FULL MOON TAROT RITUAL

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Full Moon This is the high point of the lunar cycle, when the tidal pull is the strongest, the night is the brightest, and one of the two times that lunar magic is strongest (the other being Dark Moon). Full Moons are a time to celebrate, to draw love, health, abundance, prosperity, adventure, and Faerie magick into your life! Layout Place the Aces, Kings and Queens in the cardinal directions, as described in Basic Ritual. For our Full Moon Ritual, I use the High Priestess and the Magician, to represent Deity. The Full Moon can be represented by The Moon card. The Ritual Casting the Circle By the power of the Ace of Swords, This magic space I do ward! Greeting Directions I greet the East With the Ace of Swords Powers of Air Hear my Words 1

Altar cloth by Loren Washburn

I greet the South With the Ace of Wands Powers of Fire Passion responds I greet the West With Cups, the Ace Powers of Water Dreams I embrace I greet the North With the Ace of Shields Powers of Earth Strength never yields Invoking the Watchtowers I open the Eastern Gates, With their Queen and King From their Realm of Air and Swords, Their guidance, may they bring. I open the Southern Gates, With their Queen and King. From their Realm of Fire and Wands, Their guidance, may they bring. I open the Western Gates, With their Queen and King From their Realm of Water and Cups, Their guidance, may they bring. I open the Northern Gates With their Queen and King. From their Realm of Earth and Shields, Their guidance, may they bring. Greeting the Deities I call upon the Magician As Above, So Below Power of the God Whose Art he shall bestow

I call upon the High Priestess As Within, So Without Power of the Goddess Whose Wisdom is all about Tarot Working Invoking the image

The Lunar Lady gathers light Against the canopy of stars. A maiden spirit gleaming bright, She casts her glowing charms afar. An eerie landscape between the towers Where wolf and hounds bark and bay A crab emerges to count the hours While moon reigns ‘til break of day. The Full Moon sails above the clouds Her shining orb gleams between, The dappled branches and tree boughs, As She sends clear dreams to me. Meditation Study the Moon card in the center of your altar. Note the imagery, details and colors. Note any feelings or inspiration that arises. Then close your eyes and imagine the card in your mind’s eye. See the characters in the image moving; the field growing larger and expanding; perhaps you hear sounds, sense temperature changes, and smell fragrances, until the boundaries of the card become an open portal and you can imagine yourself walking into the scene and interacting with the elements therein. Does the water feel cold or warm? Do the animals bring up any emotions? Which figure do you relate to the most, or fear the most? Are you tempted to go back into the

water, or to travel down that golden path? Do the towers call to you? Explore them. What do you find, who appears? Are you tempted to travel beyond the towers to the mountains beyond? What do you find there? How does the great moon shining down on you make you feel? What do you long for, dream about? What is hidden in the shadows? There are so many images in this card, which are you drawn to? What is this card telling you? Ask for guidance from the characters in the card, ask them to take part in this ritual on your behalf. Perhaps they will give you a gift. When the time has come to step out of the picture, remember to thank them for their help. Seasonal/Zodiac Meditation (see Tarot Lunations, below) Tarot Spell Here we use the energies we have raised to perform an act of Tarot Magic, using the Four Maxims: To Know, To Will, To Dare, and To Keep Silent. Again, the four elemental suits illustrate the four maxims – East is knowledge, South is our magical will, West is our daring to do the magic, and North is our ability to let go and keep silent. I have created spells for every Tarot card of the Major Arcana in Chapter (?). I encourage you to create your own Tarot Spells. The following four quatrains can be used to direct your magic during the spell: We call on the powers of Air With the Ace of Swords The Power of knowledge Is in our Words We call on the Powers of South With the Ace of Wands The Power of Will Our Passion responds We call on the Powers of the West With Cups, the Ace The Power to Dare Our Dreams we embrace We call on the powers of the North With the Ace of Pentacles The Power of Silence Is our magic vehicle

