New Moon or Dark Moon
By MoonRaven

The two names are often interchangeable when you're talking about the moon at totality. However, while there is still a waning crescent, it is more appropriate to call it the Dark Moon, and when there's a waxing crescent, it is the New Moon.

The New moon rises with the sun at dawn. It reaches its zenith (highest point in the sky) at noon. It sets again with the sun at twilight, and is unseen at midnight. Any book that tells you that a ritual was held with a New moon overhead had better be talking about a daytime ritual, because the reason you can't see it at night is because it is in a position where the other side of the earth is in daylight and is also facing the moon.

It is because of this fact that solar eclipses occur at the New moon...the moon is passing between the earth and the sun. When a solar eclipse occurs, the moon is blocking out the sun's light and the path of the eclipse is the moon's shadow cast upon the earth's surface.

Most people associate the New moon with the Maiden or Youth aspect of the God. The Maiden is full of innocence and curiosity and sometimes even puckish playfulness. She may play tricks on you from time to time at this point, just as any child will do. This is where the cycle is often thought to "begin," though understandably, with a cycle there is no beginning or ending. You can also think of other beginnings and use those as associations...the spring, Aries (the "first" sign of the zodiac), the Fool of the Tarot, etc. Making these associations will further your understanding of what the New Moon best corresponds to.

MoonRaven

Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
By Magical Panther

Gender: Masculine
Planet: Mars
Element: Fire
Tarot Card: Two of Wands

Powers: Love, Exorcism, Wealth, Flying, Protection

Spiritual or Magickal Properties:
Basil supports idealism and keeps inner vision clear.

One of the sacred plants of India and is said to open the heart and mind, clear the aura, and give strength to the immune system.

Protects against negative influences.

The scent of fresh basil causes sympathy between two people.

It is said that basil brings wealth to those who keep it in their pockets or brings customer to stores that have basil in their cash registers.

Affirmation:
With self-confidence and inner mastery I move forward with my choices in life.

Warnings:
Don't use with toddlers and infants.

May the Earth Bless you.

The Goddess Branwen
Submitted by Alana

Branwen is considered the Lady of the Lake and is the embodiment of the Land. She is the Goddess of sovereignty and should be included in any ritual that deals with the Land or earth. Call on Branwen when you need help starting a new project, are looking for inspiration, or are faced with a new beginning. In the Avalonian tradition, Branwen corresponds with Spirit Elementals and the 1st (spirit/awen) chakra. Her symbols include: the Cauldron, the Cup, the Starling, the Waxing Moon, and the White Raven. Branwen, whose name means "white raven" in Welsh, is the Welsh goddess of Love and Beauty. She is considered the Venus of the Northern Seas. She is one of the five Goddesses of Avalon and is considered one of the three matriarchs of Britain (along with Rhiannon and Cerridwen). The Full Moon in June is Branwen's Moon. She also is honored during the waxing moon of each month. She is associated with the Goddesses Artemis (Diana), Eriu, Nymph, and Aphrodite (Venus). She is considered to be a Maiden aspect of the Goddess although she has many Mother attributes. The magical attributes associated with her include invoking beginnings, new projects, ideas, inspiration, energy, vitality, and freedom.

The Myth of Branwen
Branwen is the daughter of Llyr and Penarddun, sister of Bran and Manawydan, and half sister of Nisien and Efnisien. Matholwch of Ireland sued for her hand in marriage to create an alliance between Ireland and Wales. Angry that no one had consulted him concerning the marriage, Efnisien mutilated Matholwch's horses. Matholwch considered this a grave insult and commanded his men to return to their ships in order to return to Ireland. Bran tried to make amends for the insult by replacing each of the mutilated horses, and by giving Matholwch a staff of silver as tall as him and a platter of gold the size of his face. Despite these gifts Matholwch was still angry. Bran then gifted him with the most prized possession of Wales: a magical cauldron that would restore the dead to life. This seemed to appease Matholwch and Branwen wed him.

Matholwch returned to Ireland with Branwen. where, within a year she bore him a son, Gwern. Even this did not bring any warmth into the marriage as resentment about the insult lingered and the Irish began to complain about their foreign queen. She was soon banished to the kitchen, where she was a slave and boxed on the ears by the butcher daily. To keep Branwen's situation from reaching Bran, Matholwch banned all ships from sailing to Wales and imprisoned any incoming Welsh crews. This lasted three years. During this time Branwen trained a starling to speak and sent it to Wales, where it told Bran of her plight. He immediately sailed to rescue her.

In Ireland, Matholwch was told of an unusual apparition - a forest had materialized in the sea! No one could explain to the terrified Matholwch what the sight meant, so he called for Branwen. She explained that it was Bran's navy with Bran himself wading through the water at the forefront. An alarmed Matholwch came up with a plan to rid himself of Bran. He built for Bran the first house ever that was big enough to hold him. From every pillar of the house he hung a sack containing an Irish warrior. At a signal from Matholwch the warriors would emerge and slaughter Bran and his army during a great banquet. Bran was very impressed with the house, but Efnisien was suspicious of the sacks. Matholwch told him that they were just sacks of flour but he wanted to inspect them. Upon close inspection he felt the shape of a mans head. Efnisien squeezed the head between his thumb and forefinger until they met in the middle. He did the same to each of the sacks in the house before finally declaring himself satisfied.

