I luv to create my juju around the cycles of the moon to maximize energy. For all of us women it is a major ruling energy factor in the cycle of our "flow" and if you are an energy maker, seeker and feeler then you become aware of the cycles and how the affect your very being. The moon cycles also can be referred to as Maiden, Mother, Crone coinciding with the phases.
Here are some cliff notes for the moon cycles to help guide you along.
The New Moon
The New Moon is a waxing and growing moon. This is a phase of the moon where the light of the moon is not visible to the Earth because the side of the moon that is being lit by sunlight is facing away from us. This is a great time to do energy work or rituals that "begin" things. New job, new house, new relationship, new life journey, new beginnings, love, health, pretty much anything you want to bring from the dark to the light. The beauty of the cycle is you can literally have a rebirth once a month!
The new moon is also sometime referred to as the "dark" moon. This practicing phase is simply distinguished by YOU and what you choose to practice, what your personal beliefs or preference are and what you may need during this time. It's a confusing gray area for some, but I say you go with your instinct and what feels right to you! The dark moon is a perfect time for energy work or rituals that ridding oneself of bad habits, Binding spells, for exploring our darkest recesses and understanding our angers and passions. Also bringing justice to bear.
The Full Moon
The full moon is the most powerful time of the moon. You may hear people talk of the crazy happenings during a full moon, watch the tide of the ocean become all powerful, and simply feel energized just looking at it. This is the perfect time for energy work or rituals that require potency. Performing ANY positive work at this time will achieve the maximum result. It is a wonderful time for healing, guidance, prophecy, protection, divination. Any working that needs extra power, such as help finding a new job or healing for serious conditions, can be done now. Also, love, knowledge, legal undertakings, money and dreams.
The Waning Moon
The Waning Moon is the time between the full moon and the new moon. When you look up to the sky the crescent arch of the waning moon will be to the left, this is an easy way to tell between waning and waxing. It can also be referred to as a quarter moon. This moon is a perfect time to do energy work or rituals to cast out the yuk and muk, to rid yourself of old bad habits, to remove troubles and worries, illness and negativity. It runs from about 3 to 10 days after the full moon.
The Waxing Moon
The Waxing Moon is the time between the new moon and the full moon. When you look up to the sky the crescent arch of the waxing moon will be to the right, this is an easy way to tell between waxing and waning. The waxing moon phase is the perfect time for energy work or ritual work that is for constructive magic, a time to draw things you want into you such as love, wealth, success, courage, friendship, luck or health etc.
Some wonderful moon folklore or cliff notes on working daily activities around the energy cycles of the moon:
Auto repair: new moon to waxing moon
Baking: dough rises higher and bread is lighter during New Moon to Waxing Moon
Clip Nails: full or waning moon to increase growth
Brewing{ beer }: full moon to waning moon
Dental care: pull teeth only during new moon to waxing moon avoid full moon
Fillings: full moon to waning moon
Start diet to loose weight: full moon to waning moon
Eyes tested or getting glasses: new moon to waxing moon
End Bad Habits: waning moon
Hair care: cutting hair.... encourage growth Full moon/ discourage New moon
Perms & hair color: new moon
Buy a new home: new moon
Look for lost items: new moon
Painting homes: full moon to waning moon
Advertising: new moon to waxing moon
Buying clothing: new moon to waxing moon
Start a law suit: new moon to waxing moon, if seeking a court date to avoid payment, full moon to waning moon
Loans: new moon to waxing favors the lender - full moon to waning moon favors the borrower
Signing contracts: waxing moon
Bring home new pets: new moon
A Blue Moon, like the one you see above (no this is not what they look like) refers to two full moons in one month.
Here are the Full Moon names and meanings from the Farmer's Almanac
"Full Moon names date back to Native Americans, of what is now the northern and eastern United States. The tribes kept track of the seasons by giving distinctive names to each recurring full Moon. Their names were applied to the entire month in which each occurred. There was some variation in the Moon names, but in general, the same ones were current throughout the Algonquin tribes from New England to Lake Superior. European settlers followed that custom and created some of their own names. Since the lunar month is only 29 days long on the average, the full Moon dates shift from year to year. Here is the Farmers Almanac’s list of the full Moon names.
