An almanac is an annual publication that contains moon phases, gardening tips, predictive weather forecasting, and articles that the publisher feels will be of interest to the reader. A magickal almanac, also produced on a yearly basis, includes moon phases, moon in the signs, planetary information, important historical dates of interest to the magickal community, planting and harvesting dates, Pagan holidays, and articles geared toward magickal readers.1 Most magickal people learn to rely on a magickal almanac for choosing the best day and time for planning rituals, spellcasting, divination, and other mystical endeavors.
Magickal tip: Sit down with your magickal almanac and a set of colored highlighters. Choose one color to represent the full moon, one to represent the new moon, one to represent whenever a planet goes retrograde or direct, one for eclipses, one for when the moon goes void of course, and one for Pagan holidays—or you can just use one highlighter color for all these important timing mechanisms as a simple “heads up” reminder. Go through each page of the almanac for the coming year and highlight the appropriate category with the color you’ve chosen. This way, throughout the year, you will know at a glance when the holidays are, when the moon is full or new, if an eclipse is coming up, or if the moon is void, etc. (see Moon section for information on moon voids). The ideal almanac is one where there is enough space to keep track of when you cast what spell and how long your work took to manifest. Once you have worked with your almanac and have played with magickal timing for about a year, you may want to extend your highlighted entries to the following:
• Major positive aspects that involve Venus (fast cash), the sun (representing the forward motion of the will), and Jupiter (long-term financial planning). Or, you may wish to take note of all aspects less the moon (there are many of these).
• Sun cycles—when the sun moves from sign to sign.
Of all the highlighted categories, I’ve found the moon voids reminder to be the most helpful in daily activities that may not include spellwork. If someone offers you something or has a great idea on a moon void, it will most likely fall flat on its face. A quick glance can tell you volumes when you must make hurried decisions, plan doctor’s appointments, or begin major projects.
Understanding Almanac
Terminology
Almost all books on general Wicca talk about the moon and her eight phases, yet most almanacs do not list moon phases. Instead, they use a different set of moon-related terms (quarters and the lunation cycle, to name a few). This is confusing to the magickal student who first reads about moon magick from the pen of an alternative religious writer (Druid, Wiccan, etc.) and then reaches for the almanac, where a compendium of new buzzwords appear. You’ll also come across terms like “hot” and “barren,” as well as read how the moon behaves in each astrological sign as that energy relates to agricultural interests. Before you throw up your hands and say, “I don’t need to know this stuff, I’ve never grown so much as a marigold in a cup and I don’t intend to start now. I just want more power and lots of it!”—think again. If a farmer or gardener can apply this information successfully to something physical, like a field of wheat, then we can use these same methods on, say, cultivating your career, choosing classes for next semester, or pushing away a negative habit in the same way. In magick, paying attention to the moon and what the heck she’s doing up there is called “astrological timing.”
In any almanac, the lunation cycle is the circuit from new moon to full moon, then back to new moon, which takes approximately twenty-nine-and-a-half days. In the Craft this twenty-nine-and-a-half day cycle is sometimes called moon to moon; however, when some Witches say “moon to moon” they mean full moon to full moon, where others mean new moon to new moon. And then there are those that take “moon to moon” to mean “same phase twenty-nine-and-a-half days from now.” Confusing, I know—but there you have it.
To avoid bewilderment, just remember that there are two distinct ways to divide that twenty-nine-and-a-half day cycle:
• By phases (of which there are eight; each increment is approximately 3.7 days long; see Moon for a complete description of the phases).
• By quarters (of which there are four; each increment is approximately 7.3 days long).
Just remember that the cycle remains the same, it is only how the cycle is divided and the buzzwords that change. I included the numbers for those of you that are mathematically minded (and these are only approximations).
Most almanacs will kindly tell you what quarter (or phase) you’re in on any given day, which is one of the reasons we use the almanacs in the first place, but who came up with terms like “barren” and “fruitful” in regard to the moon in the signs? And what does that quarter stuff mean?
Your wish is my command.
One of the oldest books on record in which such words as barren and fruitful appear in regard to astrology and daily life was written by a fellow named Marcus Manilius, a Roman who lived at the birth of the Common Era (that’s about 2,000 years ago). The book was titled Astronomica2 and is actually considered a poem in four parts (though some argue five). Granted, this is not the only book on astrology that has emerged from our distant past, echoing down the corridors of time, but it does supply proof for our purposes that following the moon, the sun, and the planets as a form of serious science for planning daily activities isn’t something somebody plopped into print last Sunday, and that almanacs (of a sort) existed even then. If the practice of following the moon (planets, stars, comets, etc.) has lasted this long, there’s got to be something to it. (you will find a discussion of these terms on page 226.)
The quarters of the moon.
