New moon manifestation rituals are becoming more and more mainstream. Keep reading to learn about it’s symbolism, and about what rituals can be used to manifest your intentions at the new moon.
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When I first realized that the moon has a 28 day cycle, just like a typical menstrual cycle, I went around joking to my friends “I just might be mother nature!” This realization was the first of many that led me deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole of astrology, and also empowered me to understand my inherent connection to nature, made even stronger by the fact that I am a woman.
Why the new moon matters
Every day we wake up, and in a sense we are given a new beginning through that new day. There is also a new month every 30ish days, and a new year every 365 days. New seasons happen every 3 months too. So, nature has imbued us with many opportunities for newness, and the new moon is one of those many opportunities. Just like there is an energetic refreshing during the new seasons (they are so significant that we mark and celebrate the solstices and equinox’. Read about the Winter Solstice here), there is also a type of energetic refreshing when a new moon occurs. We can compare it to preparing to plant seeds in a garden outside. Of course it would be lovely to have homegrown organic veggies all year long, however there are temperature, sunlight and other elements that must be at optimal levels in order for the seeds to germinate and grow. When a new moon occurs, we are being signaled that the metaphorical temperature, sunlight levels, soil etc. are optimal for a seed to be planted. It is during this time that there is an energetic availability for us to initiate a new project, intention, idea or desire.
The moon‘s connection to the feminine
I joked above about possibly being mother nature. While I don’t, in fact, believe myself to be the Divine Mother, I don’t want to minimize the powerful connection that all humans, but especially women, have to nature. Just like nature nurtures and brings about life and moves in cycles, we as women have creative power to also bring about life. This ability to bring about life happens to us and through us via our menstrual cycles. The moon, in its 28 day rotation around the zodiac, reaches the point of availability for creation at the new moon. In the women’s menstrual cycle, this would be the time of ovulation. An egg is released, and there is potential for fertilization, implantation, and LIFE. Of course, in order for this to happen, the masculine element must arrive. In the tangible material sense, this masculine element happens through the physical work that we do to make our dreams come to pass. Just like a baby will gestate within the womb of the mother for 40ish weeks, the intention that is set during a new moon will grow and come to it’s closing fruition point approximately 6 months after the new moon, when a full moon happens in the same zodiac sign.
What is a new moon?
The new moon happens once a cycle, at the very beginning of the cycle when the moon is “empty”. If you think about the full moon, when the entire moon is radiating in all it’s brilliance, you can see the contrast. By contrast, during a new moon, no parts of the moon are illuminated; in a sense it “disappears” into the sky.
The “emptiness” of the full moon during the full moon phase suggests to us it’s availability to hold and cultivate our intentions and desires.
From an astronomical perspective, a new moon occurs when the sun and moon are aligned (conjunct) at the same degree in a specific area (sign or constellation) of the sky.
How to choose the best new moon ritual for you
There are an abundance of new moon rituals out there, some that fit some better, and others that don’t fit so well. The idea behind a new moon ritual is to accept and appreciate the gift of the opportune time that has been given to bring a desire from the mind and heart down into the material plane. During a full moon ritual, we connect to our own inner power, and to the nature around us, remembering that all life is interconnected, and that we are co-creators in life.
All that is to say that there are no hard and fast rules about creating your own new moon ritual. Feel out what feels right for you, make tweaks and adjustments as necessary, and get to building that “zoi” life!
Below you’ll find a list of ideas that you can use as ritual (spiritual practices that have a special significance and are done regularly), or as a manifestation practice to lean into the energies of the next new moon.
- Create a vision board
A vision board is a collage of one’s goals, dreams, aspirations or intentions. It is a visual layout of what one is hoping to accomplish.
Vision boards are a well known and popular method for manifesting. The value of a vision board is that the practice of selecting and arranging your intentions into a cohesive board makes your intentions specific, and therefore more effective. The difference between saying “I want a car” and “I want a baby blue Honda Civic with bluetooth” is quite dramatic, and specificity is an important part of manifesting. The other value in creating a vision board is that it allows you to connect to your emotional field, relative to those intentions.
After your vision board is created, you can take some time to imagine yourself using and doing life with the images that are on your board. You want to imagine it as if you are there, like you already own it, those images are your present life. By so doing, you are aligning your own energies with the vibration of the intentions that you are setting, and bringing them down from your mental and emotional reality into your physical reality. As the moon continues to grow, make time and space every day to do this practice.
My husband and I used this practice to manifest a 15 seater van for our family of 8. We would sit together each night and imagine ourselves loving and enjoying our new van. All the places we were going with it, how our kids loved it, how we had SO MUCH space.
