The best New Moon ritual for you is the one that you can happily repeat. With Moon play, it’s the repetition that brings you into rhythm. Follow New Moons for a year or two and you’ll become more contented, rounded and grounded.
Your New Moon ritual should be a gesture–lighting a candle, throwing the cards–which you can do each month with some attention and pleasure–though of course, life being what it is, some months you won’t want to do it for whatever reason.
Therefore, the best New Moon ritual will be an activity that is so simple, you can do it even when you don’t want to do it.
The New Moon ritual I’ve performed every month for the past 18 years is the one I recommend in my Moon Workshop: charging New Moon water with the rays of the Sun. I’ve managed to faithfully keep this commitment because it’s so easy–and it keeps me so nicely in tune. I never have to feel guilty that I’ve forgotten all about the Moon.
Water is a highly sensitive medium. It can receive, hold, and transmit energy. And the Moon, of course, has a special relationship with water, as the prime mover of our inner and outer tides. Since New and Full Moons are high tide moments, doing water practices at these times can greatly increase your energetic sensitivity to the Moon.
It will also give you a magical liquid for drinking, cleaning, and plant watering. Does it really work? Try it on this Cancer New Moon and see for yourself! After charging the liquid (instructions below), I encourage you to hold the bottle or jar and tune in. Take a drink. Do the same with a glass filled with uncharged water. Do you notice a difference?
The Simple Instructions
On the morning after the New Moon moment, sometime between sunrise and noon, place a jar of purified water in the sunlight–outdoors or on a window sill. It’s that simple. I like to prepare the water on the night of the New Moon and leave it waiting to catch the sunrise beams.
Let’s say on July 20 the New Moon occurs at 10:33 am in your locale as it does in mine. Should you set your water out on the morning of the 20th or wait until the 21st? As the Sun had already risen before the New Moon arrives, tradition says you’d wait until the 21st. But with moonplay, it’s so easy to experiment, you can answer this yourself. Put out a jar on the 2oth and another on the 21st. Is there a difference?
Afterwards, I leave my solarized waters on my altar–which I also clean at each New Moon. You can also store the waters (or natural oils for massaging the sign’s virtues into your skin) in a cool dark place until you need them. As Cancer rules the breasts, stomach, chest, and digestive organs, you can use it for healing problems in these areas–or for when you need to feel mothered and safe.
If you like the practice, throughout the next year of new moon water rituals, you can enhance each sign’s vibration by using colored glass or filtering the sunlight through transparent paper or silks. Cancer’s colors are white, grey, silver, and cream. But always tune in first–is this the color you need? You may find another color is more energizing. Go with it.
If you can’t sense anything at first, don’t worry. This comes with time. Just making the attempt will start to open you. Lean into your own intuitive strengths–you may perceive the vibratory qualities of the water with other senses, sound or a symbol in the 3rd eye. Eventually you should be able to sense some of the qualities of the New Moon sign. If you can’t, let your imagination help. Just imagine how Cancer would feel in your hands if you could bottle it.
My Cancer New Moon playbooks are ready–it’s a great time to enroll in my monthly Moon Workshop: info and enrollment here!
Fascinating read, thanks for sharing.
We collected some Birch water after our tree had been trimmed and were enjoying that at the New Moon completely unaware of this charging water potential. Lucky us 🙂
Look forward to trying this out in the near future.
How auspicious!
Was taught the powerful and easy to use charged water ritual in the early degrees of the rosicrucian work. So using it for the new and full moon tides in a sacred and grounded manner seems a beautiful extension of that ancient lesson, which makes my old Virgo soul quiet grateful. Your teaching s are so precious tas are you and your years of work for our beloved language, art and music of astrology. Blessings for all your cycles and dance floors.
I did not know the Rosicrucians used this practice. Wonderful! And thanks for your sweet feedback.