and open to Her Wisdom."
30th Day of the First Lunar Cycle
Ruled by Hecate
Lunar Tree Cycle ~ Beth/Birch
Celtic Tree Cycle ~ Beth/Birch
Moon Phase: Dark Moon
Moon rises: 7:18AM EST
Moon sets: 4:51PM EST
Moon in the Cardinal Earth
Sign of Capricorn
Ceridwen's Cycle of the Moon
Lunar Meditation: Your kinship with the stars.
Sun in Capricorn
Sunrise: 7:41AM EST
Sunset; 5:16PM EST
Solar Question for the Day: "How are you respecting
or abusing friendship?"
Samhain (Calan Gaeaf) Quarter of the Year
January 14th, 2010
Dark Moon Ritual
By: Ingrid Jeffries
The Dark Moon is a particularly good time to rid oneself of bad habits, to release what is no longer
beneficial and to cleanse oneself of the past. The Dark moon occurs 3 1/2 days BEFORE the New Moon.
1. Before your ceremony it is nice if possible to cleanse oneself
physically and psychically by taking a shower or bath and imagining
divine light traveling throughout your body and grounding into the
earth.
I like to draw a circle with salt in which to create my sacred space,
particularly with a dark moon ritual. Your sacred space whether inside
or outside, needs to be a place you feel safe and secure. Smudge or
purify this area with sage, or spritz with water that has an essential
oil like sage or cedar added to it or imagine a tornado of white light
cleansing this area and clearing all negative energies Create an alter,
if there is not already one here, that includes the four elements:
fire, earth, air and water. Your altar should be visually attractive and
hold spiritual meaning for you, it can be as simple or complex as you like.
Have your sacred tools and instruments placed here. ** If it is not
possible to physically create an altar you can also create one in your
imagination.
2. Invitation: Invite in the protectors of place, (this is also in
some traditions the four directions, north, south east and west.) Invite in
your guardian angels, spirit guides and personal protectors as well as
the God or Goddess you most strongly identify with.
3. Grounding: Take a moment to imagine yourself as a tree of light
creating a shimmering bridge between heaven and earth. Sense your
roots deeply grounded in Mother Earth.
4. Request: The Wisdoms beings of Love to guide your thoughts and
intentions in this ceremony.
5. Raise the sacred energy within your circle by either drumming,
ringing bells, chanting, reciting mantra, dancing, prostrations to the
Buddha, Goddess, toning, etc.
6. Request the Release and Removal of Obstacles: Again ask the
Wisdoms beings to guide this ceremony and to remove all obstacles and karmic debts, of
person ( negative people) , place (having offended the devic or protector realms) or things
(health, wealth or circumstances.) Speak aloud what it is you want to release from your life. Be
specific and always phrase your request for the highest good of everyone involved.
Ask to cut whatever cords or ties that are creating a negative
condition. If this is with an individual, steel* scissors or a steel
knife can be used to cut the invisible cords tied to the charkas. Ask
that this be done for the highest good and visualize the cords and
obstacles traveling into light. Imagine yourself filled and surrounded
with light, love, compassion and well-being. See all aspects of your
life and inner being in light. Ask to become enlightened in this
lifetime. Sit in this vision of enlightenment, breathe into this vision
for as long as you like. Feel the feelings of well being this vision
instills. *Steel and iron have important magical qualities for release
& transformation rituals.
7. Visualize your aspirations. Affirm them for the highest good.
8. Gratitude: State what you are grateful for in your life. Allow
yourself to feel your gratitude. Thank the Deity and Light beings for
their support.
9. Dedication of Merit: This is where you ask that this ritual be of
benefit for all beings.**
For example: A Buddhist Prayer for this is:
Throughout my many lives and until this moment, whatever virtue I have
accomplished including the merit generated by this ceremony and all
that I will ever attain, this I offer for the well being of all sentient
beings. May sickness, war, famine and suffering be diminished for all
beings, while their wisdom and compassion increase in this and every
future life.
May I clearly perceive all experiences to be insubstantial as to be
dream fabric in the night and instantly awaken to perceive the pure
wisdom display in the arising of every phenomena. May I quick attain
enlightenment in order to work ceaselessly for the liberation of all
sentient beings.
(**I personally think it is very important to have a sense of how this
ritual is able to help others through you.)
10. Close the Circle and Release the Protectors and/or Four
Directions:
Again thank your Deity, your guardians, the light and wisdom beings
for their presence. Feel gratitude for their support and presence in your
life. I then take my sacred knife or drum or tool appropriate and
walked my circle counter clockwise to release the energy.
[http://www.northstarastrology.net/darkmoonritual.html ]
Silver MoonFairie's Haven Dark Moon Ritual
ADAPTED FROM THE WICCAN BOOK OF CEREMONIES & RITUALS by: PATRICIA TELESCO
PREPARATION:
Have as little light for this ritual as possible. The darkness prevails. A nice decorative touch is to place glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling.
Take a ritual bath in restful, comtemplative herbs, then don a black robe (or other comfy black clothing). Take out a moon candle, a round mirror, a dark cloth, and one candle to represent the Divine.
