How to Make Moon Water and Use It in Witchcraft
Witchcraft and the moon have been inextricably linked for centuries. Many modern witches time their magic rituals to gather together with their covens according to the moon cycles. People relied on the moon cycle as the earliest calendar. Even the word month itself comes from the Old English word mōnaþ (or monath), so today I wanted to share another way that you can layer the moon's energy into your spells and rituals.
You can make moon water at any of the eight astrological moon phases, but I find full, new, or dark moon water to be the most helpful as a witch. But full moon is usually my favorite, although I do love a good Samhain dark moon essence.
How to Make Moon Water
Making moon water is really simple. You can make it more elaborate if you choose, but the basic process is easy. Find a clear glass bowl and clean it really well. I just use soap and water, but then I follow up by dipping it under running tap water three times, saying something simple like cleanse and bless. Then fill it with cold water.
If you don’t have an outdoor balcony or area that is animal proof, you might want to find a clear glass plate to cover the bowl and a rock on top of the plate to keep animals out. You could use a white rock or a piece of quartz during full moon, and a black rock or black quartz during dark moon, or either for new moon. You could also just use a clean canning jar with a lid instead of a bowl and plate.
Letting Your Moon Water Brew
Once the sun has set, you can take your jar or bowl of water outside and leave it in an uncovered place that is open to the night sky. If you are going for a full moon water, you might want to put it somewhere that the full moon light will hit it. If I really want that new moon energy in the water, I will often wait till the night after the new moon so that I get the energy of it fully starting to grow and wax, because it’s usually actually still veiled at the new moon. People often ask me if they can do it indoors. You totally can, but it’s not as strong.
I personally also like to put a mirror underneath my water bowl or jar to help reflect energy back into the water and capture a little more of that moon energy. You can usually find several sizes of round inexpensive mirrors without frames at craft stores ranging from very tiny to about 8 inches across. But you don’t have to do that.
If you are someone who likes to work with energies and spirits, you can take a moment to center and ground and call on the energy of the moon, whether it’s invisible as in the dark moon time or whether it’s rising up when it’s full.
Basically you just want to ask the Moon to charge your water with some of its energy and magic, and you can say that however you want. But you could say something like: I call the power of the moon this night. I call on your magic of darkness and light. May this water be charged by the energy you hold. And may this work be pleasing in all the realms. You could also be really specific about saying the moon phase properties you want to call in.
After you’ve set the bowl or jar outside, let your water sit out all night or at least a few hours. It’s best to bring it in before sunrise if you can, but if you can’t, just bring it in as early as possible. Make sure you label your moon waters. Add the date. And if you work with astrology, you might write down the astrological sign the moon was in when you made your water.
How to Preserve Moon Water for Long-Term Use
If your bowl and jar were perfectly clean, your moon water will keep in the fridge for about a week. If you want to keep it longer, you’ll need to add some alcohol to preserve it. Then it will last from six months to a year. I usually just use a pendulum to see if it’s still magically charged or see what my intuition tells me.
You can use a high alcohol content vodka, or if you aren’t going to take it internally and you don’t live with anyone else who might accidentally drink it, you can use rubbing alcohol because it’s a ton cheaper and you don’t need to use as much.
I like to add 1/4 cup of vodka for every 3/4 cup of water. If you’re using rubbing alcohol, I use approximately 9/10 of a cup of water and 1/10 of a cup rubbing alcohol. You’ll have to guesstimate that amount.
For most of my waters that I preserve I like brandy better, but for moon waters I really like for them to be clear, so I use rubbing alcohol or vodka.
Moon Phase Meanings for Moon Water Magic
The full moon holds the energies of celebration, culmination, completion, and expansion.
The dark moon holds the energy of banishing, releasing, mystery, divination, and going within. For those who work with curses or hexing or bindings, this is the moon phase when that work is done.
The new moon holds the magic of beginnings, fresh perspective, or a beginner's outlook, and it is always useful to include this water in a spell for something you want to have grow over time.
Magical Uses for Moon Water in Witchcraft
If you haven’t put alcohol in it, you can use it as the water in whatever kind of ritual beverage you might be making for full, new, or dark moon celebrations. That could be a tea, or a fruit or alcohol drink.
You could anoint yourself with it to help hold the energy of that moon and align yourself more fully with its powers, as well as the powers of night.
You could anoint yourself during full or dark moon celebrations.
You could anoint someone else during any kind of rite of passage or initiation ritual.
Or you could put it in a bath or pour it over yourself in the shower to align yourself more with the powers of the moon and the night or the specific energies of that phase. This can help you understand those energies better or help magically charge you to do witchcraft once you're done bathing.
For spells, it doesn’t matter if the moon water has alcohol in it or not. I will anoint candles with it for spells, similarly to the way Christians traditionally anoint candles with holy water. I do this when I want to call in the energy of whatever moon phase I collected the water in. And then I use that candle as part of my spell work
Moon Water Spell Ideas
If I have a project or an abundance spell that I want to give a boost to or bring to a successful conclusion, I might anoint my candle with full moon water, and then add whatever else is needed for that spell working to the altar or plate. Some people don’t like to mix fire and water, so if you are one of those people, you could instead draw a circle around the candle or on the altar with the water. I think full moon water would also be really nice for any love or sex magic.
Dark moon water would be great anointed on the candle or altar for any banishing or releasing spell, or maybe even before you do a divinatory reading with runes or cards.
New moon water would be great to anoint a candle or the altar for anything having to do with beginnings or new projects, or even just a new spell you’ve never used before that is focused on bringing something in.
I also like to use it on candles or the altar when I am doing things like pulling a card for each of the next six months. I find those readings to be really helpful for determining timing to begin projects or magical workings, or if I just want to get a read on the flow of each month for magic and projects I’m doing in my life.
I also like to paint or dab spell paper with moon water, let it dry, and then write my intentions, my spell, or a sigil on that paper.
I’ve also used moon water to paint a circle or a pentacle on the floor of the space I’m working magic, a little like casting a circle.
Some witches will also anoint their tools with the moon water of whatever phase the moon is in when they do their magic. You just have to be careful if you’re a person who works with crystals because some crystals can be destroyed by water or alcohol. I have a lot of crystals, but I also really love rocks, and I tend to use those if I have any doubts or concerns.
There are lots of ways that you can use moon water to add another layer of energy to your spells and magic. I am a big fan of keeping things simple and easy. But as a teacher, I sometimes find that adding layers onto spells and rituals through the use of herbs or moon water helps people really feel the energy more deeply if they are just beginning and requires less energy from them.
Wishing you all a deep and magical connection in whatever way you work with the moon.
Blessings on your Path
Colette Gardiner
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