Each Full Moon has a different meaning and magickal purpose. Because of this, it is a good idea to plan your Full Moon Rituals to work with the meaning and purpose of the Moon. The Full Moon is also a traditional time for divinations of all kinds, as the power of the Moon aids in such work.

November ~ Snow Moon: Plan for a ritual to work on ridding yourself of negative thoughts and vibrations.

December ~ Oak Moon: Plan for a ritual to help you remain steadfast in your convictions.

January ~ Wolf Moon: Plan a ritual of protection around your home and family.

February ~ Storm Moon: Plan a ritual to ask the Old Ones for help in planning your future.

March ~ Chaste Moon: Plan a ritual to help fulfill your wishes is appropriate.

April ~ Seed Moon: Plan a ritual to physically plant your seeds of desire in Mother Earth.

May ~ Hare Moon: Plan a ritual to reaffirm your goals.

June ~ Dyad Moon: Plan a ritual to balance your spiritual and physical desires.

July ~ Mead Moon: Plan a ritual to decide what you will do once your goals have been met.

August ~ Wort Moon: Plan a ritual to preserve what you already have.

September ~ Barley Moon: Plan a ritual of Thanksgiving for all the Old Ones have given you.

October ~ Blood Moon: Plan a ritual to remember those who have passed from this world, and be sure to make an offering to them.

If you want to gain something (friendship, money, job, intelligence) do your magick during the WAXING MOON (when the moon is getting full)

If you want to lose something (bad habits, negative energy) do your magick during the WANING MOON (when the moon is getting small)

The FULL MOON is a good time for magick of all kinds, for the full moon brings great power to all magick.

The NEW MOON is useful for starting new ventures.

Perform this ritual at night in view of the Full Moon if possible. If not, fill a cauldron with water and place a piece of silver in it.

Cast the circle and invoke the Goddess and God and anyone else you chose to invoke.

Gaze at the moon or your "moon" in your cauldron. Feel its cool Goddess energy wash you with power and love. Say these words.

Wondrous Lady of the Moon
You who greets the dark with silvered kisses
Mistress of the night and all magicks,
who rides the clouds in blackened skies
and spills light upon cold Earth.
Oh Lunar Goddess
Crescent one
Shadow maker and shadow breaker,
Revealer of mysteries past and present,
Puller of seas and ruler of women
All-wise Lunar Mother
I greet your celestial jewel
at the waxing of its powers
with a rite in Your honor
I prey by the moon
I prey by the moon
I prey by the moon

Continue chanting "I prey by the moon" while visualizing the goddess.

Now is the time to work magick or meditation. Crystal scrying is particularly recommended (you can use the silver in the cauldron for this).

Enjoy a simple feast. Thank the Goddess and God and release the circle.

On the night of a full moon, whether you can literally see its brilliant face or not, this ritual is engaging.

Stay inside if it is more practical or journey out into nature if surroundings, safety and space permits. Always be cautious and use common sense.

As this is a simple full moon ritual you will not need any magickal tools or enhancements. However, please feel free to add your own touches. They may include incense or aromatherapy items, soothing music, candles or your favorite magickal gemstones.

How to perform this ritual:


First you must cast an invisible circle around yourself. Point your first and second fingers of your right hand (as if giving a blessing) down at the ground and turn in a circle clockwise. While turning visualize you are drawing a circle of white light around yourself. This is a form of protection. Everything is safe within the circle.




Now sit on the floor or in a chair you have included in your circle. Sit facing any direction you are drawn to as your inner voice knows what directional energy you need to tap into.




Close your eyes and visualize a bright white light ascending up from your toes to the top of your head until you are filled with this healing and soothing energy.




Say out loud or to yourself: "Moon above encompass me... empower me."




Now sit for a while and "just be." Think of something you want that will improve your life.




When you feel you have been heard by the God of your understanding or whatever it is you call your higher power, end by saying: "And so it is."




Visualize the circle of light you cast ascending above you until it travels so high into the universe it disappears, (you are releasing your circle).



Remember, never wish harm to yourself or others. We are all connected on a universal level and love is the most powerful magick of all.

May the God or Good in me, recognize the God or Good in you!

