KAJAMA.COM NEWSLETTER

November 1 through November 7, 2021

We'll do well to assume that Monday is going to be our most productive day of the week thanks to the Virgo Moon, so dive right in and get all your paperwork and important tasks out of the way. Tuesday and Wednesday we'll be prone to daydreaming under the Libra Moon, so it could be difficult to make any headway during this time. Just remember though, daydreams awaken the creative spirit within us, so give yourself permission to while away the hours doing whatever strikes your fancy! A Scorpio new Moon will greet us on Thursday, always a herald of new beginnings and fresh starts. To add power to these new visions, Venus will move into Capricorn (an action sign) and Mercury will join the Sun in Scorpio (a manifesting sign) on Friday. There's a lot of passion and power in these aspects, so consider it a green light to move forward. The weekend is the perfect time to put some things into motion as the Moon travels through Sagittarius and surrounds us with creative energy!

13 Ways to Use Moon Water, by Melanie Marquis

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

A silvery stream of moonlit water is delicately poured from an earthen jug into a crystal vial. A cauldron filled with water reflecting the moon above and flicked by flames beneath begins to brew, sending its magickal vapors into the cool night air. Moon water is an intriguing, enchanting, effective, and highly adaptable ingredient to add to your practice of witchcraft, magick, and divination. Learning how to make moon water and discovering ways to use moon water for magick are basic and beneficial skills that warrant mastery for both beginning and experienced witches alike. Moon water can be used to transform situations, enhance psychic abilities, amplify magickal power, spark inspiration, encourage love, bring tranquility, achieve balance, and more. Moon water can be made in many ways, and used in many ways. Here you'll find an overview of the essentials to making an effective moon water, as well as thirteen ways to use moon water in your magick. For those who would like to further explore the subject, Llewellyn's Little Book of Moon Spells devotes an entire chapter to the art of lunar potion-making in addition to covering the basics of moon magick and offering detailed instructions for more than sixty moon-powered spells and rituals.

What is Moon Water?
Even if you're not already familiar with moon water, there's a good chance that you're well-acquainted with the basic concept and formulation, if not the specific term and the multitude of its variations and uses. While video tutorials and conversations on social media focused on the topic of "moon water" have cropped up in abundance in recent times, many adept and accomplished witches who have been practicing the craft for much of their lives are scratching their heads wondering, "What in the heck is 'moon water,' and how have I never heard of it in all my many years as a practicing witch?!" There seems to be somewhat of a generation gap when it comes to this multi-purpose magickal solution, but moon water is actually nothing new. It's simply a water-based lunar potion that can be made in different ways for different purposes. Though we may not have used the term "moon water" to describe it, most experienced witches have charged up water via the power of the moon more times than we can possibly count. Water, moonlight, and witches go hand in hand, and a desire to link these forces by means of crafting a magickal potion is rather instinctual for those who feel the heartbeat of nature and the call of the mystical intrinsically woven into body and soul. Yesterday's "water-based lunar potion," "basic moon brew," or "moon tea" is today's "moon water." Time changes language, but the core reality of magick remains the same. It's this core of the magick, however, that is often missing from the information that can be found in today's online forums.

How to Make Moon Water
Many online recipes for moon water call for a container of water to simply be placed outside under moonlight. While that's certainly part of the usual formula and an accurate description of the magick's visible, outward form, making moon water requires a little more than just putting some water outside. The key to any good moon water is in the crafting, and while the power of the blend comes primarily from the moon and all it encapsulates, it is the witch who must thread the threads and stitch the stitches that ultimately bring these forces together to make it all possible. It's up to you to let the moon know to where to send its power, and it's up to you to direct the water to absorb that power. Otherwise, you just have some water that's been left outside, nothing more and nothing less. To make a moon water that's going to be maximally effective, you'll need to take an active role in its creation.

