The moon is a reminder of the constantly shifting cycles of our lives. We get energized, then get overwhelmed. We feel joyful, then feel sad. The ups and downs of life constantly keep us in motion. Utilizing the cycles of the moon to gracefully flow with the ebbs and flows of life is called moon energy. Rituals help you harness the power of moon energy on a regular basis.
What are the best rituals to use for the new moon? The best rituals to use for the new moon are ones that are focused on manifesting a life that is the highest version of yourself. Because the new moon is the first phase of the moon cycle, it is a perfect time to revisit your goals and write new intentions for the upcoming month. The new moon carries the energy of new beginnings, so rituals that work well with the full moon include:
- Rituals for attracting new people into your life
- Rituals for starting a new job or project
- Rituals for receiving deeper clarity on spiritual matters
- Rituals being open to opportunities headed your way
If you want to start incorporating the power of moon energy into your life, the new moon phase is a great time to start. Learning the symbolic and spiritual meaning of the new moon can help guide you in creating your own new moon rituals.
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What Does The New Moon Mean Spiritually?
We as humans are deeply tied to the phases of the moon, whether we are consciously aware of it or not. In the course of evolution, our species has spent way more years staring up at the sky than staring at our smartphones. It still holds spiritual and energetic value in a place deep within us.
Before the modern era, during the new moon phase, the world was dark. Social gatherings could not go on late into the night because light was administered by the sun and the moon only. The new moon phase was a time for sleeping early and introspection.
Spiritually, this is the meaning of the new moon: introspection. It is a time to reflect on the past month and identify what worked and what didn’t.
The new moon represents the harsh duality of our lives. The new moon and the full moon are the yin and yang energies, pushing and pulling the masculine and feminine energies so that we can find our own balance and our own truth.
The new moon shows us that without darkness we can not appreciate the light. In a spiritual sense, the new moon represents the reason we have chosen a physical incarnation: challenge and hardship is the catalyst for change and evolution. We are all here to be challenged and to grow from those experiences.
How Does a New Moon Affect Us?
Regardless if you feel a powerful tug or nothing at all, the changing phases of the moon do affect us. In terms of physics, gravity plays a part. In terms of energy, the alignment of the planets plays a part.
So, how does the new moon affect us? People have reported feeling “new moon depression,” saying that they feel a little down every time a new moon cycles through. Other people feel liberated, as though a weight has been lifted off their shoulders. Everyone is affected a little differently by the new moon, and the best way for you to find out how you are affected by the new moon is to journal about it each month.
It is helpful to look up your complete astrological birth chart to find out what sign your moon is in. This will give you insight into how you process moon energy. It is why some people feel depressed during a new moon, and some people feel energized.
In astrology, your moon represents how you react to the world around you. It is how you internally navigate certain situations, deciding what is positive and what is negative, so you can make good choices. It is your need for security, comfort, and companionship. The moon carries intuitive female energy and is often depicted as a nurturing mother.
Find out what sign your moon is in, and that can give you insight as to how the moon phases affect you. The new moon usually shows the heavier sides of your sign, which lets you process deep subconscious emotions, leading to positive results for the upcoming moon cycle.
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How Do You Set New Moon Intentions?
The most powerful way to use new moon energy on a regular basis is to set intentions for the upcoming moon cycle.
How do you set new moon intentions? To set new moon intentions, all you need is a pen/pencil and piece of paper, and your willingness to show up. Take a moment and breathe to get centered in your body. When you feel ready, make a list of all of the things that you would like to see yourself achieving by the next new moon.
It is also helpful to set time aside to reflect on your past month. You can write down all the goals you accomplished and all the things you are grateful for that happened this past moon cycle. You can also write down all your disappointments, and the things you wished you had accomplished.
Setting intentions is not about painting an unrealistic image of yourself. It is about being real. Often times we have to face our disappointments to learn from them. We also have to take time to celebrate our victories. These are things that we oftentimes forget as we rush through the day.
Reflection is how you grow, and introspection is what gives these new moon intentions life.
Once you have reflected on the past month, you can then have more clarity as to what you want to achieve in your upcoming month.
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Rituals For The New Moon
Along with setting intentions for the new moon, you can also perform rituals for attracting certain things into your life during the next moon cycle. Intention setting and ritual performance work amazing together because you can clearly see what you want to manifest after your intentions have been set.
So, what are some common rituals for the new moon? Rituals for the new moon usually include rituals for manifestation, rituals for abundance, and rituals for love. This is because new moon energy helps clear blocked energy, opening up opportunities for creating a higher version of yourself.
Rituals are all about the physical action you take to work towards your goal. The universe needs your action to begin the energetic process of helping you create your reality.
New Moon Rituals for Manifestation
Rituals for manifestation are fun. You can really “mock-up” anything you want in life. The new moon is a great time for working with a blank slate, imagining if you could start from scratch, what you would create.
