As we come into this vibration here, I, Albion, come so that we might share some thoughts with yourselves concerning the Moon and its energy. We wish to speak about lunar ceremonies, the energies generated by such ceremonies and how that energy might be utilized for various purposes, and the importance of such ceremonies. First, however, we want to reiterate what we feel is very important at this particular time in human evolution, this being the necessity for making ceremony a part of one’s daily life. Oftentimes, people think that ceremony is only done on special occasions such as a rite of passage or religious ceremonies of some sort, but this is not the case. You will remember that we have made it clear that there is a difference between ritual and ceremony. Ritual is tradition…a religious or cultural tradition...for example, when we say cultural tradition, a wedding is a cultural tradition, as is a funeral ceremony and a rite of passage ceremony. When one is performing a ritual, it is written out or provided for you, and has, more often than not, been practiced the same way for generations. A tradition should not be changed. It should not be added to or taken away from. A ceremony, on the other hand, is far more spontaneous. You can feel free to choreograph and to write the words of any litany you so choose. In fact, ceremony comes more from the heart. Ceremony should be timed as rituals are timed. A winter solstice ritual, for example, must be done on the day of the winter solstice, and not at some other time of the year. Ceremony needs to be timed according to the phases of the Moon. In fact, let’s say this: solar-based ceremonies are masculine in their nature. Most of the time a solar rite is a ritual. On the other hand, ceremony is more feminine in its nature. It is more spontaneous and free, and in ceremony one is given more leverage. The timing of ceremony and ritual should never be overlooked. It should never be reduced in terms of its value and importance, for if the timing is not done appropriately, then the effectiveness of a ceremony or ritual is simply going to be less than what it would have been had it been timed correctly.
In terms of ceremony, when it comes to paying honor to some deity or spirit, or when it comes to doing a Full Moon ceremony – which we will speak about later – or when you are doing ceremony for any reason, most people do not realize that many of their daily “routines” fall quite nicely into the category of ceremony. An example of this includes the act of bathing. When one submerges one’s self in a tub of water or stands in a shower, the intent is to cleanse the physical body. Let’s suppose, however, that you are more than a physical body: you have an emotional, mental, and there is the soul and the Spirit. Let us suppose then that when you are taking a bath or shower, you think to yourself “is there anything – any words I have said or any deeds I have committed – that are causing trouble to me emotionally? Do I feel guilty about anything? Am I angry with someone? Is there reason to give thanks for the positive emotional experiences I have had? If your experiences are positive they don’t need cleansing. But if they are negative, they do. As you are going through the physical motion of cleansing your body, you may wish also to utter a prayer or affirmation that asks that your emotional self also be cleansed. If there is something buried inside you that you are carrying around and that is influencing you, ask that it be brought to your conscious mind and shown to you. The same is true with the mind. If something has been on your mind, something that has occupied more space in your mind than it should, and that has taken up more time, such things as worry and concern about future events and circumstances, then, again, ask that your thoughts be cleansed. If you have been having negative thoughts about another person or about some situation, ask that it be cleansed by you being shown a way that the mind can be cleansed. When this is done, then listen to your own self. Pay attention to the first thought that comes into your mind. Listen to the feelings that come up from your heart. Then, when you have finished your bath or shower, you have also gone through an act of cleansing, symbolically, the other levels within you.
Next, lets think about the act of the preparation of food to be cooked. You have to cut up the vegetables, prepare the meat or whatever food you are going to ingest. Then the food must be cooked. Each time you prepare a meal, it is a ceremony. You are preparing food to nourish your physical body and all the other bodies that comprise you. Nutritionists often say that there are certain foods that are good for the eyes, good for the brain, the nerves, and so forth. And so if you think about the process of preparing to cook the meal, that as you go through the steps of preparation, there should be thoughts of thanksgiving for the food. When the food is cooked and served, there is always a need for blessing it, for giving thanks for it, and for all the kingdoms of life that have given of themselves so that you might be nourished. You may do this aloud or silently.
