Important Dates in this Lunar Month
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Mark your calendars for the Winter Solstice, aka Yule, and the Summer Solstice, aka MidSummer or Litha: Thursday, December 21 @ 8:27 am PT / 16:28 UTC |
Moon Phase Dates
Please note that each source may vary the exact time of each phase by a minute or two. I use the Moon Phases tables in TimeAndDate.com as a standard reference. This is a great source, and can be customized for your location.
Please note that each source may vary the exact time of each phase by a minute or two. I use the Moon Phases tables in TimeAndDate.com as a standard reference. This is a great source, and can be customized for your location.
The major phases of this lunar journey are noted above, and you may want to note these in your Moon Chart or journal.
Introducing the Moon Mná Diary Journal
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One of the constant companions in my soul work throughout the year is my Moon Mná Diary Journal, created by Karen Ward and Bernie Sexton.
This beautifully designed Diary-Journal has 272 pages with lots to read – practical tips, inspiring women’s stories, Irish language proverbs, quotes and affirmations, as well as 12 mindful colouring-in pages. I was delighted when Karen asked me to contribute a short piece to the 2018 edition. As a graduate of Karen's Moon Mná Women's Celtic Circle facilitation program, I was honoured and, of course, contributed! The 2018 is now available to order and can be shipped worldwide! Click HERE to order your copy today!
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Follow the Inner Journey Events blog for insights into the
Wheel of the Year and the ways of the Wise Woman
including rituals, Soul Work and more.
Exploring our theme of Deep Wisdom
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Embracing the Crone energies of Winter Those of us in the Northern Hemisphere are once again starting a new turn in the Wheel of Life, which began a new cycle on Samhain on November 1st. We have returned to The North, to the Elements of Earth and the wisdom of the Dark Goddesses, especially An Cailleach and Hekate, my dear crones and allies. And for those in the Southern Hemisphere, who have just experienced a joyous and vibrant Bealtainne, you are entering the Light part of the year. . . another new beginning! The turning of the wheel is often viewed as a circle but in reality is more of a never-ending spiral. Yes, we return to the beginning, but with the wisdom and experience of the previous journey. As we journey through the Wheel of the Year we embrace the energies as they themselves transform and shift and balance, from Earth to Air to Fire to Water. Each phase in the cycle grows from the previous one. Each phase is both a consequence and a preparation. As Mama Earth withdraws into her deep reflective winter state, so can we. . . digging down even deeper into the experience of the past year(s), examining our successes and our challenges, and composting those all into a magical mix that will seed our visions and journey in the coming year. This time between Samhain and Yule is a time of alchemy, of magic, of transformation… and possibly even transmutation. |
Your choice: stuck in the mud OR building with clay
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The Crone wisdom of An Cailleach and Hekate reminds us that we have many choices, many paths. Their light and wisdom can guide through our choices, our new direction, and they remind us that we can choose not just the path itself but how we experience that path. We can explore it with wonder and love and light. . . or we can feel the heaviness and responsibility of our burdens as we journey.
It is your choice to make. Choose wisely. Choose something that empowers you and lifts your spirit.
Let me tell you a story, a recent personal experience.
Energetically we are now moving from the Water of Autumn to the Earth of Winter. What happens when you mix Water and Earth? Well, it’s mud! And mud is sticky and heavy. Remember that feeling of walking in mud, and how slow each step can be? Who wants that?
Yet, as I meditated on this recently, I had an insight that totally transformed my approach. Water and Earth is not just mud. . . it’s clay, the building block of bricks and tools and pottery. . . objects of beauty and utility and security. So in this season of mud, I am choosing to experience it as clay. . . as the building blocks for new possibilities and growth in the coming year.
With the guidance of the Dark Mothers, tap into that Deep Wisdom, the You deep inside that is connected to Spirit, to Flow, to Universal Knowledge, to all the possibilities and potential that exist with you without the filters and blocks that the “rationale” mind can at times impose.
Energetically we are now moving from the Water of Autumn to the Earth of Winter. What happens when you mix Water and Earth? Well, it’s mud! And mud is sticky and heavy. Remember that feeling of walking in mud, and how slow each step can be? Who wants that?
