The Magic of The Moon: Creating Full and New Moon Rituals

The moon has been a luminary to witches and other magical folks for as long as tales have been told. Known for gentle wisdom and an affinity for spiritual existence, the moon is often seen as a friend, a collaborator, and an intuitive anchor through the cycles of life. October is known as the season of the witch. Why? Because the veil is thinning; in this atmosphere where the physical and spiritual realms collide, the presence of spirits can often be tangibly felt through the crisp air by sensitive humans. Even non-magical babes can admit there is something mystical and mesmerizing about this time of year. Magic is swirling aplenty, infusing everything with a layer of enchantment. You reading this is no coincidence: your magic is calling you. Welcome, witch.

Part of being a witch is noticing the space we create to let ourselves be enchanted. Allowing ourselves to experience seasons, to experience the cycles of the moon and cycles of life — these are ways to create spaciousness and ease in a world that wants to move quickly, ways to stay connected to our magical practice and give it the attention needed to flourish. When there is a call to deepen magical practices, so too is there a call for collaborative, community focused celebration. We can start through collaboration with the moon, noticing the cycles and rhythms and how those impact us. Community is present in this process; how are the humans surrounding you impacted? How might you create celebration around the cyclicality, honoring the passing of time instead of letting it whirl by? The full and new moons are a great starting point for tuning into cycles and rhythms, and there is an abundance of magic and ritual to be made through honoring these.

Let's start with the full moon. A full moon is peak illumination in the sky, and peak intuitive energy on earth. The moon beams with a softer glow than the sun, offering a full view of magical themes that have unfolded through a lunar cycle. It is common to experience feelings of exuberance, boldness, clarity. It is also common to feel frenetic, scattered, and overwhelmed with feeling; all of this is pendent of the astrological sign and your personal experiences with astrology. In October we're met with a full moon in Aries. Aries is the first sign of the zodiac, making it the youngest, filled with initiatory fire. An Aries heart is wild and flickering—childlike, not yet tamed or tempered, and as unruly as it is curious. Symbolized by the ram, with their massive horns doubling as two mirrored cornucopias, both nearly overflowing with bounty, Aries fears nothing—for Aries energy already contains everything they need to thrive. On a full moon, where the cycle is complete, there is likely a pull to blaze forward with this excited energy. This energy can be transmuted with ritual and intention. We're witches, after all. It's what we do. The full moon in Aries is an astrological playground for a witch. Anything is possible with the enthusiastic support of this blazing fire.

A Ritual for Divining Your Path

Work with the full moon in Aries to alchemize ambition and pave a path forward. For this ritual you will need:

• a candle + matches
• a bowl of water
• a tarot deck or other divination tool
• optional: blackberry flower essence

Hold the candle in your hands and whisper your burning desires into the wax. Where do you want to go? What is your heart craving under this full moon? Focus on what you enthusiastically want, regardless of practicalities. When your candle has been charged with your wishes, light the wick and hold it over the bowl of water. Notice the patterns and shapes and let your imagination wander. What messages lay in the wax? You may enjoy pulling a tarot card to further decipher what shapes take form.

If you are ready to sink your teeth into this expansive magic, the Full Moon Ritual Kit was made for you. Work with it under the bold illumination of the moon, whether it's on an actual Aries moon or any time you want to collaborate with cardinal fire energy to divine your path forward.

The second moon phase to use as an anchor in cycles is the new moon. A new moon has minimal visibility, creating a blank slate from the dark night. In this cycle of darkness we are submerged into the beginning of a cycle where we navigate the shadows to better understand the path forward, relying on our internal wisdom to guide us, much like The Hermit. New moons are associated with shadow work, or the shadow aspect of a sign. It is common to experience light bulb moments and tension from spaces that no longer fit your desires or values. It is also common to feel grief, unsettled, and disregulated; again, all of this is pendant of astrological signs and personal experiences. The new moon is the ideal time to reassess opinions or beliefs that you may have long considered fixed, or immovable. While at its darkest, the moon is also at its most mutable— in October we gather around a new moon in Libra, where our heads as well as our hearts are infinitely pliable. The world as we know it is consistently repainting itself with a darker dystopian layer, and in the shadow space of Libra we are invited to explore what sacred collaboration looks like in our lives. How can we further be in community with one another? How can we support and uplift each other, balancing the scales of injustice as best as we can? This magic can only be woven if we decide to pick up the threads. Use this ritual under a new moon to strengthen your confidence with community connection.

A Ritual for Sacred Collaboration

Building community around you is incredibly vulnerable work. Admitting that you need support, letting yourself be witnessed. Even for well practiced witches: this shit is hard, babe. But collaboration is a muscle that can be flexed. You have two options for this ritual: practice it with someone else as an act of sacred collaboration, or practice it with yourself as an act of honoring your sacred desire for collaboration. You will need:

• a deck of reflective prompts
• a cup of tea
• an aura spray
• a dish for an herbal offering

Start by preparing a cup of tea and grounding into the sensation of sipping. Let the warmth spread to the tips of your fingers and toes and your breath expand deep into your belly. Think about what you desire from this intentional moment, and write it as a wish on a piece of paper. Place this paper on your offering dish, and sprinkle a small pinch of herbs over it as an offering to the spirit allies who want to support you. Place this dish on your altar while you are in this ritual. Whether you are doing this with someone or having a solo ritual, go through 5-7 cards from your deck and answer the questions. You may choose to journal your thoughts if you're solo. Any time something feels particularly vulnerable to share, spritz yourself with Soft Landing and remind yourself that your vulnerability is a gift. See what comes up and challenge yourself to dive deeper into the answers; can you practice sharing the gift of vulnerability? When you this ritual is complete, offer gratitude to yourself, the people who joined you if it was a group activity, and the guides that were present. Spritz Soft Landing one more time to remind yourself that you can be vulnerable and safe.

The New Moon Ritual Kit was created to support you in these vulnerable moments, whether you're practicing spellwork on the exact new moon or honoring the feeling of it at a different date. You can work with this gentle set as you settle into the shadows of the new moon, or any time you're feeling called to the tending of sacred collaboration.

When we move through life with the cyclical lens of the moon we are infusing our days with magic and intention. This is a beautiful act of resistance in a capitalistic society! Our magical practices exist to guide us whenever we desire, and the season of the witch is our invitation to let that magic flow unencumbered. Let yourself reach for magical community and see how your practice can thrive. Stretch the parameters of your practice this month — isolation is normal, inward tendencies are normal (especially during the year of the Hermit) but the turning of the wheel is the time to refill your cup and reach out a hand to others.

This apothecary is beyond proud to exist as a hub for self care and connection of all sorts; at any given time there is magic available to you. Whether that's through tools to support your rituals, workshops to support your curiosity and magical growth, or community spaces where you get to be vulnerable and thrive through the witnessing.