Next, there is also activity that transpires that is of a sexual or lovemaking action. There is no action that a human being can engage in that is more “God like” than the act of creating a new life. Although each time there is a sexual act, the creation of a new child does not occur, it is still the act that is symbolic of creation, and it puts you in the position of being better able to understand what it means to use your “Godness and Goddessness,” if you will, and to create life, within you. By doing this the charkas generate an abundance of creative energy which can in turn be used for any purpose that one sees fit. It can be utilized to work with art, with creating music, or some other creative activity. It is very important to realize that creative energy is the most powerful human energy that exists, meaning that it is truly an energy that is cosmic in its nature. Every atom that exists, and every particle that makes up the atoms, has within it an innate “knowing” of how to create, of the need to create, for creation is the generating of energy and this energy is the force that drives one’s life on all levels. And so, your body, mind, and consciousness, thus your psyche, is generating creative power at all times. If you do not have an outlet or purpose for using that energy, then it will begin to build up within the various energy centers and eventually will reach a point where the body can generate no more. There is no room for it or the body has nowhere to store that energy and thus causes the energy generated within to cease. That energy that has built up will eventually dissipate. Thus, having a creative outlet is so very important for the purpose of utilizing your creative power in a constructive manner. There is a thin line between constructive energy and destructive energy. Actually, there is no difference in the energies, but there is difference in the intent for which the energy is used. Intent motivates. If your intent is positive, then the use of the energy will be positive and constructive. But if your intent is negative, which means totally self-serving, then the energy will be used destructively. This happens often when a person is angry and spits out their venom that directs what would have been constructive energy in a destructive manner. Energy never misses it target. If you think ill of another person, then that person will receive those thoughts in a very subtle, often unconscious way. In fact, we would say that they rarely manifest on the conscious level of the one receiving the thought. Rather, they influence or manifest on the unconscious level. Things can happen as a result. The person can feel depressed, or a sense of despair or, in severe cases, a sense of hopelessness and even self-destruction. And so it is so very important to know that thoughts carry a great deal of power, and the greatest of these powers is creative power.
Now let us turn our thoughts to the subject of the Moon. You will recall that in our lesson about the Sun, we spoke about it as being the “Parent” of all the planets in the solar system. We spoke about the Sun being masculine in its nature, implying that its energy is activating, motivating, aggressive, and an inspiring sort of energy. The Sun emits the vital life force for all that lives on Earth, including the Earth herself. But when it comes to the Moon, we must think about the exact opposite of what we just said. We mean by this that the Moon, in most cultures, is considered a feminine body or energy, meaning that its energy is receptive in its nature. It turns one inward; it is passive, introverted energy. Feminine energy nurtures. It has to do with psychic energy and intuitive energy in a human being. It stimulates and nourishes these within a human. The Sun, on the other hand, nourishes and inspires the human intellect. One is anxious to learn when one is filled with solar energy, but when one is subjected to lunar power, one wishes to see what is inside of self, one wishes to make contact with the deepest part of oneself. One is also motivated to express the nurturing, caring aspects of one’s nature, and seeks to express this energy toward other people, animals, and all that exists.
The Moon has been considered the source of psychic energy for generations of time. When we say psychic energy we are talking about energy that is relevant to “feeling.” It is solar plexus-based energy, you see. A psychic, for example, will say that they “feel” something is going to happen. The psychic may not always know what it is and can only take an intelligent guess, but the feeling is that something is just not right, that something wrong or bad is happening somewhere. This is psychic energy. Intuitive energy, on the other hand, says that you know something is going on, that something is not right, and oftentimes the person knows precisely what it is. Psychic ability is about feeling, intuitive energy is about knowing. Intuition is 100% accurate, whereas psychic impressions are nowhere near as accurate -- perhaps 35-45% is a very good accuracy. Again, psychic ability is based on feelings, and feelings are totally subjective. They are based on you and your experiences. Intuition, on the other hand, is quite a different matter. And so, when we say that the Moon has been the focal point for the lives on Earth for being a generator of, and thus a source of psychic, subjective, subconscious, even unconscious power. This means that Moon energy operates upon on those levels of a human being, i.e. the subconscious, the dream consciousness, and the unconscious.