Somewhat disgruntled at Efnisien's actions, Matholwch had to abandon his plot. The banquet went on as planned though. During the banquet, in which Matholwch agrees to abdicate his throne to Gwern, Efnisien asks if he may caress the child. Permission is granted and Gwern approaches Efnisien from across the banquet hall. When the child came within arms reach Efnisien grabbed him and threw him into the fire. Immediately the banquet turned into a bloody brawl of which the Irish soon had the upper hand because they had the magical cauldron that would restore the dead to life. Efnisien, repenting, sacrificed himself by hiding under a pile of Irish corpses and being thrown along with them into the cauldron. Since no living thing could be placed into the cauldron it shattered into 4 pieces killing Efnisien at the same time.

After 3 days of bloody fighting Bran's army was victorious, but at a terrible cost. His huge army had been reduced to only 7 men - among them were his brother Manawydan and Pwyll's son Pryderi. A poisoned arrow in the foot fatally wounded Bran. On the Irish side only 5 pregnant women remained to repopulate the whole island. Realizing that the two kingdoms had been destroyed on her account, Branwen sailed to Aber Alaw and died of grief.

New Moon for New Beginings
By Demna Gwynvydd

The everyday magickian must remember that the cycles of the moon, as with any of the celestial bodies, have great effects on our psyche's and our magick. The moon is the Goddess in all her phases, also seen as our subconcious, where all magick begins and ends. In the new moon phase, which will occur January 21, 2004 according to my calendar, the energy is of the positive and creative tendency. It is a time of new beginnings and manifestation of your desires.

In order to better take advantage of new moon energies, you should create a new moon charm bag to help attune yourself to the energy and focus it towards your everyday magick. To create the charm bag, get a small piece of cloth and make a bag out of it, on the outside put a new moon crescent, then fill the bag with a moonstone and a piece of paper with your name and desire on it in silver ink.

blessed be,

Demna Gwynnvyd

How To Make A Book Of Shadows
By MoonRaven

What is a Book of Shadows?

Book of Shadows, AKA: Grimoire, is a diary or a journal of a pagan’s life. The BOS (Book of Shadows) as it’s sometimes refered to, is a place to store all the information that you collect while you are studying. You can put anything from the Gods & Goddesses to rituals, spells, recipes and even your deepest thoughts into it. Some people even have a DOS (Disk of Shadows) or two different books that they use. A Book of Shadows is for information that they collect & a Book of Rituals for their rituals and spells.

What should be in a Book of Shadows?

What you put in your book is entirely up to you. Some people only like to put rituals and spells in their books. But others like to use their Book of Shadows as a journal of their life, not just purely for rituals and spells. Some things you might want to include: a book blessing, the wiccan rede, an index, information on sabbats and esbats, spells, poems, art work, pictures, memorabilia, and a list of color, herb, candle, and incense correspondents.

These are just some ideas, there are many more things that can be included. Just remember when writing your Book of Shadows it should reflect you and your personality. There is no wrong way to write a Book of Shadows, so have fun with it.


MoonRaven

Handcrafted Spell Paper
Submitted By Starlight

New Moon is a time for new beginnings. If you need to work a spell, why not make every thing you use, so all of your energy is used. What better way than to make your own Spell Paper here's how.

You will need:

a large bottle of liquid starch
several colors of acrylic paints
two large flat baking dishes or pans
small bowls or empty butter bowls for the paint
paint brushes
a variety of tools to create patterns in the paint (Such as a fork or needle)

Fill one pan with starch to a depth of about 2 inches; fill the second one with cool water. In other small containers, dilute each paint color until it just barely drips from a brush. Then drip colors on top of the starch until the top of the starch is nearly covered.

Create a pattern in the starch with one or many of your tools. Move the desired tool through the paint in straight lines, at geometric angles, in circles, or in rays. Even if you leave the dots undisturbed to produce a pebble pattern, no two patterns will be the same. Feel free to experiment and be creative!

Hold a card or piece of paper by opposite corners and bend it gently so the paper sags slightly. Lay it gently on top of the paint, but do not allow the paper to sink below the surface. Immediately lift paper back out of the starch. Hold it over the dish and allow the paint to drip off for a few seconds.

Rinse paper in the dish of plain water. Lift paper out of water and allow it to drip for about 15 seconds or until most of the water has dripped off. Lay the paper flat, paint side up, on a work surface to dry.

When done just write prayers/spells on papers, roll up or fold with an offering of herbs and or dried flowers, seed pods etc. and burn in your cauldron or dish.

Offer the burned remains to the wind.

SOURCE:Unknown

Crescent Cookies
Submitted by MoonRaven

1 cup butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup nuts
1/4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla or almond extract

Cream butter and add flour, nuts, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Shape dough into crescents. Bake in 250° oven for 1 hour. Roll in powdered sugar while still hot. Cool and serve. Makes 2 dozen.

The Magick Moon is almost ready to open its online doors!
A professional cart has been designed and created. Additional products are being added to the store to create a complete shopping experience. Professional Credit Card services have been procurred and implemented into the Shopping Cart for your convenience. Special Features, such as Gift Certificates, an Affiliate Program, Send to a Friend, add to a Wish List, and an automated Newsletter system have also been added to our Magick Moon Online Store. We will host multiple forms of shipping and all of this is bundled onto a secure server offering you a safe and secure shopping experience.

Pagan craftsmen have joined our venture and will be providing their products through the store as well. We still have room for a few select products of top quality. If you or someone you know, create handcrafted pagan items that can be offered at wholesale prices, feel free to contact us and we will consider your product for addition to our store.

Upon the store's Grand Opening, look forward to your Official Announcement and a special store coupon for all our loyal subscribers and friends. We really appreciate all your calls and emails inquiring about our progress. Your support has meant a lot to us.