Loving La Luna
How does one enter relationship with the stars? What is the entry point for planetary communion? Where should, can, and how do you begin? While there could be a multitude of potential answers to this question, I find the Moon to be the perfect place to start.
This is meant to be short and sweet, just like the Moon’s transits. Creating planetary relationships shouldn't be complicated, although I do include some suggestions at the end if you are seeking to go further. Tracking the Moon starts visually, by watching the growth and decrease in the sky each evening. You can look at the location by sign using free websites online, such as astro.com or astro-seek.com, but it’s vital that you observe her natural state in all her glory as she moves above your head daily. This visual component starts by rooting your body into the Earth, reminding you of your humanity and of your vulnerability while also reminding you that this work originally began with what you were able to see.
On a technical level, it is easiest to feel the changes from the Moon because of how quickly it occurs. They change signs every two and a half days, moving the fastest out of all the visible planets. Every sign transition includes a change of element and modality, and most sign transitions bring aspects from the Moon to the other planets. Following these transits, either closely written in a journal or broadly observed in the sky, will start showing you the cycles that exist within you. Does the Moon being in fire signs give you more energy? How do you feel when the Moon moves through your 7th House? What sign of the Moon makes you most ready to take a nap? How does your mood shift when the Moon is growing in fullness versus when the Moon is shrinking in size?
In the way that the Moon shifts so rapidly, as does our moods. Humans can move from joyous, to flustered, to sorrowed, to laughing in a flash of time. Noticing these small changes in the Moon’s movements opens up the opportunity to be more aware of these small changes in ourselves. Just as the Moon changes signs more quickly than any other planetary body, our mood can drastically change over the course of a day. The human experience is not designed to be stagnant, sitting still inside of a test tube. It is passionate, flashy, intense, and fully embodied. Naturally, that comes with conflicting emotions and regular adaptations. If you can see how some of those fluctuations line up with the Moon’s movements, you can better prepare yourself.
The Moon reflects the Sun’s light in the way that the body reflects the mind’s patterns. Lunar work is body work at its very core. We’ve heard since childhood of how the Moon affects high and low tide, and the human body is made of mostly water. The waters running within us and invigorating our cells mirror the waters within the world where our feet walk. The Moon’s push and pull influences the emotional waters of our intuition. Working with our bodies can be so vulnerable and so intense, truly highlighting the crab archetype of Cancer. It’s easy to hold pressure within our body, never willing to release it due to fear of the cup running over and never being able to contain it again. I’m here to say that you deserve to let it run over and run wild.
Coexisting with the Moon means being willing to fluctuate. It means letting yourself be a human, in the most raw way. It means encouraging an awareness of your body’s needs as they ebb and flow. It means witnessing your changes, progressions, and regressions and choosing to hold them with love instead of judgment. It means looking up at the sky every night to see how big or small she is and watching how that bigness or smallness is being reflected inside of you in that very moment.
I like to spend some time during my Lunar return with my soul and seeking her wisdom. Lunar returns happen roughly once a month, when the Moon returns to her natal position in your birth chart. The condition of your Moon will depend on how you see best to use this transit, but I find it important to take a moment (or many) to realign myself with my natal promise, whatever part of that is living out in the current cycle. I find that I’m most sensitive when the Moon is in water signs and most productive when the Moon is in air signs. When the Moon is transiting my 8th House, it’s hard for me to get motivated to do much of anything besides rest.
There is no wrong way to build relationship with any planetary body, unless you’re doing it with ill intentions. It’s here that I place a warning before proceeding: attempting to contaminate a star’s energy with any negative intentions will not end well for the one initiating that. I’m sharing an intimate way in which I meet the planets, and this may not be the way for you, but I ask you to cherish the pathways I describe and treat them with the sacred care that they deserve.
I started my magical materia journey about two years ago with making Full Moon water, focusing solely on La Luna’s placement and aspects. In the last six months, I’ve transitioned to accounting for all planetary positions when considering a magical election and which planet(s) should take center stage. I find that it’s very beneficial to create talismans that can be destroyed if the process goes badly because planetary natures are not always well contained.
This ensouling of a planet’s nature into a physical talisman is not to be taken lightly. With that being said, you can only read the guidelines in the Picatrix so many times before putting rubber to the pavement and doing the real work. Agrippa is brilliant, but their long lasting texts can’t build a practice for you.
The best learning happens when you are both accepting of what you don’t know yet and eager to expand your perspective. Planets are teachers if you’re willing to listen.
Moon Water is water with a combination of other ingredients that has absorbed the Moon’s energy while sitting outside during its peak, a Full Moon. When the Moon is at its fullest point, there is a societal expectation that something will go haywire simply because the Moon is no longer growing and is ready to release. The Moon shifts can be palpably felt, making it obvious why this time comes with heightened emotions, and Moon Water is one way of working with this planet in a very literal and physical sense.
I prefer to use glass jars to have a clear container for the water to witness the Moon in the sky, and I vary the ingredients I add depending on which moon cycle is occurring. The astrological sign’s element, modality, and all planetary aspects to the Moon are taken into account. You can add spices, herbs, tea leaves, plant buds, essential oils, ashes, crystals, truly anything that you wish to utilize the Moon’s power. There are both edible and non-edible variations of Moon Water, so you want a clear direction when you start.
I use edible Moon Water in baking, tea, shakes, smoothie bowls, and infused water. An edible example I created during a Taurus Full Moon contained whole fennel seeds, English breakfast tea, cinnamon, and turmeric powder. I love using this water to make my morning tea that I sip while journaling, starting my day off on a positive note.
I use non-edible Moon Water for perfume/cologne, ritual water, meditation, and self-massage. A non-edible example I created during a Pisces Full Moon contained an angelite tumble, Dead Sea salt, moldavite ashes, and essential oils of lavender, cedar wood, and grapefruit. My favorite way to use this water was as a morning perfume on my wrists and temples to carry the scent with me throughout the day.
The amount that you make is completely up to you. I started by making very small amounts to ensure that I was showing full respect to the planetary body and engaging with it wholeheartedly. I approached this slowly then built up to making whole mason jars over time. I will use the majority of the water during that specific lunation and before the next Full Moon, but I have also kept some that I’ve made in the past two years. It’s fascinating to see how the lunations repeat between years and how their nature will bring up similar themes in life. In particular, following the lunations including my natal Moon sign every year highlights poignant events within greater timelines that should be watched.
It’s advised to take all necessary precautions when entering this work. Trying to make Full Moon water before establishing any connection with the planet could work, but would it really feel fulfilling or right? I’m usually the type of person to throw myself into something without a look back, but planetary ritual deserves the respect of doing the work to open up that avenue of energy before expecting to gain anything from it. I could argue that it’s rather selfish to ever expect the planets to give you anything worth gain, but those are thoughts for another day.
I hope this Lunar love letter has found you well, wherever your journey with the stars is taking you right now. I wish that journey to be joyous and generous, and thank you for reading.
