November Full Moon Comfort Spell

The November Full Moon is in Taurus, a sensual sign that loves com-fort. Now is a good time to give your body a treat. That is, soak in a hot tub or relax in a sauna, sipping a cool drink and forgetting all of your cares. Treat yourself to a massage, or try a new body lotion. Give yourself a cleansing facial, or buy some new silky clothing. Indulge yourself, and allow yourself to feel good physically. Realize that when your body feels good, your emotions usually follow.
by: Estelle Daniels
http://www.llewellyn.com/

October Full Moon Fire Spell

The October Full Moon is in Aries, a fire sign that rules enthusiasm and humor. Use this time to laugh and be happy. Burn a red candle and think about those things which please you—a funny movie, a good book, friends, and family. Then go and do one of these things, laughing heartily. When you are done, take a moment to
notice how your body feels. Hasn't the laughter made you feel lighter, more alive, less careworn? Laughter is cleansing and rejuvenating medicine.
by: Estelle Daniels
http://www.llewellyn.com/

LUNAR PHASES AND MAGICKAL WORK

Moon Myths: When people lived with Nature, the changing seasons had a great impact on religious ceremonies. The Moon was seen as a symbol of the Goddess. Because of this, the light of the Moon was
considered magical, and a source of energy. Wiccans often practice
magic at a Full Moon to tap into this energy thought to exist at this time. Plutarch once said "Egyptian priests called the Moon the "Mother of the Universe," because the moon, "having the light which makes moist and pregnant, is primitive of the generation of living beings.." The Gnostic sect of Naassians believed in a primordial being known as "the heavenly horn of the moon." The Moon was the Great Mother. Menos meant "Moon" and "power" to the Greeks. To the Romans, the morality of the Moon Goddess was above that of the Sun God. In many cultures the Moon Goddess and the Creatress were the same. Polynesians called the Creatress Hina, "Moon." She was the first woman, and every woman is a wahine, made in the image of Hina. Scandinavians sometimes called the Creatress Mardoll, "Moon Shining Over the Sea." Ashanti people had a generic term used for all their deities, Boshun, meaning Moon. Sioux Native Americans call the moon The Old Woman Who Never Dies. Iroquois call her "Eternal One." Rulers in the Eritrean zone of South Africa held the Goddesses name "Moon." The Gaelic name of the Moon, gealach, came form Gala or Galata, the original Moon-Mother of
Gaelic and Gaulish tribes. Britain used to be called Albion, the milk-
white Moon-Goddess. The Moon was called Metra, which means Mother , "whose love penetrated everywhere." In the Basque language, the words for deity and moon are the same. The root word for both "moon" and "mind" was the Indo-European manas, mana, or men, representing the Great Mother's "wise blood" in women, governed by the Moon. The derivative mania used to mean ecstatic revelation, like lunacy used to mean possession by spirit of Luna, the Moon. To be Moon-Touched or Moon-Struck meant to be chosen by the Goddess. When patriarchal thinkers belittled the Goddess, these words came to mean craziness. Orphic and Pythagorean sect viewed the Moon as the home of the dead, a female gate known as Yoni. Souls passed through on the way to the paradise fields of the stars. Greeks often located the Elysian Fields, home of the blessed dead, in the moon. The shoes of Toman senators were
decorated with ivory crescents to show that after death they would
inhabit the Moon. Roman religion taught that "the souls of the just are purified in the Moon." Wearing the crescent was "visual worship" of the Goddess. That was why the prophet Isaiah denounced the women of Zion for wearing lunar amulets. Because the moon was the holder of souls between reincarnations, it sheltered both the dead and unborn, who were one in the same. If a man dreams of his own image in the Moon, he would become the father of a son. If a woman dreamed of her own image in the Moon, she would have a daughter. The Moon Goddess created time, with all its cycles of creation, growth, decline, and destruction. This is why ancient calendars were based on phases of the moon and menstrual cycles.
The Moon still determines agricultural work in some parts of India. Indonesian moon priestesses were responsible for finding the right phase of the moon for every undertaking. The Moon was to have been the receptacle of menstrual blood by which each mother formed the life of her child. This sacer, taboo moon-fluid kept even the Gods alive. The moon was "the cup of the fluid of life immortal, quickening the vegetable realm and whatsoever grows in the sub- lunar sphere, quickening also the immortals on high." The Moon was supposed to rule life and death as well as the tides. People living on the shores were convinced that a baby could only be born on an incoming tide and a person could not die until the tide went out. It was often said birth at a full tide or a full moon means a lucky life. Girls in Scotland refused to wed on anything but a Full Moon. Witches invoked their Goddess by "drawing down the Moon." It is said to be a rite dating back to moon worship in Thessaly, centuries before the Christian era.

MOON WOBBLES

A Moon Wobble is generally an unsettling time of sudden ups and
downs, increased accidents and violence, unusual or extreme weather, greater incidence of earth activity, e.g. earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and intense, often volatile emotional behavior. People feel more restless and are more likely to over-react to problems. Anything begun during a Moon Wobble is usually short-lived because of the unstable energy--on average lasting 3 months to one year. Moon Wobbles have benefits, too. They can be very stimulating times, bringing new contacts, innovative ideas, heightened creativity, and unexpected opportunities. Use them to gather information and consider different options, but wait until they are over to make final agreements and actually begin new ventures. This powerful cycle was first recognized, then researched and named by noted American mathematician and astrologer Carl Payne Tobey. He found that these cycles of intensified energies occur when the transiting Sun makes contact with the Lunar Nodes (the Lunar Nodes are where the orbit of the Moon intersects the orbit of the Earth around the Sun). There are usually 3.5 to 4 Moon Wobbles a year; however, occasionally there are 5, as in 1996. The focus for Moon Wobble phenomena varies according to the sign the Moon Wobble is occurring in; however, there are some general "rules of thumb" that apply to all Moon Wobbles.

