I normally like to offer Full and New Moon rituals that are aligned with the season and the Tarot, but for today I want to present more generally what Moon Manifesting is, what it’s given me, and how you can work with the Moon’s energies and create your own rituals.
As a Tarot reader, I naturally look to the cards and their associated Zodiac symbols when I am creating my rituals, but there are lots of additional ways that you can harness the Moon’s power.
The Moon is already affecting all of us- from our ocean’s tides, our sleep, and our bodies which are 60% water. When we align our intention setting with the energy of the Moon, our manifestation efforts gain potency and structure.
Astrology vs. The Moon and Tarot
“The locations of Burger Kings and MacDonald’s, in relation to the hospital you were born in, has more to do with your love life than your Zodiac sign.” - Anonymous
I heard that quote from someone a long time ago. I think it’s a little funny and a little true. I think that it surprises folks to learn that I’m not very knowledgeable about astrology. No wonder, given that I write about the cards and the Zodiac all the time! If you are someone who feels that astrology is a supportive and useful tool, that’s great! For me, it has always felt both prescriptive and vague. Any warnings that a certain date might be bad for business and another date might be good for love, left me feeling like I had missed something important or worse, dreading some potential mishap. Recently someone asked me to explain what a Mercury retrograde was, and I replied that I choose not to honor or observe them. I deliberately choose to focus my thoughts on what is peaceful and what brings me joy, and from what I understand, marking the calendar for a retrograde is a way to anticipate hardship. How then to reconcile the astrology and numerology that are part of the Tarot’s DNA? Like many people, when I first began seriously studying the cards, I felt a bit overwhelmed by the sheer volume of symbols and associations. It was simple enough to grasp the structure of the deck. There are 22 Major Arcana cards and 56 Minor Arcana, broken into four suits of four elements. When I had to also include the double elements of the Court cards and their associations to numerology and astrology, I had to pause. I have a visceral connection to the Earth, the Sun, the Moon, and the stars. That’s enough for me. I experience my connection to the stars, especially as they relate to the Tarot and the Zodiac, through the seasons. For example, it is easy to understand why Libra is the sign associated with the Justice card when I see them in relation to the Autumn Equinox. My connection to The Sun is also closely experienced through the seasons. My connection to the Earth is really my connection to the everyday, but the Moon… The Moon is where I feel the most magical and miraculous connectivity.
What the Moon Has Offered Me
In October of 2018, I attended a New Moon Festival in Yosemite. I didn’t realize it at the time, but that was when Sea Tarot was first born.
I’d been using Tarot cards since adolescence, but 2018 was when I decided as part of my New Year’s resolutions to deliberately study and learn the cards and the practice. I wanted to be able to read for others.
My second 2018 New Year’s resolution was to observe the Moon. The Total Solar Eclipse in 2017 ignited my curiosity about eclipses, and I’d heard from someone that the simple act of observing the phases of the Moon could be beneficial.
It is amazing what a small measurable intention can do to change one's life…
Before January was over, I had devoured several Tarot books and I had committed the stories of the cards to memory. I enrolled in courses and I was pulling cards and journaling about them daily. My resolution to learn the Tarot was being fulfilled quickly. The Moon, on the other hand, was teaching me slowly. That is how she operates.
The first step I took to observe the Moon deliberately was to download a free app called My Moon Phase and allow it to send me alerts when the Moon had entered a different phase. I’m sure there are many apps for this, but this is still the one that I use and I find it very helpful.
As I began to simply take regular notice of the Moon and its phases, its peaceful rhythm began to influence my life. I was soon introduced to Moon Manifesting. I manifested a new job, the chance to sail, stand-up comedy gigs, and finally, a sales role that I hoped would be a fit!
All seemed well in that first half of 2018, but though I was initially excited about the work, after a few months I saw that it wasn’t a fit and I left. Around that same time, my building hired a property management company, and (like so many SF residents) my tenancy became threatened. On my way to the New Moon Festival, I got hopelessly lost and had to sleep in my car until I was awoken by the police; however, when I finally made it to the event, I felt a new season of growth emerge. It was a New Moon festival and I needed a new start. While Moon manifestation work can yield powerful outcomes when these rituals are done alone, the energy of a large group can amplify these results. In Yosemite, I made a whole new set of intentions that had nothing to do with software sales. I voiced my desire to move forward on a spiritual path, to keep my beloved apartment without further harassment, and I asked Spirit to help me serve others through the Tarot. All of those intentions and more have become realities to me. I didn’t know it at the time, but that was where Sea Tarot was born.
