Already a member?
Sign in
Welcome! Wikis are websites that everyone can build together. It's easy!
Moon signs & Lunar Esbats
This is a diagram of the Lunar Esbats. On the page following, you will find a complete Moon Sign dictionary.
THE ESBATS AND LUNAR PHASES
The Sabbats are pretty popular, and there's a ton of information out there about them. But what about moon cycles? They're just as important, but compared to a year of solar holidays, they can be easy to forget. By the time you remember a full moon, it may already be a waning crescent.
Esbats are the regular (often monthly or bi-weekly) meetings or rituals held by a solitary Wiccan, group or coven. Esbats most often correspond to a certain phase of the moon since the moon goes through four notable phases within a month...approximately one per week. So if a coven holds its meetings on every full moon, that would be about one esbat per month. If the coven chooses to hold its meetings every other week, the full and new moons are evenly spaced out. Another option is to hold a meeting on the weekend nearest the full/new moon. It all depends on the group or individual's preference and purpose of the work.
A lot of people will say there are three moon phases...waxing, full, and waning. They use this method to correspond with the three-fold Goddess: Maiden, Mother, and Crone. I disagree with this idea. Let's assume that the moon hits totality at exactly 11:55pm. When I say "totality," I mean that it is in a direct line with the Earth in between it and the sun. That means at 11:54pm the moon is still technically still waxing ( the orb of light you see is growing bigger, making the moon look more and more round) and that 11:56pm the moon is technically waning (the light is decreasing). Even if you separated the moon's cycle into 3 even divisions of 9 1/3 days per phase, you could look at the moon four days before it reaches full and you would not think that it's a "full" moon.
This is why I prefer the 4-phase method: Dark/New moon, First Quarter, Full and Last Quarter. I also prefer to follow a 4-fold Goddess: Maiden, Mother, Warrior, and Crone. That is not to say that all Goddesses are lunar deities...hardly so! But I do feel that my connection as a female to the moon is stronger due to the lunar cycle being somewhat in sync with the menstrual cycle...but more on that in a moment.
NEW / DARK MOON
The two names are often interchangeable when you're talking about the moon in totality. However, while there is still a waning crescent, it is more appropriate to call it the Dark Moon, and when there's a waxing crescent, it is the New Moon. The Dark Moon will be emphasized in the "Third Quarter" section.
The New Moon rises with the sun at dawn. It reaches its zenith ( highest point in the sky) at noon. It sets again with the sun at twilight, and is unseen at midnight. Anyone that tells you that a ritual was held with a New moon overhead had better be talking about a daytime ritual, because the reason you can't see it at night is because it is in a position where the other side of the Earth is in daylight and also facing the moon.
It is because of this fact that solar eclipses occur at the New moon...the moon is passing between the Earth and the sun. When a solar eclipse occurs, the moon is blocking out the sun's light and the path of the eclipse is the moon's shadow cast upon the Earth's surface.
Many people associate the New moon with the Maiden or Youth aspect of the God. The Maiden is full of innocence and curiosity and sometimes even puckish playfulness. She may play tricks on you from time to time at this point, the same as any child will do. This is where the cycle is often thought to "begin," though understandably, with a cycle there is a beginning or ending. You can also think of other beginnings and use those as associations...the Spring, Aries (the "first" sign of the zodiac), the Fool or the Tarot, etc. Making these associations will further your understanding of what the New moon best corresponds to.
The period of time between the New and the First Quarter are appropriate for rituals and spell work that deals with beginnings or growth. You may start a new job or new project at this time, and do some kind of working to see that it reaches completion. If you wish to do magick for good health, this is a time to word it to increase your immune system, increase you development of good habits (like eating better and taking your vitamins), and to visualize yourself as getting healthy.
FIRST QUARTER
I like to associate the First Quarter with the Warrior. I'll look up at the moon between now and the Full moon and call out "Hi Big Sister!" That is what it represents to me...the Goddess to me at this point will lead you along, sometimes faster than you can go, and won't stop to coddle you but she can give you lessons that are peer-to-peer as opposed to listening to a parent say how they went through the same lesson 25 years before.
The First Quarter moon rises approximately around noon, it is at its zenith at sunset, sets around midnight and is unseen at dawn. When the moon is between the First Quarter and Full, you will often see it in the sky during the day. I still think that it's a pretty awesome sight in my opinion, just because you suddenly notice it and it's not something we can see every day. Another interesting fact is that in the Northern Hemisphere, the left half is visible.
The time period between the First Quarter and the Full moon is appropriate for putting an end to completing a "growing" project. Your goal is in sight and you strive to make the growth occur as the moon still grows. In the case of the spell for health, you are no longer just visualizing a healthy immune system, but you being to simply visualize yourself half and whole. If for some reason you didn't begin a spell between the New moon and the First Quarter moon, you can do it now, though it won't have as much energy put into it. Just state that your goal will be achieved by the time the moon reaches Full.
FULL MOON
You can use a lunar almanac to help you find out exactly when the moon will be full. All workings before this time should be for growth (as stated previously) and from the time the moon hits its totality, all workings should be for "breaking down."