Try to AVOID:

• 
  Buying a home or moving
   
• Starting a new job or project
   
• Having important medical work done
   
• Having major car or home repairs done
   
• Taking long-distance trips: If you do travel, BE FLEXIBLE!
   
• Having arguments or confrontations with the closest people in your
  life. They can easily escalate out of proportion and be very difficult to resolve.

REMEMBER to:

• 
  Remind yourself it is a Moon Wobble when difficulties arise.
   
• Try to ACT not REACT in dealing with problems.
   
• Be flexible and roll with the punches.
   
• Drive with extra care.
   
• Expect the unexpected!

MEANINGS OF THE LUNAR PHASES

Every time the Moon enters a new phase -- lasting for about 3-1/2
days each -- there's a shift in the electro-magnetic field of Earth. Learn the characteristics of each phase and you'll be guided into taking appropriate action, whether in personal or business relationships. The power and consciousness behind each lunar phase is awesome. Let the Moon support you. It will show you how to stay emotionally and physically balanced and also put money in your pocket. The Moon governs the general public, sales, and business in general. The overall cycle of the phases governs the acceleration or deceleration of growth and momentum. Ideally, start projects and build them when the Moon is increasing in light --"waxing" -- from New Moon to Full Moon. From the Full Moon to the oncoming New Moon, the Moon is decreasing in light -- "waning" -- and this is when you want to bring whatever activities you can to a completion. Keep this ebb and flow of energy in mind and you'll have an invaluable tool to help you flow with the tide of events, rather than against them. Each phase represents a segment of time within the monthly lunation cycle as a whole. With practice you will begin to see how each phase is not an isolated period within itself, but rather a
consequence of the previous phase and a preparation for the following one. In other words, "Space is Curved." Whatever you send out will come back to you at the appropriate time, and it's a good idea to know where you stand in the overall cycle. Understanding the lunar rhythms will also save on panic and worry, as you realize that everything in life unfolds in exactly the right moment.

New Moon - "Beginnings." Subjective-Inner awareness starts to open; new seed-ideas begins to unfold in the inner consciousness. Expand into the world of ideas, allow the outrageous wanderings of the mind, open to unlimited possibilities, watch the birthing of the idea into thought. Let it unfold in the quiet. Crescent - "Growth." The research phase. Ask the big questions - the why? Shape, mold, dance with the newly realized seed-idea. Ask yourself: How can I bring my vision into the material world? Gathering knowledge prepares you to take future action.

First Quarter - "Action." Take action in the outer world. Pick up hammer and nails and build new structures. There's an urgency about facing the challenge of the moment. Move forward, or be buried in the past. Stand up or sit down, but don't wobble.

Gibbous - "Analysis." Make adjustments to clarify your sense of
direction. Without expecting absolute perfection, continue to move toward self-improvement. Be comfortable with yourself. Assess and analyze projects. You have a better idea where you're headed.

Full Moon - "Illumination." The outer structure is complete and ready
to be filled with content. The completion is the culmination of the seed-idea of the New Moon. Sense where you fit into the overall scheme of life. These 3-1/2 days represent the beginning of maximum fruitfulness. Favors public exposure and events.

Disseminating - "Networking." Give something back to the community. You are now ready to make a contribution. What you know has value even if you may have doubts about its worth. Find common ground through discussions. You can make a powerful mental impression on others because of your ideals and vision.

Last Quarter - "Results." Enjoy the harvest of your labors. This can
be the most productive time for completions and gaining results. Success in business and personal affairs. The next question is: "Now that I've achieved what I want, what do I do with it?" Begin to let it go.

Balsamic - "Releasing the Past." Turn away from thought and drop into the quiet. Emptiness is the fertile ground that recognizes and encourages the presence of the new seed. Regeneration. A time of cleansing. Inner time and reflection bring you back into emotional, physical, and spiritual balance.

Face the altar now. Write down on the paper negative things you wished removed from your life (ie..negative thoughts about yourself, bad habits, negative influences of people.) Read each one out loud to the Dark Mother to release them to Her. Light the paper from one of the black candles and drop it into the cauldron and watch it burn. Say:
I release these unto Your keeping.
Show me how to move beyond these negatives into a position of light and power.

Burn the paper until it is reduced to ashes. Raise your arms in reverence to the Goddess when the paper is finished and say:
Dark Mother,
Crone Goddess,
Wise and Elder One,
teach me Your deep mysteries,
the Ancient Goddess magick known to my foremothers and fathers.
Guide and protect me, Dark Mother.

Now would be a good time to meditate and see what insight you may receive from the Mother. Or do a spell of some sort. When finished, release the circle as usual. Bury the ashes of the paper somewhere off of your property.
https://www.angelfire.com/realm2/amethystbt/ritualsdarkmoonritual.html