Altar Crafting for the New Moon: The Warm Divinity of Difficulty
We are experiencing a collective rebalancing. Funny how things feel suddenly so tilted. This sensation of losing our center reveals an ugly truth: we have been off balance for a very, very long time. So long that we've begun to recognize it as normal. Rebalancing can be jarring, agitating, frightening, and disturbing. It can be threatening, too. Even if you are aware of the imbalance, it's become our collective foundation - and reestablishing the ground on which we stand can be difficult when we're still standing on it. There's a part of us that wants things to just stay easy. But as witches, we know better. We can recognize this as a Divine opportunity. A challenge to face, and an answer to call. I invite you to create an Altar to recognize this moment of necessary balance, and support the world in discovering its center, beginning at our own. After all, magic begins within and works its way outwards - like ripples in the field of magical consciousness that connects us all whether we like it or not.
This moon nestles into Leo, which means learning to respect and care for our range of emotions while bolstering them with strength and self-assurance. This can be a tender time. Our emotions can run high and are amplified by the dark mirror of the new moon. This is not a magical torture chamber (though it can feel like one if we are resisting our own growth), but a rich and bountiful opportunity to respectfully identify our feelings, witness them for what they are, and offer them space through the practice of altar crafting. Just as the full moon demands to be seen, glowing through the vastness of the world in a given moment, the new moon demands us to see ourselves; to recognize that the same bright lunar glow that is reflected by the moon exists first within us all. By creating an altar, we are better able to witness the aspects of our own being in need of support, and to then magically, energetically and emotionally do the work.
There are several ways in which you can choose to arrange your altar, from the traditional to the uniquely intuitive. Since this altar is specifically calling upon the energies of strength and balance, it seems essential to reflect this in your altar display. Oftentimes witches will create an elemental circle on their altar, calling in the forces of water (west), fire (south), earth (north) and air (east), our earthly overseers, while arranging specific talismans for them in their respective directions. Should you choose to do this, be sure to earnestly call upon your inner knowing. Use what feels most representative of each element - special stones, a cup of water, leaves, colorful flowers - thanking each offering as the are placed. In the middle you may choose to invoke the energy of Center, what many magical practitioners revere as the point of possibility, where element meets spirit and earth and the otherworld melt into one. You may also choose to offer your altar to a color that brings you a sense of balance, making it intuitive, personal, and eclectic. During these liminal moments of the New Moon hanging in the darkness of summer, we invoke the sun - the high and bright creatrix of illumination and sacred fire. Considering the sweet warmth of the season is a perfect creative cue for building your altar of Balance.
Stones that reflect and exude the light of the sun are a powerful addition to this months altar, such as citrine. This particular gemstone sends bright light to the brain, strengthening the intellect and expanding our awareness. It motivates us towards new pathways of self-expression, and draws our own inner radiance outwards, requiring a personal balance to express and understand.
One of my favorite flowers to include in a summer altar is calendula - a powerful and sunny plant ally, known for transmuting energies that are no longer necessary, or have become harmful. Calendula is warming, drawing out what is stagnant in order to offer it back up to the energies of the earth and reinvent into something purposeful. Calendula highlights possibilities for the future, and invites us to imagine these changes, and rebalance ourselves as well as our environment. Perhaps consider what other talismans you would wish to include into your altar space, particularly to express strength and the power of Leo. The 8th card of the tarot's major arcana, the “Strength” card, is a fine addition. Rocks to establish strength in groundedness, spices to evoke warmth by smell alone, or a candle to thank the flame of our passions might be suitable options too.
Leo has arrived just in time to pick us up from the puddle of necessary emotions that have been brought to light by the efforts of Cancer. There is space for a fresh beginning here - just remember that you don't have to do everything at once, or with haste. Initiate your altar with patience and reverence, just as you might learn to treat your own self. As the moon rebirths, swaddled in the vastness of a twinkling sky, so does your current chapter of life. The choices you make now, given extra strength by way of this lunar Leo phase, will affect the following month in a big way as the moon continues to fill its own cup again - just as we fill ours. Pour slowly and intentionally.
A great way to put these strengths into practice is through somatic sensory awareness, joining together the tenacity of the body with the magic of the mind. Breathe into your own being. Sit with your altar, and enact the slow steadiness of your own lungs. With each breath, notice yourself. Reflect on all that you are, while gently stretching into these aspects of being. If in a breath you happen to notice your ribcage flexing open, bend slightly from one side to the next, making a little more space for the moment. Flex your toes back, flare your nostrils, or stretch out your fingers. Feel how strong even the smallest parts of you can be, simply by activating them. Introduce intention to these movements, whether it be while opening a door, scratching your arm, sitting with your altar, or washing dishes. These mundane moments are ritual. They are where the richest magical sparks reside - as long as we acknowledge them as such. All it takes is an intentional breath of life.