Lunar petitions for beginners

In light of the Full Moon in domicile today, Monday (night, depending on where you live), I think this article is very appropriate. I posted a very short version of the text on a couple of fb groups for beginners a few years ago and for the most part it went unnoticed. I posted it because I thought beginners would benefit from it, but I guess people in those groups were more interested in memes and ads, including the noobs.

Aside from the fact I think any occult group that allows memes is pretty much a dead end for any noob, I will expand more on the original text to elaborate on the method. Keep in mind this method is aimed at noobs so don't expect me to go into advanced techniques.

People follow lunar cycles from time immemorial. Nature itself is highly attuned to them and we know in the occult the Moon rules over the earthly realm. Therefore, the Moon rules over material life just as the Sun rules over the spiritual. We can see this in two important Lots or Parts the ancients highly considered, derived from the locations of the two luminaries in the zodiac chart. The Part of Fortune depends on the Moon's location and indicates material well being, signifying the Moon's rule over this realm. The Part of Spirit depends on the Sun's location and indicates spiritual well being. 

Magical systems spawned with the emergence of lodge magick train their members in such a way their consciousness would eventually transcend the lunar realm and operate from the solar one, free of illusion. This does not mean people who succeed free themselves from the needs of earthly existence. They still need to eat and have the minimum comfort that would allow them to live a decent life, a life that would in turn allow them to expand their magical works.

Additionally, the Moon rules magick, divination, dreams and travel. Any practicing occultist would benefit from it, especially after they begin walking on their magical path. The Moon would rule their path until such time their consciousness rises into the solar realm or, in case the person does not want to achieve this, it will continue to lead the way. A fine example of this is Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches by Charles G. Leland, in which the central figure is an entity associated with the Moon (Diana) - Aradia. From what I recall it's still unclear whether Aradia is a goddess herself or a spirit serving under Diana although I could be wrong. 

At any rate, the Moon is the perfect force for any beginner to address once they start on their path, for both practical and mystical purposes. Given the lunar cycle is around 28 days, it makes it even easier for one to work with this force. As such, the goal of this article is to offer noobs with an easy practical means to work with the Moon, at least during their initial stages of the journey. 

The lunar cycle begins when the Moon conjuncts the Sun, an event usually referred to by people in general as a New Moon. This phase lasts to almost 48 hours although I would recommend you reduce this time to no more than 40 hours (20 hours before and 20 hours after the moment of the exact conjunction - the actual time the New Moon is announced) due to the eccentric lunar orbit that makes the Moon "travel" faster through the zodiac depending on the satelite's location in orbit - it appears to move at different speeds through the zodiac. This phase marks the beginning new energetic patterns that set the tone for the entire cycle and it obviously favors beginnings of all kinds. It is also good for invisibility and concealment. 

The cycle continues with the physical moon increasing in luminosity for roughly two weeks. This is the waxing phase and it favors growth and increase. It can be used to draw something towards you and to increase something you already have. 

The middle of the cycle occurs at the Full Moon, a time when the physical moon reflects the maximum amount of sunlight. It is a time when the energies reach their peak and can be used for powerful magical acts, but as we mentioned in Asteria, it also has it perils if worked with carelessly. Like the New Moon, this phase also lasts almost 48 hours and I would recommend you apply the same chronological considerations here as in the case of the New Moon. 

The moon then begins to wane, decreasing in luminosity. This is the waning phase which lasts for almost two weeks. The energies of this phase favor decrease, diminishment and getting rid of something. This phase is also good for protection. 

To make it easier, you can look up a lunar phase calendar and insert your location there. Such calendars are usually for the entire year and consulting one every now and then should allow you to find the appropriate times for your petitions. I would recommend you do not perform petitions during eclipses though and you can read more about it in the article I tagged. Instead, you could perform a petition prior to the eclipse and ask for protection against any possible unpleasant effects the eclipse would have on you, regardless of the lunar phase. It would also be good to perform lunar petitions in general on a Monday in the Moon hour, or at least during a Moon hour over the week. For this purpose you can look up a planetary hours calculator and it will produce the hours based on your location. 

