Welcome to Moon Cycles Camp!
Goddesses and moons, oh, my! Most of us have some form of practice with both, many of us want a greater connection with both - hence this camp! One of my favorite ways to celebrate both is to honor the cycles they follow - the Goddess by way of our own bodies, and the moon as she circles around the earth. Many of you are familiar with the “female energy cycle” and also with the moon’s phases, so review if you wish, or skip on ahead to the fun sparkly links below. Browse and find something that sparks you, or delve deep and re-evaluate your relationship with the moon… whatever speaks to you. mostly, have fun and be shiny!
The Phases of the Goddess and the Moon
Following your own cycle & the moon’s can be a powerful tool not just for enhancing your spiritual practice, but also for personal discovery and enrichment. It’s possible to gain better balance & greater harmony by not fighting your natural energy at different points in your cycle and the moon’s - embracing the natural rhythms of our bodies and of the moon gives us opportunities to uncover parts of ourselves, find inspiration, unleash creativity, and generally live more fully, magically, and blessedly.
There are triple aspect versions of both the moon and the Goddess, but the four aspect version (adding enchantress and new moon) to me is key in terms of energy; I prefer having the full moon correlate with the enchantress (rather than mother), because those are both ideal times for divination, so it feels right to me, but go with which feels right to you.
| Maiden | Mother | Enchantress | Crone |
| New | Waxing | Full | Waning |
| End of Flow - Cm Start | Cm starts - Ovulation | Ovulation - Start of Flow | Start of Flow - End of Flow | time to be out and exuberant | time to create and nourish | time for divination | cleansing and release | do something new | find a new way of dealing with an issue | watch for revelations | find something old to shed |
“The Female Energy Cycle”
I first learned about the FEC here at the “official” site. The basic concept is that a woman’s menstrual cycle has four parts that correspond to the four Goddess aspects. They list several goddesses for each phase, and the idea is to figure out which ones most closely relate to your own energy for each phase. Then you can adapt accordingly. You can also work with any issues you may have had in your own phases (as a maiden or a mother, for example), or any challenges you might have with any of the phases (if you don’t, for example, connect with your crone self, you might have really painful periods).
The Moon’s Cycles
Mooncircles is my favorite website for moon stuff. It has articles and rituals at each new and full moon. For those of you who are not familiar with it, here’s a quick list of links for some of the different sections…
Here are some more moon links:
YOUR Version of the Phases
Don’t just assume that you should follow the FEC chart exactly. If people wanted you can start charting your cycle so you can see how the two relate. Same goes for the moon. While in general we feel the phases fairly consistenly, the moon draws our emotions, and part of that depends on our own moon sign (if you don’t know yours, here’s one place to find out) and our links with whatever sign she’s in. (if you’re interested in astrology and haven’t done a full natal report, I love this free one.)
Working with the Energy
Once you know how your natural energy ebbs and flows (or the moon’s), you can be more aware of when is a good time to do something or avoid something… like when’s a good time for cooking a new recipe, and when’s a good time to get take-out… when the best time is to clean, buy new crafting supplies, perform a ritual or divination. You can adapt your exercise or meditation routine for the greatest benefit, schedule coffee dates or play dates for your optimum enjoyment, and so on and on…
BONUS for the advanced moony: Get your cycle in sync with the moon’s!
And now, the sparkly stuff!
Some fun and sparkly ideas for ways to celebrate your Goddess phases and honor the moon’s. (Note—when I say “phase,” below, I almost always mean BOTH yours and the moon’s.)
Meditation, yoga, energy therapy
Altars, rituals
Beads
More lustable items from Etsy:
