Water - The Living Liquid Crystal

In every culture throughout history, water has been worshipped and revered. Water plays a starring role in creation stories and ritual customs from every indigenous tribe and even features in ceremonial practices from every organized religion as well. She plays a vital role in every aspect of spiritual life from birth to death.

And throughout all these many practices in all these many cultures throughout the ages, we see a similar theme echoed: People treated water as an intermediary between the human and the Divine. Whether sending prayers upon her, using her to cleanse their spirits, or asking her for wisdom through water divination (aka hydromancy), there’s always an understanding that water acts as a go-between for this world and the heavenly realms.

So here’s the question… did ancients use the messenger (liquid water) to represent the unseen sender of the message (The Divine)?

This concept of water as a mediator is as old as time. But how would it work?

To answer this, we can look to both ancient myths and modern science.

For the Kogi people of Colombia, for example, water is the origin of reality. For them, the structure of the world is sustained by water - every river, runoff, and raindrop maintains the world. Kogi know that within water is the metaphysical blueprint of existence, it holds the map of reality. All “worlds” of reality, from dreams to the structures of daily life, to psychic visions in medicine journeys, all are maintained by water.

This makes a lot of sense when you consider that water is actually holographic in nature. The internal arrangement of her molecules can imprint, store, and transmit information faster than the speed of light. Encoded in every cluster of water molecules is a record of everything that water has experienced. In fact, water is like a sensory organ of Mother Earth - she feels and remembers everything.

“A drop of water, if it could write out its own history, would explain the universe to us.”– Lucy Larcom

The Maori word for water is Wai which also means remembrance. Water stores the memory of all that has ever been or will be. They say water remembers its journeys through space and time, among the stars, and into the many places in earth's body. And they consider the Ocean to be a planetary scale crystal.

And in fact, much like a quartz crystal, water molecules join together in hexagonally structured matrices. But unlike quartz, the matrix is flexible and moves independently, as it’s not glued together by protons. And just like a crystal, structured water can store and amplify electromagnetic frequencies. But not all water has structure. In fact, most water we encounter is incredibly chaotic and unstructured. In fact, the difference between bulk vs. crystalline water is so extreme, that even though they both appear to be clear liquid, they are considered two different phases of water! As molecularly different as ice and vapor. But to the naked eye, they are identical.

Dr. Rustam Roy, one of the world’s foremost water experts, explained it like this: Molecular structure is like the alphabet of water.  Molecules are like letters. When water is unstructured, aka “bulk” water, it’s a nonsensical jumble of letters, and the hydrogen bonds form and break apart billions of times per second! So there’s no time for them to snuggle up and talk to each other. But if the water is structured, the letters fit together. And depending on how they're arranged (just like with the alphabet) they can carry an infinite amount of information. So is water’s structure, the alphabet for communicating to and from etheric realms?

Each water molecule has 440,000 panels on it that each sense, store and transmit information. So when molecules form a crystalline pattern, water transforms from a random liquid into a sentient and sensitive Being.

It’s sensitive to even the most subtle visual and auditory stimuli, electromagnetic frequencies, even astronomical events. In fact, besides being wet, maybe the most recognizable quality of water is its ability to transmit waves. Sound travels four times faster in water than in air. And water can communicate across vast distances, faster than the speed of light, it’s called Quantum Coherence. When it's structured, the hydrogen bonds form long tunnels that channel protons through, it's called jump conduction and it literally allows water to communicate, just as the ancients all agreed.Interestingly, Russian researchers have found that the MOST influential factor in shaping water’s structure is human emotion. While water does respond to sights and sounds, it will respond to human emotion more quickly and powerfully than anything else.

Consider the experience of thoughts and emotions - they are a cascade of electrical signals, neurochemical hormones and neurotransmitters with electromagnetic signatures. As Dr. Joe Dispenza says, thoughts are electrical and emotions are magnetic. And every one of these electromagnetic signals resonates with your body waters. Water is a powerful conductor of vibration, and your body water is constantly conducting the energy of your Being. It is resonating to the frequency of YOU, and you are patterning the crystalline structures of your body water with every thought, word, and emotion.

