The Moon in Wicca Religion
The Moon in Wicca religion is highly revered. She is a primary Pagan Goddess.
Through her various
phases and faces, the Moon guides us through the Mysteries of life.
The Moon is aligned with the element Water.
And She is Queen of the Night, sailing through the heavens with Her starry host.
But what makes the Moon become a Wiccan icon?
It is the importance of the aspects of life that She affects.
The Moon presides over five primary processes and paradoxes of Wicca . . .
- Mystery & Chaos,
- Flow & Evolution,
- Birth & Death,
- Emotions & Soul,
- Wisdom & Magick.
All of these are qualities we might call "Feminine," and the Moon seems in Wicca to be a very feminine deity.
We'll explore these aspects in a future article. But first, let's take a look at Moon worship in history, and the Moon's call in Wicca today.
The Moon In Wicca Spirituality
Nowadays, much of the magickal allure of the Moon seems to be gone. She is no longer the mystery She once was. We know the makeup of Her physical form: rock and dust. We know She doesn't shine from within, but in reflection of the Sun.
Yet still She holds powers we scarcely fathom.
For instance, the
Moon's tidal influence on all the elements is astounding.
And the power of the
Full Moon to effect humans and other animals, even the weather, continues despite Her scientific classifications.
In my view, what we know about the Moon only
increases the relevance She holds for spiritual seekers and mystics. Now more than ever She becomes a symbol to us of what is possible.
For what are we, but dust?
What light do we shine with, but the Light from a sublime Source?
This is the Light that is at the core of all religions. The pure white light of the Moon represents this perfectly.
The Wiccan practice of
Drawing Down The Moon is one way we connect with this Light. Wiccans today draw down the Moon to fill ourselves with the Light that is the Creative Essence of the Universe.
Today the Moon, to those of the Wicca religion, is just as mysterious and magickal, just as wonderful and sacred as She was to our ancestors.
Today, perhaps we see the Moon even more as our distant ancestors did, before the divisions of religion. Perhaps they too saw Her as the Essence of Divine Light that is available to us all.
The importance of the Moon in Wicca cannot be overestimated. For all of these reasons, for the Feminine Energy She conducts, reverence for the Moon continues to be at the heart of Wicca spirituality.
Celebrations of the Wiccan Moon Phases
Witches generally celebrate at least some of the Moon cycles.
The Full Moon is the most commonly celebrated Wiccan Holy Day. Others may also celebrate the Dark Moon or New Moon.
Wiccans honour the Moon during Her Full phase with celebrations called Esbats.
But all the
phases of the Moon are important to Witches, especially when it comes to doing ritual or working magick.
Because the Full Moon has a different energy - different powers - than, say, the Dark Moon or the New Moon, Wiccans plan certain rituals or spells to align with those energies.
A spell for starting a new job or relationship, for instance, would not be done at the time of the Waning Moon, when the energy is flowing towards endings. But a spell for ending an unhappy situation would be perfect for the weeks of the Waning Moon.
So the Moon influences the practice of Wicca from top to bottom.
- She encompasses the qualities of Wisdom and Magick.
- She represents life's greatest Mysteries.
- And She generates an ever-flowing energy field that Wiccans attune to and cooperate with.
As hard as it is to imagine Wicca without magick, what would Wicca be without the Moon?
With Brightest Blessings,
erin Dragonsong
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Moon in Wicca
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