Diane Ahlquist

Full Moon dates 2006

Year Month Day Time Day of week
2006 Jan 14 09:47 Sat
2006 Feb 13 04:44 Mon
2006 Mar 14 23:35 Tue
2006 Apr 13 16:41 Thu
2006 May 13 06:52 Sat
2006 Jun 11 18:04 Sun
2006 Jul 11 03:03 Tue
2006 Aug 9 10:55 Wed
2006 Sep 7 18:43 Thu
2006 Oct 7 03:13 Sat
2006 Nov 5 12:58 Sun
2006 Dec 5 00:24 Tue

The new moon is my favorite of all the moon phases. Perhaps it is the dark side of the moon concept of unseen forces that intrigues me. This is not to say that the beauty of the full moon doesn't take my breath away...it does. I can say that I have never howled at a full moon, but people have been known to get a bit crazed during a full moon, just ask your local bar keep or the night nurse working the midnight shift at the trauma center.

In choosing the moon as a topic in healing I would suggest a simple new moon ceremony to manifest your desires, your wishes, healing, and well-being into your life. Any intentions stated or written down carries power, so be clear on what it is you would like to create in your life. The saying, be careful what you ask for, you might get it is fair warning in moving forward with a new moon intention ritual. Sponsored Links

Once you have set your new moon intention, it need not be set in stone. The moon has its phases and so do our individual wants and needs. This is why it is a good practice to rededicate your list of intentions each month. Changes can also be made mid-cycle, but I have found them not to be as powerful. I am a member of an online discussion list whose members participates in a group new moon intention each month. The power of the group dynamic of this has proved to have postive changes for all of us.

New Moon Manifestation Preparation

Check the calendar for the next upcoming new moon.
Set aside 20-30 minutes to do the ritual itself.
Supply suggestions: 2 Notebooks, colored pens, scissors, scotch tape, candle, matches, incense, smudge sticks, flower essences, etc.

Prepare yourself a sacred space to perform the ceremony at.
Setting your New Moon Intentions in Motion


Cleanse your sacred area with an opening prayer, a sage smudging, and/or by burning some incense.
Light one or more candles.

Center your being and calm yourself in whatever way is appropriate for you. You might enjoy sipping on a cup of chamomile or mint tea. I also have a special blend of flower essences that I use specifically for manifesting rituals that works well enough.

Open your notebook, and date it. Write down these words or similar words. "I accept these things into my life now or something better for my highest good and for the highest good of all concerned." Below this statement, begin writing down your desires. Your list may consist of only one item or you may have several pages written down. Try not to limit yourself. If having many things in your life helps to fulfill you then don't deny yourself wanting these things.

During the month when an item on your new moon list comes to you, don't merely cross it off of your list, take the time to rewrite the list in its entirety eliminating the manifested item from the listing. This is highly recommended. At the same time you may add whatever else that you have decided you would like. Feel free to reword any of the original phrases if they better fit your life now. It is only natural that your desires change over days/weeks/ months/years.

The second notebook will be used as a scrapbook where you paste in pictures or catalog clippings of items that you want to manifest. This is a fun project so enjoy yourself. You will soon be amazed how these things begin to find their way into your life once you start this practice. I pasted a photo of a spa in my scrapbook and manifested it in just a few months time.
Rededicating your New Moon Intentions

Each month at the new moon you rededicate your intentions by renewing the list at a repeated ritual. This is accomplished by rewriting them out, removing the items that no longer feed your soul and adding those that do. I like to salt and pepper my manifest list with smaller items that will manifest quickly, such as tickets to the ballet, or lunch with a friend, or a day of all play and no work. You may think that these are such small things that they don't apply or are not worth writing down. Wrong! Believing that these are things that we can easily acquire so its not really manifesting upsets the balance. Manifesting smaller items on our lists actually gives life to the list. These smaller manifestations create movement.....an ebb and flow of the tides. We are dealing here with the moon cycles after all. Besides, sometimes we forget to enjoy the smaller pleasures in our lives while we are waiting for the BIG stuff to come in. If you only write statements like, "I want to win the lottery" in your notebook then you are limiting yourself by not allowing abundance to flow to you from other avenues.

