All of these actions are essentially rituals. Cultures find their way of relating to the moon on a metaphysical level and use that connection to foster change in their lives and the world.
Now, it is our time to figure out how to use the Moon to improve ourselves and the universe we create. How to manifest blessings, and banish the things that hold us back in the context of the
modern world.
This article will compare various New Moon and Full Moon rituals to give you a deeper understanding of what they are, what makes them different, and how to use them.
New Moon: Fresh Beginnings
The New Moon, with its ominous lack of light, marks the beginning of a new cycle. It carries an energy of renewal and limitless potential for what is to come. And so, we too are encouraged to set forth on a new path of alchemical transformation. The Moon is the macrocosm of our body’s microcosm.
During this phase, the moon lines up with the Sun. Despite a lack of light, many seekers around the world see it as an energetically powerful time. A blank canvas just waiting to be filled with
the image of our life we want to manifest.
The New Moon allows us to look within and recognize the true desires of our souls. It becomes a moment of refining our path and setting out toward waters we truly wish to go toward. By embracing the New Moon, we affirm our commitment to self-discovery and maturation.
Harnessing New Moon Energy
On a New Moon, people are oftentimes inclined to perform rituals of clarity and purpose. They form a clear idea of what they want in their lives so they can sow their seeds with pure intentions. A pen and paper will serve you well during this time; we must cherish moments when our thoughts are comprehensible enough to make them tangible and straightforward.
Journaling is hugely helpful, but maybe even more important is visualization. We must learn to see the lives we want to live and dwell within them as if they have already come to pass. The New Moon acts as a supercharger for these intentions, drawing them closer to reality.
To further amplify our magic, it is helpful to incorporate tools that bolster the depth of our rituals. Crystals like citrine, the stone of manifestation, are employed to strengthen ritual intent. Sacraments like cacao allow us to take the magic of intention into our physical body helping us to further ground ourselves in the intention.
Another thing to mention is the power of dance. A common magical technique is holding your intention while moving through an extended ecstatic dance (A Channeled New Moon Manifestation Ritual, 2019). With some practice, you’ll be able to get to the point of really holding onto that intention for a long time which will continually increase the power of your wish.
Lastly, this cannot be complete without noting Heqi. This is a Daoist technique instructing us to engage with a trusted romantic partner under the New Moon. We are to proceed by consummating with our partner while synchronizing the timing of each other’s breathing. The key is for both of you to focus on the same intention you wish to bring into your lives up until the climax. This is highly advanced and extremely potent so make sure your intention is for the highest good and brings harm to none.
Now let’s take a look at what can be done when the Moon glows bright.
The Full Moon: Basking in The Glow
The Full Moon is abundantly magical even to the least inspired eye. The reflection of the Sun off of the great orb in the sky is enough to invoke awe in anybody.
This is the time for us to be thankful for all of the positive manifestations we’ve brought into our lives. We must remember to celebrate our gifts to see them for the blessings that they are.
Full Moons also usher in a time of seeing the things that no longer serve us and letting them go. Make sure not to judge yourself for the things you don’t look kindly upon in your life. Just observe them for what they are and prepare to let go.
Most of us are stuck with feelings we don’t welcome. Pain, anxiety, stress, depression, self-loathing. These things are meant to be experienced at some point by all humans, but they are also destined to be left behind.
Now is the time to grow spiritually and the Full Moon will gladly help you. However, you need to ask. You need to look to the sky with an open heart and put in the work so the Moon can do its magic.
Full Moon Rituals: Transforming The Self
Full Moon rituals are the time to banish. Many ceremonies of different styles have been created over time, but they tend to follow similar rules.
- Set the intention to banish something from your life. Take the time to direct your aim. Write down no more than two sentences that embody the thing you wish to leave behind.
- Cleanse your space. This can be done by smudging with sage or performing a ritual of banishing.
- Meditate to clear the mind.
- Exalt the Full Moon. Worship its majesty.
- Ask the Moon for its help with your aim.
- Allow the image of your wish coming to pass. Sit with it as if the desire has already been granted.
- Let all things dissipate. Come back to Earth.
One ceremony created by the Golden Dawn involves drawing geometric shapes that represent the Moon. Then invite the angel of the Moon, Gabriel, into your space. We are instructed to proceed with asking for Gabriel’s blessing to banish from our psyche certain Moon-related aspects such as nightmares or emotional distress.
In kundalini work, we are instructed to perform a certain meditation on the Full Moon. This involves a mantra to be chanted as we raise our hands in prayer position up to our brow. At this point, we form the Open Lotus with our hands by touching the base of the palms, the two pinkies, and the two thumbs together. Allow the remaining three middle fingers to spread out and away from each other. Then, reverse it by pointing your fingers down with the backs of your hands touching (“Antar Naad Mudra for Full Moon,” n.d.). This brings us peace and correct decisions in our lives, leaving behind those decisions we know do not serve us.
A tool that people tend to favor for banishing on a Full Moon is black Tourmaline. A stone like this is exceptionally powerful in conjunction with the cleansing energy of a Full Moon. Another tool is moon water. There are several ways to make it, but the most straightforward way is to leave it out on all the nights of a Full Moon. Then, when the next one comes, bring it out and sprinkle it around so its energy can physically saturate your space.