The Quarters of the Moon
Before we get rolling on this subject, I’d like to make clearer to you something that’s a bit confusing. As I mentioned earlier, there are two ways to divide the movements of the moon, quarters and phases. There are four quarters in one system, eight phases in the other system. What can really be mystifying is that these two systems share a single terminology that does not represent the same thing. This terminology is first quarter—which means one thing in the quarterly separation and another in the phase system. In this section I am explaining the quarters (not the phases). (see Moon to learn about phases.)
The first quarter begins at the new moon, when the sun and moon look like they are in the same place in the sky. They aren’t really, of course, but it appears that way from our position on the Earth. In fact, the moon is in front of the sun (because its orbit falls between us Earthlings and that of the sun) so, therefore, the moon doesn’t appear to be visible at all. For those of you that are into astrology, this phenomenon is called a conjunction—when one planet occupies the same degree of the same astrological sign (if you were looking at a horoscope chart). Conjunctions are usually considered pretty cool things in astrology because that’s when two planets (or the sun and moon) mix their energies together and give a fairly nice magickal wallop to just about anything you do. A conjunction always stands for the birth of something, and in this case the moon and the sun are dancing cheek-to-cheek, making will and emotions work together (whether they like it or not). How they work together is easy to figure out—just look at the astrological sign they are visiting. This information is included in your almanac, so you don’t have to know more than the keywords associated with each sign to figure out what kind of energy you are dealing with. I’ve also provided keywords in the Esbat section of this book. When working with timing of any kind for a project, the first quarter always stands for beginnings. This first quarter (where the new moon slowly gains light) is your Go button. Press it. According to this timing, you have approximately 7.3 days to use this energy. Follow your almanac. To help you out, I’ve created a New Moon Esbats list (see pages 24-27) that will give you some ideas on how to use this energy in each of the astrological signs.
The second quarter begins halfway between the new moon and the full moon. Another word for this time period is waxing. This half moon rises around noon and sets around midnight, which is why if you look toward the western sky you’ll see it floating there. This moon is going full tilt with the energy you gave it during its new cycle. It’s still considered to be growing. In astrological terms, it is square the sun. Squares in zodiac lingo mean “challenges”—and if you want to get technical, the moon is now 90 degrees away from the sun (if you viewed a horoscope chart that represents this placement on paper). In magick, now’s the time to take care of any hidden stumbling blocks that appear to be interfering with your magick. More power in the right place is the key. How do you know what kind of power? By this time the moon and the sun are not in the same sign. Check the keywords of both signs to give you a hint. Remember that in magick, as well as in astrology, the moon stands for emotion and the sun stands for the will.
If this is getting too complicated for you, just take a deep breath and plow on. It takes a while to get the terms straight in your head. It certainly took me longer than I would have liked. Just remember that in most cases the second quarter of the moon stands for continued growth, development, and the pathway to fruition of something you’ve already started. By the time the second quarter ends and the third quarter begins, we are halfway through the lunation cycle and plop in the middle of the full moon. In magick (as well as daily life), most things that you want to increase are worked on or done in the first and second quarters of the moon. Once you become experienced at moon energy, you’ll be able to determine which signs apply to what you want to do on your own. Again, many almanacs will give you this information, so it won’t be too much of a head trip.
The third quarter begins at the full moon. Its energy represents the beginning of the harvest of what you planned at the new moon. This energy will culminate right before the moon is declared new and the next lunation cycle begins. If it helps, think of a pendulum that begins on one side and swings to the other, then back again. That “back again” is heading to its starting place, that of the new moon. It is here that we experience the full joy of the moon’s light. She rises in the east at sunset and sets in the west at dawn a little later each day. In astrological terms, the moon is opposite the sun. The moon appears to glow because she is receiving the full effect of the sun’s rays. She reflects the light of the sun, and we on Earth are the happy recipients of this heavenly magick. In all honesty, however, it isn’t magick (per se), it’s science! This is one of the reasons that Witchcraft is often described as the art and the science of magick. The art part is how we use science to make magick. As you study Witchcraft, you will learn that there is a great deal of Craft lore, as the moon relates to the Goddess and the sun relates to the God, in the use of a full moon. This information is covered at various places in this book. In magick and everyday stuff, the full moon stands for fulfillment, completion, power, expressing oneself emotionally in all forms of art and daily circumstances, maturity, and fruition. It is here that you’ll get a clue (one way or another) if your spellwork is on track or if it’s pooped out on you. Never fear, adjustments can always be made. Scientifically, during a full moon, the sun is opposite the moon (they are 180 degrees apart). This means that the moon and sun do not share the same sign. For hints on what type of magick to do, given the signs they might be in, see pages 27-29 (Full Moon Esbats).
The full moon is also a heads-up about life in general. Just because your eyeball says it’s so doesn’t mean you are interpreting what you are seeing the way it really is. As a child I believed that the moon glowed on its own, just like the sun did. It never occurred to me that I was looking at a giant mirror in the sky. Go figure. In technical Witch language, one-and-a-half days after this full moon is the beginning of the waning moon. This is when it is cool to start banishing stuff.
