the Wayuu peoples, it made much more sense to count the days based on the movements of the moon and how these influenced the weather, the rain, and the tides, especially in towns bordered by the Orinoco River than counting. the days based on a gigantic star difficult to follow from deep in the mountains.
The 13 moons represented among the indigenous Caribs, the 13 seasons that the deceased went through before reaching rest, and they had to spend 13 more cycles (13 lunar years) before being able to be reborn again among the tribes of the living.
While for the indigenous communities on the outskirts of the Amazon, especially in Trinidad and Tobago, these 13 repeating moons marked the infinite cycle or "Ayamuui", within which humanity lived, like a kind of bubble between the sea and the sea. Heaven where we lived and died over and over again at the whim of the primordial deities that watched over us from the horizon of the sea.
One of the most intelligent authors in this regard who detailed the efficacy of a third moon in her book is Victoria Constantino, who in her book "Tarot by the Moon", briefly but concisely explains this 13th annual full moon, or blue moon, and offers a series of tips for the sorcerer and reader.
(Left) Moon Card Illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith from the traditional SMITH-WAITE Tarot Deck.
(middle) Moon card re-imagined by Aleister Crowley and Illustrated by his associate Lady Frieda Harris for the THOTH TAROT. (Right) Moon card illustrated and re-imagined by Shaheen Miro for her deck of THE UNCOMMON TAROT.
Working with the moon phases
If as a sorcerer, you follow the solar calendar, don't worry, we all do it because we are used to it. This is not to say that you can't take your spellcasting practice to the next level by making use of a lunar calendar or an app on your phone to track the lunar phases.
Each lunar phase offers a universe of possibilities, in fact, each lunar phase, each stage of the moon is associated with an infinite number of legends and myths already written from the past. But just like Temperance Alden in her book "Year of the Witch", she invited us to re-study the Wheel of the Year from a new perspective and to create our own Wheel of the Year, based on our own religious festivities and local celebrations, why not create also our own annual wheel of the year?.
Studying and creating my own Wheel of the Year following what I learned with "Year of the Witch" not only helped me and guided me in the step of reconnecting with my own roots from a much more spiritual individual experience, but also allowed me to explore parts of myself. practice that required more attention and that I had mistakenly put aside for following the mainstream.
In the same way, I have sat down to work on my annual lunar wheel, since the year 2021 I have been writing by hand in one of my many diaries each lunar phase that passes, from the new moon to the full moon, from the astrological position of the new moon in a specific zodiac sign, until the moon shows full six months later in that same zodiac sign.
Masculine-Feminine in modern and non-binary times.
In a huge variety of myths the sun is associated with the masculine aspect of nature while the moon is associated with the feminine aspect and motherhood, it is common to hear in witchcraft refer to the moon as "the great mother" and the sun like "the father", anyway, some myths, especially indigenous myths that do not enjoy the same popularity, as in Chilean folklore and in Peruvian mythology, these stars are considered aspects of the same primordial divinity, or in Caribbean mythology (which is so pretty broad) the sun acts as an embodiment of divine creation, femininity and motherhood that nurtures and gives life with its light. While the moon takes the role of a male god, a wild hunter who hides in the hills and mountain paths looking for his prey.
Although assuming the masculine-feminine roles of the sun and the moon is perhaps the most common, we are in modern times and a large number of people identify as non-binary, it is important to make it clear that for said individuals these aspects can vary, they can change, or they can also be asexual divinities.
Although I, am a cis gay man, who grew up listening to the myths of the moon god hunting giant pigs in the mountains, and the mother goddess nourishing the cultivated fields with the daylight that emanates from her bust, today I recognize that this vision is contrary to most of the Greco-Roman myths with which many prefer to identify themselves, also for me, as a cis gay man, it is not difficult to understand that these aspects are just incarnations of said deities that became myths based on these legends. It is also not difficult for me to understand that for a respectable number of individuals out there, the sun and moon may be deities beyond our understanding of sexuality and fertility and that the mortal forms they take in their myths only represent a limited aspect of these.
Similar Examples from two completely different Cultures.
Aphroditus / Ἀφρόδιτος / Aphroditos
A male interpretation/incarnation of the goddess Aphrodite, originating from Amathus on the island of Cyprus and celebrated in Athens. Commonly portrayed as a feminine deity with women's clothes, also a phallus, and hence, a male name.
Whose cult, according to David Braund in his book "Scythians and Greeks: cultural interactions in Scythia, Athens, and the Early Roman Empire", would be the same that later gave rise to the myth of the later god Hermaphroditos, whose name derives from his being Regarded as the son of Aphrodite and Hermes. Also, Photios I of Constantinople explained in his Attic comedies that Aphroditus was Hermaphroditos.
