DISCOVERING THE POWER OF THE MOON
By Britney MoonStar

I'm only sixteen, but I've been a Witch for two years. Well, I haven't been initiated into any coven or anything, but I have read a lot of books by people like Scott Cunningham and Silver RavenWolf. So some of you may not consider me to be a "real" Witch, but that's okay. I know what I am and even my mom and dad support me looking at this spiritual stuff. I thought that the kids at school would think I was a freak, but several of them think me being a Witch is slamming.

I've not only been reading, I've also been doing rituals from the books. It's amazing what rituals do to you. They really open you up to new things and new concepts. Sometimes I can get pretty deep. When I tell my friends about it they say, "That's totally mad."

One of the things I've been thinking about lately is the Moon. Now I know that in the Craft the Moon represents the Goddess, but in spite of all my reading and rituals, I still felt that I didn't know Her. I felt like I couldn't go any farther unless I really became one with the Moon, Her phases, and the Goddess She represents.

One day, while walking home from school, I decided to take a detour and go to the bookstore. I hoped there would be some sort of book on the Moon and the Goddess. The only book I could find was Sisters of the Dark Moon by Gail Wood. At first I didn't like the name. I didn't want anything to do with anything dark. But there weren't any other books that looked right, and "you can't tell a book by its cover," so I picked up the book and looked at it.

The cover said that the book "presents the thirteen Dark Moons [Editor's Note: This is the night before the New Moon] of the year by the zodiac sign in which they fall, along with rituals designed to help you experience and learn from their energies." I looked in the introduction and saw that the book also dealt with the "Phases of the Goddess." I figured this book was something I could use.

I went home and asked my parents if I could buy it. They asked me about the book and then said I could get it if I used my own money. Well, I had saved enough from my allowance, so the next day I again went to the store and bought the book.

PHASES OF THE GODDESS

The book describes how the Goddess relates to the phases of the Moon. Here is how it works:

1) The New Moon (when you can just see the first sliver of the Moon): "She is the Maiden, eagerly setting forth on her journey. She is full of the vitality and confidence of youth."

2) The Crescent Moon (more than the New Moon but not the first quarter): "She is the Amazon, a little more seasoned by experience and confident that the world can be changed if she fights for it. She knows that she is strong and she believes that she is invincible."

3) The First Quarter Moon: "She is the Lover, fully sexual and loving without the burdens of worry or responsibility. She is in tune with others as well as herself, and she is full of love."

4) The Gibbous Moon (more than the first quarter but less than full): "She is the Priestess, journeying into the spiritual. She acknowledges that there are many things hidden and sacred. She is an initiate into the mysteries of the Moon and of mystical womanhood."

5) The Full Moon: She is the Mother, fertile and nurturing. The full light shines an optimism and vision of hope throughout the world. She is full of the happiness of a beautiful and productive life."

6) The Disseminating Moon (less than full but more than the last quarter): She is the Teacher. She knows that there are lessons to be learned from lives well lived. She knows that joy is often overshadowed by grief and she knows that the bitter and the sweet go together in a combination that spices life."

7) The Last Quarter Moon: She is the Elder or Grandmother. She knows about death, disappointment, and lies, but she also knows about hope, birth, and truth.

8) The Balsamic Moon (less than the last quarter but more than the Dark Moon): She is the Crone. She knows about hard truths, responsibility, and action. She knows about power and how to use it badly and how to use it well. Her choices define her, sadden her, and uplift her."

9) The Dark Moon: She knows all that the Maiden, Amazon, Lover, and Priestess know. She has experienced what the Mother, Teacher, and Elder has lived. She has taken the power of the Crone and transformed it into a magical philosophy of life that encompasses all that is in its complexity and contradiction." [Editor's Note: all above quotes from pages xv–xvi]

Wow. These pages gave me a lot to think about. I figured that I was in the Crescent Moon phase of my life. It looked to me like I had a lot to learn. But I also had a feeling that all of those phases were in me �?I just wasn't able to understand or deal with them yet. I spent lots of time thinking about it all. And I hadn't even started the main part of the book!

I AM THE MOON

I came to the conclusion that I needed something more. I don't know if this makes sense, but I wanted to go beyond thinking about the Goddess and the Moon. I wanted to make Her a part of me. I wanted to know Her in an inner sense and go beyond the mind. Just thinking about all this made me dizzy.

Luckily, the book provided exactly what I was looking for, a Dark Moon ritual called "You Are the Moon." I followed the instructions in the book. I'll share what I did so you can try it yourself if you want to.

The book says to cast the Circle by walking around my area three times. On Halloween I found a great-looking broom that was really Witchey. So I swept out the circle with my besom as I went. Then I followed the book and said, "The circle is cast and I am between the worlds. Blessed be."

Then I went to each of the directions to summon the appropriate powers. At the east I said, "Guardians of the East and air, keepers of the mind and intellect, join me in my rite. Sylphs of the wind and breezes, bring the fresh air of a clear mind to my rite. Welcome Guardians and Elementals."

At the south I said, "Guardians of the South, keepers of passion and fire, join me in my rite. Salamanders of the fires and volcanoes, bring the fiery wisdom of spiritual seeking to my rite. Welcome Guardians and Elementals."

At the west I said, "guardians of the West, keepers of emotion, join me in my rite. Undines of the watery depths, bring emotional clarity to my rite. Welcome Guardians and Elementals."

