Full moon or New moon?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 02 May 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Statickitten	02 May 2005
I want to charge my tarot decks. Is it better to charge under the full moon, or the new moon? What are the different benefits of charging under the full and new moon?

Gwynne	02 May 2005
Statickitten wrote: I want to charge my tarot decks. Is it better to charge under the full moon, or the new moon? What are the different benefits of charging under the full and new moon? The Full Moon is general for beginnings, for new projects and such, and for charging objects for use. The New Moon is general for banishing, for endings, for mourning. So it would seem you'd want to charge under the Full Moon. HOWEVER, the New Moon is also for divination, adding a tricky little twist there. In this case it really becomes a matter of personal preference, however I look at it this way: If you see the cards as allowing you to peer into the darkness of the future and the psyche then charge under the New Moon. If you see the cards as shedding light on various life situations then charge under the Full Moon. If you see the cards as doing both? Then it doesn't matter either way! Charge under the next New OR Full Moon!

Statickitten	02 May 2005
Thank you so much. So I am thinking that I would want to charge under the new moon then.

feticeira	03 May 2005
I don´t who´s got it backwards here, but I´m positive that new moon is precisely about that, the new. Hence, new beginnings, starting clean, potencial. The full moon is power at it´s peak, hence for banishings (right after the full moon comes the waning, the fading, so it´s the time for a banishment to take place), meditation, taking your power to deeper and stronger levels.

Shade	03 May 2005
Cleanse it on the new moon charge it on the Full. If that istoo long to wait, cleanse it on the New and begin charging it the next night when the crescent begins to appear and charge a bit at a time till the Full moon.

WalesWoman	03 May 2005
Oh my, I'm still trying to figure out when it's best to plant seeds and root crops or weed on the moons. My decks will have to content themselves with getting their charges from me and I am solar powered.

tarotbear	03 May 2005
Dear statickitten~ This is all 'sympathetic magic.' If you feel the need to cleanse or charge your deck right this minute, there is no need to wait 2 weeks until 'the time is right.' Although having the moon 'in the correct phase' will 'help' your workings, especially if you do spellwork and such, doing something in the incorrect phase is still going to work. {non-sequetor time:even though they say that 'all goddesses are one goddess,' if you are doing a love spell to Venus, DO NOT substitute Kali in instead! ZAP!!}

cybercat	03 May 2005
New moon beginings. Full moon power peak. Waning moon release. Dark moon banishing and reflection. Cat

Moongold	03 May 2005
Could you explain why you charge your deck? I am very interested to know as I see the cards as simply being cards which bear images. I know that is just one perspective and am genuinely curious to know why you would "charge" the deck. Thank you ~ Moongold

stella01904	03 May 2005
MM ~ Waxing moon is exactly that, waxing. Waning moon for banishing. Full moon, peak power. The moon appears full for about three nights, so you have "waxing full" and "waning full". Dark moon, in my Ways, is the Enchantress. I personally only charge my cards under the full moon. But, unlike a crystal ball, they CAN be cleansed in sunlight. Why charge? Think of the magnetism of the moon, the Odic Mantle that covers the earth, and the energy running along the various ley lines. All magnetic. Nice to have a bit of this on your cards. BB, Stella

WalesWoman	03 May 2005
I keep seeing all this stuff about charging and releasing and the fact remains that it's not the cards themselves, it's the reader using them. It seems like it would make more sense working on the self rather than the tools to discover self. So maybe it means spending sometime outside in the elements to do what needs to be done... howling at the moon or dancing or whatever releases negative energy and restores harmony within, we draw our power or whatever it is from the Universe... so it just seems to make more sense to do self work than attributing things to objects. I'm sure on a new moon or dark of the moon a person would gain a lot more from being able to look at the wonder of the stars than a deck of cards would, or feel the pull of the full moon and enjoy the glow from it, that the warmth of sunshine will do more to restore energy to a warm blooded being than it would to paper, that experiencing these things would add to your sense of well being than it will to inanimate objects. These things only have power if you believe that they do... if you don't believe it... it won't make any difference what you do with your deck. But that is my belief... and only counts as much as any other view point... as much as one wants to give it creedence.

