Most of us divide the lunar month into distinct parts; new moon, waxing moon, full moon, and waning moon. The new moon is associated with new beginnings, unsurprisingly. As this part may be also seen as the ending of the waning moon, it is associated with the Goddess as Hag, the ultimate ending of all things. But from this comes rebirth, as well. If one is beginning a new magical project that will be composed of several workings, it’s often useful to begin at the new moon so the rising tide of energy will subtly add to your momentum. In the coven I trained in, new moon was when we held teaching circles, where we discussed various aspects of basic faith and practice.

The waxing moon is the time when the visible, lighted portion of the crescent is growing in width, and represents the Maiden aspect of the Goddess. Most magical uses for this time center around growth and increase; magic done here focuses on growth, and the coven I trained in encouraged further growth in trust and friendship within the coven by holding a purely social evening every month on the Saturday during the waxing moon. As a solitary practitioner, I meditate upon qualities that I wish to cultivate into myself or influences I want to bring into my life. Often I translate the meditation into action by doing things that help cultivate that quality in me.

The full moon was, before we began using electricity and gas to light our way, the easiest time to travel by night. It also represents the Goddess in Her full abundance as Mother. Consequently, covens traditionally meet at the full moon for worship and praise and to work group magic. Solitaries use the time in a similar manner, doing magic for abundance, power, strength, and fullness during this time.

The waning moon is the time when the visible, lighted portion of the moon is decreasing in width. The magical uses for this time involve the removal of things from one’s life, or work on something you want to decrease. In the coven I trained in, second- and third-degree initiates met and meditated and discussed the spiritual and psychological issues that came up and held us back from the deeper growth we sought. Patiently, in love and trust, we gave love and support as we admitted our problems and came up with methods to heal them. These shadow work circles are useful in theme for the solitary, who benefits from asking how they are unconsciously sabotaging their growth, or letting past shadows dim current happiness, and it’s a good time to clean out closets and basements in the mundane world too.

Next in the series of Teaching Circles we’ll discuss the Wiccan beliefs regarding the nature of evil. If you read, please leave a cookie, and feel free to comment.