With this simple information in mind you can start by making specific or more general petitions to the Moon based on its energetic states. Before I go into it I invite you to read this short story of Virgil which depicts such a petition to the lunar goddess Diana, the Roman equivalent of Artemis - the huntress. We see how the goddess rewarded the family with sustenance in return for the children petitioning her with a little help from Virgil. Note that the children already had in mind to offer flowers to the goddess, while Virgil taught them how to benefit from the act in return. 

Therefore, you can follow the children's lead and do so yourself. You wouldn't need to have a statue of a Moon goddess even though it would be nice if you could purchase one, for a picture would suffice. You can find many such pictures by searching "Moon goddess art" and you can select the one that appeals to you the most and print it. It would be best if you know which goddess is depicted on the image so you'd know how to better address her. Whether you are using an image of Artemis, Diana, Selene, or Hecate it is better to address the goddess in a specific way prior to asking her for your needs. 

Luckily, a simple search comes in handy and we come across the Homeric hymn to Artemis, the Orphic hymn to the Moon (Diana), the Homeric hymn to Selene and the Orphic hymn to Hecate. If you want to address the Moon goddess in general you can simply use the Charge of the Goddess (along with the Witch's Chant). There are several versions of the Charge and the one I tagged is Doreen Valiente's, but you are free to search for Leland's version or any other version you want. You can also go over to Nick Farrell's and demand powerful lunar invocations from his ever so pagan bag of tricks. Or you can use the one Virgil taught to the children. 

If you want to go more Qabalistic you can petition the lunar hierarchy. In Liber 777 the Moon is attributed to the Sephira Yesod on the Tree of Life and it also has its own path - Gimel. I mentioned in Magick Pills for Hard Transits how I make such petitions and in Magic Words I detail why I start by addressing the godhead first and then go through the hierarchy. 

The godhead of the Sephira is SHADDAI EL CHAI and that of the path is DAH and ALIM (both apply, even together). The archangel of the sephira is Gabriel and the angel of the path is also Gabriel. The (intelligence of the) intelligences (Malkah Be Tarshishim Ve'ad Beruah Shehaquim) and spirit (Chasmodai) can be used for both the Sephira and the path. Agrippa also mentioned the spirit of the spirits (Shedbarschemot Sharthathan) and you can also include this name in your petition as well. There are also two geomantic spirits attibuted to the Moon, one corresponding with the New Moon (Via) and the other with the Full Moon (Populus). You can include either of the two in your petition appropriately. 

If you go Qabalistic you can also use the appropriate symbols and sigils appropriately:

- the seal of the Moon

- the sigil of Gabriel (works just as well for the archangel as it does for the angel), which you can also derive from the lunar kamea by starting with a circle and ending with a short straight line perpendicular to the last line you trace on the sigil; start by tracing a circle at 3 then draw a straight line from the circle to 2, connect the end of that line with 20, 20 with 10, 10 with 1, 1 with 30, and end it at 30 with a small perpendicular line; note that Scott uses the sigil alongside the seal, both inside the kamea while I use them separately

- the sigil of Malkah

- the sigil of Chasmodai

- the sigil of Shedbarschemot 

- the figures (and characters if you want) of the geomantic spirits (the figures are to the far left and right, respectively, while the characters are towards the middle)

- the kamea (magick square) of the Moon

You will follow this by asking the goddess for that which you want her to help you with, while respecting the energy patterns of the lunar phase during which you're making the petition. The same applies in case you're using Qabalistic attributions. For example, you can make a petition on the New Moon asking for help and guidance in a new project which you'd best start at that time in order to tune it to the cycle. You can ask her to help you increase your income during the waxing phase or drive away poverty during the waning phase. During the Full Moon you can ask for something more specific such as receiving money from a certain deal you had made previously, winning the heart of a specific person, getting resolution to specific things, etc. Besides asking for protection, you can also ask for your enemies to be removed from your life during the waning phase, besides various problems, financial lack, bad luck, emotional patterns that work against you and so on.

Just like the children in the story you will have to give something in return. Candles would be nice, either violet or blue, even gray or white. You can burn some incense such as myrrh and you can also offer food and drinks. If memory serves pomegranates correspond to the Moon, alongside plants such as lettuce and watery plants that can be used in a salad. You can offer milk, rain water, spring water, or simply a shot of liquor. A glass of red wine would be nice for Hecate. You can dispose of the food/drinks the following day by leaving/pouring them outside in a clean place such as next to a hedge or tree, while the candles and incense should be left to burn completely. You can also offer flowers and either dispose of them the following day in the same manner or leave them until they wither away. 

