I started following the moon 5 years ago with a monthly tarot spread which I now like to call my moonthly tarot spread because it happens on the new moon each month. As time went by I became curious and added more aspects to my moonthly ritual as I answered the questions: where is the moon? What astrological sign is it in? What does that astrological sign rule over? How does it affect me?
One of the first things I noticed about the moon was it appeared unpredictable to find in the sky. The windows in my apartment face east and every day the Sun comes up in the east in the morning and sets in the west in the evening. The moon on the other hand seemed to be out at random times. Have you noticed its out during the day, evening, night, middle of the night but its unpredictable to know when it will be out? This spiraled me to stalk the moon and a bit of research taught me the moon rises in the east and sets in the west every day like the Sun but, unlike the sun it rises and sets at different times throughout her cycle. Here is the moons orbit method:
· New Moon rises at sunrise, is at its highest in the south in the middle of the day, and sets in the evening like the Sun.
· First Quarter Moon rises in the middle of the day, is at its highest in the south at sunset and sets in the middle of the night.
· Full Moon rises at sunset, is at its high in the south at midnight, and sets in the morning at sunrise.
· Last Quarter Moon rises in the middle of the night, is at its highest in the south at dawn, and sets in the middle of the day.
I like to use the WeMoon calendar to keep track of the moon monthly. I also use the app iLuna because it notifies me when the moon enters a new sign and when the moon is void of course. I also like the app The Moon: Calendar Moon Phases because it provides the moonrise and moonset times and has a calendar showing which astrological sign the moon is in at any particular time.
The new moon is always in the same sign the sun is currently in. For example, today is August 15, 2020 and the Sun is in Leo until the 22nd of August and the new moon will be in Leo on August 18th at 10:42pm EDT. This is why I focus most of the attention on the astrological correspondence of the new moon and set my intentions around the sign where the new moon is.
Another aspect that got me spiraling was what sign is the moon in at any particular date and time. I already knew the new moon is in a new astrological sign every moonth like the Sun. However, unlike the Sun which stays in an astrological sign for about a month, the moon is FAST. It moves around all the signs every two or three days giving us the flavor of all twelve astrological signs every moonth this is when the apps come in handy.
When I first started following the moon, I started with Joanna Powell Colbert’s Gaian Tarot’s New Moon Spread #2. If you don’t have the Gaian Tarot, I highly recommend it, the cards are focused on nature and community and the book that accompanies the deck provides insightful meanings, affirmations, questions, and spreads to use in your own practice. Over the years, when I started sharing my moonthly ritual in a circle of friends I simplified the New Moon Spread to five cards:
1. What is the seed (foundation) of the Moonth in sign?
2. What begins to grow as the moon waxes in sign?
3. What peaks as the moon becomes full in sign?
4. What do I let go of as the moon wanes sign?
5. What is the seed (foundation) of the next moonth in sign?
(use this card as card number 1 next moonth).
One thing that I like about this spread is that each moonthly spread cycles into the next month connecting them in concentric circles as we spiral through life.
After all that, you may still be wondering what is a moonthly circle (mostly known as a new moon circle)? A circle is an indigenous practice of sitting together in deep sharing and listening in community. In my moonthly circles we come together virtually on zoom on the day the moon starts a new cycle - the New Moon - (once pandemic times are over I will host in person circles again) and we review the attributes of the astrological new moon, what the astrological sign rules over, we set intentions based on the astrological sign, and we use tarot or oracle cards to create a framework to keep us on track to manifest our moonthly intentions. We also share our personal insights as one of the magical aspects of being in a community circle is that what comes up for one may be a shared theme around the group or may have a significance for others in the group, so sharing is an important aspect and what happens in the group stays in the group.
You can sign up for my Moontly Circles here. If you rather not meet in circle or the timing does not work for you (the moon is new different days each moonth) I have two alternatives for you: 1. you can download my Astrological moonth workbook in my shop 2. You can sign up for a new moon interactive one on one workshop to review the astrological sign, set intentions, and draw cards for the moonth, tip you can also utilize this service with a group of close friends at a time that suits you best.
I look forward to circling with you and I would love to hear what your moonthly rituals are. If you don’t have a ritual, what made you interested in the moon? In the meantime, I wish you many blessings and manifestations under the energy of the moon.
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