Full Moon magical ecstasy, the experience of the Esbat (pagan moon ceremony) powerfully connected the individual to the experience of the goddess/god through nature and the heavens via the emotion of bliss. In many traditions, the moon was seen as the goddess, a representation of the deity as feminine.
In many religious and spiritual traditions the idea of the triple form of the deity has been prevalent for thousands of years: Christianity: has the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; Hinduism the Creator (Brahma) the Preserver (Vishnu) and the Destroyer (Shiva).
Many of the Earth based spiritualities see/saw the phases of the moon in a similar way and hence the idea of the triple goddess has endured for millennia.
- The Waxing Moon: The goddess as a maiden - new, carefree, full of potential.
- The Full Moon: The goddess as mother, caring, nurturing and loving.
- The Waning Moon: The goddess as Crone (old woman) wise, experienced, full of knowledge.
*In many pagan traditions the age of reaching ‘Cronehood’ was seen as 56, the time of the second Saturn return in astrology. There are stories of the ancient British tribes ruled by councils of Wise older women, ‘Crones’. Older women were honored as embodiments of the goddess as the waning moon.
History, Witchcraft, Christianity, Magic
Listen to the words of the Great Mother,
Who was of old also called: Artemis; Astarte,
Dione, Melusine, Aphrodite, Ceridwen, Dana,
Aranrhod, Bride and by many other names.
Whenever ye have need of anything, once in the month,
And better it be when the moon is full,
Then ye shall assemble in some secret place
And adore the spirit of me, who am Queen
Of all witches.
Doreen Valiente - Charge of the Goddess
Due to the burning times, the period of Northern European history where the church sought to wipe out pagan traditions as works of the devil (including the destruction of any written material that may have existed,) it’s difficult to know for sure exactly what the traditions of the Esbats and full moon magic and celebrations consisted of.
With the lifting of the witchcraft act in the middle of the 20th century in Britain and the emergence of Wicca and other neo-pagan traditions, practices of moon magic and celebrations began to re-emerge, maybe through collective memory or stories passed down secretly or through contact with spirit, elementals, and deity. Whatever is true, Wicca and other neo-pagan movements brought back the spiritual experience of the Esbats into the collective consciousness, nowhere was this more powerful than in the full moon magical ecstasy.
Wiccan Full Moon Magic
Wiccan and other neo-pagan full moon magic is certainly ecstatic and incredibly powerful, connection in this way with the ancient goddess opens the participants up to layers of self knowing and magical ability that are unquestionable to the participants. There’s a sense of freedom, particularly when working skyclad (naked) which can trigger the primal senses and opens the doors to the supra conscious shared mind of humanity as magic flows through the bodies of all present.
The moon rides high. The years roll back.
Are with her garments shed. Naked she dances out the ring
First wrought by hands long dead.
The blood leaps wild within her veins
As swifter spins the dance, her wide eyes fixed upon the moon
Her senses rapt in trance
And though no feet of flesh and blood, walked with her to that ground
She knows she does not dance alone, that magic circle round.
Doreen Valiente - Charge of the Goddess.
Goddess worship and magic, when under the full moon (the most powerful expression of the goddess in the month) opens the door to focus your intention onto the goddess as you watch it be realized into your material reality. The full moon is one of the most powerful times when working with nature and the universe to bring forth your magic and transform both yourself and your reality. This is the path of pagan religious magic, via your faith in divinity (in this case the goddess) your will may be done. This is the full moon magical ecstasy of devotion to a more powerful spiritual being.
Full Moon Magical Ecstasy - An Alternative Path
Throughout history, there are those who chose another road, a journey of realizing their independent power, a path of seeing nothing (potentially) as more powerful than themselves.
This arguably, is an alternative interpretation of the biblical I am the way, the truth, and the light. These magicians, witches, find their own spiritualities, their own godhoods within themselves. They see the goddess, or Sariel angel of the moon, as part of their own Being and invoke or evoke their magic as an expression of self.
This independent path experiences the ecstasy of full moon magic as the journey and power of self love ‘me experiencing me at my highest potential,’ and the road to ascension. There is no denial of the power of the full moon, goddess or the angel Sariel (indeed Sariel is seen as one of the Gregory, angels who fell to Earth to empower humankind) it’s just these stories and archetypes are experienced as symbols with the power to open the supra conscious mind and let the magic flow.
The objection a magician or witch who walks this kind of independent path may have to the Wiccan type of full moon magic is that by seeing the goddess as a real independent deific being expressed as the full moon, the Wiccan transforms and externalizes their own magic into something (the full moon, the goddess) external and more powerful than self, a distinct being over there. This power is further externalized by using the high priestess or priest as gatekeepers, holding the keys to access the magic which the practitioner gave away in the first place.
When the independent or dark witch works with the magical ecstasy of the full moon she activates the symbols (priestess, goddess, full moon) herself and expresses her own magic as raw primal and creative power. While she honors these ancient symbols, she bows to none of them.
It is not the intention of this blog to suggest that one of these paths is right or wrong, correct or incorrect, our mission is to empower you to choose your own path and to walk it ecstatically.
So why work with the magic of the full moon?
Focused energy that inspires strength and wisdom
The symbols of the full moon as the goddess at the height of her powers or Sariel the angel of the moon, are deeply embedded in the human psyche and therefore they create you a massive opportunity every month to infuse your magic or manifestations with raw primal energy. Whether you see these opportunities as real or symbolic has no bearing at all on the experience of their power.
Evolution of your spiritual and magical power and understanding
The relationship between the full moon and the earth, the tides and the emotions of humanity in a physical sense, paired with its power and ecstasy in the symbolic, magical and spiritual sense, provides you with the openings to realize the efficacy of your magic and the spiritual ecstasy of your sorcery and/or manifestation.
Astral projection and dream magic
The full moon provides the perfect time to soul journey, astrally project parts of your consciousness into other vibrations and realities. The magician often finds his dreams are vivid and powerful, a great time for lucid dreaming and the magic that can be done in the dream worlds.
Acceleration of psychic abilities.
The effect that the full moon has on the human psyche can’t be overestimated, this is the perfect time to explode the power of your psychic and clairvoyant faculties taking your sixth sense to a whole new level.
The pregnant mother
The symbolism of the goddess as the fertile pregnant mother giving birth to new experiences and realities can be used by the witch as a way to infuse her unconscious mind into power and unlock her connection to supra consciousness, magic, and alchemy. From a magical point of view, there really is no argument that full moon potency empowers all magic.
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For More Moon magic on other phases of the moon check out or other blogs in this series:
The Magic of The Waxing Gibbous Moon