Shango / Oya Shango
One of the most popular myths in the Yoruba religion is the myth of Shango, warrior god patron of fire and lightning, who, escaping from his enemies who wanted to hang him from a tree, spent days battling after those who persecuted him, these enemies were the dead who had been awakened by the noise of thunder, and to these, Shango's lightning did not do any harm. After several days without sleep and fleeing from them, burning the path in his path with his lightning, for which they kept finding him, also his magical horse was lost in the battle, so King Shango had to run tired, he resorted then to his wife Oya for assistance.
Oya gave him food and water, gave him one of her dresses, and cut his hair for hers, making a wig out of these long black hairs. Shango dressed as Oya, who also controlled lightning, and then went out to confront his enemies. When they thought they had seen Oya, they fled, because they knew that Oya was the only one among the Orixas with control over the dead and the world. of the deceased, those then seeking to flee from her (from Shango disguised as Oya) met the real Oya waiting for them in the woods, who with her machete in hand cut them one by one and returned them to the world of the dead.
Since then, in the Yoruba culture in various regions, there is a small but growing cult of this "incarnation" of Shango, as the god-king of lightning dressed as a woman and with a wig who dances in a very masculine way when he is present in the rites and drums.
Magic in Modern Times.
There are about a dozen different definitions of "Witchcraft", and all of these or none of them can be valid. In the end, all of these variations only reflect a vague surface of what a group of anthropologists and scholars believe that witches of old used to do.. It's not like they left behind written books and filmed interviews about their work. The interpretations of Witchcraft that we see today combine a large part of what the Catholic Church believes witches did, with the concept of a group of British academics (white, cis, straight, with a lot of money) who studied witchcraft as an alternative and promoted it as a religion.
Anyway, many of these concepts may feel to the more open-minded modern reader a bit odd or certainly "dated", keeping ideas like "the moon goddess who accompanies the horned god" and "the moon goddess with her three phases, maiden virgin, mother, old woman".
For the modern practitioner and sorcerer, many of these concepts can serve as a basis for study, leading them to develop and explore their own ideas, not rejecting these ideologies, but rather embracing them and remembering that, after all, many of These ideas come from a very different era.
Magic and spells with the moon work based on its phases and the energy that it makes available to us. For many of us, the moon has a face or a physical presence, an incarnation in human form that makes it easier for us to relate to it; a wise woman, an experienced old woman, a virgin maiden, a horned goddess with moon on the tip of her horns, a robust hunter god with white skin, an old woman of African origin who weaves the night with her cloak of stars, etc...
Although for the modern seeker to find this face, this face of the moon can be confusing, especially if the seeker refuses to accept the imposition of a feminine aspect on the moon and a masculine aspect on the sun. In large part, it is because books have taught us for years that this is the case, period, and they have not taught us to think for ourselves.
Have you tried to build an altar in honor of the moon and perform a ritual in honor of the moon taking a masculine aspect of it?
Have you tried to create and perform a ritual of growth and fertility in honor of the sun, venerating the feminine aspect of it?
If not, maybe it's time to draw with your crayons outside the dotted line that someone else drew for you, based on their own belief system.
Other Excellent Books You Should Read If You Have the Chance.
- The Art Cosmic: The Magic of Traditional Astrology. By Levi Rowland.
Levi Rowland is one of the most interesting modern mystics to listen to, his studies of astrology and traditional magic are beautifully captured in this grimoire in a language accessible to all readers.
- The Modern Witchcraft Book of Astrology: Your Complete Guide to Empowering Your Magick with the Energy of the Planets. By Julia Halina Hadas.
- Queen of All Witcheries: A Biography of the Goddess. By Jack Chanek.
Check this video I made to complement the Info: Click Here
Next Virtual Workshop.
Saturday, August 26
A Lunar Year Of Magick
In this two-hour workshop, we will focus on studying the moon from the vision of the modern witch/sorcerer, and different forms of sorcery.
- Different names, aspects, and myths associated with the lunar deities.
- To read the omens on the moon.
- To create/set up an Altar entirely dedicated to the moon according to your own belief system.
- Work spiritually with the regional expression of the moon according to where you live.
- Perform spells and rituals, as well as make amulets and talismans using the lunar phases.
- Create protection charms and work with night spirits.
- Rituals of clairvoyance, divination, and premonition based on lunar magic.
- To venerate the moon in its different aspects.
- Prepare a ritual/banquet to double your Abundance.
- Follow the lunar cycles and create your own rituals for each lunar phase, month by month, according to your own level of experience and belief system.
Comments
Post a Comment