Tarot Augury (Using another Tarot deck, this is the time for a full moon Tarot reading) What tell the cards I lay on the table? I ask in regards To my life’s fable. Offering We may share food and drink at this point. A portion of the “sacred feast” should be offered to the Tarot Guides. If this is a group ritual, this is the time for sacred subjects to be discussed. As I share food and drink, a portion for my Tarot guides I offer this sacred link for the wisdom they provide Releasing the Moon I thank the Moon My Dream Seer Whose fantasies Are made clear. Releasing the Watchtowers I close the Eastern Gates, I thank the King and Queen In their Realm of Air and Swords, May they reign supreme I close the Southern Gates, I thank the King and Queen In their Realm of Fire and Wands, May they reign supreme I close the Western Gates, I thank the King and Queen In their Realm of Water and Cups, May they reign supreme I close the Northern Gates I thank the King and Queen

In their Realm of Earth and Shields, May they reign supreme Releasing the Directions I thank the East With the Ace of Swords Powers of Air Hearing my words I thank the South With the Ace of wands Powers of Fire Passion’s response I thank the West With the Cups, the Ace Powers of Water Dreams embraced I thank the North With the Ace of Shields Powers of Earth Strength never yields Thanking the Deities I thank the High Priestess Of the Universe Divine Power of the Goddess In whom all are entwined I thank the Magician Of the Celestial Spark Power of the God From which we all hark. Releasing the Space By the power of Swords, the Ace, I release and ground this sacred place!

TAROT LUNATIONS The Lunar Zodiac The Full and Dark Moon Rituals can be altered to reflect the different lunations within the lunar cycle (as recommended by Frater Barrabbas23) The Full and Dark Moons appear under the twelve Zodiac signs. Although traditions vary, this is the system I learned from The Tarot School. However, you can use whatever associations are meaningful to you. Adding a “Zodiacal influence” to your Full Moon ceremonies creates a different emphasis every month. Zodiac Sign Aries Taurus Gemini Cancer Leo Virgo Libra Scorpio Sagittarius Capricorn Aquarius Pisces

Tarot Trump Emperor Hierophant The Lovers Chariot Strength Hermit Justice Death Temperance Devil Star Moon

Workings for Rites and Spells Beginnings, protection, defense, authority, leadership Knowledge, teaching, traditions, spiritual leadership Partnership, love spells, integration Travel, (both physical or astral), home Endurance, Strength, Victory, mastery Solitude, meditation, wisdom Balance, equilibrium, justice Endings, new beginnings, transformation Mediating, healing, balancing Challenges, Humor, Shamanism Hope, Astral travel, mysticism Dreams, psychic ability, healing

The Seasonal Moon The Moon also occurs during the four seasons. The Moon is associated with water, and so are the queens. All four queens represent the element water within their own suits, and can thus represent the moon in the four seasons. The Queen of Swords is “Water of Air” (Spring) The Queen of Wands is “Water of Fire” (Summer) The Queen of Cups is “Water of Water” (Autumn) The Queen of Pentacles is “Water of Earth” (Winter) Note, some system switch Swords and Wands (i.e. Swords can be Summer and Fire, Wands can be Spring and Air) – so do what works best for you. If you want to change your rituals to reflect the seasons and the Zodiac in your Full and Dark Moons, add those cards to your altar and meditate on them (perhaps after the

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Altar cloth by Loren Washburn http://fraterbarrabbas.blogspot.com/

meditation on the Moon card.) You might want to write your own invocations for the seasonal and Zodiacal Trumps4 for your rite. Example: Full Moon in February might look like this on the central altar:

XVII The Star Moon in Aquarius

XVIII The Moon Full Moon

Queen of Swords Moon in Spring5

This gives each moon a different focus which takes you deeper into the lunar mysteries. Looking at this as a Tarot spread, I see a time to renew our sense of hope, delve down into our subconscious to reveal the treasures that lie within, and also bring in mental clarity, perhaps cutting away that which no longer serves us as I enter into the season of spring – a time of renewal.

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Trumps – another word for the 22 cards of the Major Arcana, from “Triumph” st Among Celtic traditions, Spring begins on February 1 , whereas Spring Equinox is actually “mid Spring”. Note that Summer Solstice is often called Midsummer, and Winter Solstice – Midwinter because they are in the middle of the season, not the beginning. 5