The Witching Hour

by Silver RavenWolf

  These first four moon phases—new moon, crescent moon, first quarter, and gibbous—are the waxing phases of the moon. Together they stand for growth and attraction. In my Braucherei practice, items worked on for attraction are buried right before the full moon to gather power and then are “birthed” during the upcoming disseminating moon. This could be a sigil, a doll, a particular magickal tool, or a divination vehicle.

  Full Moon

  The moon rises at sunset, sets at dawn, and travels from 180 degrees to 225 degrees ahead of the sun. We are halfway through the lunar cycle. It begins with the opposition (changes made for balance) and ends with a trine (ease). The waning portion of the lunar cycle has begun, where energies pull away, sometimes to manifest weeks or months later. You have to be willing to let go! It is a good time to go through your magickal cabinet and supply shelves to clean out old spells, organize the flurry of notes you took in the last two weeks, store new supplies that might have come in, label jars, bottles, and bags, or get rid of dust and grime from your finished projects. This is a traditional time of realization on what must be released for you to proceed. What energies are not serving you well? Room must be made in your life by unclenching your magickal fingers and allowing things to leave that are hindering you.

  The first twelve hours after the full moon might best be used as downtime so that you can give yourself a chance to review the last two weeks and the work you have done. The theme of the previous new moon has most likely shown itself, and you may wish to begin the waning cycle with a personal spiritual cleansing and workings that target what needs to be let go. Here is where you would use your aura cleanse herbal powders or blends. It’s a good time to meditate, sage the house, and plan projects focused on release. This is the “big picture” time of the month, where you sit back and allow yourself to see things from a full-screen point of view. The end of this three-and-a-half-day period may be filled with renewed energy of a different kind, and you may feel there aren’t enough hours in the day to take care of your responsibilities and juggle the things you love, too. This is a sign that the work you did in the first two weeks of the cycle is about to bring the manifestation you desire (depending upon the goal). In fact, the busier you are, the better! This flurry means that all is proceeding on course, even if you don’t think so. The best way to handle that last half-day period is to keep calm and carry on.

  Disseminating

  We are now about three and a half days past the full moon, where the moon moves from 225 degrees to 270 degrees ahead of the sun. The moon rises at mid-evening and sets at mid-morning. This is an excellent time to share your work with others, donate to charity, or give a helping hand to those in need. This segment begins with a trine (ease) and ends with a square (adjustment). The adjustment period that occurs about halfway through (about a day or so into the phase) most often centers on one’s individual needs and where you feel lacking. Rather than demanding that others must change their behavior, this is an opportunity to change yours. Unfortunately, too many people want to project their needs and use others’ behavior as an excuse to demand that others change so that they will be happier. Instead, take this time to find logical, viable solutions for what you can do within yourself to make the changes you desire to occur. You may feel the need to do another personal spiritual cleansing or clean out a large area in your living environment. In my Braucherei practice the end of this phase is the approximate seven-day mark from the full moon. This is when items that were buried in the ground can be unveiled (although sometimes we prefer to wait nine days). This is the birth time. You can perform your own ceremony or acknowledge the culmination of power and then let the item “go” to do its job.

  Last Quarter

  (Not to be confused with the fourth quarter moon in the four-segment system, although it does cover some of the same territory.) The moon rises at midnight and sets at noon, moving 270 to 315 degrees ahead of the sun. Many practitioners feel that this is the time for the greatest power in banishing work, with midnight being the preferred hour. It’s a heavy-duty period where you do your level best to release and push away negativity, evil, and imbalance. Now’s a time to banish disease, irradiate infection, and bring down the hammer on what must be removed. Here is where items are buried for destruction and decay—for example, transferring sickness to an object and burying that object at a crossroads where it is not intended to be unearthed, or going through old pictures of people who have harmed you and burning them. Dump old, tattered clothing, items that cannot be repaired, or tear apart and dispose of objects that are brimming with hate or sadness. Towards the end of the three-and-a-half-day period, the movement and organization of household objects or things from the past, such as photographs that you wish to keep, find a natural pathway to restructure, and by physical movement help to freshen what has become stale or forgotten. Fast magicks (things that you wished to have occur quickly) begun on the new moon often play out here.

  This phase starts with a square (adjustment) and ends with a sextile (opportunity). In this segment of the moon cycle, you will begin to coalesce new thoughts on what you have learned over the last three weeks and start looking in new directions to move your work forward. The heaviest banishings to clear the way to a better life might be done just as the moon straddles the last quarter and balsamic phases, as close to 3:00 a.m. as possible.

