Waning Cresent balsamic moon. Activities for restoration and re-cuperation

Waning Crescent Moon Balsamic Moon

The very last crescent of our moon that we see in the sky is called the waning crescent or Balsamic moon.  It is called this as balsamic means ‘a restorative state’, a time for healing and recuperation.  At this time our moon rises at dawn and is visible until she sets in the early afternoon.

The Waning crescent moon is sacred to the Crone Goddess or Wise woman aspect of the Triple Goddess and the inner wisdom that she represents.  This is a time when our thoughts may become clearer and we can see that the mediations carried out during the last quarter moon have been of use. It may be that we go through a period of transformation and change at this time, it is often a time of letting go of anything or anybody in our lives that we no longer need. This can sometimes be a time of unease, the Lunar cycle is ending, with it our cycle of progress and action is ending, however a new cycle has not yet begun. Therefore we must take time for ourselves and allow space for our thoughts to fall into place. If it is possible allow yourself as much calm as you can in your life.

I try myself to use this time for perhaps clearing out some old paperwork that has been long overdue or sorting through and cleaning a kitchen cupboard. I find that it is easier to do those sort of tasks during the time of the waning moon. I try and rest as much as possible, and not fret too much when I don't seem to have as much energy as I would like.

The waning balsamic moon is a good time for removing obstacles to happiness and success and for banishing negative thoughts and influences. Anything that has gone too far to be repaired for now, we must let go of. Perhaps it will be re-started in the next, or a future Lunar Cycle. Maybe it won't. However if the time has come to let go then that is what we must do and this is the ideal time to do it.  The Balsamic moon is also a particularly good point in the month in which to remove any pain and sickness from your life or lives of others.

Sometimes the balsamic moon is called the phase of the wishing moon. Therefore mentally and physically, try to sow good thoughts as to what you would like to accomplish in the next moon phase.  This is a good time to cleanse your unconscious mind of any negative influences that are cluttering your thought processes. Open your mind and in doing so you will open new doors ahead of you. This may the door to your heart, the door to a new project, a new holiday, whatever is needed in your life right now. This is a good time for preparing ourselves to be refreshed and ready for great momentum and new growth to come in the phase of the new moon. Meditation is always beneficial to us and we can continue with our restorative meditative practice throughout this this time of the waning balsamic moon. Through meditation we may get the answers to the question of what we need to let go of for our future happiness.

~Magickal Graphics~
Enjoy the quiet time you have at the moment. Rest whenever you need to, take time to meditate and reflect. You will find you have much more energy to put your thoughts into action from the time of the new moon onwards.

Sources:

The beautiful cat artwork is by Devidoll on Deviantart. You can see more of her amazing work here: http://devildoll.deviantart.com/
The third moon picture is from Magickal Graphics, they have lots of beautiful waning moon images to browse through: http://magickalgraphics.com/moon2.htm

Sacred celebrations; Glennie Kindred

Pagan in the City; Cassandra Eason

This is information from Glenne Kindred's website:http://www.glenniekindred.co.uk/booksprints/sacredcelebrations.html#body

Sacred Celebrations

A Source Book

This user-friendly, highly detailed source book is invaluable for anyone wishing to celebrate and connect to the changing rhythms and seasons of the Earth and themselves. It follows the wheel of the year through each of the 8 Celtic festivals. The book details how these Earth festivals were understood in the past and then the reader is encouraged to create something unique and personal to them right now in the present through the many inventive and exciting suggestions for celebrating each festival.

The book is packed with extremely useful information and detailed instructions for making such things as a sweat lodge, labyrinth, medicine shields, medicine bag, shrines, many garden and land projects, numerous craft activities, seasonal herb & tree lore and much, much more. Richly illustrated throughout.

250 pages. ISBN 0-906362-48-2
PUBLISHED BY GOTHIC IMAGE PUBLICATIONS, Glastonbury.
First published 2001
New Edition 2004

Both these books are available here:

This is an extract regarding moon cycles from Glennie Kindred Sacred Celebrations:

"Interwoven in the Sun's cycles are the monthly cycles of the Moon whose influence affects all of life on Earth from the tides of the world's oceans, to the fluids within our bodies, our emotions, our unconscious, the fertility of women and their menstrual cycles. Throughout the book I use the word 'Celtic' as a term which recognises this as a cultural lineage in the lands of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, as well as all over Northern and Western Europe. Many of their traditions have been lost, destroyed by the Christian religion which sought to establish a new patriarchal God, and destroy the worship of Pagan Gods and Goddesses. Much can be rediscovered through folk customs, legends and folktales. Much has been kept alive through Pagan tradition, Druidic and Bardic lore and Pictish and Celtic art. The Christian calendar, on close examination, has overlaid its own festivals to fall at the same time as the Celtic ones, but with a subtle difference of perspective. This was necessary, as part of the conversion process, which changed the whole spiritual experience of the people of these lands. The Church taught us to view Spirit and Matter as separate realms, and to fear the inner worlds. This is so deeply entrenched, that even those without any religious belief are deeply influenced by it. We also feel ourselves to be separate from and superior to the rest of nature, and that men are superior to women. This fragmented state has brought great damage to the Earth's environment and to ourselves.

In order to change this perspective, there is a need to see ourselves and our relationship to the Earth, the Moon and the Sun with new eyes. We need to re-learn what we have forgotten and re-connect to the inner realms, which are a continuous presence around and within us. We have all been conditioned for so long to only use our logical intellectual minds, it is important that we begin to become aware of, and listen to our intuitive side. It is our conferred power and inherited right." Glennie Kindred