The fourth quarter moon begins halfway between the full moon (that’s just passed) and the upcoming new moon. If you’re into numbers, that’s about 7.3 days past the full moon and 22.5 days past the original new moon (the start of the lunation cycle). We are definitely into the waning cycle of the moon. This decreasing moon rises at midnight, so if you look eastward after midnight, you’ll see what’s left of her (visually) glowing there. As the sun is rising in the east, the moon is now directly overhead. This is why you can sometimes (depending on weather and placement) see the moon during the day. It’s as if she forgot to go to bed at her appointed time. About midday, then, she disappears over the western horizon. In magick, this phenomenon can be useful, allowing you to visually incorporate both the sun and moon as they chase each other across the heavens from sunrise to midday. In astrological terms, the moon is once again in a square position, letting you know (energy-wise) what challenges may remain in that original magick you did at the new moon, or what energy you may wish to apply (if any) to reap your final rewards as the moon nears that conjunction with the sun to begin a new lunation cycle. This is not the same square as in the second quarter. Yes, the amount of degrees is the same (90) but the placement is different. In the second quarter, the moon has passed the sun (as she moves faster) and, in our minds, is now racing ahead of the sun. With this square, she is coming up behind the sun (buzzing through the heavens to pass the sun again), so she is on the other side and in a different sign than she was at the second quarter. Again, your almanac will tell you what sign she’s currently in.
To really understand the quarters of the moon, I recommend that you keep a short journal from new moon to new moon. Watch your family, your friends, your own life, and the news on television. In the first quarter, you’ll most likely see heightened activity and people wanting to start new things (whether they do or not depends on their personality, their situation, and the sign the moon was in during the new moon quarter). During the second quarter this pace may continue for a while, and then begin to slow down around the full moon. Family members may pull out old projects and work on them during this second quarter, or friends might push you to get something done, or press you to fulfill a promise you made. The full moon often brings emotional upsets. People think with everything but their brains, and hasty behavior can lead to unexpected occurrences now and later on. The fourth quarter is a time of pulling apart. You’ll see breakups between friends, parents, and lovers. Many people unconsciously begin to reorganize anything that either isn’t working or seems to be getting out of hand. Your mother may ground you for a simple offense when normally she simply would have given you a lecture and been done with it. Some people may appear pensive or moody because they need time to reflect, yet they override this gut feeling and bravely blunder on. Granted, the moon alone isn’t the only thing with input into life—personal habits, family structure, ingrained behavioral patterns, and even other planets and their placement in the heavens (especially retrograde ones) can all affect the individual—but, again, the choice on how this energy is used is their own. None of these things makes anyone do anything if they don’t want to.
Once you’ve reviewed your journal, have another go at it the next month. Pretty soon you’ll be able to spot patterns without checking your almanac. You’ll also be able to adjust your behavior, as well as understand the actions of others who are experiencing the same energy, but possibly in a different way because they have a different personality than your own, and you will be able to “feel” the lunar energies. Following the quarters (or the phases) of the moon in daily life allows you to control your life in a way that pleases you. Things can, with a little planning, run smoother than you ever thought possible. You will read more about the moon in the signs and using the moon’s quarters and signs under the Farming section in Part 4.
For the Expert
Now, if you are really the technical sort, the ancient astrologers left us with an interesting tidbit: Always perform the most important magick either three degrees before (“before” meaning “applying”) the conjunction, or when the moon has moved three degrees beyond the conjunction (separation). Normally, any planet in what is called the “combust” window is overtaken by the sun’s energy; however, because of the moon’s reflective qualities, she doesn’t behave the way other planets do. So how would you know this if you don’t have a computer program? What most people who are not into astrology don’t know is that the moon can be considered fast or slow in its speed (the rate at which it is moving through the heavens). Taking the midpoint between fast and slow, we come up with the moon’s average movement through the heavens at .5 degrees per hour. This means that (according to ancient astrologers) magickal work is best done six hours before a conjunction between the moon and sun (new moon) or six hours after the conjunction between the moon and the sun (new moon). Your almanac will give you the time of the conjunction, so all you have to do is count six hours before or six hours after the time given to pinpoint a specific time.
Does the speed of the moon affect your magickal applications? Yes, it does. Spells cast when the moon is fast seem to manifest quickly; when the moon is average, so is the time to complete the manifestation. When the moon is slow, we have noticed that the working takes much longer to complete than originally anticipated. To know the speed of the moon you will need an astrological software program or an ephemeris. An ephemeris is a book that gives the location of all the planets, including the sun and the moon, on any given day, at any given time, as well as their current speed.
Moon magick figures prominently in many Craft applications. Most Witches begin by learning the phases and quarters, then move on to the moon in the signs, the motion of the moon, lunar mansions,3 and finally the dialog it may have with other planets at any given time. This study process can take as little as six months or as long as two years, depending on the individual and their interest in the subject. Some magickal astrologers believe that the moon in the signs packs more punch than simply working with the quarters or phases in magickal workings. Only you can decide.