Yet, as I meditated on this recently, I had an insight that totally transformed my approach. Water and Earth is not just mud. . . it’s clay, the building block of bricks and tools and pottery. . . objects of beauty and utility and security. So in this season of mud, I am choosing to experience it as clay. . . as the building blocks for new possibilities and growth in the coming year.
With the guidance of the Dark Mothers, tap into that Deep Wisdom, the You deep inside that is connected to Spirit, to Flow, to Universal Knowledge, to all the possibilities and potential that exist with you without the filters and blocks that the “rationale” mind can at times impose.
Working with the Wisdom of Hekate
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The arrival of Samhain on November 1st heralded the arrival of Winter, and the deep reflective energy that it brings. Many of our ancestors were tied to the land and to the seasons and energies of Mama Earth and Father Sun. The Earth provided both sustenance and fuel, the Sun the light, and our ancestors followed the energy of the seasons: planting in Spring, nurturing and growing in Summer, harvesting in Autumn and resting/preparing in Winter. . . and celebrating the gods and goddesses of their earth-based spiritualities. Winter (and the New/Dark Moon) brings us the deep feminine energy and deep wisdom of the Crone and the energy of the North (Earth) in the Medicine Wheel. This is the time I connect most strongly with the wisdom of An Cailleach ("owl" in Gaelic) and Hekate, Goddess of the Crossroads. Both are Dark Goddesses whose origins are so old as to be lost in time. And there are others: Hel, Cerridwen, Kali and more. Hekate is the Goddess of the in-between, the liminal spaces, the boundaries and the transitional times of life including birth and death. She carries a torch for illumination, not just of the dark but of our personal pathways, of our shadow side, guiding us through our choices at the crossroads and the path we eventually choose. These Dark Mothers are the Goddesses of our transitions and strong allies as we transition to the Dark Half of the year. The illuminate our journey through the winter darkness and support us in our transformation and renewal. |
Image created by Thalia Took
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Click here for more about Hekate, including a guided meditation and release ritual.
Soul Work & Soul Questions
Using the basic four questions in the New Moon Medicine Wheel Layout (a practice I learned from Karen D Crane), I invite you to create your own Soul Questions for this Lunar Journey, based on the Four Directions and Elements and keeping in mind the theme of Deep Wisdom.
Intuitively choose one or more oracle or tarot deck(s) for this reading. First choose a card as a Signifier, to represent YOU in this journey, then choose four more cards, starting in the East to answer these basic Soul Questions.
🌀 In the Centre: Who am I? How can I use the wisdom and guidance of the Crone to guide and transform my journey this month?
🌓 In the East, Air, First Quarter Moon: What is beginning?
🌕 In the South, Fire, Full Moon: What is flourishing?
🌗 In the West, Water, Third Quarter Moon: What is transforming?
🌑 In the North, Earth, Dark/New Moon: What is the lesson?
At each new phase of the moon, pull additional cards to expand and illuminate the wisdom. At each phase, journal your observations, feelings and wisdom gained in this lunar journey that began with the New Moon in Scorpio. Revisit the spread at the next New/Dark Moon, and use the wisdom and insights gained to prepare for your next lunar journey.
Intuitively choose one or more oracle or tarot deck(s) for this reading. First choose a card as a Signifier, to represent YOU in this journey, then choose four more cards, starting in the East to answer these basic Soul Questions.
🌀 In the Centre: Who am I? How can I use the wisdom and guidance of the Crone to guide and transform my journey this month?
🌓 In the East, Air, First Quarter Moon: What is beginning?
🌕 In the South, Fire, Full Moon: What is flourishing?
🌗 In the West, Water, Third Quarter Moon: What is transforming?
🌑 In the North, Earth, Dark/New Moon: What is the lesson?
At each new phase of the moon, pull additional cards to expand and illuminate the wisdom. At each phase, journal your observations, feelings and wisdom gained in this lunar journey that began with the New Moon in Scorpio. Revisit the spread at the next New/Dark Moon, and use the wisdom and insights gained to prepare for your next lunar journey.
