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MOON
With the Sun, the Moon must surely be amongst the oldest objects of human mystery and worship. For centuries, women were the calendar-keepers, priestesses, healers and advisors of the clan because of their ability to communicate with the Moon Goddess. The Lunar month has three aspects - Maiden (Crescent moon), Mother (Full moon) and Crone (Dark moon). Together they form the Triple Goddess.
The Moon controls the tides as well as the cycles of our bodies. "Deep within the sub - conscious is buried the
ancient knowledge that the Moon has real power over our emotions and actions." The Moon is concerned with
many things, from romantic love to the primordal cycles of life and
the rise and fall of energies.
It is widely agreed that a major purpose of any Moon symbol is to acknowledge the above which, when unified, results in the great and undervalued human facility of Intuition. .
GO WITH THE FLOW OF POWER
Deep within our subconscious minds is buried the ancient knowledge that the Moon has a real power over our moods, actions, and lives. Unfortunately, many of us-even those who may have secretly wondered about the Moons powers-have convinced ourselves that the Moon has no influence on anything but the tides.
No one knows exactly when humans began to observe the Moon but it must have been very early in our development. The carving of the Great Goddess of Laussel, dating back to about 20,000 BCE, shows the Goddess holding a bison horn with thirteen marks for months on it. In a cave at the Abri du Roc aux Sorciers at Angles-sur-IAnglin is a massive carving of three women, very likely goddesses. This carving dates from between 13,000 and 1 1,000 BCE. These three figures, standing on a bison, may well represent the three phases of the Moon.
The Sun was a constant factor to early humans, except for its seasonal rise and fall on the horizon, but the Moon was mysterious, changing Her faces and shapes, withholding and giving light during the dark hours, of the night. It wasn't long before menstruating women learned to count Moon cycles, thus creating the first calendar. However, the Sun was no help in dividing time into smaller portions than seasons. Counting from one Moon phase through the cycle and back to the same phase enabled clans to plan gatherings and religious ceremonies.
For centuries, women were the calendar-keepers, priestesses, healers, and advisors of the clans because of their ability to communicate with the powers of the Moon Goddess. Men learned to read the Moon's seasonal passages for use in hunting and farming. All early people knew that no human was unaffected by the Moon and Her mystical powers.
Everyone is Moon touched, or influenced, some just more than others. About one third of all people have a Full Moon in their natal astrological chart. These people are highly sensitive and emotional, with intense reactions each time the Moon re-enters its natal sign. For those whose religious views do not permit emotional and psychic sensitivity, these Moon phases can be miserable, upsetting experiences, particularly if a person's sensitivity takes the form of seeing non-physical beings, having precognitive dreams and visions, or recalling past lives.
Humans cannot escape the influence of the Moon, whether they believe in it or not. The Moon touches the lives of all people in one way or another. Some individuals, who make little effort to obey the social laws or take responsibility for their lives anyway, who are either unstable or on the edges of being so, allow Her influence to lead them into violence, robberies, overindulgence in alcohol or drugs, or antisocial, harmful behavior. Even the best of us may snap and snarl when the Full Moon is in certain astrological signs. The more unaware we are of Her influences, the more we tend to react.
The greatest proportion of the human body is made up of water. If the Moon affects the oceanic tides, the lowly grunion and herring, and possibly the weather through the moisture in the atmosphere, it is logical to concede that humans arc directly affected also.
But what has all this to do with the average law-abiding person, stable in mind and emotions? History tells us that there were other influences of the Moon, mystical influences that most people once knew and used to better their lives. This knowledge was forgotten when the modern religions gained control and either forbade their practices or ridiculed them into near-extinction along with the ancient deities that represented and symbolized the Moon.
These powers of the Moon phases were ancient knowledge in a great many cultures around the world and that same Moon knowledge is being used today by Pagans, Ceremonial Magicians, and the Wiccan groups. Certain phases of the Moon produce unique energies which can be tapped by humans through rituals large and small. In simple terms, spellworking for banishing, decreasing, or removing problems takes place from after the Full Moon until the New Moon, with the day or night of the New Moon being strongest. Spellworking for increase, growth, and gain takes place from after the New Moon until the Full Moon, with the day or night of the Full Moon being the most powerful. This use of Moon magick is ancient, and it still works.
The Moon month has traditionally been connected with three aspects of the Triple Goddess: Maiden (Crescent Moon), Mother (Full Moon), Crone (Dark Moon). These three aspects are further joined by specific energy paths: waning (decreasing) and waxing (growing). There are thirteen Moon months in a calendar year. Each Moon month is directly connected with a different type of seasonal energy flow.
With the Goddess coming into Her own once again, the Moon is being more openly recognized for Her influence and importance in the lives of humans. Anne Kent Rush, in Moon, Moon, wrote that the importance and position of women in a society can be judged by the importance that society gives to the Moon. Hidden in that statement is the religious fact that where the Moon is ignored or denigrated to the role of fantasy and fairytale, so the Goddess is ignored, forbidden, or cast in the role of the wife/mother of a deity. Women, the Moon, and the Goddess are inextricably bound together. What is doubly sad is that the patriarchal societies have concealed the fact that men also are caught up in the weaving of the Goddess and the Moon.
The entire Chinese philosophy of Yin and Yang is linked to the waxing and waning of the Moon and the rise and fall of life-energy in humans. This would place the New and Full Moons -as times of extremes in energy. Hindu astrology places great importance on the Moon phases as well, saying that people born during a waxing Moon live longer.
So, of what use is watching the Moon and Her phases? Being aware of the Moon and Her influences upon your life can save you a lot of frustration, time, and wasted energy. The Crescent, sometimes called the New, Moon is a time for introversion, of starting new projects and plans, and making personal changes in general. It is an excellent time for self-examination in everything from your love life, career, moving into a new house, and breaking habits, to spiritual intentions. The Full Moon, the most powerful phase, is a time of extroversion, high-energy tasks, and work with other people.
Are you letting the intense Moon energy lead you by the hormones, and are you really seeing your lover as she/he is, not a fantasy-person? Are you suddenly restless in your career? Watch out for those Moon phases! Are you making quick decisions to move or join a religious group? Back off, and let the Moon slide into another phase before you make a commitment. Check the Moon cycle before you shop for any item that requires you to sign a contract. You can be more easily swayed emotionally during a Full Moon. If you must deal with someone you really don't get along with, stay away from Full or New Moon meetings. Chances are you both will be edgy and the communication will be off. If you must undergo surgery of any kind, check the Moon before setting the date. Simply, don't set a surgery during a Full Moon or for four days before or after it. Bleeding will be more profuse at this time.
There are benefits to being in tune with the Moon as well. By cutting your hair and nails during a waxing Moon, they will grow back stronger and faster. Planting by the Moon has been known for centuries; certain plants grow better when planted during certain phases. There are Moon sign almanacs, such as the excellent one by Llewellyn Publications, that give you all the information on this you need.
We can't escape the influence of the Moon and Her powers, even if we don't consciously believe in them. The collective unconscious, or universal mind, still holds all the old information from our own past lives and those of our ancestors. The Moon knowledge of all those ancient civilizations stilt can affect our subconscious thinking, and our lives, in subtle ways. Each human, however, can learn to deliberately access this portion of the mind through deep meditation and, therefore, be more aware of how it is influencing life. Add this to the fact that the physical Moon affects our bodies and emotions, and it seems rather absurd not to work with the flow of power instead of against it. Life is difficult enough. Why not use Moon magick to smooth the path a bit?
