New Moon Old Magick

Good morning, dearies!

As I write this, the New Moon is still in 22 degrees of Pisces, about a day and a half past the peak of the dark moon.  Or would that be the nadir?  Hmmph, well at any rate, the visible light is currently about 2 %.  Not really enough to see, unless your eyes are MUCH better than mine, and so we have about another day to go until Diana’s Bow.

Moon in Pisces is such a very fertile time, one of the absolutely most fertile, after Moon in Cancer.  At the dark of the moon, it may be a good time to get your seeds and tools ready, your plans waiting for implementation, your goals ready to announce.  It is an excellent time to look inward at what you wish for, what you wish to accomplish or manifest.  It is traditionally the time for divination, as the dark moon aids the ability to access the ‘inner worlds’.

Traditionally, one does not plant till first light.  This is simply common sense if you think about it.  During the dark moon, one doesn’t really see very well walking around the garden and the fields.  Who knows what you might step into, literally!  So it is said that one plants during the first light to the full light those things that one wishes to have bloom or fruit, or to grow tall, and that one can plant from full light to last light, those things that one wants to root deep.

Again, this has it’s roots in common sense, and in the tides of the earth.  The earth tides, like the tides of the Sea, move with the moon phase, so that as it moves towards full, the tides are pulled up towards their highest level, and as the moon moves towards the dark, the tides recede.  We know that plants respond to the moon and as well to the tides of the earth.  The roots reach down for that water.  As the water rises, the seeds you have planted at first light have taken the time they need to gestate and sprout.  The small sprouts reach up and the emerging roots reach down.  At the rising of the tide, the pull is not so strongly down, and the focus of the plant reflects that.  Thus traditionally, those things that will bloom or give fruit or grow tall are what we plant or transplant at that time.  In addition to the physical reality of the easier access to groundwater, it is thought that the lessening of the gravitational pull on the earth tides will ‘program’ the plant to reach upwards.

During the waning phase of the moon, the tides recede, the pull is downward.  The newly planted seeds of transplants reach DOWN into the earth towards the moisture.  This is the time to plant those things which go deep: potatoes, bulbs.

PLEASE NOTE:  There is a great deal more to the horticultural study of plant/moon cycle that is biological in nature.  That is for another post and another time!  Now for the astrological bits…

The choice of plant or project will depend on the nature of the Astrological sign.  Anything fruiting is good to plant in Pisces.  Additionally, Pisces helps plants find water.  If you are blessed with dry and sandy soil, the Pisces energy will help support your plant and give it the ability to utilize and keep water a bit better than some other signs.  Because of it’s association with the feet, Pisces will help assist towards a good foundation, sturdy stems, extensive roots with good ability to hydrate.  Or, how about a pond project in your garden?  Have you decided to work on your health?  Pisces would be a great time to work on health issues that have to do with the feet, specifically.  A decision to start hydrating more, perhaps?  And of course anything at all to do with having to go deep inwards to access your mental health or spirituality, and make the changes within, would be an excellent project to start now.

We have been working on our Wand project, and this is why we choose our branch and begin our meditations with the wand tree at Diana’s Bow.  The wand symbolizes an outward power, an elemental power.  It is very much part of the forces that govern your self-expression into the world.  So, as we mentioned in the last post, about now you should be thinking about choosing the tree branch you will ultimately make into your wand, or finding the material elsewhere.

For those who can’t for whatever reason go out into the wilds of the woods, park, or their own back yard, and pick a branch, it is perfectly fine to purchase a good hardwood dowel as we spoke of before, or to repurpose wood that you already have.  I’m all for recycling.  I have an old beat up vintage Blackthorn walking stick.  it is split thru the top, and the bottom is slender.  It has that wonderful characteristic lumpiness of the blackthorn, and I’m thinking of repurposing it into a wand.  If I do so I will post pics of the process.  If you are thinking of purchasing a good hardwood dowel like oak or walnut or cherry, today is a good day to gather your info.  Tomorrow at ‘First Light’ is the time to buy.  Or claim by tying a ribbon around your tree branch, or make the decision to repurpose, and set the item aside.  As we discussed, the living tree will need a month of meditation and bonding with you before you cut from her.  If you are repurposing or purchasing, obviously the period of bonding with the tree from which your wand comes will not be required.  But in the interest of doing this right , one chooses the wand material, plants the idea of wand (as it were) in the new moon, and cuts the wand itself in the waning last quarter of the moon, the time when one would prune or cultivate one’s garden in preparation for new growth.

Can’t you just see the hedgewitch, in the midst of her pruning labors, taking a moment to cut that branch she’s been watching all month?  Thanking the tree she’s cut from and nurturing it with water and kindness, as she nourishes the rest of her garden, to promote the growth of the next month.  But that, lovies, is for the end of the month.  We are now in the beginning!  Onward!!!

So happy planting!  Gather your goals about you, ready to commence your work at First Light, and I will be back with more about Tree-bonding, including a Taoist exercise!

Blessed Be,
Marie Angeli

Hello my dears,

You may have noticed the New Moon Old Magick has had some growing pains over the last couple of days, and I once again find myself apologizing for any inconvenience!  Please be assured that the site IS in the process of an update, and I’m struggling to do that without loosing the content.  Be patient with me as I tackle this learning curve, and we will be back to posting regularly quite soon.

In the meantime, keep up the good work divinators!!!

Blessed be,

Marie Angeli