It was about 3 months later that my husband pulled up this van to our house for the first time. The 4 older children all ran outside screaming in excitement. I ran out, 1 twin on each hip, also screaming in excitement…Needless to say, this is one of my favorite new moon rituals and I believe in this practice!
2. Go out and see the new moon in all her beauty and majesty.
It’s easy to peek out the window to see the new moon, or to connect to the energy of the new moon through thought and feeling (which is also good), however going out and actually standing under the night sky adds a different element of connection that cannot be received through a glass pane. Going for a moonlit walk, or even just taking a couple minutes to go outside and sit under the new moon, while reflecting on your connection to nature and the divine love and protection that you have is a beautiful way to lean into and engage with the energy of a new moon.
3. Join some other women in a sister circle
There is a potency and a synergy that happens when women gather, and even more so under the light of a full moon, or in circle to honour the new moon energy. It is no secret that when menstruating women spend lots of time together, their cycles somehow connect and that collision of feminine energy makes them begin to have cycles that run in tandem. In a similar way, the natural energies that connect women to each other are emphasized when that connection happens in tandem with the lunar phases. Typically, sister circles rituals are done under the power of the moon as a group to connect to the new goals and new projects that are emerging in each woman’s life. It is a beautiful time of reflection, and especially an opportunity to make new close friends who are on a similar path.
4. Use tarot cards or oracle cards to seek direction
The premise of oracle or tarot cards is that we ground down and connect to our own spiritual team (our Higher self, our guides, our ancestors, our spiritual masters), and ask them to help us by giving us guidance or direction regarding a specific question or a specific area of life. Tarot cards or oracle cards are a fantastic way to do this!
As part of your new moon ritual, you can close your eyes and ask your spirit guides to please help you and give you direction regarding xyz. At this point, spread out (face down) the deck of cards that you are using, and look at them all, and then pull out one that you feel “calling” to you. Flip over the card and look at the image, paying attention to the thoughts, ideas and impressions that are coming to you. You can write down the impressions that came to you, and if you feel led to look up the explanation of the card in the guidebook that came with your deck.
This is one of my favourite oracle decks that I often use for clients during astrology readings. There are so many out there, look for one that “calls” to you.
5. Make moon water
To make moon water, get a glass (or bowl or container, what ever works for you), fill it with water, and set it out under the moon. This can mean on the windowsill, in the patio, or even on the driveway, right under the brilliance of the moon. This water will absorb the potent energies of the new moon throughout the night. In the morning, you can bring the glass of water into the kitchen, and pray your new moon prayer or affirmation, and then drink the moon water to energize and infuse that intention.
6. Make a herbal tea
Drinking herbal tea will quickly and easily put you back into contact with your own deep connection to nature. As you sip, you are drinking in the healing elements of the plant in your tea, acknowledging that you, as a part of nature, have privy to the cycles and movement of the natural world. Just like the birds always have food, and the grass always gets the water and sun it needs to thrive, so you too are cared for and tended to in every way, and also have available to you whatever it is that you need to thrive, grow, and give back to the eco system that supports you. It’s the circle of life, and you are a part of it. Consider this as you drink your mug of earthy herbal tea, focusing especially on the intention and desire that you are desiring to bring about this cycle.
7. Practice gratitude
Gratitude is a very powerful practice, that raises our vibration and aligns us with Divine love. The practice of gratitude as a new moon ritual is important because it acknowledges and reinforces that yes, we are powerful, and yes also we are co-creators and are not the highest beings. When we give gratitude, we are making space for light beings in higher realms to open doors and make ways for our intentions to be manifested. This position of gratitude also creates an inner alignment where we, again, become profoundly aware of our connection to everything. Because of this connection to everything, we understand that what we receive is not just for us, even if it does benefit us! This understanding allows for our intentions to become manifest in our lives, because we are prudent and responsible members of the universal community- poised to move in ways that are filled with light, and that will hold safe and sacred that connection.
On a practical level, gratitude raises our mood, releases endorphins in our bodies, and helps to clear energetic blocks that could possibly hinder our efforts to bring forth our intentions.
8. Journal
Journaling is an excellent way to sort out the mental and emotional cacophony that a lot of us live in and walk through our lives with. Through the act of journaling, we can get an understanding of what it is that we REALLY want. Journaling is a perfect exercise to detach from our negative thoughts and imprinted rhetorics. This is an important aspect of using this energy of new beginnings, the filtering of all of those extra thoughts to get down to what seeds of intention we really want to plant.
The other aspect of journaling is that it acts as a type of record keeper of the new intentions that you manifested at the new moon. Because it will take approximately 6 months for that cycle to come to an end (which will happen when there is a full moon in that same zodiacal sign), it is easy to forget about the new things that you were trying to bring about during that new moon.
