Waxing Moon Magick

I first realized that there was more to life when I read the Old Farmer's Almanac and it told me when to plant, when to harvest...hell....it even tells you when is the best time to cut your hair to grow longer or thicker.

This is Moon Magic in a way. Listening to the moon, and judging it's effects with tides and growth seasons and cycles.

Waxing Moon is the moon growing in light density, As I said in my last post about Waning Moons I have a bit of a rhyme for you:

"Light on the Right is Might.....(waxing/growing/increasing)

"Light on the Left is Leaving." (waning/ shrinking/decreasing)

Here's a Waxing Moon, just so you can look at it and remember the rhyme.

And here's a Waxing Gibbous Moon....

Gibbous meaning "Almost Full"

Magic for Waxing Moons consist of anything that builds in intensity....growing... gaining power....building
Such as: Love, Courage, Protection, Money, Luck.

It is a time to increase, draw things to you...it's a growing time.

It's a time of Positive energy.

It's a good time to begin new things, save money, build, create.

Think of it as a snowball that builds and builds as it rolls down the hill....

Say YES to the Universe and keep increasing your energy and attractiveness.
Good things will come to you if you just say YES to it in this time of positive energy.

Waning Moon Magick

"I need a W word for my next Pagan Blog Project word, Got any ideas?" I said to my mate.

"Wane" said Wayne.

The waning moon is the decreasing moon in light. It is the beginning process of going from a full moon back to the dark moon.

This is a time of decreasing other things in your life as well. A good time to banish negativity, lessen addictions, ridding toxic people or activities, removing obstacles, cleaning, ending bad habits or getting rid of debt.

Sometimes getting rid of something can make a big difference in your life.

Saying "No" to certain behaviors or activities can actually free you up for spending your time on more positive things!

Don't know what a waning moon looks like?

Here is my very own rhyme so that when you look at the crescent moon you'll know which is which:

"Light on the LEFT is LEAVING" 
(waning/weakening/shrinking)


"Light on the RIGHT is MIGHT" 
(waxing/strong/growing)

What is something you'd like to diminish in your life?

Is there a person whose negative behavior you'd rather not be around anymore?
Start withdrawing from them. You can love them, but start pulling back from them leaning on you and from your support of them and their needs.

Is there a bad habit that you would like to end in your life?
(smoking/drinking/gossiping/laziness..etc) Start by just committing to just a small step for today.

Remember even small steps will make you go forward. 

So today, I tell you to cast off something unwanted or unneeded so that you may lighten your load and pick up only what is helpful to yourself and others.

Topics: Merlin.... and Moon Phases~

I'd like to chat about "Merlin"    (whom I am named after)....
and (bonus!)
I will teach you a goodly way to remember Moon Phases!

MERLIN

Ever since I first learned to read, I was interested in magic stories and those of legend and myth.
Arthurian legend, and those tales about Merlin,  in particular, had me spellbound.
I always had my nose in a book and would love to wander around thinking (and truly believing) that I was a Magickal person and could make my own magick.

I am a Magickal person.
You are too.
We all are.

While my thoughts were indeed influenced by Mary Stewart (I think I have read the "Crystal Cave" and "The Hollow Hills" at least 5 times each....among many other books about him).
"The Book of Merlyn" is probably my all time favorite and evidently, Disney was also inspired to tell his tales based upon T.H. White's stories!

I even did my HS senior research paper on Merlin, citing references from "Morte de Arthur".  It wasn't hard for my friends and classmates to transform my given name (Marilyn) into my current moniker of Merlyn.
"Merlyn" is even in my HS yearbook under my picture way back in 1978!

Personally, I find a lot of hope in the figure of Merlin.
His legend says that he came from royal lineage, a bastard child of King Merlinus Ambrosius, to be precise, yet he preferred to live among the lower classes and even by himself and nature more.
He studied much.
Loved books.
Traveled extensively throughout Britain (but could not traverse water well).
He could play the lyre.
Knew the Pagan ways and the ways of the Church.
Passed on his knowledge to those interested enough to learn and study and grow.
Always hoped in the future, even though by knowing the past could've been dismal.
There is always hope in his way of thinking, because of the fact that man has free will.