You are a body of water. Not just any water, but highly structured crystalline water. Your body contains vortices that spiral and structure the water within you. We’ve all heard that we’re 70% water, and that’s true by volume. But molecularly, you are 99% water molecules!

So what does this mean, biologically and spiritually? If crystalline water is the mediator between heaven and earth, between etheric and physical, then what does that imply about the greater purpose of your perfect and divine-human form?Your cerebrospinal fluid is some of the most structured water in your body, and it spirals along your spine from your crown to your root once every 12 hours. Along the way, the pattern of the molecules become imprinted by the electromagnetic frequencies of your 7 main nerve plexuses, located right where the ancient yogic texts describe chakras of coiled energy. Perhaps this is why Paramahansa Yogananda said that the spine is the highway to the infinite because your cerebrospinal fluid is a conduit to divinity. This rhythmic pulse of crystalline body water culminates in the center of your brain, bathing your pineal gland in a concentrated broth of electrically conductivity, resonating with all the vibrational information it gathered along its journey through your energy centers. Your pineal gland is the seat of intuition and clairvoyance, often considered the third eye. It even contains light receptors, just like your eyeballs do, so when it’s well hydrated it can perceive realms beyond what we typically see. So the health of your cerebrospinal waters are crucial for etheric connection and spiritual perception.

And your DNA is like a tightly wrapped electrical coil which is wound in upon itself in concentric vortexes just like an antenna. Each DNA coil is surrounded by a pocket of extremely structured water, with enormously strong hydrogen bonds. This water and, in turn, your DNA, receives vibrational patterning for your continued evolution when the surrounding water is healthy. A drop in your level of dehydration can even cause a shift in the integrity of the DNA helix spine. You want to stay hydrated with the highest quality water so your helixes can stay tightly twisted, keeping your genes young!

So if, as so many ancient cultures believed, water is a mediator between etheric and worldly realms and your body is 99% water, then your body is actually a portal between heaven and Earth! And it seems, from the latest research, that vibration moves in both directions, from water to ether, and also from ether to water. In other words, water mediates the vibrational transfer of energy between seen and unseen realities, carrying messages from the physical to the nonphysical and from the nonphysical to the physical. In this way, water is the key medium of manifestation. It’s how the Divine Blueprint becomes manifest into earthly life. And when we understand this process, we can become more powerful creators in our own rights, by working with the creative capacities of water in manifesting our reality. Water is the driving force behind the Law of Attraction and the Biology of Belief. It is the dwelling place of consciousness, as well as the tool with which consciousness acts upon the world.

“Water occupies A median position between the earth and the universe and is the port of entry through which cosmic peripheral forces pass into the earthly realm. Is it not this wisdom itself that has created the element of water, a tool for its own activity? The laws of the Etheric world are mirrored in the world of water and they carry on a constant creative dialogue“~ Theodor Schwenk

But not all water can mediate or communicate in this way. Because water is a living body, she can be healthy or sick, alive or dead. In many ancient traditions, living water was distinguished an extra-ordinary form of the liquid that imparts life, not just “ordinary“ water that sustains life.

The Mandaeans, for example, a gnostic sect indigenous to southern Iraq, say that Living water is the link between earth and what they call the world of “light“. They say only one 9th of water on the planet is living. The other 8/9ths they call black water and, while fine for mundane use, it can’t mediate between the two worlds. Only when black water is infused with living water can communication occur. Which aligns with modern research showing that adding a little structured water to bulk water will structure it, a property known as “epitaxy".