• Full Wolf Moon – January Amid the cold and deep snows of midwinter, the wolf packs howled hungrily outside Indian villages. Thus, the name for January’s full Moon. Sometimes it was also referred to as the Old Moon, or the Moon After Yule. Some called it the Full Snow Moon, but most tribes applied that name to the next Moon.
• Full Snow Moon – February Since the heaviest snow usually falls during this month, native tribes of the north and east most often called February’s full Moon the Full Snow Moon. Some tribes also referred to this Moon as the Full Hunger Moon, since harsh weather conditions in their areas made hunting very difficult.
• Full Worm Moon – March As the temperature begins to warm and the ground begins to thaw, earthworm casts appear, heralding the return of the robins. The more northern tribes knew this Moon as the Full Crow Moon, when the cawing of crows signaled the end of winter; or the Full Crust Moon, because the snow cover becomes crusted from thawing by day and freezing at night. The Full Sap Moon, marking the time of tapping maple trees, is another variation. To the settlers, it was also known as the Lenten Moon, and was considered to be the last full Moon of winter.
• Full Pink Moon – April This name came from the herb moss pink, or wild ground phlox, which is one of the earliest widespread flowers of the spring. Other names for this month’s celestial body include the Full Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon, and among coastal tribes the Full Fish Moon, because this was the time that the shad swam upstream to spawn.
• Full Flower Moon – May In most areas, flowers are abundant everywhere during this time. Thus, the name of this Moon. Other names include the Full Corn Planting Moon, or the Milk Moon.
• Full Strawberry Moon – June This name was universal to every Algonquin tribe. However, in Europe they called it the Rose Moon. Also because the relatively short season for harvesting strawberries comes each year during the month of June . . . so the full Moon that occurs during that month was christened for the strawberry!
• The Full Buck Moon – July July is normally the month when the new antlers of buck deer push out of their foreheads in coatings of velvety fur. It was also often called the Full Thunder Moon, for the reason that thunderstorms are most frequent during this time. Another name for this month’s Moon was the Full Hay Moon.
• Full Sturgeon Moon – August The fishing tribes are given credit for the naming of this Moon, since sturgeon, a large fish of the Great Lakes and other major bodies of water, were most readily caught during this month. A few tribes knew it as the Full Red Moon because, as the Moon rises, it appears reddish through any sultry haze. It was also called the Green Corn Moon or Grain Moon.
• Full Corn Moon – September This full moon’s name is attributed to Native Americans because it marked when corn was supposed to be harvested. Most often, the September full moon is actually the Harvest Moon.
• Full Harvest Moon – October This is the full Moon that occurs closest to the autumn equinox. In two years out of three, the Harvest Moon comes in September, but in some years it occurs in October. At the peak of harvest, farmers can work late into the night by the light of this Moon. Usually the full Moon rises an average of 50 minutes later each night, but for the few nights around the Harvest Moon, the Moon seems to rise at nearly the same time each night: just 25 to 30 minutes later across the U.S., and only 10 to 20 minutes later for much of Canada and Europe. Corn, pumpkins, squash, beans, and wild rice the chief Indian staples are now ready for gathering.
• Full Beaver Moon – November This was the time to set beaver traps before the swamps froze, to ensure a supply of warm winter furs. Another interpretation suggests that the name Full Beaver Moon comes from the fact that the beavers are now actively preparing for winter. It is sometimes also referred to as the Frosty Moon.
• The Full Cold Moon; or the Full Long Nights Moon – December During this month the winter cold fastens its grip, and nights are at their longest and darkest. It is also sometimes called the Moon before Yule. The term Long Night Moon is a doubly appropriate name because the midwinter night is indeed long, and because the Moon is above the horizon for a long time. The midwinter full Moon has a high trajectory across the sky because it is opposite a low Sun."
luvLUV.