I don’t always write down what I am working on during a moon cycle, but when I do, it is always incredible to look back, and see how that situation has worked itself out. In my opinion, it is definitely worth the time and energy!
I’m crushing so hard on this handmade leather journal
9. Movement
Movement, quite literally, helps to move energy through and out of our bodies. This is one of the premises of yoga, in fact. Doing movement, whatever feels good for your body, as one of your full moon rituals or new moon rituals is a great way to get energy moving. If you are entering your sacred space feeling a build up of negative energy or challenging emotions, doing some moving meditation is one of the best ways to regain an inner balance. This can look like doing a certain sequence (I love doing the sun salutation) , following a guided yoga practice on TV or online, putting on some music and dancing, or even just going for a walk. Sometimes I put out my yoga mat and just move my body however feels good, setting a timer for 10 minutes. Through this, I often am able to find the areas that feel strained or tight and bring relaxation to those parts of my physical body, which necessarily affects my other bodies (emotional, mental) too!
Remember, all of our bodies (emotional, mental, physical) are connected.
10. Light a candle
For the highly aesthetic person, lighting a good smelling candle and sitting amongst beautiful things can be a powerful way to harness the new opportunities that the new moon is bringing. Candles are symbolic in that their light and warmth represent the divine, and the flickering flame represents life.
The next time you are doing intention setting for a lunar cycle, consider lighting a candle as a way to honour the gift of life that you have been given, and to connect to the spark of divine within you, and the larger divine assistance that you are seeking.
I like to use beeswax candles in my home!
11. Smudge
Smudging is an ancient tradition that is practiced especially amongst the indigenous people of the land. In smudging, a sacred plant, such as sage or Palo Santo is dried out and assembled into a small bundle. This bundle is then burned at oneend, allowing the smoke of the plant to move over the individual who is smudging. This practice, from a scientific perspective, literally cleanses the air, its antimicrobial properties eliminating the germs around us. From a spiritual perspective, the smoke rids us of negative energy, creating a space that is conducive to the presence of and connection to Spirit.
This smudge kit comes with an abalone shell to keep it in when not in use.
12. Take a bath
A new moon bath is a perfect opportunity to soak into the intentions that you have set forth for the next month. The zodiac sign connected to the moon is Cancer, and the sign Cancer is a water sign, making the taking of a ritual bath very fitting as a moon ritual. Consider putting epsom salts into your bath as a symbol of purification and protection, or specific herbs that you feel especially connected to or called to. If you are taking your ritual bath the night after the new moon, and you have moon water, you can also add this to your bath to increase it’s potency. During your bath, close your eyes and meditate on the beautiful gift of a fresh start that is being given to you in this new moon. Imagine the new ideas that you have set your intentions on, what they would feel like, sound like, look like, taste like, smell like…connect both your thoughts and emotions to the new moon’s power, imagining that the tub full of the water of your intentions is absorbing into your energetic body.
13. Take a shower
If you are feeling a little bit stuck, but are really wanting to start fresh and lean into this new cycle, consider taking a new moon shower. Water is a known physical cleanser, and in the same way we can use that cleansing ability that it has to rid ourselves of stagnant energy. As you shower and wash your body, imagine the troubles, worries and issues you want to rid yourself of washing off of your body as you scrub and rinse. As that dirty water goes down the drain, so do your worries and struggles, making energetic space for your new moon intentions to take up residence in your person.
14. Diffuse some essential oils
Essential oils are quite literally the distilled medicine of any given plant. They are known for helping to cure all types of ailments and to support wellness in many different ways. Diffusing essential oils is a great way to soak in the potent time of a new moon by increasing our connection to nature, and by allowing the healing properties of our selected oils nurture and nourish us. You can choose oils that are in line with the intentions that you’ve set or the desires that you are trying to manifest.
Here are some ideas of essential oils, and what they are known to help with:
Bergamot: Good for mental stimulation and depressive feelings
Frankincense: Good for grounding and connecting to the breath
Lavender: Helps to ease anxiety
May chang: Good for cheering you up
Cedarwood: Good for calming and inner stillness
This is a nice starter kit with a bunch of EO’s plus a diffuser (with a remote!)
15. Create a mantra
Write down your intentions on a piece of paper, creating a type of mantra, and then place it somewhere where you will see it everyday. On the fridge, on your front door, or on your bedroom window are a few ideas. Ideally, you would see this note several times per day. This is one of the small ways that you can keep the manifestation intent at the forefront of your mind, allowing you to connect emotionally with your intention whenever you read your mantra. This written, visible mantra also acts as a reminder for you to commit your energy and resources to your intention which is your job, while the Universe works It’s own magic to make your intention come to pass.
