Esbats

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Esbats are rites held for the purpose of communing with the Moon's energies and are regarded as the time for most magical workings. As opposed to the Sabbats, which are fire or sun festivals, every moon phase is an Esbat, and different magic is worked each time see the Moon Magic page. Some witches practice magic on every esbat whilst others use esbat rituals for emergencies only. It's true to say that most Witches choose to celebrate the 12 main Esbats. These usually fall at the time of the full moon or within a few days either side if it isn't possible on the actual night. For Witches the phases of the Moon have special meanings, they give timing to the levels of Energy that are available for Magical workings, other factors such as the position of the Moon within the Wheel of the Year (the Lunar Year) and the Moons Astrological Position (i.e. which sign of the Zodiac she is currently dwelling in, see below) play their part.

With all these correspondences it may seem  quite confusing as to when you can actually focus on any specific workings, but as a general rule the Moon Phase has the strongest links, followed by the position within the wheel of the year, and lastly the Astrological Correspondances. The phases of the Moon, along with the astrological signs she moves through, create a framework by which we can time our magical workings. The major phases of the Moon are the New Moon, the Waxing Moon, the Full Moon, the Waning Moon and the Dark Moon. Right before the Waxing Moon, the powerful New Moon occurs and right before that is the Dark Moon, a very significant time, too. Further information on the different phases of the moon and reference for what magic can be worked then can be found on the Moon Magic page. Full Moons Of The Lunar Year A Full Moon occurs once every 29½ days which works out at roughly one per month, but when there is a month that contains a second Full Moon that Moon is called a Blue Moon (see the Blue Moon page). Listed below are the twelve months of the year and their specific Full Moons, their common and Tree names, along with the Correspondences associated with each. In years where a blue Moon occurs you can add this to the list and there will be a 13 Moon year. If you have trouble determining the Moon's phases there is a rather nifty little program that shows you the current phase of the moon, calculates the time until the next full moon, and gives you the julian date, universal time and local time. Perfect for figuring out the correct time for performing spells and rituals, you can get the Moon Tool from the Moonshadows free downloads page. Esbats are dedicated to the Moon in her various phases, the Moon in Magical circles is always given Feminine attributes. Esbats are considered the 'working' celebrations, the time in which to attract, banish, invoke, protect, or to perform any other magical workings. Most Sabbat festivals are held in order to celebrate the changing of the seasons, the gathering of the harvest, etc. The Esbats are primarily held in honour of the Goddess. The Lunar Year contains 12 Full Moons, these have all been called by various names in the past but the ones that seem to have become the most popular in the UK are: LUNAR MONTH LUNAR NAME CONSTELLATION LUNAR MAGIC January Wolf Capricorn Air February Storm Pisces Ice March Chaste Aquarius Healing April Seed Aries Water May Hare Taurus Fire June Dyad Gemini Love July Mead Cancer Charm August Wort Leo Rope September Barley Virgo Earth October Blood Libra Ancestral November Snow Scorpio Divination December Oak Sagittarius Kitchen Most information on Esbats tell us that there are 13 moons every year and that the 13th moon is a blue moon. Some publications and sites tell you that the 13th moon ALWAYS occurs between the 27th October and the 1st November, that simply is not true, as powerful as magic is. we cannot force the seasons to be exact or work on cue as the current climatic changes prove. I don't understand why certain authors continue the myth that the Blue Moon occurs between the 27th October and 1st November every year. It isn't possible as February has changing days dependant on if it's a leap year, and the 30, 31 shift previous to the alledged Blue Moon dates would constantly move the time out of phase. The best way I can describe it is by looking at something in reverse. For example. May day to Pagan's is always the first of May, that's just the way it is. However the May Day Bank holiday in the UK is seldom on the 1st of May, because the first of May won't always conviently fall on the Monday when the Government wants to issue a holiday. I hope that makes sense and hasn't caused too much confusion?

The Moons Astrological Correspondences Apart from the correspondences that occur naturally with the Moon Phases and the timing of the Full Moon within the Wheel of the Year, there are also further correspondences for the position of the Moon within the sign of the Zodiac. These are used by Astrologers (along with other celestial positions) to create Horoscopes, both personal and daily ones, with the Moon's position being one of the things that determines how our moods are affected. As the Moon is a feminine aspect and transits the signs of the Zodiac in about 2½ days, this can be accredited to the feminine moods that we experience, utterly changeable in aspect. The list below is here to tell you which Correspondences, activities and spells can be performed during which Astrological phase of the Moon.  Moon in Aries: Spells involving authority, willpower and rebirth. Moon in Taurus: Spells involving love, selling and buying houses and money. Moon in Gemini: Spells involving communication, public relations and travel. Moon in Cancer: Spells involving domestic life and honouring lunar deities. Moon in Leo: Spells involving power over others, courage and child birth. Moon in Virgo: Spells involving employment matters, health and intellectual matters. Moon in Libra: Spells involving court cases, partnerships and artistic matters. Moon in Scorpio: Spells involving secrets, power and psychic growth. Moon in Sagittarius: Spells involving publications, sports and the truth. Moon in Capricorn: Spells involving career, political matters and ambition. Moon in Aquarius: Spells involving freedom, expression, problem solving and friendship. Moon in Pisces: Spells involving music, telepathy and clairvoyance.