Manifesting with the Moon 101
If you’re going to work with the energy of the Moon, a little Earth science knowledge is good to have. As the Earth rotates around its axis and the Sun, so too does the Moon rotate on its axis and around the Earth and Sun. The Sun’s energy powers everything and it’s that light reflecting off the surface of the Moon that we see at night. When sunbeams are reflected they become moonbeams and take on their own special energy. When we observe the cycles of the Moon, we connect to the cyclical nature of our spirit and our goals. When we work with lunar cycles over time, we begin to recognize our own inner seasons and we can customize our rituals for our support needs.
New Moon, Crescent Moon: New Beginnings
Sometimes called the Dark Moon, this is a time for setting new intentions for the month ahead. Through quiet meditation and reflection, we can set our intentions from a place of peace and ease.
When working with the New Moon, you’ll want to wait until the new month’s lunation has actually begun before you start. You can continue to harness this energy for the first two nights of the Crescent Moon.
It’s important to get clear on what you want and make certain that your desire isn’t coming from a place of fear. Whatever it is that you want to bring into being, write it in the present tense and energetically connect with how grateful it makes you feel.
For example, “I love the security I feel when I hear the click of the seat-belt in my new-to-me blue Subaru Outback. I like keeping it clean on the inside so that I can get it dirty when I go camping. I love the fact that I got such a great deal on it and I love the comfort I feel in its dependability.”
We often talk about planting the seeds of our intentions, but literally planting your written intentions into the soil can help you offer your desire to the Earth for growth and fruition.
Waxing Moon, First Quarter: Time for Action
As the Moon gains in intensity, you want to feel your intentions grow with it. It’s best if you can revisit the Moon and your intentions each night.
For my own manifestations, I always see this First Quarter phase as a time when my spiritual supervisors give me a gentle nudge to double my efforts and keep up the good work!
Keeping with the Subaru example, you want to be doing as much as you can to test-drive, ask for help from friends that are great negotiators, look into financing, etc.
This is also a time to promote healing. If you are in need of physical strength or mental acuity, spend some time intentionally breathing under the Moon, ask for help from the Divine, and feel yourself with whatever is most nourishing to your body.
Full Moon: Completion
The Full Moon can heighten your physical energy. Like the Moon, you want to feel into your fullness. For some, it can be more difficult to sleep at this phase, which makes this a great time to work with others in your manifestations and celebrations.
The Full Moon is only at its apex for a moment, but you can work with its intense energy the day before, the day of, and the day after.
At this phase, you have done everything that you can to manifest your intentions. Now it is time to release them to Spirit. If you still have your intentions written from the New Moon, you can release them with flame and ask the Divine to do for you whatever still needs doing.
Taking a Moon bath, Capturing Moon Water, or charging your crystals are all excellent ways to release your intentions to the divine at this time. Give yourself some time to breathe intentionally under the Moon, ask for help from the Divine, and feel yourself with whatever is most nourishing to your body.
Waning Moon, Last Quarter: Integration
At this stage, you’ll want to begin to integrate all the lessons, efforts, and results from your manifestation work. Going back to the new car example, if you haven’t found your car yet, or you can’t afford it, that’s okay, Your manifestation is still working!
Take notice of what you have achieved towards your goal. Were you surprised by anything? Has your intention changed? Can you still feel a connection to your visualized dream? Is there any fear or resistance that still needs to go before you’re able to receive it?
This is also a good time for cleansing. That includes your closet, your office, and your body. Whatever resentments you carry, place them in a “God jar” then allow them to die of neglect.
And there you have it! I hope that this Manifestation 101 toolkit is enough to get you started on your own regular Moon manifestations, starting tonight! July's Full Moon will also be a Supermoon, meaning it will be closer to Earth and appear larger and brighter, amplifying your intentions all the more!
I'm beaming out joyful vibrations for your lunar celebrations, and please consider sharing them with me, I'd love to hear from you!