Moon Magick (Part 1)

XXXII. To Selene
(ll. 1-13) “And next, sweet voiced Muses, daughters of Zeus, well-skilled in song, tell of the long-winged Moon. From her immortal head a radiance is shown from heaven and embraces earth; and great is the beauty that ariseth from her shining light. The air, unlit before, glows with the light of her golden crown, and her rays beam clear, whensoever bright Selene having bathed her lovely body in the waters of Ocean, and donned her far-gleaming, shining team, drives on her long-maned horses at full speed, at eventime in the mid-month: then her great orbit is full and then her beams shine brightest as she increases. So she is a sure token and a sign to mortal men.” Homeric Hymn to Selene, translated by Evelyn-White

Mother Moon. From the beginning of human life, we have lived by her rhythms. Each month, she ebbs and flows like the waters of the ocean and, like our emotions, her influence surges and subsides. Astrologers watch the cycles of the moon and predict events based on when she triggers sensitive points in the horoscope. Revered for her influence on magick, shamans and magicians have for eons watched her cycles and used her phases and placements in the signs to work their enchantments. As she travels through the 12 signs of the zodiac each month and completes her cycle around the earth in about 30 days, life changes flavors.

In this two-part article, I will take a look at our Moon and her influence on us, both by the sign she’s transiting and by looking at her eight phases. Today, I’ll be discussing her monthly circuit through the signs of the zodiac. If you don’t have an astrological calendar or other way to know which sign the Moon is in each day, I suggest going to the Cafe Astrology site at http://www.cafeastrology.com/monthlycalendar.html. Click on the link below the calendar for the Moon’s sign and planetary aspects for each day of that month.

When the Moon enters Aries, life speeds up. It increases our energy, and it is a good time to begin new projects and seek new avenues of expression. Take some time for yourself and attempt to be aware of your effect on those around you. This is also a fine time to exercise because you can feel energetic under Aries. Infections may flare up under this influence.

The Taurus Moon is a time of practicality. Aries begins new projects, but Taurus brings stability to them. Anything you don’t find practical will be discarded, and the rhythm of life slows down. Values are important during this 2-½ day period, and the need to be productive is the overriding drive. Taurus is also stubborn, so people will tend to stand their ground during this moon.

Gemini brings a lot of conversation and communication. If you’ve been putting off running a lot of errands, this is the time of month to get it over with. It’s also the time of month to respond to that list of e-mails staring at you that you keep putting off. Check in with the neighbors or contact your extended family. People are in the mood to communicate. Find a good book to read.

Home and those we consider family become the focus under the Cancer Moon. This is a productive time to do some housework or make a special dish that’s usually too much work. You may feel like sticking close to home and spending time with those you’re close with rather than seeking the company of strangers. Cancer retreats to the familiar for comfort.

Under the Leo Moon, find something creative to do. Leo needs to be appreciated, and one way to be appreciated is to put energy into a project that others can enjoy. This is also an excellent time to have some fun, and you may feel like doing a little gambling now. Tell someone how much you care and make a little love during this time.

Virgo is the hangover after the Leo party. All that work you put off the last couple of days is staring you in the face and you need to get it done. This is an excellent period for deciding what needs to be done around the house and clearing that pile of papers off your desk. Efficiency, analysis and discrimination are keywords for this lunar period. Health issues should be paid attention to now.

Relationships need some attention during the Libra transit, and not just your marriage or love partner. Libra is about compromise and creating harmony and balance. Find the middle ground, create a win-win situation and make any ongoing disagreement go away. This is also a nice time to get to know new people because you’ll be feeling sociable and will find others interesting.

Deep emotions are stirred during the Scorpio moon. Secrets come out and sexual urges may be strong. You won’t want any superficial relating now – you want to feel something and will seek out intense people or situations. Shared resources can also become a focus of attention now, so be careful of disagreements regarding money.

Restlessness is the key word under the Sagittarius moon, physical as well as mental. Seek out new ideas or someone to discuss your ideas with. Religion and philosophy may occupy your thoughts today. This is also a good time to start a trip, or plan one. Find something different to do. The downside to this energy is that you may get lost in what you’re doing and forget where you’re supposed to be or what you’re supposed to be doing.

Capricorn is about taking care of business. This is an excellent timeframe in which to start creating structure in your life and to work on the discipline you think you’re lacking. Virgo analyzes, but Capricorn actually gets down to the business of physically organizing things and people. Delegate responsibility by deciding what you must personally handle and what someone else can take care of, which is especially important for those of us who think if we don’t do it, it won’t get done.

Get out and interact with groups and organizations during the Aquarius moon. You will feel sociable in a detached way, and will find the company of others enjoyable. The need for a change is the keyword for this moon, which can easily slip into rebelliousness. Tackling computer issues will come easily now, and science fiction and fantasy can pass the time and ease the restlessness of your mind. You may find yourself exposed to those kinds of things now, even if they normally don’t interest you.

