This lovely New Moon excerpt  was written for Many Moons by the brilliant M. Luxe Rhysing—owner of Ritualcravt.   (Among many, many other things!)
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Working with Animal Medicine for the New Moon

By M. Luxe Rhysing

The New Moon is a time of awakening, sowing seeds, and beginning a new relationship with our sacred self or that which we are currently seeking. We are working mostly with our instincts at this time, as there is very little moonlight to illuminate our path as we are coming out of a Waning and Dark Moon phase. Moon in Scorpio is a time of heightened sensitivities and as such we may experience a new opening for information to flow to us and through us. This is a beautiful and refreshing time! We are living in an era where the dinosaurs of recent generations are dying off: patriarchal ideologies, our oppressors, dogmas, and ideas that no longer serve us collectively. These dinosaurs are going out kicking and screaming, and as a collective consciousness we are exposing these toxic patterns and cleaning out old debris. This is highly activated during this New Moon in Scorpio. We too can personally work with this Moon to cleanse ourselves of anything that is no longer helping us on our path, start fresh and clean, and begin again. Scorpio is a watery and emotional sign. This can be an excellent time to balance things out if you feel overly emotional by utilizing fire elements, or connecting with Earth to ground during this sensitive phase. For me, connection to the magic and medicine of an animal guide or ally is a lovely way to do this. For those working magical paths, connecting or reconnecting with animals can also be a great way to go back to our roots as human animals and establish a better working relationship with our planet.

Animals are connected intimately with the Earth, her cycles, and her Moon. Did you know that birds are more active during the Full Moon? Many animals rely on the Moon’s light to hunt: Coyote is a great example. Animals’ bodies are made up of water in varying degrees and are subject to the pull of the Moon just as we human animals are. Many animals change their mating patterns during the New Moon, some corals time their egg and sperm release around the Full Moon, scorpions are most active in the New Moon. Dogs and cats often behave more precariously during the Full Moon and injuries of these animals increase by about 25%! And think about the animals that live in the ocean—their lives are intimately connected with and affected by the phases of the Moon.

Connecting with animals in a positive and healthy way helps the Earth to feel nurtured by her human spirit occupants. Animals are used and abused in so many ways in our world, for food, clothing, cosmetic testing, trophy hunting, poaching… We can do this work to re-establish relationships and positive interactions with our animal friends and thus become more connected to the magic of our beautiful planet.

Simple day-to-day ways to connect with animal medicine: Take a quiet nature walk and pay close attention to signs and sounds of animals, read about the medicine of any notable encounters you may have. Wear an animal talisman to invoke the medicine of that animal. Imitate the movements of an animal in dance or ritual. Help animals! Plant trees and gardens (for habitats), learn as much as you can about nature, pick up litter, don’t buy products made with animal testing, support organizations that help the environment, actively avoid animal products made in unethical ways. Create animal symbols to carve into candles and to use as sigils. Build an altar to an Animal Guide, make offerings, meditate, invoke her power. Develop a deeper relationship with an animal companion or familiar that you live with. Use an animal oracle deck to develop a working divination relationship with animals and their magic.

To find a New Moon  Animal Guide, we can sit in meditation with this intention. You can read through the following meditation a couple times and then cast your circle or set up your sacred space, close your eyes, and in your mind’s eye, walk yourself through visualizing the meditation. I often find it easier to record myself reading the meditation aloud and then play it back to myself in ritual. This allows me to be able to go deeper in meditation. Do what works best for you.

RITUAL:

Set up your sacred space as you like best: cleanse the room with sage or palo santo, light your altar candle, grab a stone or crystal to facilitate your meditation. Find a comfortable space to sit, either on a meditation pillow, in a chair, or lying down (so long as this won’t cause you to fall asleep!).

Animal Guide Meditation: Close your eyes and take three deep, slow breaths. Begin your journey on a footpath in a meadow leading into a forest. See the path ahead of you gently moving toward the tree line edge. Look up, view the sliver of the New Moon, and feel comforted by her light being just enough to see your way. Begin walking along the path which has been walked many times before you by many people. Feel the warmth of the air around you and continue to walk feeling secure and cared for. Follow the path until you reach the edge of the forest and pause. As you look in, you remember hearing stories of this old growth forest. People enter and often have encounters with animal friends who become guides. People come here to be purified and renewed. You can see into the forest with the New Moon glow, and it already feels like home. Enter and look around you. The woods are quiet and peaceful with no signs of wildlife. Smell the pine, earth, and dampness. The path continues in front of you through the trees, walk along the path and feel the soothing energy of the forest. In the distance, you see a clearing coming into view. Move toward the clearing. Follow the path out of the forest and stand at the clearing’s edge. You see a large circle clearing with a small pond at its center. Look up and see the expansive sky with the sliver of the New Moon smiling down at you. Walk over to the pond and take a seat next to it. Pause and enjoy the beauty and comfort of this magical space. (Pause.)

As you sit, you begin to realize you are not alone. You feel a comforting energy nearby. Look around and see what animal is making itself known to you.

(Pause.) Meet the gentle eyes of your animal guide. Your guide instructs you to tell it any old patterns, self-judgments, and situations that you would like to be rid of today. Take a moment and tell your guide what those things are.(Long pause.)

Your guide listens intently and moves toward you with kindness. Then, you watch, amazed, as your guide begins to clean you, starting with your toes. It cleans your physical body as well as your spirit. Close your eyes. Moving slowly from your toes to your calves, cleaning and purifying, your guide cleans around your knees, up your thighs, your hips, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and down your back. You begin to feel lighter. Your guide moves to your arms and cleans each with care. Then moving toward your face, your guide gently cleans your neck, face, and hair. As it finishes, you notice there has been a weight lifted. You feel calm, soothed, and you have a lightness about you. You feel refreshed and renewed, and filled with gratitude. Open your eyes and look at your animal guide. Thank it, and give it an offering of gratitude if you have one with you. (pause)

Your guide thanks you and lets you know that it will be here for you any time you need to be purified or renewed. You can come back to this place and be cleansed again. Thank your guide, and set your gaze back to the path leading out of the clearing. At your own pace, walk the path back through the woods, and back to the place where your journey began with the New Moon looking down upon you.

Take a few deep breaths. Begin to wiggle your fingers and toes. Bring movement back into your body. When you are ready, slowly open your eyes, feeling refreshed and renewed.

Journal any thoughts, ideas, and feelings that come up for you before closing your circle.

AFFIRMATION:

“I will utilize this New Moon energy to release that which no longer serves me, and to re-connect and establish a relationship to that which helps me to be my most Genuine Self.”

Other Animals Associated with the New Moon:

Crow and Raven
Rabbit
Panther (also Dark Moon)
Deer
Vulture
Robin
Snake
Bear (also Waxing)
Scorpion

—Excerpt from Many Moons 2017, Vol 2. Buy here.

Purchase Many Moons 2018 here. 
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