One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned from the moon is that change can be good—necessary, even. As I watch the moon shift in the sky, I’m reminded on a nightly basis that it’s totally ok to go through different “phases” depending on what is going on in my life. Sometimes I’m all about hitting the gym first thing in the morning. Other times, I get my workouts in by taking leisurely walks in the evenings with my friends.
Over the years, I’ve noticed I read more books in the winter, but I barely even glance at a newspaper once summer rolls around. These are examples of my personal life cycles and they mimic the beautiful ever-changing cycle of the moon. The moon doesn’t look the same night after night, and neither do our lives. The moon shows us that change can be beautiful, comforting and natural.
Witches can choose to invite the moon’s abundant energy into their lives to help them flow through many different situations.
Understand Your Own Cycles By Keeping A Moon Journal
It’s helpful to acquaint yourself with the moon’s cycles by observing each phase in your day planner or cell phone app. There are many different apps and websites created to tell you exactly where in the moon cycle you currently are. My favorite is a website which shows the dates of every moon phase by your current location with just a click of a button. (This is especially great when you’re traveling!)
I like to align my life to the moon by drawing a small circle in the upper right-hand corner of my day planner to represent the moon and shading in part of the circle in to visually note what phase the moon is currently in. If you consult the website mentioned above, this process will take less than thirty seconds, and it will strengthen your connection to the moon and its energy each time you do this.
Once you note what phase the moon is in for that day, you can jot down any thoughts, feelings or energies you pick up throughout the day.
Here are some questions to journal about:
- What is the current moon phase?
- What thoughts or feelings do I associate with that moon phase?
- What is the energy in the air today?
- What is the energy in my body right now?
- What is the energy coming from the people around me today?
- How did I sleep last night?
- How am I currently feeling?
- What is my intuition telling me to focus on today?
- On a scale of one to ten, how connected do I feel to my higher power, my intuition, my feelings, my desires, and the moon?
You can try to keep this practice up for an entire moon cycle (about twenty-nine days). As you read through your journal entries for the past cycle, look for patterns in your habits and cycles. Do you tend to feel anxious just before the full moon? Do you find yourself needing more sleep during the end of the waning moon phase? Honor these patterns within yourself and make changes in your life based on your newly-discovered needs.
Create Your Own Monthly Moon Names And Traditions
There are between twelve and thirteen full moons in a calendar year. Because of this, we get to experience about one full moon a month. Typically each monthly moon has a name given to it by different cultures depending on the activities of the people, animal behavior, or weather patterns in that particular geographic location for that time of year.
Because so many different groups came up with these names, there’s no standard group of names for the moons by month. For example, names like, “Wolf Moon”, “Storm Moon”, and “Hunger Moon” have all been associated with the January full moon.
Many witches use the traditional full moon names in their moon rituals. This is a wonderful way to celebrate the different moons, and if you love observing these ancient traditions, keep doing it. If you’re looking for a new, slightly unconventional way to celebrate the monthly full moons, consider creating your own system of monthly moon names and rituals. Another way to connect with the special power of each full moon is to create your own names for each monthly moon.
To do this, start by listing each month on a sheet of paper. Under each month, write down the first things that come to your mind when you think about that month.
Here are questions to ask yourself when naming each moon:
- What is a special memory that comes to mind when I think about this month?
- What is the weather typically like during this month?
- What holidays or traditions fall during this month?
- What yearly activities happen during this month?
- What colors, emotions or moods do you associate with this month?
- What is your favorite thing about this month?
Next, come up with a name that resonates with you the most based on your answers to the questions. Don’t worry about finding the perfect name. You don’t have to please anyone but yourself here, and you can always change it if you decide you don’t like it later on.
For example, I’ve chosen to name my April moon, “Birthday Moon”, because my birthday is April 29th.
Going with my “Birthday Moon” theme, I chose to honor the April full moon with the colors green (to represent birth) and white (to represent my birthstone which is a colorless diamond). If I decide to light candles to honor my “Birthday Moon”, I like to sprinkle a bit of silver glitter in the melting wax to further remind me of my diamond birthstone.
The mood and emotions I associate with my “Birthday Moon” are excitement, love, friendship, accomplishment, growth, abundance, and being “older and wiser”.
Once you’ve established your associated colors, moods, and emotions, you can put together your intentions, affirmations and magical tools to use for this monthly moon.
My “Birthday Moon” monthly intention: To celebrate my physical, emotional, mental and spiritual growth.
My “Birthday Moon” affirmation: “I welcome each new day as an opportunity for growth and I honor myself for the progress I’ve made.”
Oils that support this intention: Frankincense, Rosemary, Tea Tree, Lemon, and Eucalyptus.
Crystals that support this intention: Clear quartz, amethyst, aventurine, peridot, and citrine.
Do this for every month, and make your moon practice completely unique to you!
Weekly Planning With The Moon
Witches use a variety of systems to observe the moon’s phases, but a popular way is to separate the moon’s cycle into four phases: new moon, waxing moon, full moon, and waning moon. Each phase carries with it a different energy. You can use these energies to plan out different areas of your life week by week.
The Energetic Qualities of the Moon’s Four Phases
New Moon: This is a time for setting intentions, planning, and dreaming of the many possibilities for your life.
Waxing Moon: During this time in the moon’s cycle, the energy is all about forward motion and movement. You’ve just declared your goals for the moon cycle, and you’re going for it!
Full Moon: This super-powerful time of the cycle is perfect for fast manifestation, celebration and busting through obstacles.
Waning Moon: Take some time to release whatever is no longer serving you. Begin to slow down and rest when needed.
Going off these descriptions, you can begin to schedule out your lunar month. If I’m trying to align a new exercise and eating schedule to the moon, I’ll plan to spend the first few days of the moon’s cycle (the new moon period) setting an intention such as walking ten thousand steps a day or eating one fruit or vegetable with every meal.
When the moon moves into the waxing phase, I can focus on finding ways to be consistent with my new regiment. This could be taking a walk during my lunch break or keeping a bag of apples at my desk for healthy snacking at work. The energy of the waxing moon will help me stay motivated.
The full moon will be a time to celebrate how much I’ve accomplished. I might want to used this time in the moon cycle to record my results (such as my weight or resting heart rate) to see how much progress I’ve made.
During the waxing moon, I can focus on shedding old habits that might be getting in the way of my goal. To support my fitness goal, I can choose to give up an hour an hour of Netflix for an hour of working in my garden or playing with my dog.
You can apply this concept of the four different lunar energies to any aspect of your life with a little creativity. Here’s an example of how to align your finances to the moon cycle:
New Moon: Decide on how much to save and brainstorm ways to save or make more money.
Waxing Moon: Look for a second job or open a savings account.
Full Moon: Do a money spell and send some time being grateful for the money you currently have in your account—no matter what the number.
Waning Moon: Check out your monthly expenses and see if you can cut out any excess spending.
The Moon’s Abundant Power
These are just three ways to align your life with the moon’s abundant power, but the options are limitless. Feel free to take any of these ideas and personalize them to fit into your magical practice. The moon will always be there to power your spells and support your lifestyle. All you have to do is look up!
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I love this article, so much useful information. It’s like a light bulb went on. My name is Cynthia, which literally means Moon. I should be paying much more attention to the moon and using lunar energy in my craft. Thanks so much for the guidance.