Moon Magick: Waning Moon

Merry Meet and Welcome to you magickal souls!!!!

It's amost the end of this particular lunar cycle so it's time to cover the Waning Moon. This two-week time encompasses the Waning Gibbous Moon, Third (or Last) Quarter Moon, and the Waning Crescent Moon.

Starting with the Waning Gibbous Moon, this is that first week after the Full Moon where the Moon is starting to decrease in size. It is the time to start to think about releasing what no longer serves us so that we can heal from it. This time is similar to preparing a field ready for planting it with seeds.

This is the time where I do my cord-cutting rituals as it makes most sense to me. As the Moon's energy/influence appears to get smaller, so too does the energy/influence of whoever I am removing but in a less immediate way. I don't want to be shocked energetically so a gradual reduction works for me.

The Waning Gibbous Moon is followed by the Third, or Last, Quarter Moon. This is the phase I personally focus on during this two week period. The energy at this time is gently encouraging and supportive of letting go because the only way to make room for new beginnings (at the coming New Moon) is to let go of everything that holds you back.

Sometimes we don't want to let go of things because it's what we know and so it's comfortable. But we have to sit with this uneasiness, this feeling that change is coming and a sense that things may be slipping away. We still have to let go of whatever (and/or whoever) is not helping or serving us in any way. It is hard because we know these people and things, and we want to cling to them because they are familiar, but deep down, we know we need to stop carrying them. It may take time to release them but the more we are aware of them and lean into releasing them, the bigger the resultant change will be.

The Last Quarter Moon is balanced, as it is half lit and half dark, so it's a good time to look back and review the journey of the last three weeks while looking towards the future and where we want to go. This may be the time when we need to take responsibility, face up to any mistakes, and, perhaps, decide to release specific things for good, or even find a new approach towards your goals and dreams that can be put into action in the next lunar cycle.

As I said before, the Last/Third Quarter Moon is the phase during the Waning Moon that I focus on so I put together a spread for this time and, again, I used the Disney Villains tarot deck. I did this particular reading for the Last Quarter Moon in Scorpio at the beginning of February.

What can I do for my self-care?

The Moon & The Hanged Man

With The Moon, I felt as if I was being told that I needed to follow my intuition, or gut feelings, more often. I could plan to do certain activities but if I don't feel up to it then I shouldn't do them. If something doesn't feel right to me, then I should listen and avoid doing it. I also felt like this card was saying that I can wear whatever I want to wear because it is how I can express my sense of individuality. It is how I can enjoy myself and, perhaps, better connect to my intuition because I am true to myself. Yzma is no one else but herself and wears watever she wants to, regardless of whether it is fashionable or what others are wearing, so I felt as if this card was telling me to just be myself completely. I had been wondering if it was bad that I only wear what I am comfortable in, even if I have lost weight and some items don't fit as they used to.

With the Hanged Man, I felt as if I was being told to find a different or changed perspective about self-care. Snakes are typically associated with transformation, evolution and adaptation. But Kaa is a character who tries to control others, who tries to manipulate them into situations that are beneficial to them. It is because of this that I felt as if I was being warned against being too free and uncontrolled as it could be just as dangerous as the opposite. I felt as if this card was telling me to be careful, to not be controlled but to also not be afraid of change. Adding in new traditions, rituals, people or viewpoints isn't a bad thing; it's about making space for those things by caring about how others do them - this can inform my self-care routine and transform or evolve it.

What has come up for me that needs healing?

9 & 10 of Cups

These cards are interesting because I typically associate the suit of Cups with healing, especially the emotional kind.

Perhaps the 9 of Cups is saying that I shouldn't celebrate anything too early as in the past, it has had a tendency to give my plans the opportunity to go awry. This card may be showing that I might not be as in charge or in control as I might think I am. This card shows that moment where Ursual believes she has won and is now the person who is in charge and in power but doesn't realise that the battle isn't over yet. I will admit that I am not in complete control of my emotions but at the same time, I don't want to be because I would prefer to let my emotions flow through me as they are associated with the element of Water. It could be that this is the message of this card instead.

With the 10 of Cups, I felt as if I was being told that perhaps I am already at the end of an emotional journey. That it's time I felt safe and secure, like the ship is at anchor in a bay where the water is calm. Something I hadn't noticed before is that there is a campfire on top of a hill, with an illuminated path leading up to it from the bay where the ship is. I wanted to make note of this because it seemed important, like I needed to know that feeling safe, secure, and maybe even comfortable were in need of being acknowledged and held as actually being integral parts of my life. I'm used to things coming to an end (family relationships, romantic relationships, moving house), but I'm not used to feeling safe, secure and comfortable with anything. So maybe this is what currently needs healing.

What has come into being for me this lunar cycle?

5 of Swords, 5 of Wands & The Fool

With the 5 of Swords, I felt as if I was being shown that this lunar cycle taught me to choose the battles I need to fight. I had a family relationship break down during this lunar cycle which showed me that what they said and what they meant were two very different things, as well as belittling and dismissing my, very valid, feelings. So I stood up for myself, for what I had said and the decisions I had made in the past. My family member didn't like that and I just had enough, so I cut them off. I removed their access to me and I'm proud of myself for having done so as this all happened within a week. I am proud of who I am, what I choose to do to improve my life, my health and my finances. I am ready to defend my decisions when they are questioned or attacked.