The accumulation and direction of the subtle forces of the moon, is one of the arts of Witchcraft. Moon magic is a personal art, even though there are basic guidelines.

In ancient times, witches held the position of the Moon priestesses/priests. In coastal regions, and upon islands, witches were also Sea Priestesses/Priests. The use of water from the sea was an important aspect in Moon Magic (salt being a crystal form). The "charging" of water, and the release of the "char- ge" through evaporation, was an important aspect. So too was the soaking of woods and herbs in sea water, which were later dried, and burned as incenses and offerings. Two excellent books on this subject are MOON MAGIC and THE SEA PRIESTESS by Dion Fortune.

The use of Portals to gain access to the Lunar Realms, and the building of magical images there, is a very important aspect of Moon Magic. The actual "essence" of the power used in Moon Magic, originates out among the stars. The Sun draws in the stellar influences and transmits them into our Solar System. The Planets within our System absorb this energy which then merges with their own vibrations or energies. The Planets, in turn, then emanate a composite energy within our Solar System. Each Planet's energy or vibratory pattern is unique, and influences other planetary bodies and forces, within each planet's sphere of influence. This is the basis of Astrology and Planetary correspondences in Magic (this is how and why it works).

The Moon is the focal point of power upon the Earth. The Moon absorbs, condenses, and channels all of these forces, which are then carried to our Planet, upon the Lunar Light Spectrum.

Agrippa, a 15th Century magician, understood these principles when he wrote
"...but the Moon, the nearest to the heavenly influences, by the swiftness of her course, is joined to the sun, and the other planets and stars, as a conception, bringing them forth to the inferior world, as being next to itself, for all the stars have influence on it, being the last receiver, which afterwards communicates the influence of all superiors to these inferiors, and pours them forth upon the Earth..."

Aradia, the Holy Strega, told her followers to seek the Moon above all others, for the purposes of Magic. In the closing prayer of the Full Moon Ritual, we find these words which Aradia's followers were later to have written :
"O' Goddess of the Moon...
teach us your ancient mysteries...
that the Holy Strega spoke of,
for I believe the Strega's story,
when she told us to entreat Thee,
told us when we seek for Knowledge,
to seek and find Thee above all others".

Agrippa understood this also, when he wrote, "Therefore. her (the moon) motion is to be observed before the others, as the parent of all conception......hence it is, that without the Moon intermediating, we cannot at any time attract the power of the superiors..."

What Agrippa spoke of, is what witches have known for Ages:
The Moon is the focal point of power upon the Earth.

Without the Moon we cannot make use of the Universal Forces beyond her. In Moon Magic, the ritual altar is the focal point for the Lunar forces which are drawn upon. Women are the vessels for Lunar Energy, receiving and directing the magical force. Men can also become lunar vessels, but women are much better suited (as their biology is more attuned to the Moon's Cycles, than are men's biology).

The Moon altar is placed facing the West Quarter. The altar itself should be round, but a square or a rectangle is OK.

In the center of the altar, place a bowl of saltwater. A white sea shell is then set into the center of the bowl. As this is done, whisper the name of the Goddess who rules the current phase of the Moon, under which you are working. The new moon belongs to Diana (De-ah-nah), the Full Moon to Jana (Jah-nah) and the waning Moon to Umbrea.

Around the bottom of the bowl. set nine white shells, forming a crescent (horns upward, as in a smile). If the magic is for the gain of something, place the shells from right to left. If the magic is for the removal, or loss of something, then place the shells from left to right. As each shell is placed, chant the name of the Goddess who presides over the goal of the magical influence you desire.

Matters concerning "beginnings" are under Diana. Matters involving "forces", energies, or powers are under the influence of Jana. Matters of Death, decline, and stagnation are ruled by Umbrea.

Censers of Moon Incense are placed around the bowl, upon the altar, forming a triangle (so you have 3 incense containers forming a triangle, with the Moon Bowl in its center). A reversed triangle (V) is formed for manifestations desired upon the physical plane. Upright triangles (A) are formed for manifestation upon the astral plane.

