the new moon and dark moon are sometimes used interchangeably to refer to slightly different lunar phases.

the dark moon is said to be the last visible crescent before the new moon. with the new moon, its lunar disc is not visible at all. this is very much an "out with the old and in with the new" type situation so let's get into it!

my associations for each phase:

new moon - renewal, cleansing, new beginnings, healing, inner peace, harmony

dark moon - cursing, banishing, justice, binding, reflection, peace, introspection, stillness

ideas & tips

moon water

craft charged moon water during this time for cleansing or banishing

take a relaxing ritual bath or shower with new moon water or incorporate it into your skincare routine if you have one

you can simply rinse your hands with new moon water before washing with soap and water if you want

anoint objects you wish to consecrate or cleanse

charge drinking water with new moon energy to consume later

if drinkable, use for cooking or as a base for tea or coffee

add a small amount to your washing machine or mop bucket

hell, charge an entire bucket of water under the new moon and mop your floors with it the next day because why not? lol

setting intentions

what do you want your life to look like moving forward? this can be as easy as writing your intentions/petitions down on paper and meditating on such, but feel free to get creative! how about a moodboard, perhaps?

or you can just quietly mull it over in your head like i do

what you do with it afterwards is up to you - burn it, bury it, throw it away, keep it forever, whatever!

use this time to:

reflect on past decisions and situations over the past month - how did they serve you? how did you handle them?

set new intentions for this upcoming lunar cycle

finish projects to leave room for new ones

craft spell jars and sachets and potions galore

do a tarot reading for yourself (or whatever other method of divination you prefer) for a forecast of the new lunar cycle

refresh and renew your altar

cleanse yourself of negativity or undesired energy - invite peaceful, calming energy in its place

banish bad habits or toxic people from your life

throw a lil return to sender their way if they won't back off or their energy still lingers

consecrate new tools to give them a purpose

cleanse used tools to make them like new - this includes crystals and other witchy stuff you use on the regular

declutter and clean your room, your house, your car, your space

do some laundry

tie up loose ends

meal prep

touch up your hair

wash your car

drink more water

tend to the plants you already have and then maybe get some new ones

pay attention to your health

do some self-care

why banish or curse during the dark moon?

i like to view the transition from dark moon to new moon as a door closing. when you banish during a dark moon, you're essentially sweeping out all the bad vibes before the door closes "for good." cursing itself can leave some nasty energy behind - that being said, do your cursework before banishing, that way "everything" gets thrown out at once. now you have a clean slate upon which to set your new moon intentions.

long story short? reevaluate, reset, and renew. ✧

as always, be safe and use common sense when practicing magic or doing literally anything else!

lunar phase correspondences lunar phases - explained moon, sun, & tides - spell timing

If you are feel called to work but are tired/drained, sit outside. Take in all the energies around you. Nature can help charge you

Every witch does a little bit of a bunch of types of magic but sticks mainly to one or two in general. You usually won't be eclectic forever. You'll find what magics work best with you.

Never be lazy or cut corners with spirits. Always be respectful and always tell them to leave when you're done

When you see a plant or ingredient with a long list of properties, there are different things at play. Season of collection, the part of the plant, the health of the plant, etc all play a role in impacting which properties it will carry.

Don't call on spirits unless you have confidence and control

Be careful with sea/water magic. Get into it gently and slowly until you have the energy figured out because it can get out of hand quickly.

Adding a little pinch of magic into your breakfast can make a major difference in your day.

Your personal emotions/feelings over something will impact a work

Planting some plants is good, not only to have a garden, but the dirt helps cleanse you too. Get all dirty and muddy. It's good for ya

Not all trees are nice

The more you listen to your intuition, the easier it will be to tell it apart from your anxieties and worries

Incense is very easy to make which is why it's usually cheap to buy. But you can find a million tutorials online on how to make your own personal incense which is great if you want a spell to take effect over a while but also want to infuse the fire energy in it.

The more you work with something the better feel you get for it. Cinnamon goes in almost everything i cook and most of my spells because me and cinnamon just get right along

….

hey cough cough ;)

i nab me the movie

edit: YOU MUST DOWNLOAD TO WATCH (1.16GB)!!! the playback has reached its limit.

edit 2: copy the link, just incase this post gets taken down!!

download ⇩⇩

Basil:  money, luck, prosperity, happiness

Bay Leaf: energy, cleansing, can be charged with almost any intention

Camomile: Caring, kindness, luck, growth, self-love growth, confidence, avoiding negativity, happiness

Cinnamon: passion, quick success, fire magick

Chia seeds: Growth, health, kindness, Property

Chilli flakes:  Pride, confidence, power, strength, Passion

Cumin: Courage, bravery, protection, loyalty

Dandelion: wishes, charisma, success, good luck

Dill: sexual love, luck, protection

Eucalyptus: cleansing, healing, purifying, relaxing, comfort

Fennel:  hate, anger

Flax seeds: Prosperity, growth, new beginnings

Ginger: fiery passion, success, and personal power

Jasmine: love, dreams, sensuality, luxury and kindness

Lavender: love and attraction, purification, relaxation, restful sleep

Nutmeg: luck, Health, Fidelity, Love, Prosperity, comfort, loyalty

Oregano:  comfort, love, warmth

Paprika:  Pride, confidence, power, strength

Parsley: Cleansing. purification

Peppermint: healing, purification, love and energy, cleansing, prosperity

Poppy seeds: protection, intuition, self-assurance, hexing and cursing

Rose: love, beauty, harmony, romance, attraction

Rosemary: cleansing, purification, wisdom, protection

Sesame seeds: Prosperity, growth, health, nurturing

Spearmint: love, cleansing, renewal, blessing

Sunflower seeds: happiness, growth, joy

Thyme: beauty, strength, courage

Turmeric: confidence, creativity, energy

Vanilla: love and sexuality

OR

If you want to make the cookies from scratch (that’s what I did for the 1989 Secret Sessions), you can use this recipe I found on a baking blog I like, joythebaker.com and I believe it was originally from a book called The Pastry Queen. If you want another great baking blog, I get a lot of great ideas from smittenkitchen.com too. This is a recipe for basic insanely good sugar cookies. I added the chai element to the recipe because I thought it would infuse cozy holiday vibez into the cookie and it really did. So I’ll star the part that I added in the recipe.

http://joythebaker.com/2009/06/giant-vanilla-sugar-cookies/

***after you add the egg and vanilla, cut one chai tea packet open and empty the crushed up tea leaves into the batter CAUSE CHAI COOKIES ARE ABOUT TO HAPPEN UP IN HERE***

I made an icing for the cookies, but they’re fine on their own. If you want to make icing for them, just mix 1 cup powdered sugar with 1/4 T-spoon of nutmeg, 1/4 T-spoon of cinnamon and 3 TAYblespoons <—-(I’m so annoying, it astounds me sometimes) of milk or eggnog if you can find it this time of year. The more milk/eggnog you add, the more your icing will become a glaze. But glazes are legit too so basically just LIVE YOUR LIFE.

I lightly sprinkled cinnamon over the icing once the cookies were baked and iced, but there are so many icing options you can pair with these cookies—I mean it’s out of control. If you’re really feeling like living on the edge, you can go ahead and add a few drops of food coloring to the icing to make it festive. No one is going to stop you.

Why?

Cause the bakers gonna bake bake bake bake bake.