Before the moon is made new on December 30th (exact at … 5:27 pm ET, time zone converter), it returns to the place on the astrological Wheel where it began its moonthly journey. The energy gathered through the moonth now flows away into moonless nights. What will you send with this energy to be transformed in the dark?
The moonth we are concluding began and now ends in Sagittarius which corresponds to the Tarot’s Temperance card. In the Dark Goddess Tarot, Temperance is Brigid, the Irish Goddess of Craft, Art, and Healing. She is both a fire goddess found in the hearth and a water goddess experienced in sacred wells. Ellen Lorenzi-Prince, creator of the Dark Goddess Tarot, description of her includes:
Although she is the Bright One, Brigid weds a dark figure, King Bress, whose progenitors are the Fomorii, the spirits of the evil dead. Together they have a trinity of sons, Day, Light, and Life. Brigid wails after finding her beloved son dead on the battlefield, initiating the practice of keening for grief and protest, a sacred gift of expression and power in dark days.
Brigid ’s appearance is a call to embrace the divergent parts of ourselves, to be both fire and water. To dare to shine brightly, seeking to make real the best possible future for the Whole while also flowing with the tears of grief for the loss in our lives and in our broken open world.
Guided by Brigid in this dark moon time, we are invited to surrender to achievements and the losses of a double ending.
First, we are ending the moonth that began on December 1st. Second, we are at the end of the calendar year. Along with releasing what we do not want to carry from the past 28 days, this dark moon time invites us to begin to release what we’ve seen must come to an end from trials and tests of this passing year. Along with our personal surrender, we can bring the power of our intention and possibly our keening to ask for the transformation of what can no longer exist in its current state in our communities, countries, and the world. Our inner and ritual work to surrender these with Brigid’s help can compliment our outer and collective action work.
Reflection, Ritual, and Release
From 2:47 pm ET on Friday, December 27th through 11:37 pm ET on Sunday, December 29th, the dark moon returning to Sagittarius/Temperance is especially potent for supporting your transformation (but any time before the new moon’s arrival when you can fit it in is helpful). You are invited to engage in reflection and ritual to celebrate achievements of the moonth passing and release what you do not want to carry into the next lunation.
- Ponder the happenings of the moonth. If you journal, you’ll have a handy record for your personal memories, but even just looking back at your appointment calendar or photos taken can jog your mind about what’s been going on in the past few weeks.
- Let yourself appreciate what you remember as successes or gifts. Let your gratitude for them fill your heart. And/or you could pull a Tarot or oracle card to show you where you have shone brightly.
- Also open your heart to the memories and feelings of where you fell short of dreams or goals, experienced difficulty, or lost a connection to something once important. And/or you could pull a Tarot or oracle card to show you where you have been swamped by dark waters. As you shift through memories and feelings, let yourself become aware of what you are ready to release so you don’t carry it into the next moonth.
- Create sacred space by, for example, lighting a candle, imagining that you are ringed with a circle of protection, and/or your usual actions.
- You can invite Brigid and/or the face of Greater Than that you have been serving this moonth to with you and aid you in this dark moon release. Spend as much time as you need connecting with Them. You might say a prayer something like: “Brigid, full of power, full of compassion, I trust you to take from me/us all that I/we do not need to carry into the next moon cycle/year.”
- When you are ready ask Brigid or your Guide to receive the first thing you want to release. You might imagine Them placing this release into a fire where it shifts form or placing it into water where it dissolves. Or both. Do this for each of your releases.
- After you have completed your releasing, tune into your body, feeling it lighter. Re-center yourself by connecting with earth below you and the sky above you. Feel their energy mix in your heart. Offer gratitude. Be open to a blessing coming to you from Brigid and/or your face of the Greater Than.
When the new moon arrives, you may want to make wishes for the moonth and/or year to come. Be sure to write them down to revisit in January for the making of concrete plans of action to make the wishes real and/or revisiting at the end of the moonth.