On Wednesday, February 25, the flavor of this month began with the New Moon in Pisces. When the Moon is in Pisces, life gets softer around the edges. This can also be a time when people tend to use their own personal means of escape to shut out the ills of the world, whether that is through an artistic pursuit, meditation, helping others or shutting out the world through the use of alcohol or drugs. This is a good time to visualize your dreams.

Next time, I will write about the eight phases of the Moon (rather than just the four you are probably used to) and discuss how you can consciously use each to your best advantage. Combining the meanings of the Moon in the signs and the Moon in her phases can be employed to manifest what you desire in your life, magickally!

Sagittarius in 2009

“We must not believe the many, who say that only free people ought to be educated, but we should rather believe the philosophers who say that only the educated are free.” Epictetus

One of the traits of Sagittarius can be procrastination, and that’s what happened to me while trying to write this segment. Although it seems to be procrastination in the eyes of others, what actually happens is that something or many other things catches Sag’s attention and veers him off course. He eventually shows up and does what he intended to do in the first place, but putting pressure on him will only delay him further. (I’ve been informed by a reliable Sag source that this procrastination trait can be overcome with age.) Sag is mutable fire – the flying sparks from our burning bonfire. Aries lit the fire with its rush of flame, Leo’s coals keep it burning, and Sag’s sparks fly off into the ethers searching for new sources of fuel. I’ve been fortunate to have two Sags close to me for my whole life – my sister and my cousin. Both of them moved away from our home town when they were young -- one eventually ended up in the Big Apple and the other in Toronto, Canada. They both travel in one year more than I travel in five, and they never tire of seeing new places. Sag is the sign of expanding horizons – be they foreign countries, higher education, religious ideals, foreign people or the pursuit of justice. He is straightforward in his communication – he doesn’t sugar coat things and doesn’t hide behind lies. Jupiter is associated with Sag and it creates the need for expansion, so Sag is always looking to broaden his horizons. Being tied down is difficult for Sag, and unless he can find a partner that keeps up with him but also gives him space, he may choose not to have a partner at all.

Mid to late Sag’s will be feeling the effects of the Saturn/Uranus opposition off and on until the end of April 2010. Just like the world we live in, Sag will be aware of the need to break away from the status quo and create a radically different reality. If he’s not conscious about it, that new reality may be thrust upon him suddenly. Situations that create feelings of dread (like a job you hate) may suddenly disappear if you don’t consciously make changes. Because Saturn is moving backward right now and Uranus, forward, the intensity of this configuration will soften until these planets move back into exact opposition next April. Now is the time to examine your life and attempt to make changes in the areas that you know in your heart aren’t good for you. It will be easier if you take the steps to make change than if change is thrust upon you, but some of us need a push that forces us to make a change (and then complain that it was against our will).

Early Sags have already felt the influence of Saturn and Uranus and their lives are settling down into more of a routine, but for those born after about the 7th of December, if you don’t slow down when you start to feel stretched too thin, you could experience health problems. If you feel the need to slow down, listen to yourself.

Jupiter transiting in Aquarius is a fortunate aspect for Sag. New avenues of exploration and opportunities to pursue them will be presented. Jupiter stays in Aquarius until January 2010, so traveling, education, learning more about computers and the internet, Astrology, and new inventions will be a good outlet for Sag this year. Since Jupiter is in an easy aspect, overdoing anything shouldn’t be a problem.

In December, Sags born around December 16 will feel the effects of a conjunction of Jupiter and Neptune. These planets together can bring an abundance of idealism into your life. Deep spiritual experiences or profound religious truths may be encountered, changing your reality. On the other hand, be cautious about the effects of drugs during this timeframe, and don’t allow yourself to be carried away by fantasies about what could be. Although this will be a great time to formulate your dreams of the future, it would help if you had someone near, like a good solid Taurus, with whom to discuss your ideas before you act on them.

Temperance, the card associated with Sagittarius in the Tarot deck, has a picture of an angel standing with one foot on the solid ground of physical experience and one in the waters of emotion, pouring what appears to be water from one vessel to another. Temperance here relates to the blending of ingredients in the correct amounts to create harmony and balance. Aleister Crowley calls this card “Alchemy,” which is a process of taking unrelated elements and creating another which is very valuable. In spiritual matters, that alchemy refers to transmuting lower elements into higher ones, moving our being to higher levels of spirituality. Sag spends his life gathering knowledge – through higher education, philosophy, traveling to new and exotic locales, and heated discussions with others in the pursuit of wisdom. All of this experience allows Sag to weigh and measure his experience and find the right path to walk in any situation – his tao. With Sag’s accumulated wisdom, he can be the Judge, finding mediation within diversity. In a seemingly irreconcilable situation, his accumulated experience and wisdom are available for blending and creating something of great personal worth. Turn to your accumulated wisdom, Sag, when the road is the darkest. The answer already lies within you.