With the 5 of Wands, I felt as if I was being shown that I was partway through a cycle during this time. This cycle was relating to something coming to an end, potentially relating to knowing my own desires and goals, or having certain ones come to an end. I could have been closer to achieving at least one of my goals (or potentially 5). But with three of these Wands showing new growth with leaves, this card could be showing that while some goals were growing, there were others which weren't and instead needed to be released to make space for the new growth. With the poisoned apple dripping down onto the top two Wands, I felt as if this card was showing that I had learned how to protect against toxicity during this lunar cycle, which again ties into the situation with family.

With The Fool, I felt as if I was being shown that this lunar cycle brought into being the need to take a leap of faith, especially when things might be going in a downward direction. Something else I noticed with this card is that there is both a mini-angel and a mini-devil hovering over the Fool's shoulders, which symbolises needing to listen to every side, and being fair and just to those around me. However, there might be someone I forget about: myself. I am fair to those around me but I don't always show the same to my own self. I also felt like this card might be saying that this lunar cycle was showing me that the grass isn't always greener on the other side - by this, I mean that I might be tempted to try out what other people are doing because what I've been doing hasn't been successful. Essentially, I've been too impatient to see exactly what I could achieve and succeed at.

How can I integrate the lessons I have learned during this lunar cycle?

Knight & Page of Cups

With the Knight of Cups, I felt as if I was being told that I could integrate the lessons of this lunar cycle by acknowledging the strength of my emotional health. Gaston comes across as narcissistic and egotistic but that's one viewpoint. If he were asked about himself, he'd probably describe himself as confident and filled with self-belief. These are two lessons I should have learned during this lunar cycle, but they do come with a warning against taking them too far and becoming a version of the Gaston most of us know. Gaston also is always very put-together and wears what looks good on him, or what he feels comfortable in. This is something else I could work on as I haven't had a great sense of how I look as I am very body-conscious.

With the Page of Cups, I felt as if I was being told that I could integrate the lessons of this lunar cycle by paying attention to the details, to the small things that could be overlooked but which no longer matter and need to be removed, or shaved, from my life. However, there was a small warning with this: that I don't get too worked up over the small details that I forget to see the bigger picture. This is because Smee was a great, whimsical character but he was usually oblivious to most of what was going on around him when it didn't involve him. So while he was whimsical, he was also not connected to reality and so wasn't able to see what was truly going on. This is something that I have had to work on, so that I became less childlike, less like Smee, and more adult in how I approached situations and everything else in my life.

How has my energy and focus fluctuated during this lunar cycle?

2 of Wands & Judgment

With the 2 of Wands, I felt as if this card was saying that my energy fluctuated as I was at war with myself and with others. As I battled, I would naturally lose energy and need to spend time on healing afterwards. Based on this, I would need to focus on the fight and then healing. However, I wouldn't necessarily need to fight every battle as I could choose which ones I wanted to give my energy to - it would all depend on whether I actually remember this fact. There's also an alternative perspective that the two wands pictured in this card are actually collaborating rather than battling against each other. During this cycle, I did have to do more collaboration than I was used to.

With the Judgment card, I felt as if this card was saying that my energy and focus had fluctuated because I was getting too big for my boots, that maybe I was getting to be too big and therefore needed to shrink, much like Alice in the various versions of Alice in Wonderland. But in this instance, I was the one in charge and was becoming too Much, too similar to the Queen of Hearts. Something I noticed about this card is that the pip/soldier cards were all in the suit of Hearts and reaching up towards the Queen. It's almost as if they are being forced to show her love or adoration, when they could be asked and less energy would be needed to achieve a better result. But perhaps it wasn't that I became too big and was more that the person I had become was making others feel smaller than they were used to feeling. I was done with shrinking for others.

How can I act upon the emerging inner truths to foster personal growth?

Strength & Page of Coins

With the Strength card, I felt as if I was being shown that I could act upon the emerging inner truths by actually believing in my own strengths, physical and internal (emotional and mental). I am aware of some strength but I don't always believe I am as strong as I am. Perhaps I should look back and compare where I am now with where I started. During this lunar cycle, I have had to be more trusting and collaborate with others. This is a new strength that I have discovered as I was so used to being independent and now I know I can ask for help and receive it as promised. So there's another new strength that I have discovered and can lean on, when necessary but particularly without the force of one, or two, crocodiles like Brutus and Nero.

With the Page of Coins, I felt as if this card was saying that I could start the process of saving some money for a rainy day fund, emergencies, or even for a specific purpose (like a new cooker). The hyenas seem to be protective of the coins they have collected and I suppose this is another message that this card has for me: that I can defend my finances from anyone and anything, including myself. This card also seems to hold that with the coins being above and almost separate to the bones and hyenas, this shows that I don't need to focus on my finances quite as much as I think I do and instead should turn my attention to my personal needs, desires and wants. I have had to spend time learning how to budget and differentiate between necessities and luxuries. Now that I know this, I can take action by not putting as much energy on this lesson and look elsewhere in my life.

This was a very deep and interesting reading as it was 6 questions and I pulled THIRTEEN cards in total!!!! It seems that I needed the messages of these cards at this time because it had been such a heavy and emotionally charged lunar cycle. These cards really tied into my experiences and the lessons I learned since the New Moon in Capricorn.

While the Third/Last Quarter Moon is not the end of the lunar cycle, this will be the last time I focus on a single phase as I will look towards the whole of this cycle next time.

I hope this has inspired you to consider just how deep your relationship is with the Moon and Her phases. If you'd like some guidance with deepening this relationship, my inbox and diary are open.

Peace and love to all!!!!