Make sure that however you go about your Full Moon ritual, you allow yourself to release your negative emotions and insecurities. Stay open, stay focused, and you will find success.
Different Energies, Different Intentions
The contrasting energies of the New Moon and Full Moon are illustrated simply in the following table.
|
Full Moon
|
New Moon
|
|---|---|
|
Banishing
|
Invoking
|
|
Gratitude
|
Manifestation
|
|
Celebration
|
Renewal
|
|
Letting Go
|
Attraction
|
Depending on the lunar cycle, it is advisable to tailor your intentions. Using the phases of the Moon as a reference for when to focus on certain aspects of magical practice protects us from becoming scattered and overwhelmed. It gives us a sense of boundary so that we don’t get stuck trying to decide whether to banish or invoke on a given day. We just look up and know what’s appropriate.
“More is lost by indecision than wrong decision.” -Cicero
Make sure to embrace both of these phases to instill balance. Falling into one way or another can result in a half-happy heart.
Making Moon Rituals Personal
Once you’ve done some research and tried some of the traditional methods practically, then it is time to tailor your rituals a bit more to your preferences. However, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of actually employing the practices of tradition first. Just reading about rituals often results in what is called ‘armchair magicianship.’ Research is important, but it is meaningless without experience.
Find elements of the rituals that speak to you. If you think going around your altar and drawing out geometric shapes that correspond to the Moon is interesting, try it! If saying a mantra and performing hand signs that correspond to banishing, try the Apana Mudra.
It’s important to use iconography you can easily relate to. Westerners often find that things like lotus flowers or elephants are beautiful, but are difficult to relate to because they are not prevalent in the Western world. Remain open to the esoteric traditions of the West. Roses and eagles are usually far easier for a Westerner to associate with than a monkey!
It’s important to seek out the systems that call to you. There is great and rewarding beauty in exploring the world to find the things that resonate with our individual minds. Put in the work and you will be rewarded!
Balancing Lunar Practices
The benefits of incorporating both New Moon and Full Moon practices into your routine are indispensable.
The benefits of New Moon rituals in your life will often involve you taking advantage of opportunities that you know will fulfill the desires you’ve outlined in your ceremonies.
For example, you may wish for more wealth during a New Moon. A couple of days later you might get a call from someone telling you they have an open position at a financial institution. Usually, you’d say no right away because you think finance just isn’t your style. But, you remember that you did ask the Moon to bring you wealth. So you ask what the salary is. Of course, it’s much bigger than what you’ve been paid in the past. You realize that more wealth in your life means you’ll have more independence, more freedom, and more comfort. Things that you truly value. Without having set that initial intention you may have completely missed that opportunity. But now you see it for what it is, a blessing that will greatly enhance your life and well-being.
A Full Moon ritual will help you to banish things in a similar way. Say you asked to banish your lack of cleanliness around your home. The next day, you might look up at a cobweb and decide it’s time to get rid of it. So, you do so. Then you look down and see the carpet below is in dire need of vacuuming, so you do so. Next thing you know, your whole house is clean and it didn’t take long. Your subconscious mind was ready to take this on because you programmed it to do so on a deep level.
Both of these instances are great examples of how the universe manifests our desires. Granted wishes come about in earthly ways and thank Luna for that. Goddess knows that we’d rather not have ghosts and phantoms going around wailing and dusting our house in the middle of the night.
Dion Fortune, venerated and highly intelligent female occultist and member of the Golden Dawn, defines magic as, “the art of changing consciousness at will.”
It’s far more transformative to realize that what we desire is within our power to actualize. Lunar rituals teach us that we are capable of manifesting the world we want to live in.
Conclusion
The New Moon and the Full Moon are constantly locked into a harmonious and mystical dance of ebb and flow. Each phase brings about unique energies and in tandem, they form a complete cycle.
New Moon rituals allow us to embark on new paths while Full Moon rituals give us space to let go and transform. By doing these rituals, we tap into the ancient and vast power of the Moon aligning ourselves with the forces and laws that govern our universe.
As we familiarize ourselves and engage with these ceremonies, we begin to design our destiny. We empower ourselves by shaping our aspirations with intention and clarity.
So, as the moon waxes and wanes, let us honor the sacred phases and their effect on our lives. Recognize that the New Moon is always a chance to begin anew, and the Full Moon is our opportunity to focus and celebrate only the things we enjoy in our lives.
Keep looking to the sky. Continue drawing inspiration from its celestial majesty. Remember that you are just as much a part of the universe as the Moon and the stars. Embrace the phases of our celestial mother and you will find that what lies ahead is only what you choose to manifest.
FAQs
The New moon is traditionally the best time to manifest. Focus on renewal. Try and manifest associated with the Moon like an increase in dreams or an increase of love in your life.
- Set your intention
- Cleanse your space
- Exalt the renewing aspects of the New Moon
- Ask the Moon to fulfill your intended desire
- Dwell in the image of a world where your wish has already come true
- Come back to your earthly self and go about your day
The New Moon practically forces us inside because of the lack of light at night. Symbolically, it lets us know that this is the time to manifest renewal into our lives.
Works Cited
A Channeled New Moon Manifestation Ritual. (2019, July 31). Maddie Amor. (Click to read)
Antar Naad Mudra for Full Moon. (n.d.). 3HO International. Retrieved August 4, 2023, (Click to read)
