Harnessing the Energy of the Waning Moon
Have you ever read or watched Stephen King’s “Thinner”? In it, a corrupt, obese, lawyer runs over and kills a gypsy woman accidentally. He gets away with it by using his connections in the justice system, but the woman’s father places a curse on him as punishment – the gypsy simply touches the lawyer’s cheek and utters, “Thinner!” Miraculously, the lawyer begins to lose weight, but at a startling pace. You can probably guess what direction the story takes from there, but I won’t spoil the rest of it.
Today people pay for diet pills, liposuction, plastic surgery, personal trainers, gym memberships, meal plans, etc. They’d probably pay for a gypsy weight loss curse too, if anyone ever advertises such a thing.
My point is, people (especially women) are desperate to look a certain way, to fit into a society’s cultural norms, and to maintain a certain body type. For the record, I’m no different, I want those things too. Do I love myself exactly the way I am? Regardless of the number on the scale, right here, right now, today? Yes, as a matter of fact I do. Would I like to be thinner, to have a lower BMI? Yes, absolutely, without a doubt, sign me up! Is there a quick and easy way to achieve this, a spell that can be cast to get the desired results? No. There isn’t. Hate to break it to you, but it doesn’t work like that. “Thinner” is a work of fiction – you can’t expect weight to fly off of a person simply because someone said so.
This year I resolved to shed some excess pounds (again), so I started tracking and reducing my caloric intake and adding in some light exercise here and there. I’m not going balls to the wall crazy about it – I don’t get up three hours earlier to get my fitness routine in, I don’t pass up on socializing or going out to eat because the meal doesn’t “fit” within my calorie range, and I am continuing to drink beer that I enjoy. So far I’ve lost 13 pounds – count them, 13!
What I am doing, in addition to eating less and moving more, is utilizing lunar energy and meditating with specific tarot cards to give me an added boost. Just a touch of magick to help me along the way.
As with most things in life, timing is everything. I asked mother moon for her help while she was full, and about to move into her waning phase. Why you ask? Because it is symbolic. As the moon wanes, it appears to decrease; less and less of it is visible. My goal is lose weight, to have less physical mass. Generally speaking, spells for decrease should be cast when the moon is waning, and spells for increase should be cast when the moon is waxing. You can cast a spell, pray, chant, do magick or what-have-you whenever your little heart desires, but for best results it’s good practice to work with the energy already in motion. Think: swim with the tide, not against it.
Knot magick is old – it’s been in use for I don’t know how long and is utilized by many different groups. Some Native American tribes (notably the Lakota) use prayer ties, Christians knit prayer shawls, and your grandmother probably told you to tie a string around your finger as a reminder for something. I decided to incorporate some of these principles into my lunar magick by taking a length of yarn that was equal to the circumference of my waist and tying some knots into it. With each knot tied I focused my intention, then laid the cord to rest on my alter to bask in the light of the moon and soak up all of that good energy. When the moon is waxing, I wear the cord wrapped around my wrist as a bracelet to keep that energy close, and to remind me of my goals. When the moon is waning, back on the alter it goes to recharge.
Last, but certainly not least, I selected a few cards to assist with keeping my focus and laid them out on my alter as well:
The Hanged Man (my special friend) to remind me that my goals can be reached if I am patient
Knight of Pentacles as an example of being methodical, practical, and conservative in my approach
Temperance to keep me balanced (as I said, I’m not denying myself foods or activities that I enjoy, but I’m not going overboard on indulgences either)
The Magician to represent transformation
Every morning and every evening I walk past those cards and listen to their encouraging whispers – they’re kind of like my own personal cheerleaders.
“Hang in there!”
“Keep it real!”
“Don’t go crazy!”
“You’re a god-damned butterfly!”
So that’s that. I’m making progress toward my goals by putting in some honest effort, making realistic changes, and throwing in a splash of old fashioned “practical” magick. However, if I ever get my hands on that gypsy curse, I’ll be sure to let you know.