Harnessing its mysterious movements and crystalline properties can turn ordinary water into pure medicine. When we drink living, crystalline water, we not only get hydrated, we also become more resonant channels of vibration. We also nourish our pineal glands and keep our DNA young. Water may seem like the most simple and ubiquitous substance, but the truth is that she is the most complex and mysterious substance in the Universe! Inherent within the physics of water are the answers to the mystery of the mind/body/spirit connection, the laws of Karma, and the potential for enlightenment. Our ancestors knew this, and they passed along clues and stories as to the vast wisdom inherent in water. By following this trail of breadcrumbs, we can reclaim our birthright to thrive as bodies of water, living on a body of water. Learn more about my vision at waterislife.love.

3 Simple Protection Rituals

Those of us who are energetically sensitive, connected to the spirit realm, or in a process of opening up our psychic abilities may find ourselves feeling drained or sometimes connecting with negative, unwelcome energy. That’s where protection rituals come in, to help protect us from unwanted energies and spirits.

This time of the year when the veil between the physical world and the spirit world is the thinnest is ideal for all of us to do protection rituals!

I’ve got you covered in this blog. Keep scrolling to find three rituals for protection.

ANCESTORS + GUIDES PROTECTION RITUAL

This protection ritual is intended to help you call on the protection and guidance of your spiritual support team: your well ancestors, spirit guides, angels, and any other energies who have your highest and best interests at heart. You’ll need:

• A black candle

• Salt

• Rosemary

• Bergamot oil or a simple oil like grapeseed

Before you begin, prep your candle. Cover your candle in oil and roll it in a mixture of salt and rosemary. Then, start your ritual by grounding yourself and casting your circle. Sit in meditation, focusing on your breath, or do a little breathwork to bring yourself into a clear, open, receptive state.

• When you feel ready, light your candle. Speak aloud and ask these spirits and energies, one at a time, to join your circle:

• Well ancestors from your mother’s lineages

• Well ancestors from your father’s lineages

• Spirit guides

• Angels

• Any other helpful beings who have your highest and best at heart

When you feel them arrive, thank them. Ask them to protect you, ask them if they have any messages you need to receive right now and ask them if they have a symbol of protection to offer you. Take as long as you’d like here, breathing and listening.

Ask these helpful beings what you can offer them as thanks for their protection. Maybe it’s a sweet treat, some wine, a prayer, or a song. If it’s a physical offering and you have what you need, gather the offering and place it on your altar. If not, return to your altar tomorrow with the offering. If it’s something like a prayer or a song, offer it to them.

Thank your ancestors and guides for their help and let them go as you let your candle burn all the way down. Begin working with the protection symbol offered by these helpful beings in whatever ways feel right to you. Maybe you paint it and hang it in your space, write it in your journal, carve it into candles, customize it as a necklace, or invoke it in future rituals.

CHARM BAG FOR PROTECTION

If you’ve been reading the blog for a while, you know I love charm or spell bags! Here’s what you’ll need:

• A small bag (If you want to use a colored bag, opt for black)

• Yarrow or rosemary

• Smoky quartz, black tourmaline, or malachite

• Kundalini protection mantra Aad Guray Nameh

• Symbols: Hamsa Hand, Eye of Horus, a pentacle, crossed spears, and/or any other personal symbol of protection

Gather your items and ground yourself. Place each item in your bag one by one, visualizing protective energy pouring into your bag and swirling around you, creating a flexible bubble of protection that only allows in the most loving, helpful energies.

Once each item is in the bag, I recommend placing your hands on the bag and chanting the mantra Aad Guray Nameh until you feel complete. You know your bag is ready when you feel an energy shift. Carry the bag with you as you move through your day or place it by your bed for protection as you sleep.

SALT BATH RITUAL FOR PROTECTION

Salt has long been known to have powerful protective energy. For this simple salt bath ritual, you’ll need:

Pure salt

A black pillar candle

Optional: yarrow or another favorite protection herb

Start running your bathwater. As the tub fills, sit in meditation to ground yourself and create an internal ritual space. A few deep belly breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth is a beautiful way to ground and come into your body.

When you feel grounded, add the salt and herbs if you’re using them to your bath. Sprinkle a little salt and any other herbs you’re using into the top of the black candle and light it near your bath.

