New Moon Old Magick

Hello dears.  Welcome to Diana’s Bow.

The moon is just now becoming visible in Taurus.  What a wonderful time to plant new things in your garden and in your life!  And what a great time to do anything creative.

Spring Hummer

Because Taurus is such a fertile Earth sign, now is really a fantastic time to sprout all sorts of seeds, transplant seedlings or anything else really, or propagate by cuttings.  The roots will go deep because of the tidal forces of the earth, and that will make for strength and longevity.

Feed your spring craving by buying that houseplant you wanted, and make sure you have green things growing around you, and lots of color in your surroundings as well.  Now is the natural time for us to look for plant growth, I think it is one of those things that is actually in our DNA!  I believe the craving for color is also, since flowers usually indicate fruiting, and that is definitely a survival mechanism.  So if you are in an apartment, feed that need.  Try to have some herbs in your kitchen, if you can.  Add one or two flowering plants in your sitting room.  If you have only one room with one window, and that is facing a brick wall, then you can still have shade plants.  And even shade plants flower!  C’mon!!  You know you want it.  I’ve been in situations where I could only have a postcard of a verdant landscape, but if that is what it takes, do it.  Get some green growing stuff into your consciousness.

The creative side of you may be yammering to get out now, as well.  Your very body may be responding to the moon phase, and now is the time to get out your woodburner, or your carving knives or paint and decorate your wand.

Although in ceremonial magick, there are specific ways in which a wand should be decorated, our work here is more natural and solitary.  In other words, do whatever you want!  As long as you understand that this wand is an extension of your own energies and is creative in nature, then you can do it as it suits you.  I’ve made many a wand, and I’ve used a woodburner to inscribe runes and other symbols.  It is traditional to fill the burnt indentation with a red color, and I’ve used acrylic paint for that.  I’ve sanded certain areas and left others barked.  I’ve drilled here and there and strung silver and copper wire.  I’ve also attached semi-precious stones and crystals, some with elaborate settings, some with wire wrapping.  I’ve carved female figures (cause well, I’m female), and when I was sure the wood was dry, put on staining or varnish.

So, play away.  One of things I firmly believe is that play informs your magick. If you are worried that you are not doing this right, don’t be!  That worry will convey itself into the wand as you work!  Play as much as you can, and meditate before you start so that you can set the right energy.  The more joyful your creative experience, the better.  Remember as well, there are no mistakes in your creativity.  Only opportunities.  If something happens that you don’t expect, figure out how you can use it in your expression.  Most worthwhile creative work has an equal share of planned expression and ‘accidents’.  Use them.

If you are more in need of stealth, your wand can be as plain as you wish.  There is no requirement for decoration, especially if you meditated with the branch or the dowel before cutting.  I’ve heard stories of women whose wand was a wooden mixing spoon because they were so far underground.  Whatever suits you and your life is what is important.  You can always be very minimal, and use a fine-point Sharpie on the end of a plain stick or a wooden chopstick, writing your initials, or some sort of symbol that has meaning for you but no one else.  Or simply drawing a decorative border.  Doodles are good.  They are an active expression of your inner self.

Give your planned symbols some thought.  You will be using the tool (hopefully), and will need to feel comfortable and familiar with whatever you put on it.  If you pick up the wand to use in ritual, and you get held up looking at some sort of symbol from a book that you’ve elaborately marked all over it, thinking “What the heck did I do that for…” then it probably isn’t a symbol you should have used longterm.  Traditional symbols from the Eldar Futhark (runes), from the Angelic Languages and planetary symbols, magickal language symbols from the Atlantean charactars, these are all things that can be found in any number of books on ritual magick, and they can all be used, if you wish.  If you choose to go that way, spend time, even a few days or a week, in meditation and know exactly what symbols you wish to use, and what they mean.  There is a lot of energy behind some of those sigils, and you would wish to be able to use those energies comfortably.

If you are interested in the method of constructing traditional High Ritual wands, then I’d suggest looking at material on the Golden Dawn, especially the book by Israel Regardie.  They are not the only group out there, but they have published a lot of material and can be a good resource.  This is not what we are practicing here, but there is no reason not to know!

Work on and with your wand, decorate it as you please, meditate with it, and just hold it as you walk around your home.  Be familiar!  When next we visit this subject, we will talk about how and when to consecrate the wand to sacred use.

That’s all for now, my dears!  Have a lovely Sunday of planting, play, or creating.  If you, like millions of others, are on the job today, stick a leaf behind your ear!  It’s the first Diana’s Bow of Spring!!

Blessed Be,

Marie Angeli

Hello dears,

Tonight the Moon is in Aries.  Tonight the moon is dark.  Astrologically, the moon is not a happy camper here.  Aries is fiery hot, sterile, dry, the exact opposite of the energies that make the moon thrive.  Since we are at the dark of the moon, now is usually the time when one would perform divination and/or pathworking.  Although for me personally, I’ll stay clear of the energies tonight for anything except meditation.

I’m not trying to be negative about Moon in Aries at all.  Agriculturally, there are some circumstances when this time would be good for things like cultivation or burning off deadwood, or destroying pests.  If we are in season or moon phase for harvesting, this moon is a great time to do that.  The dry qualities of this fire sign help ensure that the harvest should keep a long time.  And for the time after the dark moon, seeding crops now leads to a fast growth.  Plants sprout and grow quickly, although not in a stable way.  If you are looking to get a crop to market, or a project to the boardroom quickly, tonight and the next couple of nights are the time to start these things.  The moon will stay in Aries until about 9:45pm UT or about 5:45pm Eastern, 24th of March.

Again, as we are now past the peak moments of the dark moon, the time to start things that you wish to accomplish quickly is now thru 3/24 5:45pm ET.

Just remember, speed does not necessarily mean stability.  The better time to plant or to begin new works will be immediately after the moon leaves Aries, when it arrives in Taurus.  This sign is beautifully fertile, and the moon loves being here!  Because we are still in the very new moon energies here, what you plant or start will root deeply, with great stability, and strong structure, producing abundant fruits.  Business projects are wonderfully begun in this Taurus moon, as well as artistic endeavors.  Almost any kind of project, actually!

So enjoy your meditations tonight, and I’ll be back with the moon in Taurus to talk about decorating your new wand.

Blessed Be!
Marie Angeli