The power of the Moon, and its enchanting light has always been associated with magic rituals, witchcraft and the shaman’s tradition. In order for any moon magic to be deep and ceremonially useful, it must build on actual knowledge of the nature and cycles of the Moon - this has always been an indispensable part of the magic tradition. This article presents a brief introduction for you to learn the Ways of the Moon yourself.

The ancient skills of being familiar with the phases of the Moon, and at any time knowing by heart where and how high the moon will show, is not only linked to the magic crafts and the spiritual use of lunar power. It is also old common lore to use Moon as a calendar, source of light, compass, clock and pathfinder.

This deep-rooted everyday knowledge of the Moon, which once belonged to everyone, is now almost lost in our culture. And thus it has become a new challenge for any shaman apprentice or witch of our time and age - in our function of tradition bearer and guardian of lore - to keep and pass on knowledge about the Moon. This is part of your shamanic work to ensure that our rituals and spirit work will stay connected with nature, not separated from it. You could say that we should know how to find East of the Sun and West of the Moon.

Moon knowledge is best learned from the Moon, the Sun and the Earth themselves. So how do you get started?

To support your study you will find two picture diagrams below describing the basic patterns in the MOON CYCLES -

Phases of the Moon:

Sun and Moon’s Journey across the Sky:

Page one shows the Phases of the Moon and page two shows Sun and Moon’s Journey across the Sky. However, your real Moon School is out there, under the open sky. So go out and begin by finding a good place with open horizons from east to west, where you can stand facing the south, like in the pictures below. Here is your Moon School. The closer it is to your home, the better it will serve you. Find the directions and the sky arch. The four directions are the solid base which all your moon observations relate to and make sense from. Become familiar with them, without GPS, as humans have always been. And now you can apprentice yourself to Moon itself, throughout the year, the days and nights.

In the beginning of your Moon studies, a Moon or Sky app might also help you find the directions and grasp the geography of the sky. For example “Deluxe Moon”. However, true moon knowledge and connection are found offline, in the sky and stored in your deepest soul. You build it from your real presence, attention and patience. There is just you and the Moon, and nothing stands between you. There enchantment and magic will embrace you

You are welcome to download the picture diagrams as a pdf file: mooncycles.pdf
You are welcome to print this for your own personal use. If you wish to reproduce or publish them in any medium, please contact Annette first.