Spend time meditating in your bath, invoking the four elements and any other protective energies you connect with to surround you, support you, and help you. Stay present and really feel how it feels to be surrounded by loving energy. Ask the elements to create a protective field around you as you emerge from the bath, keeping any harmful energies and spirits away.

To complete the ritual, light your pillar candle every day for the next 3 days until it burns all the way down.

The Witch’s Herb // 3 Magickal Uses for Mugwort

Mugwort, or Artemisia vulgaris, is touted as the witch’s herb. Mugwort is a powerful plant that every witch should have in their arsenal, but the richness of its history goes far beyond the witch. Mugwort is viewed as a weed and a nuisance by some, but don’t let this plant fool you, it’s powerful and potent!

Mugwort has been used for thousands of years and has a multitude of purposes, including ancient beer production, acupuncture, and protection rituals, to name a few. I’ll be focusing on ways to use Mugwort in your spiritual and magickal practice. Keep scrolling for four ways to use Mugwort.

Oracle card featured from The Ritual Deck.

Space Cleansing with Mugwort

There’s been a spotlight on the overharvesting of other plants commonly used in magickal and spiritual practices like white sage and palo santo. There’s undoubtedly some truth to these claims, and white sage and Palo Santo are not always the best option. If you do feel uneasy about using white sage and Palo Santo, or simply want an alternative, Mugwort is a pleasant and powerful option.

Similar to white sage, mugwort is an antimicrobial that can be used to purify the air of your space. Science has caught up with what many of our ancestors already knew, herbal smoke of certain antimicrobial plants can kill bacteria, and mugwort is one of them!

Mugwort has a light, earthy, and slightly sweet aroma. Many prefer it to white sage, myself included. To burn mugwort for energy cleansing you’ll need dried mugwort that’s either loose or in stick form. Use mugwort smoke to cleanse your space by wafting the smoke around with your hand or a large feather.

Beyond cleansing the air of your space, burning mugwort will offer protection and enhance your intuition. Keep reading for more about using mugwort for protection and intuition.

Protection with Mugwort

It’s quite astonishing how many cultures have relied on Mugwort as a protective tool. Native American cultures have used mugwort as a form of protection against ghosts, and as an amulet during sleep to protect against nightmares. In China, mugwort was used to dispel evil spirits during the Dragon Festival. There’s even a reference to St. John the Baptist wearing a wreath of mugwort as protection against evil spirits. In Europe, mugwort was often planted around houses as a form of protection.

Here’s a list of ways to employ the protective benefits of mugwort in your practice:

• Burn dried mugwort in loose or stick form to cleanse and protect your space before performing psychic and intuitive work.

• Hang mugwort above doorways to prevent negativity from entering.

• Plant mugwort around your house for external protection. Be careful, this plant is invasive and can spread quickly!

• Make a satchel of dried mugwort to carry with you for protection on the go.

Magick & Psychic Work with Mugwort

Mugwort is associated with the Goddess Artemis and the moon. These lunar ties give mugwort a strong connection to femininity, psychic work, and all things sleep-related. Another reason for using mugwort while practicing psychic work is how protective it is. Performing psychic work makes you vulnerable to psychic attacks and other negative energies. The protective properties of mugwort are another likely reason it became such a popular tool for witches.

Oracle cards featured from The Ritual Deck.

Here are some ways to use mugwort as a magickal tool:

• The next time you’re doing a card reading or any other intuitive work, aid your intuition by burning some mugwort or drinking a cup of mugwort tea before you begin your practice. Note: Pregnant or nursing women should not consume mugwort.

• To enhance your dreams, receive messages in your dreams, and practice lucid dreaming, place a pillow of dried mugwort under your pillow as you sleep.

• Create a psychic protection charm bag.

• Steep mugwort in a bowl of water to use as cleansing water for your psychic tools, only the ones that can get wet, of course! This is a great option for crystal balls, pendulums, and mirrors used for scrying.