HudsonGray	04 May 2005
I sort of feel that it would only benefit your personal ritual, it won't really affect the cards at all. Yeah, I know--I'm a wet blanket. Remember that the moon is always the whole full moon, in the same shape 100% of the time. What you see of the phases is only reflected sunlight hitting it so we can see it. Bounced light hasn't changed anything with my decks (I did try the moonlight thing back when I started, thinking I was supposed to), but saw no positive or negative effects out of it so I don't use it anymore myself. Do what you feel is right, for your own personal use. And feel free to change things at any time, as well.

tarotbear	04 May 2005
Moongold wrote: Could you explain why you charge your deck? I am very interested to know as I see the cards as simply being cards which bear images. Hello wet blankets out there ~ Tarot Cards are cards which bear images. So do matchbook covers, or packages of toilet paper. A priest vested for mass in a church is simply a man in a funny dress, standing in a beautiful building that serves no purpose. A crystal ball is just another crutch for people with no powers of imagination. Rosary beads are just plain old beads. The Bible is just another collection of inked words on paper pages. There is no moonlight, only reflected sunlight. Rituals are all in your mind; why would an intelligent person believe in them?Prayers? -- No reason to say them! If you want to reduce anything to it's basest terms, there is nothing out there worth believing in, fighting for, to be trusting of, or caring about. There is nothing to believe in, so then why believe? Children carry teddy bears to bed to scare off the bogey man (there is no bogey man), people carry 'lucky' rabbit's feet (wasn't so lucky for the rabbit, then, was it?), people still put St. Christopher medals in the cars (the church says that St. Chritopher never existed - so where did all the prayers said to him go to?). If you were to disregard everything as superstition, old wife's tales, hearsay, or something Gardner just made up ... there would be no reason to do anything.

stella01904	04 May 2005
MM ~ I ws getting ready to reply and then I saw Tarotbear's post. Well said, better than what I was going to say. Actually worthy of being engraved in marble and put where everyone sees it. Marble-worthy, book-worthy, epitaph-worthy. Bravo! BB, Stella

tarotbear	04 May 2005
In this current round of threads popping up on AT, it seems as though there is a growing number of threads about 'what tarot isn't supposed to entail' {and why we should stop people from doing 'certain' things} and 'what you should not do or else the blue meanies will come get you for your stupidity' type threads. I don't understand. WE are the substance of tarot; without US, Tarot is less than the sum of its parts. A simple ritualistic 'touch' here or there is not going to do any harm. Cook an egg. Cooking an egg is boring. Next time take that egg and whip it with a whisk and then cook it. The next time take that egg, whip it with a whisk, and add some spices to it and cook it . The next time take that egg, whip it with a whisk, add some spices and a litttle milk to it and cook it. It's still an egg; it still has whatever nutrients it had. But you took a boring fried egg and turned it into a souflee! Is the souflee better than a sunny-side-up ? Not necessarily, but it gives you a chance to experiment and adds variety at the same time. Don't turn tarot into a egg sunny-side-up. :smoker:

MercyMe	04 May 2005
A friend of mine who reads tarot only feels rightly connected while doing so if the querent touches the cards in some way first and if she performs a certain ritual beforehand. I am sure this creates in her mind a framework that allows her to tap into that which she needs to in order to perform a good reading. While I don't feel the need to do those things, it doesn't mean either of us does better readings. I have my own quirks. I don't like people touching my cards unless I have invited them to do so. I got two new decks in the mail yesterday but had not had time to look over them until late last night. My partner asked me if he could see the decks and I said, "I haven't even had a chance to look at them yet." Meaning, no, I need to handle them first. Possessiveness? Maybe. I just did not like the idea of him handling them before me. On a few occasions when I've had my cards laying out on a table, someone has picked them up and just played with them absently, shuffling them or such, not even realizing they were a tarot deck. I can't tell you how uncomfortable that made me feel. I finally got up and retrieved my cards and put them away. I haven't attached these feelings to reasons and don't feel the need to. When I was a practicing Christian, the Eucharist and other rituals held deep significance to me. All it is really is a sip of wine and a cracker, but it becomes so much more when our mind and spirit participate in a way that takes the base and mundane and translates it to something deeply transformative in our own souls. If one uses tarot in a spiritual way and integrates it into one's spiritual practice, then ritual can transform the simple act of shuffling, throwing, and reading the cards. If nothing else, it enshrouds the entire act with a sense of seriousness. It also unveils a sense of expectation. If we expect deep, meaningful readings we are more likely to receive them when we approach the event with that mindset. Ritual for ritual's sake is never productive. Plenty of people go to church every Sunday and receive communion but never really give much thought to it. It's just something that is done. Prayers can also be recited in rote repetition, just words passing the lips without a thought to what they mean. Sure, tarot rituals can be just that. Someone told you that in order to charge the cards with spiritual energy, they had to (had to!) be "cleansed" (of what? Nonspiritual energy? Negative energy?) under a full moon, buried, left out in the sun...and so forth. So you do it. You do it even though you don't feel any particular affinity to those rituals or the beliefs that gave rise to them. You do them because someone more practiced in tarot than you told you it had to be done. You don't really get why, but you do them anyway. That's what we used to call in my old world a "dead work." Something done that looks spiritual but lacking the true heart intent that would actually make the thing worth doing. Back in my church days, I heard and saw many different rituals performed. Some I participated in just once and found they didn't really resonate within me. Some folks believe in the blessing of a priest over this, that, and the other thing in their lives. Well, good for them. Just because I don't feel the need for that, doesn't make their desire for it any less valuable. Maybe that blessing frees them in a way they need. Maybe it's a comfort. Maybe it sheds a significance on the thing in such a way that they are able to see the sacred in the mundane in a way I cannot. I say again, good for them. I think in the recent threads here on AT there is a call to genuineness. Don't do a ritual just for ritual's sake or just because someone told you to. And if you DO feel inclined to perform it, don't worry about getting it just right. You'll feel it if you're supposed to feel it, regardless if you've dotted all your i's and crossed all your t's. I was taught to cut the cards with my left hand into three piles and rejoin them starting with the middle, then the left, then the right. The three piles can represent the three faces of the Goddess (Maiden, Mother, Crone) or the three persons of the Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit or Sophia), and to ask a blessing of God/Goddess as you prepare to throw the spread. I did this because, well, I was told to. Then it became habit for me to cut the cards that way, even after I learned it certainly was not the only "right" way, so I kept doing it that way. It's just the way I do it now. As for the "blessing" -- sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. It depends on my own state of mind. I do try to clear my mind of distractions and focus on the process at hand, blessing or no blessing. Still, my method of cutting the cards is a kind of ritual, but it's not something I believe or proffer as absolutely necessary to a good read. In any case, I agree with tarotbear and stella, in that we should not be trying to rob anyone of their meaningful rituals. However, debunking meaningless ritual is a worthy goal. Still, only the reader can determine for him/herself whether the ritual holds meaning for them or not. Presenting both viewpoints is important so the readers can decide for themselves. Can you tell I'm a Libra? :) Opposing viewpoints? No problem! I just balance 'em out right here for ya! You're both right! LOL ~Mercy

Moongold	04 May 2005
tarotbear wrote: In this current round of threads popping up on AT, it seems as though there is a growing number of threads about 'what tarot isn't supposed to entail' {and why we should stop people from doing 'certain' things} and 'what you should not do or else the blue meanies will come get you for your stupidity' type threads. I don't understand. WE are the substance of tarot; without US, Tarot is less than the sum of its parts. A simple ritualistic 'touch' here or there is not going to do any harm. Cook an egg. Cooking an egg is boring. Next time take that egg and whip it with a whisk and then cook it. The next time take that egg, whip it with a whisk, and add some spices to it and cook it . The next time take that egg, whip it with a whisk, add some spices and a litttle milk to it and cook it. It's still an egg; it still has whatever nutrients it had. But you took a boring fried egg and turned it into a souflee! Is the souflee better than a sunny-side-up ? Not necessarily, but it gives you a chance to experiment and adds variety at the same time. Don't turn tarot into a egg sunny-side-up. :smoker: Hehehehe I always consult the Tarot before I cook. No, seriously, I believe in ritual and use it - my own variations. When people use the words "charging Tarot cards" I thought there might be something about energy fields etc that needed to be maintained. I know, for example, that people often charge crystals by leaving them in the light. Thought that was about energy as well. You charge batteries and you charge credit cards. Now I have a new meaning for "charge". My background isn't in these areas and some aspects of the language are still new. Moongold

