Triple Goddess Chant:
Maiden, cast Your circle white
Weave a web of glowing light
Stag and bear, hawk and wolf,
Bind us to thee.

Mother, cast Your circle red
Weave the strands of glowing threads
Earth and Air, Fire, Water,
Bind us to thee.

Old Crone, cast Your circle black
Weave the wisdom that we lack
Sunlight, moonlight, starlight's shimmer
Bind us to thee.4

Although it is called a circle, it is actually a sphere, so make sure you spend enough time visualizing and feeling a safe, protective sphere around your working area inside of which no harm or ill will has power

Invocation to the Elements & the Seven Directions:
Turn to the North:

I welcome the powers of the NORTH, rulers of Earth, Body, and Winter: Help me in matters of patience, groundedness, and stability. Help me use my power wisely.

Light candle representing the North and feel the presence of the Earth Elemental. Turn to the East:

I welcome the powers of the EAST, rulers of Air, Mind, and Spring: Help me in matters of wisdom, insight, and clear thought. Help me use my power wisely.

Light candle representing the East and feel the presence of the Air Elemental. Turn to the South:

I welcome the powers of the SOUTH, rulers of Fire, Spirit, and Summer: Help me in matters of strength, confidence, and focused will. Help me use my power wisely.

Light candle representing the South and feel the presence of the Fire Elemental. Turn to the West:

I welcome the powers of the WEST, rulers of Water, Emotion, and Autumn: Help me in matters of healing, joy, and intuition. Help me use my power wisely.

Light candle representing the West and feel the presence of the Water Elemental. Hold hands up to the sky:

I welcome the powers of the SKY FATHER, rulers of the heavens and all that is in them: Help me in matters of cosmic awareness, unconditional love, and unlimited consciousness. Help me use my power wisely.

Light candle representing the God and breathe in His presence. Kneel down and touch the ground:

I welcome the powers of the EARTH MOTHER, rulers of the Earth and all that is in it: Help me in matters of abundance, harmony, and balance. Help me use my power wisely.

Light candle representing the Goddess and breathe in Her presence

I stand at the CENTER, where all powers intersect. I take my place in the circle of life, and remember to use my power for the good of all. All is one and one is all.

Light candle representing the Center and feel the interconnectedness of all things


Fourfold Purification:
Light smudge stick with the Northern candle. Waft the smoke over yourself and say:

I purify my BODY of all sickness, disease, illness, and toxins. May it be healthy and strong, healed and whole - a proper temple for the expression of my spirit!

Light smudge stick with the Eastern candle. Waft the smoke over yourself and say:

I purify my MIND of all stray thoughts, so that it may be as crisp and clear as a mountain zephyr. May it be receptive to divine guidance, and learn to discern truth from lie. May it be insightful, inspired, and motivated!

Light smudge stick with the Southern candle. Waft the smoke over yourself and say:

I purify my WILL. May it remain strong and steadfast when it has set upon the path of the greater good. May it never waver, but give me the courage to fulfill my destiny to the best of my capabilities and the fullest of my potential!

Light smudge stick with the Western candle. Waft the smoke over yourself and say:

I purify my EMOTIONS. May they flow as as freely as a rushing woodland stream. May they never stagnate, but express themselves in constructive ways. Help me in matters of joy and intuition.

Light smudge stick with the Center candle. Waft the smoke as you walk clockwise around the ritual area and say:

I purify this SACRED SPACE, may no ill will enter here! Protected from the West, protected from the North, protected from the East, protected from the South, protected from Above, protected from Below, and sealed at the Center! Only those of good will may enter here!

Invite any other entities you want to join you (guardian angels, guides, faeries, etc)

We are gathered here to celebrate the rebirth of life! As surely as the moon dies and returns again, our souls are eternal.

Invocation to the Crone:
Light the candle inside the cauldron representing the Crone with the Goddess candle and say:

I invoke the Wise One with an open mind and an open heart!
You who are known as Cerridwen, Baba Yaga, Sekhmet, Kali-Ma, Spiderwoman, Nephthys, and countless other names.
You who are the keeper of the Akashic Records,
And possess the knowledge of the ages,
You who are more ancient than the bounds of time,
And guard the secrets herb and stone,
You who stir the Cauldron of Rebirth,
Into which we all pass in death to be cleansed and begin life anew,
You who are the epitome of Karmic Justice,
And wise in the ways of Reincarnation,
You who are the embodiment of the fullness of power,
Though your ways may seem cruel and chaotic to some,
Without your guidance and cleansing all would perish,
Many faces you have that strike fear into the hearts of your children, Dark Mother,
Yet I come to you with my fears and doubts laid bare,
And see you without their blinds for what you truly are,
Beautiful Grandmother!
I welcome you with an open mind and an open heart!

Light the smudge stick on the Crone candle and place it inside the cauldron so that the smoke mingles with the candlelight.

Hold up the cup of moon water with your left hand and say:

Drawing Down the Moon:
Blessed Grandmother,
Help me honor you in life by expressing your qualities.
Help me in matters of wisdom, knowledge, foresight, hindsight, recognition of various patterns and cycles, letting go of that which has outlasted its purpose, release from that which limits me, tearing down of my illusions, fears, and doubts to grow in inner power, etc...
Any blessings you wish to bestow upon me and that I am ready to receive, pour into this cup, so that when I drink of it I may drink of your essence!

See/feel the blessings of the Crone pour into your cup. I tend to see it as flowing from a tipped waning moon crescent. Drink half of the moon water and feel the silver light of the Goddess spreading through you

Spend some time with the Crone, whether meditating, praying/talking, doing divination, or spellwork. As a general rule, divination associated with the Crone is that about the past and magick associated with her is that of banishing and decrease. When ready to continue, say:

Blessed Grandmother who stirs the Cauldron of Rebirth,
Through which countless souls have passed to be cleansed and begin life anew,
On this night of the New Moon,
You yourself step into your own Cauldron to be reborn again as the Maiden.

Pick up the candle representing the Maiden aspect of the Goddess, and as you slowly light it off of the Crone candle, watching the two flames join as one, chant four times:

New beginnings to new ends, now the cycle starts again.

Put out the Crone candle and hold the Maiden candle up high, say:

All hail the Maiden, shining bright!

Set the candle down in front of the cauldron

Invocation to the Maiden:
Maiden of the waxing moon,
The horns of the crescent both your crown and your bow,
Great Huntress who never misses her mark.
You who are Artemis, Diana, Athena, Hestia, Iris, Lada, Neit, Bast, and countless other names,
I welcome you with an open mind and an open heart!
All the wildwood is your domain and all the animals your kin,
For you are all that is wild and free.
Blessed Maiden, who dances the fallen leaves of autumn into the ground in the spring,
Remind us that though the past fertilizes the present we should not dwell on it,
But rather remember that every moment is a fresh start.
Beautiful one of revitalizing newness,
Freshness follows wherever you step,
Teach us to see with new eyes, be open to new ideas, and never lose our sense of wonder.
Great one who is independent and strong,
Give us the courage to be ourselves and stand up for what we believe in.
Maiden, Daughter, Sister, and Friend,
I welcome you with an open mind and an open heart!

Hold up the cup of moon water with your left hand and say:

Drawing Down the Moon:
Blessed Maiden,
Help me honor you in life by expressing your qualities.
Help me in matters of independence, strength, bravery, courage, boldness, assertiveness, freedom, revitalizing the wild spark in my soul, rekindling my sense of wonder, seeing the world with fresh eyes, pursuing my dreams with renewed enthusiasm, being innocent without being naive, etc...
Any blessings you wish to bestow upon me and that I am ready to receive, pour into this cup, so that when I drink of it I may drink of your essence! 

See/feel the blessings of the Maiden pour into your cup. I tend to see it as an arrow shot into my cup from the bow of a waxing moon crescent. Drink the last half of the moon water and feel the silver light of the Goddess spreading through you

Spend some time with the Maiden, whether meditating, praying/talking, doing divination, or spellwork. As a general rule, divination associated with the Maiden is that about the future and magick associated with her is that of inviting and increase

If you have a wish to make, write it on a piece of paper and throw it inside the cauldron

Thank all who you have invited for coming by saying something to the effect of:

Thank you for coming blessed _____ (North/South/East/West/God/Goddess/etc)! Come and go in peace!

Grounding:
All energy not used to further this ritual, I ground to heal the Earth and all who dwell upon it!

Releasing the Circle:
Visualize the circle you formed dissipating and say:

The Circle is open but never broken! Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again.


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That was back when I reasoned that if I associated the Full Moon with Jida, my defender of the universe, then the New Moon must be associated with Jida's arch enemy and destroyer of the universe, Daji. I also thought it was silly to think this way, and wanted to do a positive New Moon ceremony to prove this to myself. I was still afraid, though, hence the fire.

Just a friendly reminder that your inner state during ritual is of vital importance to the quality of the ritual and also to your spiritual and bodily safety. If you are afraid, in a bad mood, debilitating sick, or uncertain, wait until it passes to try anything. I have no had problems with New Moon rituals since.

LORE: The New Moon is a time when the moon appears to gradually die and finally disappears from the sky. It celebrates a transition period when the Goddess is reborn from her waning moon Crone aspect into her waxing moon Maiden aspect.

Just as the Goddess appears to take this time to cleanse and purify herself, those that follow her cycles do the same. Women in particular could do this automatically by aligning their menstrual cycle with the New Moon. This both affirms their intimate link to the lunar phases and acts as a kind of joyous sacrifice to the Goddess, for both birth and rebirth comes with labor pains.

I also use the New Moon ritual to, what I call, "renew the prayer cycle." Though I have prayers that I say every day, they are very abbreviated versions of a prayer that takes so long to recite I only do it once a month and expect it to be in effect until the next New Moon. I actually used to do that on the Full Moon, but that ritual got too over-crowded and the New Moon seemed more appropriate for it anyway.

SUGGESTED MATERIALS:
1 silver candle (to represent the Goddess)
1 gold candle (to represent the God)
1 green candle (to represent the North and the element of Earth)
1 yellow candle (to represent the East and the element of Air)
1 red candle (to represent the South and the element of Fire)
1 blue candle (to represent the West and the element of Water)
1 black candle (to represent the Crone aspect of the Goddess)
1 white candle (to represent the Maiden aspect of the Goddess)
1 fireproof cauldron
1 cup of water, soy/rice/nut milk, or cow's milk ("moon water") per person
1 smudge stick incense (sage and/or cedar and/or sweetgrass)
1 Athame (ritual dagger) or 1 Wand