• If you have access to mugwort plants, their stalks are hearty and make beautiful wands for circle casting and spellwork.

• Mugwort is associated with the crone phase of the Triple Goddess and is an excellent plant to work with when working with this energy.

Mugwort has been revered for its medicinal uses as well, especially in women, but that’s a post for another day! If you want to learn more about mugwort, I encourage you to continue to research it, and there’s much to gain from this magickal plant.

Meanings, Benefits, and Uses of Larimar

Larimar, also known as dolphin stone or blue pectolite, is a beautiful blue stone that often has white veins swirling through it. It’s an extremely rare stone because it can only be found in one place, the Dominican Republic.

According to Judy Hall’s The Crystal Bible, Larimar is one of the “spiritual stones” that open to new dimensions, stimulating the evolution of the Earth. I picked up my first piece of Larimar at a local rock shop a year or two ago and knew I had to take it home - I felt immediately calmed as soon as I touched it. 

Keep scrolling to discover some of the top benefits and uses of this magical crystal! 

BENEFITS & USES

PROMOTES TRANQUILITY AND BALANCE

Feeling anxious or struggling with anxiety? Larimar brings calmness, equilibrium, and serenity. Meditating with this stone can also bring clarity, which can help you drop out of an anxiety spiral and into truth. 

Larimar can also help remove fear and guilt, bringing you into a more balanced, less stressed state. 

FIND MORE FLOW

It’s Scorpio season, and all of us can connect with the water-energy that water signs (Pisces, Cancer, and Scorpio) naturally have. Larimar is our ally for releasing and flowing, connecting us to the power of water through cleansing and surrender. 

HELPS REMOVE SELF-IMPOSED BLOCKAGES AND CONSTRAINTS

Larimar helps gently reveal and dissolve self-sabotaging behaviors as well as limiting thought patterns and belief systems. It helps bring in more constructive thought patterns and systems to replace those that were shed. Try carrying a piece of tumbled larimar with you as a reminder throughout your day. 

FACILITATES ANGELIC CONTACT

Want to connect with your angels but not sure how? Use Larimar in a crown chakra meditation to open yourself up to contact with the angels here to support you. 

INDUCES A DEEP MEDITATIVE STATE

Incorporate Larimar into your daily meditation practice for access to a deeper meditative state. It can also be your ally for receiving Reiki, receiving sound healing, and other energetic and vibrational types of practices to help you fully surrender and sink in.

HEALS HEART TRAUMA

One of my favorite aspects of Larimar is its ability to reconnect us to a playful and joyful childlike energy. If you struggle to connect with your carefree, playful side as an adult with very real bills and responsibilities - work with Larimar to help. It’s not just limited to connecting to childlike energy - it’s also deeply healing for all inner child work. Use it on a visualization journey to healing your inner child! 

HELPS GUIDE THE SOUL ON ITS TRUE PATHWAY

According to Judy Hall’s The Crystal Bible, Larimar is ultimately an empowering stone that can help dissolve the boundaries that constrain the spiritual self and help guide the soul on its true pathway.

If you feel lost, confused, or unsure of the direction your soul wants to take you, work with Larimar to receive the gentle guidance you need and step onto or continue on your soul’s true pathway.

BALANCE THE WATER & EARTH ELEMENTS

Larimar connects deeply with the water element. Larimar was actually created by volcanic activity, which gives it a unique balance of energy. You can use this stone to help find more flow from the water element, balance fire the fire element, and connect with Earth energies.

This is definitely one of my favorite things about Larimar! Larimar is an Earth healing stone that helps us connect to the energy of the Earth goddess. If you feel disconnected from nature or from the Shakti part of yourself, work with Larimar to restore balance and tap into the energy of the Earth goddess. One of my favorite uses for Larimar is to work with it in spells and rituals to heal the Earth! 

Book featured is The Goddess Discovery Book.