Hekate at the Crossroads spread
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Another option for your Soul Work this month is to call on the Wisdom of Hekate in this new Hekate at the Crossroads tarot or oracle card layout.
In this spread, we stand at the crossroads and call on all aspects of Hekate the Triple Goddess to guide us: in the aspects of Maiden-Mother/Woman-Crone and in the three realms of Otherworld, Middle World and Upper World. And we bring that wisdom back to the centre of the crossroads to integrate and move forward. Click here to download a US-letter sized PDF of the Hekate at the Crossroads spread, which includes the layout plus a page with more detailed questions. |
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Activities for the New Moon
I always suggest starting the month in a couple of ways:
- draw cards for the New Moon Medicine Wheel layout, or any new moon layout your prefer. And this Dark Moon/New Moon also is the time to complete the PREVIOUS month’s journey . . . your own Moon Lodge of reflection on the journey, and noting the wisdom gained.
- begin a Moon Wheel Chart to track your energies/flow (and other markers that are important to you) throughout the lunar journey. You can read Shekinhah Mountainwater's original Moon Wheel Calendar here.
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And there are many other ways to celebrate the New Moon, the new lunar journey. For instance, I start many new herbal medicines at the New Moon, to use La Luna's rising energy to extract as much as possible from the plant.
You could also:
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My Moon Bowl at the New Moon
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Do YOU have any Moon practices you would like to share?
Join our private Facebook group, the Wise Woman Bean Gealach Circle (for those who identify as women),
or the Bean Gealach Circle (open to all) page on Facebook to share your thoughts.
In the Circle, we go into this work much more deeply throughout the month and the year.
Join our private Facebook group, the Wise Woman Bean Gealach Circle (for those who identify as women),
or the Bean Gealach Circle (open to all) page on Facebook to share your thoughts.
In the Circle, we go into this work much more deeply throughout the month and the year.
Activities for the Full Moon
The Full Moon is associated with the magick of completing, healing and empowering. . . and for creating the magickal life you want.
Many practitioners choose to do a Release Ritual on the Full Moon, although my personal preference is to release when Grandmother Moon is firmly in the Waning Phase of her journey. But if it feels right for you, do it. Sometimes we need that Full Moon power to energize our release!
The Inner Journey Events blog has several posts on Release Rituals using the elements of Air, Fire, Water and Earth. I change it up throughout the year, sometimes using the element of a particular season (Water in Autumn, for instance) or aligning with the element associated with the zodiac sign of that particular day.
Many practitioners choose to do a Release Ritual on the Full Moon, although my personal preference is to release when Grandmother Moon is firmly in the Waning Phase of her journey. But if it feels right for you, do it. Sometimes we need that Full Moon power to energize our release!
The Inner Journey Events blog has several posts on Release Rituals using the elements of Air, Fire, Water and Earth. I change it up throughout the year, sometimes using the element of a particular season (Water in Autumn, for instance) or aligning with the element associated with the zodiac sign of that particular day.
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What else can you do at the Full Moon?
Remember that the Full Moon energy is with us 2-3 days either side of the actual Full Moon, so there is plenty of time to fit in any of these activities. If you are a solitary practitioner:
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The Sacred Circle, by Lisbeth Cheever-Gessaman
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If you are celebrating with others or want to bring a little magick and divination to the occasion:
- enjoy a feast with friends
- get creative (the Full Moon is a potent time for creativity!) and make a Moon Candle for your altar or rituals. This can be as simple as carving the phases of the moon onto a white pillar candle, anointing your candle with a blessing oil, making a collage on a prayer candle (the kind with a glass column)... or wherever your creativity takes you.
- connect with the Moon with a Drawing Down the Moon ritual (I love this one!). This can be done alone or with others.
- attend a Full Moon Esbat
- celebrate with divination . . . make a pot of tea and share tea leaf readings . . . get out a favourite tarot or oracle card deck and get some inspiration to "shine a light" on any challenges in your life.
- follow up with a little magick or spellcrafting. The Full Moon is ideal for spells for completing, healing, empowering and banishing unwanted influences.