There is a difference between the subconscious and the unconscious. The subconscious is memory; it is a storage house, so to speak, of your memories of your feelings, thoughts, actions, and experiences in this lifetime. The unconscious, on the other hand, is comprised of ancestral memory. Let’s say it is inherited memory, and every human being “inherits” the same unconscious contents. It is also correct to say that the subconscious is the personal unconscious, and the unconscious is what makes you a part of the collective unconscious. It is just a matter of semantics.
The societies of the ancient past that have put the Moon in a masculine category have reasons for doing so. In truth, energy is what it is. You can call it by any name you so choose, but it still is what it is. More often than not, the cultures that have attached the label of maleness to the Moon are cultures that are patriarchal in their nature, and therefore the inner knowing that exists within all humans is labeled by them as masculine and is symbolized by the Moon.
The Moon has been called by many names, and this is a very significant point. If you are going to communicate with a star, a planet, the Moon or Sun, or any other celestial body, then to name that body is to attempt to place yourself in a more personal position that can eventually lead to a more personal relationship with that body. The Moon has been called Diana, Artemis, and Hathor to the ancient Egyptians. Incidentally, in the ancient Egyptian culture, two other deities were male, those being Thoth and Khonsu. This culture, and there were others, made their attunement to both the masculine and feminine, darkness and light, positive and negative of all that exists.
The Moon has also been called Selene and Mama Quilla, Changing Woman by the Navajo…many names, many of which are quite ancient and have been handed down for generations of time. In many cases, the Moon’s name was secret and known only to the Initiates and the medicine people or the shamans. To the people, it was simply the Moon, but the shamans knew the personal, magical name of the Moon.
Magic is an interesting word. It is used frequently when one is making reference to the Moon, lunar gods and goddesses, lunar power, or lunar ceremonies. Magic is often a misunderstood word. On the level of the masses, magic is slight of hand. It is an illusion that is perpetrated upon others who cannot see beyond the illusion. They cannot imagine how the magician pulled the rabbit out of the hat! But this is not the kind of magic we are talking about. Magic, in the spiritual sense, is an operation to bring about certain conditions and energies from the more subtle worlds or dimensions of time-space, and manifest them in the physical world. Magic is also for the purpose of bringing about change in some way. Of all the planetary bodies that the earth is related to, it is the Moon that is the Earth’s companion, that is the Earth’s sister. When you look at the calendar you will see that the Moon moves very quickly around the zodiacal wheel. It changes signs every two-to-two-and-a-half days. And so, in a 28.4 - day period, the Moon will have traversed the entire zodiac. Even the Sun takes 30-31 days to do this. The planet Saturn takes two years. So, when you look at it from this perspective, the Moon is an ever-changing body, which is why astrologers, for the last 5,000 years, have said that the Moon “rules” change. It has been said that change is constant, the only constant in the universe.
In this statement, there is a big implication as to the proper use of lunar energy. If you have a condition in your life – perhaps a health, career, or financial condition, or even a stagnant relationship in which the two people have become bored with one another or have started taking the other for granted (this is a very common thing, you see) – these conditions need to be changed. To move a relationship from being stagnant to being active again means that you have focused your thought power on making the relationship no longer stagnant. You have put your time and effort into doing so. To enhance this power, which is magical and thought power, you can draw down the energy of the Moon.
The oldest verse, called a rune, discovered in the Germanic cultures many years ago says:
Pray to the Moon when she is round,
Luck with you shall then be found,
On sea, in sky, and on solid ground.