DRAWS OUT PAIN

On a physical level, Larimar can help draw pain out of the body. Place it on a spot where you’re feeling pain and let it help you heal. It can also be used to clear the meridians of the body, restoring healthy energy flow throughout these vital energy pathways. Learn more about the meridians in the body and the practice of meridian tracing in this blog (just incorporate Larimar to get the benefits)! 

WATER MAGICK 101

Water is associated with the moon, the direction of the west, the Cups suit in the tarot, and the zodiac signs of Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces. Water signifies intuition, surrender, dreams, emotions, and psychic abilities. It is oceans, rivers, ponds, the moon, waterfalls, light rain, hurricanes, and tsunamis. It extinguishes fire and floods Earth. It cleanses and purifies, and connects us with the deepest parts of ourselves.

We can use the element of water in ritual, spellwork, and spiritual practice and that’s what I’ll be talking about in this blog. Keep scrolling to learn what water magick is and find different ways to practice it.

WHAT IS WATER MAGICK?

My favorite definition of magick comes from Starhawk, who said: “Magick is the ability to change energy at will.” So water magick is simply changing energy using the element of water and all that it represents, as I shared above.

We can do magick with any of the elements. There is air magick, fire magick, and Earth magick as well. But in this article, we’ll be exclusively exploring water magick.

SCRYING

Scrying is an ancient divination practice where you connect with your intuition and make the unseen seen by gazing onto a reflective surface. Some common reflective surfaces to use are the full moon or a black bowl filled with water.

You can do scrying with other substances such as fire, a crystal ball, or a mirror, but when working with water magick you want to choose something associated with water like the options I’ve shared above.

To begin your scrying practice, create a ritual space for yourself and either go outside and find a view of the moon or gather your bowl and water. As I walk you through scrying, I’ll use the example of a bowl of water. For this practice, you’ll want to be in a dark room with only one or two candles lit.

Once your space is ready, enter a trance state through meditating, energy work, drumming, chanting, breathwork, or any other practice that helps you drop into your subconscious mind.

Once you feel like you’re in an altered state of consciousness, relax your eyes and gaze into your bowl of water. Breathe deeply, let yourself soften, and ask a question silently (for example, what is holding me back in X situation? Or what do I need to know about Y?).

Gaze into the bowl and let yourself see what you see. It may take time for images to come up, but if you stay focused and present, they will. Allow the images, words, and sensations to flow, rather than holding on to them tightly.

When you feel like you’re done, you’re done! Spend some time journaling after about what you felt and saw to help you answer the questions you came to receive answers for. Remember, the subconscious mind works with symbolism, so don’t discount anything that you see even if you’re not quite sure what it means at first!

CLEANSING SPELL

This simple spell helps us use the element of water to release and is best worked during the waning and dark moon times. You’ll need:

A large glass of water

A piece of paper and pen

To start, choose what you’re focusing on releasing. Maybe is blocks to self-love, fear of being seen, a harmful way of speaking to yourself, or self-judgment.

Once you’ve decided what you’re ready to release (you’re welcome to spend some time journaling on this to get clear), start making a list of all the limiting beliefs and stories that you hold associated with this block.

For example, let’s say you’re working with clearing fear of being seen. Your list might hold beliefs like:

I’m not good enough

If people see who I really am, they won’t love me

I’m too weird

Keep letting the beliefs flow! I tend to fill up a whole page when I do this spell.

Once you have your list, it’s time to work the spell. Ground yourself, cast your circle, and pick up your list. You’re going to say the first belief out loud, starting with “I clear the belief that ________ from my body” and then taking a big sip of water. Pause and notice, feeling and visualizing the water moving through your body, cleansing this belief from your system on every level.

Repeat this for each belief on your list, taking your time and really feeling the beliefs move out of your body.

MOONGAZING

Personally, this is one of my favorite practices. It’s best done when the moon is full or around fullness. All you need is yourself, the moon, and your creativity for this practice.