16. Make something
It seems a little counter intuitive to give your time and energy away to a project while you are trying to bring about your set intentions. The caveat, here, is that the new moon is a highly creative energy, and for that reason the new moon is an ideal time to work on a creative project that has been sitting in the wings for some time. The clean slate of the new moon will help to bring about fresh ideas and new inspirations to support you in whatever creative pursuits you’ve got going on. If you have work to do that is creative in nature, but feels weighted and tedious, wait until the next new moon, sign off of social media for the night, and use this magical time to take the next step in your project. Thank me later!
17. Pull out your birth chart
If you are an astrologer, like I am, this is probably your very first inclination when you know that a dark moon (the dark moon is the time right before the first tiny sliver shows up in the new moon) or a full moon night is on its way. Even if you are not an astrologer, looking at your birth chart and seeing where the new moon is falling can give you some very important guidance on how to formulate your new moon intention, and which area of your life this new moon is going to effect. In the zodiac wheel, there are 12 houses, and each house represents a specific sphere of life. By knowing which sphere of life the new moon is falling in for you, you can really maximize and tune into the new moon’s power in a conscious and directed way. This practice is a little more technical and takes a bit of practice! If you are interested in understanding how to identify which house the new and full moons fall in, and how to manifest in a more potent and specific way, you can subscribe to my email newsletter here, and my first free gift to all my subscribers is a free moon guide telling you how to do just that. Click here to get hooked up with your free (printable!) guide.
If you don’t already have a birth chart, this is my favourite free resource to get your chart pulled up for free-ninety-nine.
You can also contact me here to book a natal chart reading with me here, and I include both a birth chart and a transit chart with your reading.
18. Create a sacred space
A sacred space is an energetic space that you go into with the intention of honouring yourself, your life, and all other living beings. It is a space where you can be honest, and where there is a keen emphasis on connecting with Spirit. The first step in creating a sacred space, is setting aside some time and a quiet space, and making a mental acknowledgement that what you are doing in that moment is special. You can pray, asking for whatever it is that you need. You can sit in silence, listening in inner stillness to whatever it is your Higher Self has to say to you. You can sing, you can chant, you can sway, you can play a singing bowl.
Where new moon manifestation is concerned, the purpose of the sacred space that you create is to connect to the Divine love, protection and abundance around you. In this connection, ask for whatever it is that you are seeking, give gratitude for what it is that you have already, and recommit your trust and faith in Spirit who has already brought you thus far.
19. Breath work
As humans, we are made of matter, and at the same time carry the breath of the Divine. The spark of divinity, the same spark that allows trees and birds and molecules to be alive, also resides in us. By taking deep breaths, feeling the movement of Spirit within us and moving with it, we are in turn connecting to the creative power that calls all life into existence. From this place of creative power, we can energetically align ourselves with our new moon manifestation goals, recognizing ourselves as a part of the cosmos (including what we desire to manifest), instead of as an entity outside of it.
20. Prayer
A prayer is a message that we send to higher beings to thank them for their support, and to ask them for support in whatever way that we need. It is a way of opening up a dialogue and putting words to the feelings in your heart. To manifest during a new moon, you can send up a prayer to a saint who is connected to the specific area of life you are praying about. You can also pray to your ancestors, asking them for guidance, protection and support. We can send out prayers to the Divine Mother, to the Divine Father, to Spirit, to Allah…to whomever you feel connected to. You can choose a Goddess to send prayers out to (for example Kali Ma, Goddess of death) or to the beings who govern a specific territory (for example, the devas of the specific forest near you). In your prayer, be sure to give gratitude to them for what they have already done, and to approach that prayer space with reverence. The rest is up to you! I like to end prayers with “Amen” or “and so it is.” Find what feels right for you!
As you can see, there are many ideas and opportunities out there for you to design a new moon manifesting ritual that feels aligned with who you are, and works well into your life.
I find the moon so magical. Contemplating her movement reminds me that everything changes, and that helps to get through hard times, and it also helps me to be more present during good times.
As she rises and moves and cycles through both the skies and our lives, may you know how connected to the world around you you are. Loved, cared for, supported and an integral part of the system, just like the singing birds and the wildflowers and the grasshoppers.
Happy manifesting <3
xx,
-Celeste
Interested in booking an astrology reading with me? You can find out more about what that looks like here, or contact me here.
Aja Celeste is a mom to 6 beautiful children and a twin mom! She is also creator and writer of That Zoi Life and a professionally trained Evolutionary Astrologer who has been doing astrology for 7 years. She is also a health care assistant, has a Bachelor of Ministry Degree, and is passionate about supporting people in conscious parenting. She also does Psychosomatics using Recall Healing.
Please contact her at [info@ThatZoiLife.com] if you would like to find out more about working with her.