  Balsamic Moon

  The end of the lunar cycle, the moon rises at 3:00 a.m. and sets at midafternoon, moving 315 degrees to finish the cycle of 360 and conjunct with the sun to begin the next cycle. Of all the moon phases, I’ve found this one to be the most different as far as how it is used, which depends on choice and past training. There are some practitioners who don’t participate in any magickal work at this time. Instead, they clean, reorganize, or rest. There are others who view this three-and-a-half-day period, particularly its midpoint, as “the” time to kick magickal tuckus. There are others who use that last day of the cycle for personal spiritual cleansings, particularly if there has been suffering, such as a long illness, a divorce, loss of a loved one, etc. Meditating on the still point on this very last day, connecting with the sea of potential, and doing cleansing energy work can be most helpful. This is a good phase in which to look around at all your projects and see what can be completed before the new moon. Small tasks are just as important as the larger ones; any affirmative action that clears your calendar is considered a good one. In my Braucherei work, what you wish to stay dead forever is written on a piece of paper. The paper is torn into tiny shreds and the pieces placed in three envelopes. Once the envelopes are sealed, they are burned separately and the cold ashes are kept separate as well. These ashes are scattered at three physical places off of your property—one batch over running water, if possible, before the new moon.

  The Moon in the Signs

  The moon phases (eight cycle) and quarters (four cycle) are fairly standard with just about every occult teaching; however, the moon in the signs actually has just as much influence (or more, depending on the beliefs of the practitioner) on the overall formula, coupled with the phases of the moon. The moon represents emotion, and emotion is the gas in the engine of your magick. The moon in the signs tells you the emotional tenor of yourself and those around you; basically, it alludes to the type of fuel you have to work with.

  The moon passes quickly through the signs each month, spending about two and a half days in each sign twice a month (give or take). This gives you a great advantage to fine-tune your magickal workings. Finding this information on any given day is easy. Unheard of a few years ago, today there are many apps for your phone, computer, or iPad that quickly give you the phases as well as the moon in the signs information for the current day. There are even apps for planetary hour calculations! I use that one not only for powders and other magickal work, but also for fine- tuning my seminars and performing spiritual cleansings when I am out on the road. For example, in cleansings, the people I will see
during a Saturn planetary hour are usually dealing with negative authority figures or have a chronic illness. They may have recently experienced the loss of a family member or friend or have lost a job or a house or are having some sort of difficulty with a senior parent. They are looking to get rid of negative energy that leaves them frightened, adrift, unstable, or bound. On occasion, I will see someone who has just received a great reward, a good karmic experience, or who has become an elder in some way, such as becoming a grandparent.

  Those who schedule their appointments during the Jupiter hour are much different, and you can see the change in energy. These folks are in the mindset of expansion and good fortune. They wish to remove negative energy so that they can experience a heightened sense of spirituality, or they are looking to increase or develop their knowledge by carefully watching and enjoying the entire cleansing process. However, I will also see folks who have let things go too far in their lives and are seriously backpedaling or people who naturally tend to exaggerate circumstances. Those who will likely ask the most questions and have difficulties with other individuals in general come during a Mercury hour, and people in Venus hours bring presents!

  In working with astrological timing, you can also use an almanac such as Llewellyn’s Daily Planetary Guide that provides an extensive compendium of astrological information and is very handy to keep with your powder/herbal blend journal. You can also use the standard ephemeris if you so desire.

  In this book I have included the traditional glyphs for the twelve signs of the zodiac and the nine planets because they are very useful in sigil magick and can be added in pictorial form to your powders and blends. These sigils can be used in conjunction with the moon in the signs and planetary hour information.

  General Guideline for Moon in the Signs

  Below I’ve listed the twelve astrological signs and the flavor the moon assimilates as she travels through each sign. I’ve also given you the category of the sign (cardinal, fixed, or mutable), the ruling planet, the exalted planet (if there is one), the color most associated with that sign, and the element that rules the sign.

  Before we look at this information, I’d like to make two important notes. The first is the definition of an exalted planet and the second is about angelic associations. An exalted planet is considered strong when traveling through a particular sign, even though they do not rule that sign. They are also considered less grumpy than usual (Mars and Saturn in particular). They are comfortable there and generally perform very well unless they are afflicted (arguing with another planet or fixed star). Originally, since there were no duplicate exaltations in the classical system of astrology, there weren’t enough planets for the twelve signs; therefore, there are a few signs that do not have a classical exalted planetary association, such as Mercury being chosen to be both the ruler and the exalted planet for Virgo. However, modern astrologers have restructured the exalted planetary relationships; unfortunately, they don’t all agree, which is why my book may say one thing about an exalted planet and other books or documentation may carry a different opinion. Not to worry. Go with your gut. Exalted planetary information simply gives you another choice, widening the field a little, when you are formulating your own recipes.

  There are several angelic powers that match any one planet or astrological sign. In this book I have used only one or two of the most familiar energies. If you would like more information on angelic work, please see my book Angels: Companions in Magick.

  You can use the astrological sign information to choose when you would like to mix or empower a powder or herbal blend. I have also included the powder/sachet formulas for each sign. These magickal recipes were constructed using the ruling planet and the ruling planets of the decanates involved in each sign. A decan is a subdivision of an astrological sign. To give a more complex interpretation to each sign, ancient astrologers partitioned the signs, adding information that modifies and enhances the sign’s energy pattern. These decantes cover ten-degree periods, with a total of three unique subdivisions in each sign. Each decan is assigned the rulership of a planet, which means you can fine-tune your magickal working on any particular day to capture the type of energy window you desire by combining the day, the moon phase, the planetary hour, and the decante rulership. Many people don’t want to be bothered with this type of timing; however, a critical issue may make you think (and choose) otherwise. These formulas can be employed for a variety of purposes, including as a significator for an individual person where the sign matches their birth sign or for timing when the moon or another planet is in that sign or as a boost in a particular month wherein the sun is in that sign. These powders are best made during the new moon that matches the sign she is in.