In case you make a petition that includes someone else or for someone else entirely, it would be best to place a link to that person on the altar - DNA, handwriting, photo, etc. If you're making a petition involving an institution then it would be best if you could add something belonging to them, such as a paper emitted by them, some dirt from their property, etc. 

The Moon can also help in divination (including skrying), visions, dream work, sleep (both rest and protection from nightmares) and (improving your) magick. You can also petition it for issues concerning the mother and women in general, fertility, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and nurturing. Emotional issues and moods also fall under the rule of the Moon. I also mentioned illusion in the beginning. I will refrain from going into details about sublunar spirits and ancestor work - suffice you ask for improving your magick. The Moon can also help you deal with behavioral patterns that are working against you. You can also "travel" into the lunar realm using spirit vision although I won't go into that because it's a bit more advanced.

Now mind you, those hymns I mentioned were used to invoke deities and even if this procedure might not bring down a highly concentrated spiritual force due to the simplicity of the operation and lack of more advanced techniques, at worst it will allow you to draw the attention of the specific force. The same applies in case you're using the symbols and sigils and whatnot. So after reciting the hymn and such you can simply state:

"Great Moon goddess (great goddess <name>), I ask you for XYZ... So mote it be!"

In case you are willing to go more Qabalistic then you can either choose to go via the Sephira or the path and include as many of the entities you want. Or you can stack them together like I do during such petitions, while considering the appropriate geomantic spirit with respect to the New/Full Moon - I also use Via for the waning phase and Populus for the waxing just because:

"Great goddess Shaddai El Chai, Dah, Alim, your archangel Gabriel, your angel Gabriel, your intelligence Malkah (...), your spirits Chasmodai, Shedbarschemot (...) and Via/Populus, I ask you for XYZ... So mote it be!"

Also see the simple Romanian call as an example. Remember to add a limitation to your request to prevent possible unpleasant manifestations. I usually say "...XYZ without physical, financial and judicial harm done to me and my loved ones" because I don't care if my feelings get hurt in the process of manifesting my intent. 

Besides the aforementioned lunar goddesses and spirits you can also petition Lilith with respect to issues relating to sexuality, obsessions, powerful cravings and what is generally referred to as "shadow work" in its broad sense. I would recommend petitioning her solely during the waning phase. You can find several invocations and poems to her with a simple search online. Black and red candles are in order and also red wine. 

You can do these petitions another way as well. If you know the exact time of your birth (hh:mm) then you can use a natal chart calculator to produce your chart. This will show you the twelve astrological houses as they appear in your chart. While keeping in mind the signs and your natal houses remain the same regardless of how much time has passed since your birth while the planets change their location, you can make these petitions based on the lunar phase and the areas of life covered by the natal house the Moon is transiting at any given time. To make things easier you can use a transit chart calculator and see which natal house the Moon is transiting at your selected time. 

So if the Moon happens to be waxing while transiting your third house, you can ask for your roads to be opened both literally and metaphorically, improved relations with your siblings or neighbors, etc. If it happens to be waning while transiting your seventh house, you can ask for enemies to be removed from your life, conflicts to be reduced and so on. I tagged my series on astrological houses and you can find more details on each of them in there, but it would be best to study other sources too in order to uncover more details, something that will help you come up with more ideas for your petitions.

To break it down:

1. Formulate your intent based on your needs and see which lunar phase is appropriate for it. 

2. Select a day for your petition (and try to do it in a Moon hour if it's not a Monday).

3. Add a certain something to offer in return.

4. Recite the appropriate call and then address the deity (and the spirits in case you want to add them too) asking for XYZ.

5. Offer the deity (and spirits) whatever you had chosen to give in return.

You are done. At this point you can also sit back and meditate on your petition, visualizing your intent materializing. Or you can simply meditate on the Moon, your connection with it becoming stronger, etc. 

Do not expect fabulous results from this, yet at the same time do not be amazed if you witness results manifesting along the way.

This should be enough for a beginner. It can represent a stepping stone for further, more technically complex work.

Hate on, dum-dums!

The Great Gazoo 

PS: and maybe you'd want to experiment by making this lunar talisman from Agrippa, in which case I recommend you read the Venus article linked inside first so you'd get an idea of how to empower it easily.