During the magical work, the energy is focused into the altar bowl (or moon bowl, as it is often called). This can be done in several different ways. In group rituals, members may point their ritual blades at the Priestess, who stands before the altar. The members visualize their energy flowing from their themselves, through their blades, and into the aura of the Priestess. The Priestess then visualizes this collective energy flowing from herself, through her own blade, into the moon bowl. Or she may simply place her palms over the bowl and focus the energy out through her hands. During this technique, she may recite an incantation, stating the purpose of the "charge", or the group may chant the spell's intent.

One of the ways in which energy can be raised for this technique, is through deep breathing. Each person draws in air slowly and deeply, and exhales as they visualize the energy flowing outward through their ritual blades, or their hands. Eastern Mystics teach that the Ether of our planet can be drawn in through the breath, and condensed as pure energy. This they call "Prana".

Another method is to "enchant" the water. Begin by passing your right hand, palm down, over the bowl in a clockwise manner. Perform nine passes, then do the same with your left hand. You will need to create a Chant which will serve to describe your intent. It can be a simple rhyme, or whatever you want. As you chant, blow gently upon the water slightly disturbing the surface. Formulate the incantation to be as descriptive as you can, about what you desire. Once you have spoken the incantation into the bowl, it is time to release the "charge". One technique for this is to boil the water, and observe the steam as it evaporates. Boil it until all of the water is gone. As the steam rises up, repeat your incantation, and watch the steam as it moves upward. It is carrying off your magic, so that it may take effect. Think this as you watch it (thoughts ARE things).

Another very old method is to pour out the contents of the bowl into a stream, or river. As you do this, you recite a simple rhyme spell, such as :"Water to water, a witch's spell, I give this stream, to speed it well"

Receiving the Moon's Light: (for women)
The Priestess receiving the Full Moon, will need an assistant. The assistant will require a silver disk, smooth and highly polished. If absolutely necessary, a small hand mirror may be used in its place. The Priestess will stand or kneel before the altar, with her head bowed down. The assistant will part her hair at the base of the skull, using water or oil to help separate the hair, if it is short. While the priestess visualizes the form of the Goddess merging from behind, into her own form, the assistant will reflect the Moon's light upon the base of the skull, using the silver disk. You will find that this is quite difficult in city light pollution, and works best in a country setting, or a desert. Once the Priestess receives the Moon she can channel it into the Moon bowl, or she can "store" it within her Being for seven days. This light is pure Lunar energy, and can be "impregnated" with whatever "thoughtform" the priestess desires. Receiving the Moon's light: (for men)

The Priest receiving the Full Moon, does not need an assistant, but may choose one if he desires. Men cannot receive the Moon in the same manner as women, nor should they visualize the Goddess merging with them.

The Priest will stand, or kneel, before the altar with his head slightly bowed. Using a polished brass disk, the Moon's light is reflected upon his forehead. At this point the Priest will visualize himself as the Full Moon itself. Once the light is received, the Priest can channel it into the bowl. Men do not "hold" Moon Light very well, and it is best to channel it off before the seven day period, which the Priestess enjoys.

Receiving the Moon's light: (for women without assistance)
There are several ways for a woman to receive the Moon's Light, without any assistant. The technique I gave in this subject note, is just one of the magical techniques. The Moon may also be received in a religious setting (no magic intended, just a blessing or a union with Deity). In these modern times, you can set up a mirror behind you, and angle it so that it reflects down upon you, if you desire to try the magical technique.
One of the old ways of non-magical union, was for the woman to lay nude beneath the Full Moon in the Full Moon Goddess Posture. This posture is also referred to as the Star Goddess Posture, and is an X formation, arms and legs spread out wide. The woman anoints herself with an oil of the Moon, just below her navel (forming a crescent with the oil). As she lays upon the earth, she will look up into the Moon, and slowly draw in the muscles of her abdomen, as she mentally pictures that she is drawing down the light of the Moon, into herself. Just as men draw power into themselves through the solar plexus, a woman draws power into herself through the navel region ("pit of the stomach" kind of thing. This is the center of a woman). This is just one method, but it can be a powerful experience.

This thread will be devoted to all things related to the moon, such as rituals, spells..etc. Again, enjoy the freedom to post your favorite material on the full moon....