In its simplest form, simply go outside, sit or stand under the moon, and gaze up at her beauty. Beam a heart full of love towards her, and feel her filling you up with her lunar energy.

You might like to take it further in a number of ways:

Drawing down the moon (opening up your arms and visualizing your crown opening to receive lunar energy

Singing to the moon

Writing poems to the moon and reading them to her

Asking her questions and sitting in meditation under her light to receive answers

There’s no right or wrong way to moon gaze. Let your intuition and creativity be your guide!

CHARGE WATER UNDER THE MOON

A powerful form of water magick is charging water under the full moon at night and then using it. In its simplest form, you simply drink the water. You can also use the water in spell workings, water your plants with it, or add it to your ritual bath (which we’ll explore below).

You are welcome to charge just a glass of water under the moon. However, you could also add a crystal to your glass that’s related to your intention for extra power. Here are some suggestions:

Rose quartz for a love infusion

Green aventurine for an abundance infusion

Amethyst for clear sight and intuition

Citrine for personal powerObsidian for protection

Carnelian for creativity

Clear quartz as an amplifier for any intention. Use alone or with another crystal!

You can work with any crystal you’d like, just remember that some crystals are water-soluble so check first to make sure it won’t dissolve in your water overnight.

SPEND TIME IN BODIES OF WATER

If you’re lucky enough to live near a body of water, going to that body of water whether it’s a lake, river, or ocean and immersing yourself in it for cleansing and purification is one of the most powerful forms of water magick there is. Turn a simple dip into magick by using your presence, breath, and intention to receive the medicine of the water.

Card featured from The Ritual Deck.

RITUAL BATH

If you can’t get to a body of water or it’s too cold to get in, a ritual bath is a beautiful way to immerse yourself in the power of water. In this blog post, I share some herbal bath recipes for specific intentions to help make your bath extra magical. But again, if all you bring to your bath is your presence, breath, and intention - that’s all the magick you need. Everything else is just an extra amplifier!

The Difference Between a Dark Moon & New Moon

There are two different schools of thought when it comes to differentiating between a new moon and a dark moon. Spoiler alert, there's not a right or wrong answer. The difference of opinion is between astronomers and Pagans. I'm going to share both schools of thought with you so you can decide what works better for you.

Here's the short answer to this query. A new moon can be a dark moon, a dark moon can be a new moon, a waxing crescent can be a new moon, but a waxing crescent can't be a dark moon. Make sense? I know, not really. Allow me to explain!

Cards featured from The Ritual Deck.

The Astronomer's New Moon

First, let's take a look at the astronomer's viewpoint. For astronomers, the new moon happens when the moon is in between, or in conjunction, with the Earth and Sun. When the moon is in between the Earth and the Sun, it appears entirely dark for us.

I know what you're probably thinking, sounds like a dark moon, right? No. For astronomers, this point of the moon cycle is considered the new moon because it marks the beginning of a new moon cycle. Most astronomers do not use the term "dark moon," there's only the new moon. This is why most moon phase calendars don't recognize a dark moon phase.

The Pagan's New Moon

For many Pagans, practicing witches, and moon followers, the dark moon happens when the moon is dark and in conjunction with the Earth and the Sun (the astronomer's new moon). The new moon follows after the dark moon phase when the moon begins to show the tiniest illumination of its waxing or growth phase.

Cards featured from The Ritual Deck.

The Importance of The Dark Moon

For Pagan's and the like, the dark moon phase marks an important phase in the cycle of the moon. The dark moon phase represents a time of rest, integration, and observance. If you're using the moon for spellwork and manifesting it only makes sense that you would work in a night or two of reflection, especially before the busy energy of the new moon.

Astronomers and Pagans obviously use the moon cycles for entirely different purposes, so it's not surprising that they recognize the phases a little differently. As I said, there's not a wrong answer here, simply different opinions for different purposes.

Your manifesting won't be thrown askew if you skip the dark moon phase, but the dark moon will offer you a sweet moment of rest.