Begin by filling a non-plastic container with water. Some recipes call for water to be gathered from a natural source under the light of a full moon. While water gathered directly from a natural source such as rain or a lake will have a stronger inherent "charge" and a more distinct magickal signature, it might also contain bacteria, parasites, and organic or chemical pollution. Drinking water such as purified spring water or even tap water is a more convenient and practical choice for certain workings, as it's easy to find and makes for a safe and imbibable potion base. Let the intended use of the moon water determine the type of water best suited to your recipe.

Bring the container of water outside, or place it near a window, exterior wall, or high point inside your home. You can heat the water, cool it, or keep it at room temperature. Spend some time thinking about the moon and centering your thoughts on your intentions for your moon water. Think of the water physically opening to the energies of the moon, and will it to absorb as much of the moonlight as possible. Focus your heart on the lunar essences that you wish to transfer to your potion, and directly invite and ask these energies to enter into the water. It may help to envision connecting threads of energy flowing from your own body to the moon, and flowing from the moon into your container of water. Envision the internal structure of the water actually changing, its vibrations increasing as it absorbs and harmonizes with the energy flow of the moon. Trust your intuition and connections to nature as you ask for the moonlight to enter the water, and believe in your authority as a witch as you tell the water what it is meant to become.

A basic moon water will be effective for any lunar working, and will give a boost to any spellcastings intended to promote healing, encourage love, boost psychic power, or enhance creativity. The only essential ingredients to a moon water are moonlight, water, and the witch's own willpower. You can add herbs or stones that more specifically reflect your intentions if you like, but take care that you don't add anything toxic to a potion that you're planning to eat, drink, or put on your body. Many of the herbs utilized in witchcraft are poisonous, and many common stones can leave behind traces of toxins in your moon water! Although moon water can be utilized anytime day or night, it's best crafted at night, and should generally be stored away from direct sunlight when not in use.

How to Use Moon Water
Moon water can be a blank slate or a fully contrived masterpiece of magick. You can use it as a magickal power-enhancing base for making other potions, adapt it with additional ingredients to suit any specific magickal goal you may have, or let the creation of the moon water act as a spell in and of itself. You can also utilize the phases of the moon to create moon water with different qualities, which you can read more about in Llewellyn's Little Book of Moon Spells. Take care to never ingest any toxic ingredients and avoid putting potential irritants on your skin, but beyond those basic guidelines, your imagination can have free reign when it comes to deciding how to use moon water. Here are thirteen ways to use moon water; let these ideas inspire you and challenge you to think of thirteen more.

1. Anoint ritual spaces, altars, magickal tools, and even your own body before lunar-themed workings.
2. Use it for basic cleaning to bring an infusion of tranquility to the home.
3. Use it to water plants in the home or in the garden to encourage growth.
4. Spill some moon water to mark the parameters of a magick circle, or to delineate the boundaries in which a spell is intended to take effect.
5. Use it to wash your hair and face to enhance beauty and bring out your inner glow.
6. Fill a balloon with moon water, freeze it, then remove the balloon to create a lunar-attuned scrying orb, or make mini-sized versions to create magickal ice cubes to add to drinks or utilize for spellwork.
7. Place cut flowers in a vase of moon water to enhance and prolong their beauty.
8. Paint a picture with moon water and a water-based paint to help manifest your wishes.
9. Use it as a base for magickal inks to use in written spells, or for writing in a Book of Shadows.
10. Anoint letters, cards, and applications with moon water to encourage cooperation and agreement to your requests and petitions.
11. Sip on plain moon water (devoid of any inedible toxic ingredients) while doing tarot readings or performing magickal work to replenish your energy stores and to enhance your psychic sensitivity.
12. Bring transformation to a situation by placing a symbol or written description of the situation inside a jar filled with moon water.
13. Use it in cooking for boiling or steaming vegetables or add to recipes to infuse your meals with the magick of the moon.

More Lunar Potions and Moon Magick
These are just a handful of ideas to get your thoughts flowing. Your moon water can be adapted any way you like, and your moon magick can take any form that feels right to you. You can learn much more about moon magick and find an abundance of moon water recipes, moon spells, lunar correspondences, seasonal lunar workings, and ideas that will increase the power of your moon magick in Llewellyn's Little Book of Moon Spells.

