Tonight is a ‘blue moon,’ the second full moon of the month. It’s also a micro-moon, a bit farther away from us than usual, so it looks smaller and cuter than usual, like a little silver button in the sky. Blue moons are a bit rare and supposed to be extra powerful for divination and for rituals of releasing. It’s got me thinking about moon magic and just spirituality in general.
I was always interested in divination and the occult, but when I was young it was just an aesthetic for me, you know? It was mysterious and kind of taboo because of the way I was raised; it suited my gothy leanings. I was a full-fledged adult with kids and a mortgage before I started exploring witchcraft as an actual spiritual path.
That was maybe fifteen years ago? I can’t believe it’s been that long. My spiritual path has wound around like a lazy river. I started with the Wiccan basics, experimenting with elemental magic and calling the corners in my backyard, doing the occasional ritual with friends. For a few years I veered off toward druidry. Then in the past few years I’ve been moving back to my witchy roots, though I’m more eclectic and hearth-focused now and less specifically Wiccan.
This year, one of my witchly goals is to observe every new and full moon in some way. The new moon is easy–for the past couple years I’ve marked that part of the cycle with an offering to Hekate and the setting of an intention to work on for the coming cycle–but I’ve struggled a bit with the full moon. I don’t struggle to remember it and do something, I just struggle to connect with it in a spiritual level and I think I’m finally putting together why.
I’ve lurked in various pagan forums and subreddits for years, picking up tips and ideas and inspiration, and full moon energy is pretty consistently presented as powerful and illuminating and cleansing. But follow my little tale for a second: the sun is powerful and illuminating and cleansing in both a spiritual and physical sense. The moon is only ever reflecting that energy to us. This reflective nature makes the moon’s energy a bit more complicated, doesn’t it?
Full moon energy, being a reflection of the sun, would certainly be positive and cleansing. But it’s also indirect, filtered, gentler. Moon energy is more dim and shadowy, which means we bring more of our own energy and intuition to whatever we’re doing with it. When I think of it this way, the moon’s twin reputations as a gentle guide and a source of madness and deception makes a lot of sense.
Remembering this also seems like the key to solving my “just can’t connect with this moon phase” problem. The many witchcraft forums I’ve lurked on over the years got me thinking I should get together something active and harness the moon’s energy to make some big magic happen. This probably works for a lot of people; who am I to say it doesn’t? But I’m betting I’ll have much better results if I calm down and connect with my own energy, looking for moon energy to gently illuminate my own intuition and suggest whatever adjustments are needed.
With that in mind, I stumbled across the idea of making “moon cords” today, a simple spell where you braid or knot a cord under the full moon. It’s so dead simple I’m wondering if I did see this years ago and forgot about it. As you braid the cord, you store a little of that full moon energy to be released whenever you might need it. I haven’t done any knot magic in months and I like the idea of having a little extra energy and guidance laid aside. There have definitely been days this past month when that would been much appreciated.
Anyway, I’ve rambled quite enough for one afternoon. Whatever you do (or don’t) for the blue moon, I wish you peace. Until next time, enjoy a few moon pictures I’ve taken over the years.
Cauldron Comforts 