  Aries: Beginnings, attack, and new experiences; the true “first.” The downside? Aries work is famous for only lasting a few days. Although Aries is known as the ultimate “starter” sign, it isn’t considered a strong finisher and works better as a set-up for projects that will be worked on in other signs. For example, if you wanted to make a fire magick powder or blend, you might begin the powder when the moon is in Aries, then wait and add more corresponding ingredients under the signs of Leo and Sagittarius, the other fire signs of the zodiac. This collection of sign energy would also add more fire influence to my triple action formula. The Aries moon is good for an initial push in the right direction and fantastic for experimenting with new information or adding newly discovered techniques to a working. An Aries moon is often used for exorcism and banishing rituals where the blast is intended to finish the problem once and for all. The searing power of Aries (if you’ve ever irritated one) is impressive to behold. A powder or blend made under that same energy packs a unique and particular wallop. However, use it and be done. When the balloon of power is popped, the warbling stops, which is probably a splendid thing. Aries should be utilized not to start a war but to win the final battle. the sign of aries is a cardinal sign, meaning beginnings. element: fire. ruled by mars. exalted planet: sun. color: red. angelic power: aiel/machidiel.

  Aries Herbal Formula: allspice, basil, dragon’s blood resin, mustard, galangal, bay, spearmint

  Taurus: Sensual and constant! A Taurus moon favors investment and long-term effects on things you value. Taurus is considered by many as the most stable sign of the zodiac, and if you’ve ever known a Taurus personality, we should hang the sign “most stubborn” right underneath the word Taurus, which makes it perfect for sticky spells. Work under this moon sign and whatever you do will last a long-squared-infinity time—perfect for enchantments for things like a safe home, food, pleasing and functional home decor, caring for your savings account and retirement, comfort, good fortune, steady growth on your investments, and luxury, etc. Some feel this moon sign isn’t good for fast cash workings, but I have not found this to be the case, particularly when I employ the sticky quality of this moon by using honey, molasses, spider webs, or glue. Taurus is also known for its appreciation of beauty, and its energy can bring a deep sense of gratitude to your workings, which puts the mind in the right frame for positive change. Many magickal workers choose to use this moon in combination with the Cancer moon for protection and magickal wards, where Taurus represents hearth and home and Cancer guards the family unit. fixed: stable. element: earth. ruled by venus. exalted planet: moon. color: orange or green. angelic power: tual/asmodel.

  Taurus Herbal Formula: rose, orris, vervain, violet, almond, willow, skullcap

  Gemini: Movement, intelligence (but not necessarily wisdom), communication, and creativity. Gemini provides a fast one-two punch to workings and reminds me of a boxer who flits about the ring, slamming well-placed punches into the opponent’s head and then quickly darting out of reach before getting creamed. Due to this sign’s mental nature, it is excellent for powders and herbal blends that will contain sigils, petitions, pictures, ashes, or words. Gemini turns the moon into a glittering courier capable of delivering any magickal package. Powders
for games of chance are blended in this sign, as well as in the signs of Sagittarius and Leo. Pisces, Aquarius, and Gemini moons are excellent for preparing items to be used in divination, and petitioning the ancestors for help during this time is usually beneficial. Gemini, Virgo, and Aquarius moons are windows for the preparation of spell elements (such as a chant or charm), designing a spell or ritual format, or planning the timing of a working. A few hours flipping through your magickal almanac to plan future magickal activities will not go to waste. Some practitioners choose to charge general candles, herbal blends, and powders when the moon is in Gemini, as it is a good “sending” moon. mutable: easily moves with change of circumstance. element: air. ruled by mercury. exalted planet: none. color: yellow, blue, or silver. angelic power: giel/ambriel.

  Gemini Herbal Formula: bergamot, lavender, lemongrass, marjoram, lemon verbena, mandrake, sage, cinnamon, tangerine

  Cancer: This is the home sign of the moon, and she is most comfortable here. This is where she lets her hair down and wears no masks—where she feels comfortable and empowered. In this sign she deals with things closest to our inner selves: emotional healing issues, psychism to some degree, the “roots” of a situation, women’s mysteries, moon magick, protection of almost anything (particularly children and assets that affect the balance of the home or inner self and things associated with your legacy). Powders and blends for general prayer, spiritual cleansing, healing, the care of children, and magickal cooking are ideally made under this sign. Compelling, controlling, and domination mixtures can be constructed as well, particularly powerful in a Cancer new or full moon. Use the Cancer moon for peace in the home. cardinal: beginnings. element: water. ruled by the moon. exalted planets: jupiter and neptune. color: pink or sea green. angelic power: cael/manuel/muriel.