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2020. All rights reserved.

I am often amazed by how people really do exhibit the nature and traits of their zodiac signs, myself included. My question is, how can it be that people born in a certain sign all seem to act the same way? Why do our sun signs influence our behavior? How does this work?

Don

Susyn:

Astrology is a fascinating science. The fact that the Sun and surrounding planets in our solar system influence a personís nature has been apparent for centuries; it was even studied by the ancients thousands of years ago.

When babies are born, they are highly sensitive to light, sound and everything around them. At the exact moment of their birth, they are imprinted by the details of the experience and absorb every influence present. The location of the Moon and other planets at the time of a person's birth thus has a profound impact on that individual.

Because the sun is the largest body within our solar system, our sun signs have a great impact on our personalities. Just as our environments affect our development, the signs we're born under exert a powerful influence on us. For instance, if we had both been born in Hawaii, we would be more likely to take up surfing than dog-sledding and would naturally gravitate toward summer clothing over winter wear. Though the influence of the sun and planets is more subtle than this, it often shows up in direct correlation to the thoughts, behaviors and preferences associated with each sign of the zodiac.

I think of an astrological natal chart as being similar to an LP or CD. The position of each planet creates a permanent skip or marker in the chart that is activated each time another planet crosses over it. This is the reason some of us are more sensitive to the changing phases of the moon or other aspects that land on our natal markers.

If you keep track of which sign the sun is in at any given time, you will notice that it affects everyoneís actions - even if they were not born under that sign. For example, people tend to buy real estate, focus on financial issues, or gravitate toward physical activities more when the sun travels through an earth sign (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn). During the sunís journey through a water sign (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces), people tend to turn their focus to more spiritual and emotional pursuits.

Of course, there are some people who don't act like their sun signs. When this happens, it's usually because the sun was in a hiding position when they were born. People who are born with the sun located in the twelth house of their chart or during a solar eclipse will tend to take on the traits of their rising sign instead. Because all the planets and their locations have a direct impact on a person's nature, it's helpful to have an astrological natal chart drawn up to get the full picture.

*****

Oceania:

In Chinese astrology, we supposedly share traits with everyone born in our year - how is THAT possible?!

Of course, just because I bring healthy skepticism to astrology doesnít mean I donít enjoy reading my horoscopes! I find them to be sources of wisdom and inspiration, often carrying meaningful and thought-provoking spiritual messages. I appreciate Susynís horoscopes here at Kajama and I receive Rob Brezsnyís free will astrology by email. Heís the author of one of my all-time favorite books: Pronoia is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings.

I am not a professional astrologer, so I will try to answer your questions from the perspective of my own field of expertise: psychology. In my view, you could say that all people fit all of the astrological sign descriptions, and you could also say that no one fits any of the astrological sign descriptions.

All people fit their own sign description and every other sign description because all traits are human traits. To make my point, I will create a simplified version of the Zodiac: Leos breathe, Capricorns sleep, and Virgos tend to enjoy eating. Iím being silly, of course, but if I use the traditional descriptions, it still works: Cancers value family, Libras seek balance, and Taurus folks enjoy earthly comforts. We all fit ALL of the descriptions at least some of the time!

There is another phenomenon at work here. When we approach a task with the preconceived notion that there could and should be a match, we are much more likely to find that match. Weíll ignore items that DONíT fit and notice those that do. The human mind is suggestible and is prone to create order from chaos and find meaning in randomness.

There are four Sagittarians among my circle of friends and family. If I pick any one of them and look at the list of Sagittarian traits, I would have to say: yes, yes, yes and yes! Of course, though we share general human traits, each one of us is also unique. If I wrote a detailed description of each of them, they would all sound very different, for each one of us is as unique as a snowflake.

You mentioned sun signs, which are what daily horoscopes are based upon. I understand that professional astrologers also prepare more specific, personalized horoscopes as determined by the date, time and place of your birth. While this ancient art may seem to be remarkably insightful and accurate, I believe my psychological perspective is just as valid.

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.