How Witches Use Moon Phases: A Beginner’s Guide
In witch lore, and in the public imagination, the moon is inextricably linked to witchcraft. And it’s true for many witches. We time our spells with various phases to strengthen them. We use it to celebrate and gather in our covens and witch groups, some use it as a guide for weekly practice, and some witches associate a deity with each phase.
Gender is fluid, the non-binary is everywhere in nature, and while the moon is usually associated with female Deities and the sun with male Deities in modern witchcraft, that has not been true in all cultures at all times. And people around the world see the moon in different ways. Human history is long, and who knows how people who lived in older animistic cultures saw the moon or if it was gendered at all? So, trust your intuition and work with the moon as you perceive it, gendered, non-gendered, or fluid.
What is the Magic of the Moon Phases
Working with the moon phases can be one of the easiest ways to notice and align with energetic flows. Like the seasons, each phase of the moon carries its own feeling. A dark moon can feel completely different than a full moon, just like winter feels different from summer. If we practice sitting quietly for a few minutes, we often start to notice these shifts.
More importantly, we begin to learn how each moon phase affects us. And at the same time, noticing those subtle shifts helps us learn to notice other magical energies.
You don’t need to be elaborate. The moon can simply serve as a template or rhythm to inspire small acts of magic, such as lighting a candle for an intention aligned with that phase, or simply honoring the phase the moon is currently in and noticing its power.
The moon's gravitational pull on the Earth's waters creates the oceanic tides. And it pulls on the internal ocean of our body as well. We might not be able to notice or measure those effects, but it means we are aligned at a deep level with the moon.
Below, I’ll share the most common magical associations of the moon phases. But remember: everyone is different. So, notice your own energy. Even simply asking yourself, “What does this energy feel like?” and tracking the feelings you notice with each phase can help you learn more about it.
Common Magical Associations of the Moon Phases
New Moon
This is the moment when the old moon that has been getting smaller every night disappears, and suddenly the cycle shifts and starts to grow. This is the turning point between waning and waxing. A good time for starting something new, setting intentions, hopes, and dreams.
Personally, I like to wait one more night until it is visible at sunset as a tiny sliver crescent.
Waxing Gibbous Moon
Waxing Moon Phases
The moon increases every night. Witches use this phase to empower new projects, Or to call in something they need to steadily expand. Magically, it is useful to start a spell early in this phase and let it grow the entire waxing phase. Ask for it to culminate at the full moon.
If you are going to create a spell later in this phase, meaning closer to the full moon, it is a good time to work on refining or expanding something that is already going. Something that just needs a little more energy or growth.
Waxing Moon Spell
A simple way to carry out a waxing phase spell is to write your hope or what you want to call in on a piece of paper and bury it in the earth at sunset. Water it in and ask the moon to help it grow. If you can’t get natural fiber paper (some paper has plastic these days), you can write on a bay leaf instead or whisper your hope into a hole. Be sure to water it in well; that’s what signals you want it to grow, not go away.
Full Moon
Full Moon
Culmination and expansion magic. This is a time when many witches choose to simply honor and celebrate their craft. Let go of constraints. Be ecstatic. Be joyful.
You can raise a little energy and let go of normal reality. You can also use the energy of the full moon to go on a trance journey to other realms if you have that skill or if someone guides you.
Maybe burn a little Mugwort to enhance that shift in consciousness.
But the full moon also has a powerful ability to expand and bring things to completion. If something is ready to culminate or you are ready for something to arrive, you can use full moon energy to make it so.
Full Moon Spell
To create a simple full moon spell, get clear on what you desire. Depending on how you feel about it, you could add a caveat like “this or better.” When you are ready, you can light a white candle and speak your desire.
I like to say it three times to honor the three days the moon appears full, and because in modern Euro-American witchcraft, there is the phrase “By the power of 3 times 3, as I will it so mote it be.”
If you choose, you can boost the spell by singing and dancing or just let the candle burn all the way out.
Waning Crescent
Waning Moon Phase
After the full moon, the light decreases every night until the moon goes completely dark and is veiled from sight. This phase is useful for letting go and banishing. The energy from the moon is diminishing.
Early in this phase, the magic is more about gentle release, spreading, and sharing. Later, as the light continues to fade, it becomes good for deeper releasing or banishing what is no longer wanted or needed.
Waning Moon Spell
A simple way to do this is to gather with others around a fire and each speak what needs to go, or everyone can whisper their intention into a candle, or if you are solo, write down what needs to be released on a piece of paper and burn it in a fireproof container. If you want to add some herbs to help it move, Rosemary and Blue vervain are both good to include.
Once the moon is completely dark, it becomes a very inward time. A deep underworld space. Good for divination, dreamwork, or simply being still.
Visible vs Astronomical Timing
Some styles of magic work with the moon as it appears in the sky rather than using the exact astronomical moment of the phase change.
Full moon time is often considered to be the day before, the day of, and the day after the exact full moon. Which is the time it appears full to the eye.
At dark moon our lunar companion disappears completely. This is generally the day before the new moon and the day after, until the first fingernail crescent becomes visible at sunset. Usually about two days.
Journaling and Intention Setting with the Moon
You can deepen your moon practice by writing down your thoughts, observations, or desires during each phase. It doesn’t need to be every day. Even checking in a few times during a full moon cycle can show you patterns.
If you feel called to practice some witchcraft but are unsure what to do you could try sitting with some of these prompts:
New Moon – What do I want to call in? What seeds am I planting?
Waxing Phase – What needs growth? What am I building or tending?
Full Moon – What is coming into fullness? What needs to be celebrated or expanded?
Waning Phase – What am I ready to release or banish? What is no longer needed?
Dark Moon – What needs to be composted? What is ready to be surrendered?
Let yourself notice and feel the spiral dance of the moon as it circles the Earth and Sun. And let yourself grow and change as well.
Happy witchery,
Colette she/her
© Copyright ~ Colette Gardiner Golden Web LLC 2025