This provides another indication as to the nature of lunar power. Pray to the Moon when she is round is referring to the time of the Full Moon. “Luck,” we do not particularly care for that word. We prefer the term “good fortune,” which comes in various forms, i.e. opportunity, money, etc. “And then good things will then be found on sea, in sky, and on solid ground,” i.e. everywhere in the physical world.
The phases of the Moon are very important for one to know about. Let's boil it down, if you will, into four lunar phases. The first is the New Moon. If you look up into the sky at this time, you will see a beautiful silver crescent. If you can catch it when it is just new, it will then be such a thin crescent as to barely be seen. This represents “birth,” genesis, new beginnings, and the time when one should begin new projects, begin a new relationship, and new friends. In fact, new people and conditions will often come into your life right around the New Moon.
Next, the Moon is said to be waxing, which is growing and expanding. The waxing Moon is increasing in its power. It reaches its peak at the time of the Full Moon. Thus the Full Moon represents a time of “endings,” of conclusion and closure. “I am done writing this book,” or “I have ended this relationship,” and so forth. The Full Moon is the time to celebrate conclusion. We use the word “celebrate” quite literally, for we do not wish to imply that endings are things that are not positive. If you have had a friend or family member pass over, it is appropriate to celebrate that person’s passing at the time of the Full Moon. If there is a circumstance in your life that you know should be brought to an end, or you don’t have the courage or even the desire to do so, or perhaps you do not know how to bring that relationship or circumstance to an end. At the time when the Moon is full, you can make “contact” with the Moon and ask that the energy of conclusion and closure will come to you, that you would recognize that you have that power. When the Moon has reached its fullest potential, it is a time that virtually any sort of ceremony that one wises to do, including a Full Moon ceremony, is appropriate.
From the Full Moon, the Moon begins to wane. Its energy’s influence on the lives on Earth is decreasing. Sighting the Moon and watching its phases from your position in the solar system gives the illusion of waxing and waning and increasing and decreasing. If there is something in your life that needs to be destroyed, you might say that destruction is not a good thing. Think about it this way. Suppose you have an addiction to drugs or alcohol. To destroy that addiction is a positive thing. It is destruction being used in a constructive manner. And so, when something needs to be destroyed – a worry in your mind that reaches a point of an obsession, for example, compulsive behavior, etc. – needs to be destroyed, thus healed. During the waning time of the Moon, it is important to draw upon the Moon’s energy for these kinds of things.
Then, there is the Dark Moon. This is approximately a three-day period when the Moon cannot be seen from Earth, a time when the Sun and the Moon rise at the same time. Darkness, to some, suggests evil. But we say that evil is simply one’s interpretation of energy they do not understand and do not know how to deal with. Energy is neither good nor evil. The Darkness, in the way we are using the word, is the Unknown. If you are studying a subject and are pursuing certain knowledge, then the dark of the Moon is the perfect time to study. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t study at any other time, but that this is simply the best time. The Dark time of the Moon also rules other dimensions of time-space, often referred to as the Spirit World, the world of the gods, the angelic realms, and others. This means that during the dark time of the Moon, it is a good time to seek entry into these worlds.
It is also important to note that for each of the lunar phases, you can easily become accustomed to associating each with a color. Color is a universal language, and each generates energy unto itself. In the time of the New Moon, the color silver relates well. You can use that symbol – the silver crescent – and draw it and fill it in with the color of silver, or you can use the actual metal silver. This symbol is useful when you are searching for new beginnings. The Full Moon’s color is snow white, the white symbolizing the purity and the wholeness of the Moon. The Dark Moon’s color is indigo. Indigo rules, in color psychology, other dimensions of time-space.