The act of physically writing intentions each month is, in fact, a ritual. Putting pen to paper is a lot more powerful than most people realize. Getting what is in imagination onto something in the physical realm is like opening a gateway for it to manifest.
The next step after writing your intentions is to make a sacred space for them to rest for the month. The best place for this is an altar.
What is an altar?
An altar is an area in your living space dedicated to your sacred spiritual energy. It is a place that you visit when you want to shift your focus from physical matters to spiritual matters. Often, people meditate near their altar or pray at their altars.
There are no set rules on where or what your altar should include; it is really specific to you and your spiritual relationship. However, the most common items that people place on an altar are:
- Incense
- Crystals
- Statues of certain saints deities: Buddha, Jesus, Hindu gods, angels, etc.
- Objects that contain the four elements of air, earth, fire, water: feathers, a bowl of water, sand, rocks, smudge sticks like palo santo, etc.
For example, here is a photo of a custom made altar that I had in my previous energy healing space. I liked having my spiritual books, crystals, plants, coins, statues, and medicinal herbs. I liked having it shaped like a bookshelf, so it looked presentable for clients that would come in for energy healings.
Manifesting with your altar
Each new moon, after you write your intentions on paper, place them on your altar. Light incense, and spend some time thanking the universe to assist you in bringing these intentions into your life.
Keep these intentions on your altar all month long. The more you revisit your altar and give gratitude for your intentions manifesting, the more likely they will come through for you.
If you want to keep manifesting each month, make sure you dispose of your intentions before the start of the next new moon. You can do this by lighting them on fire in a heat-proof vessel (in a safe area, with the windows open or outside) or burying them in the ground outside.
As you burn or bury your intentions, thank the universe for helping you manifest your intentions (even if they haven’t happened yet, it might not be the right timing). Allow the energy to be transmuted so that you can start the new moon cycle again with fresh energy.
New Moon Rituals for Abundance
Piggybacking off of new moon rituals for manifesting, a similar method could be applied to new moon rituals for attracting abundance.
Instead of putting your written intentions on your altar, you can place coins, currency bills, or a check for any amount on your altar.
Keep visiting your altar throughout the month and give gratitude to the universe for opening opportunities for abundance to come into your life.
You can accompany this practice with affirmations. Some effective abundance mantras are:
- I have all my needs met in life
- I deserve to be wealthy and successful
- I am powerful and capable of creating an abundant life
- My heart is full and my life is abundantly beautiful
Before the next new moon, wash your coins in cold water and sage smudge your bills before putting them back in your wallet. Thank the universe for all the opportunities that have opened for abundance to come in (even if you haven’t seen them yet!). If you wrote a check, burn the check or bury it in the ground.
New Moon Rituals for Love
My favorite new moon ritual is a ritual around attracting love into your life. This is because, in order to attract love into your life, you need to love yourself first.
New moon energy is all about connecting with yourself, and going within. The more connected and secure you feel within, the more beauty shines outward.
When you love yourself and feel confident, it is wildly attractive to others, and you become a magnet for lovers and friends.
The best new moon ritual you can do is all about self-care. Whatever you can do to make yourself feel loved can be turned into a new moon ritual.
My go-to new moon ritual is to take a sacred bath. This is a time when I turn off the world around me and focus on myself.
New Moon Bath Ritual:
- Light a palo santo smudge or incense of your choice to purify the energy.
- Run a warm bath, and put essential oils of your choice into the bath.
- While soaking in the bath, close your eyes and bring awareness to your body. In your mind, scan your body and notice any areas that come into your awareness where you have been storing fear, anger, other people’s energy, or insecurities.
- Imagine those energies flowing out of your body, becoming part of the bathwater. Allow the element of water to purify these.
- As you drain the water, thank the vessel for holding space for you to release. Thank the water for being an instrument for emotional flow. As you watch the water draining, imagine those emotions being transmuted back into universal energy.
- Thank yourself for being present with your body to heal.
- Before going to bed, massage your entire body with jojoba or sweet almond oil and a few drops of rose essential oil. Rose holds an extremely high vibration and will offer astral protection as you sleep.
This ritual will begin to create a lasting bond with yourself, which will be attractive to others as the days of the moon continue.
Can You Do A New Moon Ritual During the Day?
You can do new moon rituals anytime during the day during the new moon phase, but the new moon energy is especially potent as the new moon is just beginning or just about to transition to the next moon phase.
You can search for mobile apps that will send you alerts when the moon is switching between phases so you can plan to take advantage of these windows.
The app that I use is called Moon Calendar. I am not an affiliate for them, I just really like the app and recommend it!
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What Else Do You Do On A New Moon?
To get the most out of new moon energy, there are other activities you can do to utilize the manifesting power of the new moon.