THE ALTAR
Cover the altar with a black cloth, then sprinkle it's surface with glitter. When touched by candlelight, the effect is of stars. Have the moon candle lit when you come into the sacred space.
INVOCATION
Some people may wish to invoke the quarters counter-clockwise for decrease & banishing, depending on the focus of your personal ritual.
(FACE EAST)
Quiet Winds, hushed & calm, be alert, be gentle in this eastern quarter of creation & the magick circle, protecting it from all dangers.
(FACE SOUTH)
Muted Embers, warm & welcoming, be alert, but faint in this southern quarter of creation & the magick circle, protecting it from all dangers.
(FACE WEST)
Soft Rains, fertile & filling, be alert, but hushed in this western quarter of creation & the magick circle, protecting it from all dangers.
(FACE NORTH)
Rich Earth, cool & nurturing, be alert, but silent in this northern quarter of creation & the magick circle, protecting it from all dangers.
(FACE CENTER)
Living Spirit, guiding & empowering, be alert, and bind the energy of creation in this magick circle, protecting it from all dangers.
From the Moon candle, light the candle that you've chosen to represent the Divin's presence here.
MEDITATION & VISUALIZATION
Sit where you are, or lie down. Consider the sounds of silence; the still small lights that flicker in the darkness. In the darkness of your own spirit, light always resides, just like the starts in the sky without the moon. Explore this inner dimension, and find those sparks. There are many.
Each light withing your spirit's sky represents a positive attribute that you have developed unitl it shines without fear through the darkness. Name them as they appear, quietly, one-by-one. Reclaim all attributes as your night lights----Guidelines with which to traverse any darkness you come upon. Make notes of your experiences in your journal.
THE RITUAL
Stand in front of the altar, taking the dark cloth in hand, saying:
She shines no more in the sky. The Lady rests, but in my heart, & mind, & soul, the light remains.
Cover the mirror.
This circle is between the worlds, where all things are possible---Luna is missing. She hides. Like Jonah in the belly of the whale, the moon has been swallowed into the womb of space.
Blow out the moon candle. Raise your athame, wand or hand toward the sky saying:
Dark Moon Hail!
Crone Moon Hail!
In this moment of darkness & quiet
let me discover clarity, truth ---
and the light of my own spirit.
CLOSING THE CIRCLE
(FACE CENTER)
Great Spirit, I thank you for the sparks of light & truth that you placed within, granting guidance even in the darkness.
Go from this place in peace.
(FACE NORTH)
Guardians of the North, I thank you for the gentle soils in which my spirit grows.
Go from this place in peace.
(FACE WEST)
Guardians of the West, I thank you for the soothing waters that enrich my soul.
Go from this place in peace.
(FACE SOUTH)
Guardians of the South, I thank you for the warm fires that always burn within me.
Go from this place in peace.
(FACE EAST)
Guardians of the East, I thank you for the soft breezes of magic that motivate me.
Go from this place in peace.
The circle is open but unbroken.
So mote it be!
From: http://silvermoonfairie-ivil.tripod.com/id50.html
Two Sides Of The Same Moon
Ritual Moon
The moon waxes and wanes in the night sky, always following the same cyclical pattern, lighting the darkness with its luminous glow. It has been this way as long as the earth has been here. The same moon grew from dark to full and back again, catching the eyes of our grandparents, our great grandparents, and those at the beginning of humanity. The moon guided our ancestors in the planting, sowing, and reaping of their crops, and we can be inspired to observe and honor these same cycles today with simple rituals that help connect us to the natural ebb and flow of life energy.
Dark moons and new moons represent polar moments of beginning and realization in the arc of the moon’s phases. When the moon is dark, we might take time to meditate on emptiness, the fertile ground in which seeds take root. A simple ritual for acknowledging this potent phase of the moon would be to write down new plans and ideas that present themselves and keep them in a moon journal. Looking back over a year of dark moons, you may be amazed to see which seeds have blossomed. Full moons symbolize completion and fulfillment, the realization of the seed, and they are times of celebration. They are a great time to gather friends and family to partake in a communal feast acknowledging the apex of another monthly cycle. Your full moon journal might track the full moons of an entire year with a recounting of the gathering—the menu, the guest list, and any other observations you feel inspired to make.
Honoring the dark and full moons with these simple rituals brings our year into a new kind of focus. As we acknowledge the flow of the moon’s cycles, we become more comfortable with the changing nature of our earthly lives, making our peace with each phase, and with the shifting from emptiness to fullness and back again. We strengthen our connection to the universe in which we live and find peace in both emptiness and fullness, each of which are natural and necessary—two sides of the same moon.
From:
http://www.dailyom.com/articles/2007/10781.html
At this page there are some very good questions asked and great answers given. It will give you much to think on this Dark Moon Eve, like:
When is the Dark Moon? - The Dark Moon and Women's Cycles - The Dark Moon and grief -
http://astrology.about.com/od/foundations/p/DarkMoon.htm
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