There are many ways to draw down the power of the Moon, but we wish to suggest two ways. The first is an ancient Celtic tradition. Let us say that you are going to do a Full Moon ceremony, although the same instructions will apply to any other lunar ceremonies. If you are going to do the ceremony out-of-doors, which we recommend, because when one can actually see the Moon, it makes a very strong connection more possible and probable. Looking at the Moon is taking in its light through the eyes. You see it light, its brightness, and its beauty. If you are going to do your ceremony indoors, it will not be totally ineffective, but it will not be a strong as it might have been had it been done out-of-doors. You may wish to use a tree stump or a log as an altar, or just a space on the ground. If it is a Full Moon ceremony you should use a white candle, and for a New Moon ceremony use a silver candle. During the Dark of the Moon, use an indigo-colored candle. The candle serves two purposes. First, it imitates the light of the Moon. Second, it provides a small amount of light for your ceremony to occur. White also is purity, strength, and power. Next, obtain for yourself a silver bowl of any size you choose. We ask that it be made of the metal silver. Fill the bowl with pure water. Place the water on the altar or on the ground. Then, with your right hand you will charge the water. Hold your right hand over the water and circle it around the bowl in a circular motion, clockwise, nine times. Next, take the left hand and holding it over the bowl, move it in counterclockwise circular motion nine times. Next, hold your hands together in a gesture of receiving (palms up) and part the palms slightly. Look up at the Moon, and take in nine deep breaths. To exhale the breath, blow it into the bowl of water. This creates Moon Water, which was a common practice among Druid priestesses. It is now sacred water and can be used as an offering to the Moon itself, for healing of the body and/or emotions, for massage, for drinking, or for any purpose that has to do with change, birth, renewal, endings, and death. By the time the next Full Moon has come, if there is any of the sacred water left, pour it on the ground as an offering to Nature. You may also choose to bedeck your altar with white flowers that you make or buy.
Now lets talk about what I, Albion, call “celestial yoga.” Yoga teachers are always telling their students that the breath is sacred and divine; it is the Breath of Life. Breathing in certain ways enhances the power of the energy that is taken into the human body. Looking up at the Moon, holding your hands in a gesture of reception, and imagining that your heart center is open, look at the Moon’s light…focus on it…relax and let your eyes see the light. As you breathe in, imagine that the Moon’s light is being transported to you and into you. After a few breaths, you will actually see the light streaming into you. You have thus charged yourself with the Moon’s energy. That energy can be used to bring about change. It is very good to attach a name to the Moon, as we stated earlier. One might choose a mythic name or choose a name of your own. You may wish to simply call her Sister or Grandmother Moon. Looking at and speaking on a name basis to any celestial body brings one a step closer to actually having a relationship with that body.
The last thing we wish to say is that you can align your daily life with the cycles of the Moon. The Moon controls the ebb and flow of the earth’s tides. Seventy per cent of the human body is water. So how can it not be that the Moon has an influence on the human body? The Moon moves in a cycle of approximately one month. So lets say that you know when the New Moon is going to be. For the three days that the Moon is in its new phase, it is a time to start new projects, instigate things, and so forth, a time for planting seeds for your life for this month. From the time of the New Moon when you plant the seeds, you have until the Full Moon to take care of and tend to the things you have started. When the Moon is full, orient your life so that any project you have, any errand that needs doing, that you will finish it up at this time. From when the Moon is full until it goes once again into its waxing stage, it is a time for reflection, for looking back over what you did and didn’t accomplish. The three days of the Dark of the Moon should be a time of rest, and is not a good time for heavy social activity. It is a time to spend time being with your own self. It is a time to write in your journals and to reflect on your life and your life’s purpose. Putting one’s self on the lunar cycle on a daily basis is a way to get yourself into the natural cycle of the Moon, to put yourself in tune with the tides of Nature, if you will. You also put yourself into a natural cycle of change so that you will not stagnate.
When we come together again, we wish to speak about the subject of four specific kinds of spirits that you can work with on a regular, even daily, basis. One is the spirit guide, how to come to know and recognize and feel the presence of the spirit guide. Another is a spirit teacher, and how to make contact with and/or attract a spirit teacher into one’s life. God bless yourselves/
First published March 14, 2006
(c) Copyright Page Bryant, 2006 & 2011. All Rights Reserved. Image courtesy of