So, what else should you do on the new moon? Other common activities to do on the new moon include: new moon ceremonies, new moon magic and spells, new moon crystal work, journaling, and new moon intention setting.
New moon ceremonies
New Moon ceremonies have been practiced since humans have evolved to gather in a community. Each phase is a significant marker of new stages in life. It is a time that people set aside their differences and gather under the one sky that they share in common.
What is a new moon ceremony? A new moon ceremony is a time to gather with others who also want to harness the power of moon energy. Energy movement is always amplified with the power of others giving and receiving, so it is a great way to bring power and speed to your intentions.
We are social creatures, and being around others to celebrate phases of life is life-giving. It makes us feel not so alone in this world. Hosting, or finding a new moon ceremony near you can be a wonderful monthly activity to get some distance from the stress of your hectic life.
New moon spells and magic
Spells and magic are an effective way to harness the power of moon energy because they take a lot of conscious intention setting to do them right. I believe the power of spells and magic comes from the power of your intentions, which is sealed by your physical participation in the spell.
There are countless spells to do for each moon phase, so it can seem overwhelming to figure out where to start.
Spells for the new moon can be easily narrowed by a little astrology investigation. Find out which sign the new moon is in for that month, and you can amplify the power of your moon energy spell.
For example, if the new moon is in Taurus, you can focus your spell on the lessons that Taurus teaches. Taurus is all about feeling secure on the earth and attracting things in your life that make you feel abundant. This would be a great time for spells around confidence and bringing in abundance.
You can also incorporate the seasonality into your spells. If you are setting a new moon spell in Springtime, you can focus on the lessons that Spring teaches. Spring is about growth, new beginnings, fertility, creativity and planting seeds for the future. Setting spells around this theme would amplify the energy.
Should You Use Sage On a New Moon?
A common practice to do on the new moon is to do cleansing rituals. This is taking cues from the cosmic cycles to shed the past month’s energy so that you can start anew.
Many people ask, can I use sage for cleansing on the new moon? Yes, you can use sage for cleansing on the new moon. If you have a busy lifestyle and can’t fit in ceremonies, spells, intentions or rituals, then using sage is a great option.
It is a relatively quick activity that can improve your productivity and well-being for the month ahead. All you need is sage and a fire source.
You can sage at any time during the new moon phase. Take a piece of sage, light it, and wave the smoldering bundle around your aura. Imagine that all of the past month’s energy, including everyone else’s energy you may be holding onto, is transmuted with the smoke into universal consciousness.
This work is amplified if you incorporate affirmations, as your focused intentions will cleanse your energy quicker and more effectively. Mantras or affirmations while using sage could be:
- I ask that all energy that isn’t serving me be cleansed and transmuted back to universal consciousness to serve its highest good.
- I am reborn with the moon, starting this cycle with renewed and abundant energy.
- I am removing any stuck energy and opening up to the flow of the universe, allowing any synchronicities or new opportunities into my reality.
These are just some examples, you can use any affirmations that feel right to you in this moon cycle and season in your life.
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Crystals For New Moon Rituals
Another way to utilize the new moon energy is to use crystals. There are various crystals that harmonize with the moon energy at various stages of the moon, and I love to work with certain crystals during the new moon.
So, what are the best crystals to use for the new moon? My favorite crystals to work with during the new moon actually looks like a dark moon, which is black tourmaline. I also like to work with black obsidian, hematite, smoky quartz and labradorite.
- Black Tourmaline: This stone is a purifying stone, specifically with cleansing the emotional body of negative self-talk, feelings of unworthiness, or being stuck on disappointments in life. It is a stone that helps those with depression and anxiety in terms of planning for the future. This is a great stone to keep with you during the entire phase of the new moon.
- Black Obsidian: This stone is meant for deep shadow work, which is great to do during the new moon. Black obsidian helps you access the deep corners of your subconscious while doing work with intention setting. It should only be used if you have experience with crystal work, as it can bring up a lot of difficult emotions.
- Hematite or Lodestone: This is a stone of attraction. It allows you to become magnetized while working on rituals for manifestation.
- Smoky Quartz: This crystal allows you to tap into your darker sides of yourself while still holding onto the light. It lets you find clarity on your weaknesses that are normally clouded by fear or shame. This is great for periods of introspection.
- Labradorite: Calms the overactive mind and gives strength to the energy of introspection. This energy helps with setting intentions that are fueled by the subconscious mind.
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Summary
Using new moon energy by incorporating rituals is a great way to reconnect with yourself while also connecting with the larger universal energies. By setting rituals for each new moon, you can routinely check in with yourself and keep on track with your goals.
The new moon is all about inner reflection and introspection. Sometimes we need subtle reminders to check in with ourselves, and the moon is there to give us a gentle nudge. We love you mama moon.
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