At the North I said, "Guardians of the North, keepers of silence, join me in my rite. Gnomes of the earth and the caves, bring the depth of silence to my rite. Welcome Guardians and Elementals."

Then I went to the center of my circle where I have a box covered by a black cloth with sparkly stars on it. On top of that I have two candles. I lit a silver candle to call on the Goddess and said, "Hecate, triple goddess, guardian of the crossroads, join me as I become the Moon. As Mother, Maiden, and Crone, you know the phases of woman and of the Moon. Join me and guide me through this ritual journey. Welcome."

I lit a gold candle for the God and said, "Dionysus, god who dies and is reborn, lord of the vine, join my rite. As he whose life follows the life-death-rebirth of the seasons, you know the phases of man. Join me in my rite. Welcome." I really wanted to focus on the Goddess, but this is included to keep the energy balanced. [Editor's note: the above quotes are on pages xxx �?xxxi]

Next, according to the book, I felt the energy of the Earth come up through me while the energy of the universe reached down to me. The power came together, melting and joining within me. It's a beautiful feeling. Then I made my "Statement of Ritual Intent."

"As I begin the study of the Moon, I need to understand her in all her phases. I need to understand what phases mean the most to me and what phases hold the most love, the most terror. I am the Moon." (p. xxxi)

The main portion of the ritual is a long meditation where you take this journey lead by a wolf as you experience each of the phases of the Moon. Following the wolf and spending time with the qualities of each of the phases of the Moon is amazing, especially when you spend time with each of the aspects of the Goddess. I went through each phase and felt this amazing love. It was wonderful.

Then I raised the cone of power by walking around the circle and chanting,

"I am the Moon, I am She.
I am New, I am Crescent,
I am First Quarter, I am Last,
I am Gibbous, I am Full.
I am Disseminating. I am Balsamic.
I am the Deep Dark Moon.
I am Moon I am Moon I am Moon,
MOON,
MOON,
MOON,
MOOOOOONNNNNNN!!!!!!" (p. xxxiii)

I kept getting louder and louder and my walking got faster and faster until I felt like I was filled with energy which suddenly shot out into the universe. Whew! Then I sort of relaxed for a while, allowing all of the energies I had raised to go their own way.

Then I dismissed everything. First I went to the north and said, " Guardians and Elementals of the Silence and the Dark Earth, thank you for your wisdom and power in my circle. Go with my thanks and my blessings. Hail and farewell."

I went to the west and said, "Guardians and Elementals of the Emotional Depths and of the Water, thank you for your emotional clarity and deep heart. Go with my thanks and my blessings. Hail and farewell."

Next, I went to the south and said, "Guardians and Elementals of the Fire and of the noonday sun, thank you for the will to change. Go with my thanks and my blessings. Hail and farewell."

Then I went to the east and said, "Guardians and Elementals of the Air and of clear thinking, thank you for your wisdom and power. Go with my thanks and my blessing. Hail and farewell."

I returned to my altar and snuffed out the silver candle. I said, "Hecate, Goddess of the phases of woman, thank you for the wisdom you brought to my sacred rite. Go with my thanks and my blessings. Hail and farewell." I put out the gold candle and said, "Dionysus, God of the phases of man, thank you for the wisdom you brought to my circle. Go with my thanks and my blessings. Hail and farewell."

Finally, I took my besom and swept around the circle three times while chanting "The circle is open but unbroken." Then I put everything away. [Editor's Note: quotes are from pages xxxiv �?xxxv]

WHAT HAPPENED

First, let me tell you that this was the longest ritual I had ever done. For days I was in a sort of daze. I think it was the result of all of the energy I raised and the meditation I did.

What I realized was that although I really am at one with the Goddess, I still have a lot to experience and learn. It's sort of like trying to write a paper on a Palm Pilot. I have lots of information but don't have the ability to work it all out. I'll be able to do that when I get older, I think, but for now, what I need to do is continue living, experiencing stuff, and learning about the Goddess.

And maybe that's what I needed to learn about Her. Maybe, learning about the Goddess is sort of like a flower, like the way it unfolds its petals revealing more and more. And knowing that if I continue studying and doing rituals and stuff that my knowledge of the Goddess will increase makes me feel closer to Her. Sisters of the Dark Moon includes a bunch of rituals and you're supposed to do one each month, at the dark of the Moon. I've made up my mind that I'm going to go through the entire set of rites. I hope to learn more about the Goddess, the universe, and myself with each ritual. I think I will. I feel closer to the Goddess than ever before. And knowing that my relationship with the Goddess is only going to get deeper over time makes me feel good.

I've also noticed that little things that used to bother me don't get me upset any more. I'm starting to think that it's far more important to become closer with the Goddess than it is to get upset about taking out the trash, doing the dishes, or putting up with my bratty little brother.

So I guess if people looked at me they might say that this ritual "worked." I'm not sure what the ritual "working" would really mean. But maybe it's the fact that I feel happier, now. And I feel loved by those around me and the Goddess.

Editor's note:

Sisters of the Dark Moon by Gail Wood is © Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd.

If you have come to a new understanding of yourself or your relationship to the universe and/or the Divine as a result of working with Sisters of the Dark Moon, we'd like to hear about it. Email us at [email protected] or click on the "We want to hear from you" link below so we can share your experiences with others.