The Full moon rises at sunset, will be at its zenith around midnight and will set at sunrise. On the day before, the day of, and the day after the Full moon, go outside at the same time of night, and look to see where the moon is located. You can do this at any time of the lunar phase, but I've found it easier around the Full moon. If you do this for a few months in a row, you will be able to see the amount of change the moon's position from day to day. Knowing where the moon is located at what time of the day can help you tell the time and phase without the help of a lunar almanac later on. I've had friends say on Friday that the calender stated the moon would be Full on Saturday, so they would save their workings for Saturday night. With a quick consultation of the sky, I told them that they were correct but it would be at its fullest and still waxing if they did their workings on Friday night instead because totality would occur in the early hours of Saturday. Waiting for Saturday night would put the moon in a waning phase.
Lunar eclipses occur at the Full moon as well. On this day, the Earth is directly between the moon and sun in a straight line. When the moon is eclipsed, it passes through the Earth's shadow, and that would normally be a full, round moon goes unseen because it's not able to reflect any light from the sun. Lunar eclipses are really interesting to watch if you ever get the chance to stay up all night for it.
The Full moon is appropriate for the Mother phase of the Goddess, the Father phase of the God. Think of a big round eye watching you...watching over you...People say that the energies of the moon "peak" at the Full moon, but I think the energies are just "different." It always depends on what kind of working you are doing. However, this is also the ideal time to hold your esbat, if for anything, because when you gather at night because your day is filled with classes, work, sports, etc. at night time you will still have an orb in the sky that you can better connect to when you visualize your own cyclical nature.
Again, before the moon is completely full (consult an almanac for exact times) you want to complete your "growing" workings. However, when the moon begins to wane from the Full moon through the Third Quarter, you should begin the "breaking down" process. In our example, if you wanted to focus on health because you have a cold, put your focus on that sickness being broken down. You'll still focus on yourself being healthy, but the sickness itself is crumbling away from you. The same goes for anything that needs to be broken down...if you're having trouble with a co-worker, during the waning moon, you'd want to "break down" those barriers that are keeping you from communicating, while during the waxing moon, you are building bridges. Try to keep your overall feeling a positive one, but when you look at situations from different perspectives you will learn that you can create you magick at any time of the lunar month.
LAST QUARTER
The final phase of the moon before the cycle begins again is the Last Quarter. As you can probably guess by now, the Last Quarter rises around midnight, is at its zenith around sunrise, sets at noon, and is hidden in the sunset. Again, in the Northern Hemisphere the right half is visible.
This is the time for the Crone or Sage to rule. They are there to teach us those final lessons before disappearing for about three days (since the moon will be below the horizon from sunset to sunrise and the crescent of the sun's reflection will not be visible quite yet) after which it will reappear as the New moon. This really emphasizes the idea of life, death and rebirth...the same story is told in many myths, and if you or your group chooses to have esbats on the Dark/New moon, you can share those myths as part of your teaching/learning plan.
The time period from the Third Quarter to the Dark moon is ideal for wrapping up any final projects and preparing for a rest. I agree with the quote from Tori Amos, "Everybody knows you can conjure anything by the dark of the moon." While the Dark moon is ideal for rest, it doesn't mean you can't do anything. I've just always found these times more appropriate for internal change or finally getting rid of the old and preparing for the new. This period of time is an excellent chance to make that final push to get rid of those bits of your life you haven't been able to do before (such as quitting smoking with is the source of a hacking cough you haven't been able to shake) and making your promise to come out strong and new. The time when the moon is hidden is a good time for yourself to really hold yourself to your vow. Or, if you have a cold that you just can't shake, take those three days off from school or work to allow yourself to fully rest and recover because you can't get healthy if you're still working yourself to death and running on nothing but DayQuil and adrenaline.
When the moon passes that :totality" stage and becomes the New Moon again, the cycle begins again. You'll notice that the phases last for about a week, which isn't a long time. If you feel really industrious, you can create rituals for each phase of the moon and hold a ritual on the night each phase changes over. You may find that you will become quickly become accustomed to the cycles of the moon and no longer need an almanac. Study some mythology, compare the lunar cycles to the solar cycles, and find out what the moon means to you!
Latest page update: made by MissJette
, Aug 1 2007, 11:18 AM EDT
(about this update
About This Update
Edited by MissJette
2141 words added
5 images added
view changes
- complete history)
Edited by MissJette
2141 words added
5 images added
view changes
- complete history)
Keyword tags:
esbats
horiscopes
Lunar
moons
signs
More Info: links to this page
| Started By | Thread Subject | Replies | Last Post | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anonymous | 4 Moon Phase Perspective | 0 | Jul 9 2008, 2:07 AM EDT by Anonymous | |
|
|
Thread started: Jul 9 2008, 2:07 AM EDT
Watch
I never thought about it this way, but I really like the idea of adding the Warrior aspect to the Goddess cycle. It is something to contemplate. It does extend the perceived life of the Goddess; it changes the story a bit in that She is not a mother until her mid 30's because she was a warrior in her 20's, where traditionally you expect the Maiden/Mother transition to happen at an earlier stage in life. It does make a more rounded powerful women. -Chris 25/M
|
|||
| sexywiccangoddess | AWESOME!!!!!!! | 0 | Aug 2 2007, 12:05 PM EDT by sexywiccangoddess | |
 |
Thread started: Aug 2 2007, 12:05 PM EDT
Watch
wooo babe good work.....keep it up babe
Do you find this valuable?
Keyword tags: None
(edit keyword tags)
|
|||