new moon ritual

New Moon ritual Graveyard
August 2017

It is a late summer night in August and the night of the new moon, with bag packed full of the essentials for the night and for the occasion, Wight candles, small Iron Cauldron with a pentagram cast into one side, Crystals, Water, Sage, Salt, Tarot cards, Wine glass, and not the usual find in a witches kit but essential to us for the location we planned a torch.
As the sun dips behind the horizon with the colours of a burning man and harts full of excitement we set off both dress for the occasion in head to toe black. The location myself and my partner had chosen for this months new moon ritual is a graveyard no more as it happens than a few minuets walk from my very own flat and a place I know well. As we walk up to the old Portland stone walls and gate we suddenly have that creepy feeling you get whenever you enter an unlit place at night, when your eyes dart round looking for movement and ears prick up at the slightest noise in the trees. But I know the perfect spot to head for and with the trusty torch find it in no time at all.
I have chosen to sit in front of the large locked wooden door to the chapel it is quiet and like all graveyards it is empty and silent with flat ground to hold steady all that we bring with us and flanked either side by large impressive oaks.
So as we get ready we set up our ritual space. We cast a circuital of salt for protection against any unwanted energy's or forces then lay down the chakra coloured mat we always use. Place the candles to either side of the cauldron and the water in a glass to the left and empty wine glass to the right, we fan out the deck of tarot cards, and place the crystals in our hands as we hold them together we take three long slow deep breaths in throw the nose and out throw the mouth. This no only helps put our energy into them but also brings myself and partners breathing and hart rate into sink, Then we place the crystals into the glass of water and light the candles, we are ready to begin the ritual or should I say our ritual as we like to think as long as your approaching these things with good intentions and a good hart spirit will bless be with you no matter how you wish to interact with it.
To make it clear to ourselves and to anything or one present we tap the wine glass with a sliver knife this rings out through us both and we know its time to work with each other and anything else that wants to join us. The sage is lit and moved around the space we have created still alight and giving off a rich fragrance we place it in the half shell used to hold it, then we calm our minds and harts with five box breaths. In to the count of four, hold to the count of four, then out to the count of six, a short but effective meditation.
Then my partner is the one to begin by reading out her first of three things she wishes to let go of during this moons cycle through the night sky. Then after the paper it is placed on is sunk into the crystal water and the wine glass is made to chime. then another five box breaths together, and it is my turn to let go of the things that no longer serve me, this is repeated three times each and each time the same is done sinking the paper into the glass filled with water an crystals the glass is struck and five box breaths. Then as it was such a clear night we spent a few moments gazing up at the stars hand in hand and taking slow deep breaths.
After we have finished with this part of our ritual we again smudge our space with the sage to clear it.
Now we start with the manifestations for the month. Again almost the same calling in the second part of our ritual with the ringing of the wine glass and reading one after another the things we hope to bring into the month. then the paper is lit on a candle and left to burn in the cauldron this is when we notice a difference to this ritual than when we have performed it before.
Instead of the paper with our manifestations burning slowly as we watched. The paper (witch has always been from the same pad) this time, flames seem to jump up over the sides of the small cauldron making us both jolt back fast and gasp wow, as the paper turned to ash almost instantly.
Looking up from the flames at each other both with the same question in our minds and the exact same smile on our stunned and slightly ashed faces.
This happened every time we put the white candle to our manifestations, our hopes for the cycle of this moon seemed to contain more energy this month or in this place than we had ever seen before. So once the six little sticks of TNT that had hopes and dreams jolted on them were nothing but ash in a cauldron and we closed our eyes for a meditation to complete the ritual after only a few seconds or minutes I could not recall, we were shocked out of it by the loud flap of wings and the cracking and rustling sound of a large bird landing in thick branches.
Looking straight in to each others eyes smiles like cherisher cats and in the same instant my partner and myself utter the same words “the sudden appearance of animals”
A hoot that unmistakable sound of an owl then rings out like a full stop to our sentence and a answer to the question we had just asked each other.
The perfect end to our ritual or so we thought, sitting back and just taking in the spirit of the graveyard and the new feeling of positivity and optimism we now found ourself filled with we gaze up at the stars holding each other and just being in that moment a bat appearers and flies a dance around the candle light.
This confirmed to us both that a connection, a door way, or the energy of this ritual had been witnessed by more than just the two of us that were in the physical space at that time.
We walk back through the graves with no torch and not a hit of the fear that we had we arrived with
walking through a graveyard at night as young children walk through snow.