Q: I’ve studied and practiced different forms of magick and the one thing that confuses me is the Moon Phases. Some practices swear by them, others seem to ignore them completely. Different authors and books seem to have conflicting information. What would be your advice when it comes to using the Moon in spells (or not using it)?
A: Let me start this by saying this advice is based off on MY own experiences and years of magical practice. Others experiences may vary. That said, I can fully understand your confusion!
When I first began learning about magic, it was more of a Wiccan-based style, which focused very heavily on Moon energies, phases, and timing most spells by that. As I moved more towards practicing Witchcraft (not the same as Wicca, the religion), I found less mentioning of the Moon, other than perhaps using the Full Moon for really big spells and major magical works.
Then as I started learning and practicing more Hoodoo/Conjure style folk magic, there was almost no mention of the Moon in any of the workings at all. As my practices and skills grew and melded together over the years into my own distinct magical flavor, I’ve learned a few pointers when it comes to Moon energies that I will share with you here.
When you NEED to do a spell of working, don’t let the phase or timing of the Moon get in your way.
You need and desire are the fuel and some spells you just can’t plan ahead for. The Moon is waning but you need to draw in cash fast to pay an emergency bill? Do that money spell! Lunar and Astrological timing can certainly boost your work, but my first rule of magic is do WHAT you need to WHEN you need to.
If you have the luxury of planning ahead, then by all means plan around the Moon phase.
Waning, waxing, new, or full–anything you can throw in to boost your magic is a good thing if time allows for it.
In my practice, the only Moon phases I really pay attention to are the New Moon (for new beginning, creating, etc) and Full Moon (extra power). If my spells of working line up with either of those, then great! If not, I definitely don’t let that stop me!
If you follow a particular path or tradition, see what those teachings say about using Lunar energies.
And then see how it FEELS to you. If it doesn’t feel like it lines up with your energy, then follow your instinct and use it as you feel works best for you.
Moon spirits and deities existed all over the world through many different times and places. Some more prominently than others.
Someone once tried to tell me that the reason the Moon isn’t used in Hoodoo is because the slaves didn’t know anything about it. To that, I call hogwash. Maybe they didn’t know about Greek Classical Lunar Mythology or anything like that, but to say they knew nothing of it yet they worked the land, lived by the sea, and created this system of magic, to me that is a discredit to their knowledge. Maybe they did not have the luxury of working by the Moon because their magic was about survival, but they sure could still look up and see whether it was growing, shrinking, or full!
Those are just a few key ideas to give you an idea of how to work with the Moon and its energy, based of my own experience. The most important thing to remember is to follow YOUR gut and intuition.
Your magic is only limited by your own beliefs; if you feel you cannot do magic without checking for the correct Moon phase, then stick to that otherwise YOUR magic may fizzle because you already are doubting it.
I’ve found the less focus I put on Moon phases the less impact it has one way or another. The only part of Moon magic that I personally can’t get past is the Moon Void of Course, which basically means the Moon is between astrological signs and this can cause magic to sometimes go a little wonky, or so they say.
In my experience, if I am made aware that the Moon is Void of Course, then my results may be off kilter or totally flop. If I’m not aware of it, then it doesn’t seem to have as much of an effect.
Again, that’s my own belief and self-doubt getting in the way! So the bottom line is, don’t let any book or author or teacher tell you that you HAVE to use the Moon in any certain way.
Experiment, try different things, make notes, and see what works best for you and then go from there!
Originally posted on Ask Polaris January 17, 2016 – Updated March 2022
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