Tips for Living Wicca: Hold a Dark Moon Esbat

A lot of Wiccans hold Esbats at the full moon— and this is perfectly fine. But “esbat” doesn’t just refer to full moon rituals. “Esbat” is any moon ritual. The dark moon has entirely different energies than the full moon, or the crescent waxing moon. It’s interesting and important to explore these energies as well.

Dark moon Esbats are usually revolve around:

·         worshiping God/desses in their dark aspect

·         meditations that deal with exploring the dark side or solving mysteries

·         divination

·         powerful spells that involve destructive magic (banishings, breaking bad habits, etc.)  

My Tip for You Today: 

Plan a dark moon Esbat. If you’re trying to connect with a dark Goddess as I discussed yesterday, then both efforts can be combined.

You might start by familiarizing yourself and attuning with the dark phase of the moon—hold a devotional to your God/dess in his/her dark aspect if she has one, or simply meditate and allow your energy to interplay with the lunar energies this evening.

Have you ever held a Dark Moon Esbat? Share your experiences!

Tips for Living Wicca: Connect with a Dark Goddess

“Dark” gets a bad rep in today’s world. Spiritually, thanks to certain popular religions and fiction, dark is often associated with evil. When people say something is dark, it is usually not something admired. It’s equivalent to “negative” (another misunderstood word) or “malevolent”.

The reality is, dark is simply the counter-balance of light. The absence of light is dark; the absence of light is not inherently evil. Light is the obvious, what’s visible and out in the open. Dark is what’s under the surface, what’s hidden, what’s unknown. Perhaps it is this fear of the unknown that leads people to fear the dark, but it doesn't have to be that way. As a Wiccan, we strive for balance—and balance means facing both the light as well as looking into the shadows.

What’s in the shadows? Look at the scholar’s robs, the black belt—in the darkness we find wisdom. mastery. Strength. Working with the dark is not letting your most evil impulses and qualities go unchecked—it is actually learning to take your darkest impulses and qualities, taming them and learning to use them to bring yourself more into balance. Trying to bury them down in the dark doesn't make them go away.

My Tip for You Today: 

Consider connecting with a dark Goddess, for it is the Dark Goddesses who are best equipped to guide us into exploring and mastering our dark sides.

Begin by looking into dark Goddesses—Kali, Lilith, Inanna, Hecate, etc.; as you begin learning about them you’ll find yourself drawn to at least one of them. At that point study up on Her so you learn how to properly honor her, approach her, and so you’re ready of what she may expect from you. In time you may begin praying and worshiping her, and invite her into your life.

Do you feel the call of a Dark Goddess? Tell us about it.