Angel Star	04 May 2005
One time I did a reading on a particualarly negative person. I needed to find out what the heck she was up to. Usually I shuffle my cards really good before I do a next reading. I just happened to say what he heck I will get a different reading this is a different person etc. Well it so happens for not shuffling this particular deck very well just gave me the same cards i did the reading for on the negative person. I am like what the heck is going on here. So i shuffled them in my normally really good way and the deck was ready for the next person. So whatever little perks we have with our decks if they work for you stick to them. I personally charge my cards by saying a chant over them. It works for me. Or sometimes just handling them and getting to know them by looking at each picture. Its all good so long as you feel comfortable doing these little rituals. Thats my opinion. lol!

stella01904	04 May 2005
MercyMe wrote: I have my own quirks. I don't like people touching my cards unless I have invited them to do so. I got two new decks in the mail yesterday but had not had time to look over them until late last night. My partner asked me if he could see the decks and I said, "I haven't even had a chance to look at them yet." Meaning, no, I need to handle them first. Possessiveness? Maybe. I just did not like the idea of him handling them before me. On a few occasions when I've had my cards laying out on a table, someone has picked them up and just played with them absently, shuffling them or such, not even realizing they were a tarot deck. I can't tell you how uncomfortable that made me feel. I finally got up and retrieved my cards and put them away. I haven't attached these feelings to reasons and don't feel the need to. MM ~ I'm the same way. I have given it some thought and it's not because I think my energy is purer and cleaner than someone else's, or they are somehow unfit or contaminating. I am just very territorial. I was born in a Dog year, dogs are my favorite pets, dogs and wolves are sacred to my Patron Goddess. I have a small corner by my bed full of notes, divination tools, ritual tools, books and journals and you can make free all over the house but don't dare touch my corner. I do believe that not everything that is, is seen. I believe in energy trails, spirits, magic, and synchronicity. But I mostly don't like people touching my cards because I am simply territorial. It's my nature and it doesn't drive every aspect of my life but the objects used in my spiritual pursuits don't need to be grabbed by every Tom, Dick and Harry. It's a respect thing. One doesn't go in a church and sashay up to the altar and start fiddling with things. Maybe this is the same. I think it is. BB, Stella

MercyMe	04 May 2005
stella01904 wrote: But I mostly don't like people touching my cards because I am simply territorial. It's my nature and it doesn't drive every aspect of my life but the objects used in my spiritual pursuits don't need to be grabbed by every Tom, Dick and Harry. It's a respect thing. Yes. I've pretty much assumed I didn't like people fiddling with my cards because, well, they're MINE. And I do use them for some seriously deep inner work and they're very meaningful to me, and I just don't take kindly to them being fiddled with. And I think "It's a respect thing" fits in here because even if we don't place meaning on certain rituals ourselves, out of respect for one another we oughtn't bash or malign those rituals. ~Mercy

stella01904	04 May 2005
MM ~ That's right. Does it hurt anyone if you don't let them touch your cards? Of course not. Someone mentioned in another thread that they were asked to read at a shop because the regular reader had to go through a lengthy ritual, smudging the whole place, etc. before she could read. I can see that there are rare cases where people go overboard and it borders on OCD. But tapping the deck on a glass of salt water between clients, ringing a bell over them, or putting cards under the full moon when one is at home on one's own time, anyway, could hardly be classified as "overboard". BB, Stella

Angel Star	04 May 2005
Hey Stella i am right there with ya on do not mess with my books or my altar. My husband does full moon candles and sometimes he annoyes me when he goes to just get my lighter. I do not know why? I do not care if he handles my cards but most people do not touch my stuff anyways. They know the deal. The only exception really is my autistic son who is really drawn to all my magickal things. I have to get after him though or else he would lose all my stones if i let him get into everything. lol!

stella01904	06 May 2005
MM ~ Kids are drawn to magical stuff, as are animals. People with autism, I believe, are picking up things that we are not able to. One of my kids has "learning disabilites", and, at times, is telepathic. Try googling Dr. Temple Grandin, if you don't know about her already. Native Americans say that when nature gives you a burden, you get a power to go with it, and she is living proof. BB, Stella

The Full moon or New moon? thread was originally posted on 02 May 2005 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.