Merlin influenced politics, and help to guide the monarch of Arthur as his adviser.
He also did dabble occasionally in manipulation of people and events for the greater good.
Or at least...what he believed to be the greater good.

Merlyn also fell prey to the one vulnerable chink in his armor.

LOVE.

He knew that he was being beguiled by Morgause (or Morgana/Morgan depending on which version you read....). Merlin took the ultimate risk. He showed her the spells he knew, even the one that would entrap him forever.

I've done that too.

I guess we offer ourselves so willingly to the one we love, and we open our hearts up so fully for them to learn of our inner workings, that we give them the key to our door. It is in their power now to imprison us or to set us free. Merlin did that too. He was trapped in the forest sealed magickally in a tree by his own strong binding spell that he freely gave her...knowing she had the power...He was waiting to see how she behaved with it. (obviously, not well...)
He is there, locked within the spell, still waiting for the right time to be set loose to come forward again, when we need him the most.

So it is with ourselves as well.
We trap our ownselves by our own doing or by love... and with nature and magick we can hide or heal and be reborn.

Merlin was wisdom that risks itself emotion.
He is head ruling the heart....but sometimes....

The Heart WINS.

Now....onto  MOON PHASES 

The moon goes through it's monthly cycle, forcing us to follow along by watching it's ever changing faces.

New Moon 
(sometimes known as the Dark Moon) is actually a time of darkness. 
If you can't see the moon....then it's the New Moon.
It is beginning to be reborn. A goodly time for new beginnings, starting projects, cutting your hair to make it grow faster, and it's the best time to plant your garden.

Yes, but HEY! 

Sliver moon....are you Waxing or Waning???

Know how to tell the difference?

Here are two easy ways to remember by looking at the moon sliver to tell if the moon is:
Waxing (growing) or Waning (shrinking):

1)
If you imagine the moon is a sliver like a backwards "c" (don't have one on the keyboard...)
then imagine adding the stick of an 'l' to its open side
you would make the lower case "b" for "baby moon" or "beginning" or WAXING MOON.

If you imagine the moon is a sliver like a letter "c",
then imagine adding a stick of an "l"to it's open side...
you would make the lower case "d" -for "dying moon" or "decreasing" or WANING Moon.

2)
You can also recant this poem I made up (being a Bard like Merlin) to remember which is which:

"LIGHT on the RIGHT is MIGHT" (growing/waxing)
"LIGHT on the LEFT is LEAVING" (shrinking/waning)


Then there is the Gibbous Moon. (a fun word to say too :)
This moon wins the "Oh So Close Award" and is the "almost full moon" on either side of the Full Moon.

Waxing Moons-
good for constructive magic. Growing things.

Waxing Gibbous Moon

Waning Gibbous Moon

Full Moon is Just that.

FULL!
The 2nd full moon in a month is a "Blue Moon".
Full moons are good times to grow your hair fuller, cut it now by trimming/or layering.
Time for prophesy, divination, extra power. Culmination.

There are some fun names of the full moons to go by too:

January                  Wolf Moon or Cold Moon

February                Snow Moon

March                     Windy Moon or Worm Moon

April                       Flower Moon or Pink Moon

May                        Milk Moon or Flower Moon

June                       Rose Moon or Strawberry Moon

July                        Mead Moon or Corn Moon

August                   Lightning Moon or Harvest Moon

September             Harvest Moon or Singing Moon

October                 Hunters Moon

November             Dark Moon or Beaver Moon

December              Long Night Moon or Full Cold Moon

Waning Moon- for banishing magic...ridding yourself of habits, addictions, negativity. Releasing.

Merlin helps remind me of the Old Ways....

and the Moon tells of both the Old Ways ...and where we are today.


Merlyn thinks you ought to know this important natural information :)