Waning Crescent Moon // Energy + Rituals
The new moon and full moon tend to get all the attention but each phase has its own special juju that you can embrace and use throughout your hearth and home magick. Let’s take a look at the waning crescent or balsamic moon vibes.
If you’re just starting to dabble in the craft, the moon might be what you were first drawn to. She feels the most accessible and inherently witchy of the celestial bodies to many. She’s the embodiment of the divine feminine and rules over our emotions, intuition, and creativity.
Working with the moon’s energy is one of the quicker energies to work with, because her cycle is only four weeks long. Each phase of the moon lasting for about a week before the next begins, and then every four weeks we start all over again.
This can make working with her energy especially satisfying for those of us who want immediate gratification. This can also make her energy a little more challenging for those who prefer a slower and deeper progression. Whichever camp you fall in, there’s no doubt that her pull and cycles deeply impact our world from the tides to our feels.
Waning Crescent // Balsamic Moon
This final phase in the moon’s cycle is all about reflecting on what manifested during this moon cycle and releasing what is no longer serving you.
Reflection
I’m a big fan of journaling for reflection and practicing the craft in general. Keeping a moon journal can be very useful especially to determine how the moon’s energy impacts you personally. A lot of people feel drained during the waning and new moon phases, but I feel energized by the new moon - I’m a sucker for new beginnings, what can I say? I do like to use the time before the new moon to rest and recharge (check out the ritual bath recipe below).
As you look back on this cycle of the moon, ask yourself these questions:
What did I manifest?
What do I want to keep? What do I want to let go?
What good has come during this cycle? (Show appreciation and gratitude for the good.)
Were there any blocks? What can you learn from these blocks? (Blocks are one of the universe’s ways of communicating with you to bring attention to certain aspects of your life and energy.)
Were there any messages? Synchronicities?
Release
Release can be tough for many of us, but it’s such a beautiful and freeing practice once we learn to accept that endings are a part of this ride we’re on. I certainly struggle with this at times, but lately I’ve learned to embrace it more.
When we release what is no longer serving us, we’re making the space we need for more of what feels good to enter our lives. The universe has a way of surprising and gratifying us when we’re able to let go of control and go with the natural ebb and flow.
What may feel like sadness over an ending is often the process of release itself. Crying? The ultimate form of release. Those tears are your body’s way of releasing, so don’t be surprised if you find your eyes spring a leak during rituals for release.
With this energy aspect at play, this phase of the moon is ideal for breaking negative patterns and bad habits. If you’ve been struggling to diminish certain aspects, this is the time to harness the moon’s energy to aid you in removing obstacles and blocks from your progress.
Smoke of air and fire of earth. Bless and cleanse this home and hearth. Drive away all harm and fear; only good may enter here.
Hearth + Home Rituals for the Waning Crescent Moon
Clear Your Space
By clearing your physical space as well as your mind, you’re opening yourself to receive the good things to come. Let those things that are no longer serving you fade away as the moon fades into her next cycle.
Purge, purge, purge! For all my fellow hoarders, this is a great time to declutter and make a trip to your local donation center. Make that space for good energy flow through your home and into your life.
Sweeping. This is my personal favorite for moving and clearing energy from a physical space. If I’m having an impassioned conversation on the phone, I will pick up my broom and start sweeping as I talk without even realizing it. For added cleansing boost, you can sprinkle salt around your home (baking soda if you have carpets) and sweep it up with everything else. You’ll want to sweep everything right out the door or put it in your trash and take your trash out to completely clear your space.
Rest + Recharge + Release Bath
First off, I L-O-V-E a good bath. I know that not everyone feels the same, so you can make yourself a rinse or a shower bag to use in the shower as an alternative. Still highly recommend giving the bath a whirl.
It really doesn’t take much to elevate your normal bath to a ritual bath, and you can go as HAM or as simple as you’d like. You don’t NEED 50 candles and 100 crystals to receive the benefits of giving yourself the time and space to relax, recharge, and release. But if that’s your thing, do. it. up.
I like to start off with setting up my space for my bath to make my surroundings as peaceful and pleasant as possible. I usually clean my bathroom and my tub, arrange a few candles, light some incense to cleanse the room, and bring a couple of my favorite crystals to set around the edge of the tub. Once I have the space clean and cleansed (two different things - more on that in another post), I draw my bath with the recipe below and put on some music.
As you settle in to your bath, you can use some of the questions in the reflection section above to meditate on what transpired during this cycle of the moon and think about the things that you want to release. I like to think of all the things I’m releasing being washed away and going down the drain with the water at the end of my bath. I usually spend about 40-45 minutes in a ritual bath, but you can and should do what feels good to you.
Bath Recipe:
1 C Sea Salt or Epsom Salt
1/2 C Apple Cider Vinegar
5 drops Frankincense Oil
3 drops Lavender Oil
2 drop Patchouli Oil
Crystal Suggestions:
Amethyst, Clear Quartz
In the Garden
While this isn’t a good time to plant, it is a perfect time to clear out your beds and outside area (if you have one of course). So if you’re feeling the urge to ground yourself through gardening, get out there to weed and hoe your beds; trim your shrubs and bushes. Then you’ll be all ready to go with planting during the new moon phase.
Dreamwork
The moon rules over the unseen and serves as a pathway between our world and the next, so you can often glean some additional dream insights based on the phase of the moon. Much like the other practices mentioned here, your dream rituals will be supported in areas of banishing, release, closure, and completion of cycles.
The diminishing light of this moon also invites us to turn inwards and rest as we prepare for the next cycle which lends itself well to tapping into our inner wisdom through dreams as well. Try keeping a dream journal next to your bed to jot down any symbols or messages that come through. Set an intention before falling asleep to release beliefs/thought patterns/behaviors that are no longer supporting you.
Protection Spells & Rituals
The Waning Moon phase is an excellent time to infuse any of your protection spells or jars. You can charge them under the waning moon for an extra dose of defense against unwanted energies. Cord-cutting rituals can also be quite effective during this phase and the dark moon phase.