The Sabbats are pretty popular, and there's a ton of information out there about them. But what about the moon cycles? They're just as important, but compared to a year of solar holidays, they can be easy to forget. By the time you remember the full moon, it may already be a waning crescent.

Esbats are the regular (often monthly or bi-weekly) meetings or rituals held by a solitary Wiccan, group, or coven. Esbats most often correspond to a certain phase of the moon since the moon goes through four notable phases within a month...approximately one per week. So if a coven holds its meetings on every full moon, that would be about one esbat per month. If the coven chooses to hold its meetings every other week, the full and new moons are evenly spaced out. Another option is to hold a meeting on the weekend nearest the full/new moon. It all depends on the group or individual's preference and the purpose of the work.

A lot of people will say there are three moon phases...waxing, full, and waning. They use this method to correspond with the three-fold Goddess: Maiden, Mother, and Crone. I disagree with this idea. Let's assume that the moon hits totality at exactly 11:55 pm. When I say "totality," I mean that it is in a direct line with the Earth in between it and the sun. That means that at 11:54 pm the moon is technically still waxing (the orb of light you see is growing bigger, making the moon look more and more round) and that 11:56 the moon is technically waning (the light is decreasing). Even if you separated the moon's cycle into 3 even divisions of 9 1/3 days per phase, you could look at the moon four days before it reaches full and you would not think that it is a "full" moon.

This is why I prefer the 4-phase method: Dark/New moon, First Quarter, Full, and Last Quarter. I also prefer to follow a 4-fold Goddess: Maiden, Warrior, Mother, and Crone. That is not to say that all Goddesses are lunar deities...hardly so! But I do feel that my connection as a female to the moon is stronger due to the lunar cycle being somewhat in sync with the menstrual cycle...but more on that in a moment.

The two names are often interchangable when you're talking about the moon at totality. However, while there is still a waning crescent, it is more appropriate to call it the Dark Moon, and when there's a waxing crescent, it is the New Moon. The Dark Moon will be emphasized in the "Third Quarter" section of this article.

The New moon rises with the sun at dawn. It reaches its zenith (highest point in the sky) at noon. It sets again with the sun at twilight, and is unseen at midnight. Any book that tells you that a ritual was held with a New moon overhead had better be talking about a daytime ritual, because the reason you can't see it at night is because it is in a position where the other side of the earth is in daylight and is also facing the moon.

It is because of this fact that solar eclipses occur at the New moon...the moon is passing between the earth and the sun. When a solar eclipse occurs, the moon is blocking out the sun's light and the path of the eclipse is the moon's shadow cast upon the earth's surface.

Most people associate the New moon with the Maiden or Youth aspect of the God. The Maiden is full of innocence and curiosity and sometimes even Puckish playfulness. She may play tricks on you from time to time at this point, the same as any child will do. This is where the cycle is often thought to "begin," though understandably, with a cycle there is no beginning or ending. You can also think of other beginnings and use those as associations...the Spring, Aries (the "first" sign of the zodiac), the Fool of the Tarot, etc. Making these associations will further your understanding of what the New Moon best corresponds to.

The period of time between the New and the First Quarter are appropriate for rituals and spell work that deals with beginnings or growth. You may start a new job or a new project at this time, and do some kind of working to see that it reaches completion. If you wish to do magick for good health, this is a time to word it to increase your immune system, increase your development of good habits (like eating better and taking your vitamins), and to visualize yourself as getting healthy. We will continue to use this example throughout this article.

I like to associate the First Quarter with the Warrior. I'll look up at the moon between now and the Full moon and call out, "Hi Big Sister!" That is what it represents to me...the Goddess to me at this point will lead you along, sometimes faster than you can go, and won't stop to coddle you but she can give you lessons that are peer-to-peer as opposed to listening to a parent say how they went through that same lesson 25 years before.

The First Quarter moon rises approximately around noon, is at its zenith at sunset, sets around midnight, and is unseen at dawn. When the moon is between the First Quarter and Full, you will often see it in the sky during the day. I still think that is a pretty awesome sight, in my opinion, just because you suddenly notice it and it's not something we can see every day. Another interesting fact is that in the Northern Hemisphere, during the First Quarter, the right half of the moon is visible. In the Southern Hemisphere, the left half is visible.

The time period between the First Quarter and the Full moon is appropriate for putting an end to completing a "growing" project. Your goal is in sight, and you strive to make the growth occur as the moon still grows. In the case of the spell for health, you are no longer just visualizing a healthy immune system, but you begin to simply visualize yourself hale and whole. If for some reason you didn't begin a spell between the New moon and First Quarter moon, you can do it now, though it won't have as much energy put into it. Just state that your goal will be achieved by the time the moon reaches Full.

You can use a lunar almanac or even the clySmic Lunar Taskbar to help you find out exactly when the moon will be Full. All workings before this time should be for growth (as stated previously) and from the time that the moon hits totality, all workings should be for "breaking down."

The Full moon rises at sunset, will be at its zenith around midnight, and will set at sunrise. On the day before, the day of, and the day after the full moon, go outside at the same time of night and look to see where the moon is located. You can do this at any time of the lunar phase, but I've found it easier around the Full moon. If you do this for a few months in a row, you'll be able to see the amount of change of the moon's position from day to day. Knowing where the moon is located at what time of the day can help you tell time and phase without the help of an almanac later on. I've had friends say on Friday that the calendar stated the moon would be full on Saturday, so they would save their working for Saturday night. With a quick consultation of the sky, I told them that they were correct, but it would be at its fullest and still waxing if they did their working on Friday night instead because totality would occur in the early hours of Saturday. Waiting for Saturday night would put the moon in a waning phase.

Lunar eclipses occur on the Full moon as well. On this day, the Earth is directly between the moon and the sun in a straight line. When the moon is eclipsed, it passes through the Earth's shadow, and what would normally be a full, round moon goes unseen because it's not able to reflect any light from the sun. Lunar eclipses are really interesting to watch if you ever get the chance to stay up all night for it.

The Full moon is appropriate for the Mother phase of the Goddess, the Father phase of the God. Think of a big round eye watching you...watching over you.... People say that the energies of the moon "peak" at the Full moon, but I think the energies are just "different." It always depends on what kind of working you are doing. However, this is also the ideal time to hold your esbat, if for anything, because when you gather at night because your day is filled with classes, work, sports, etc. at night time you will still have an orb in the sky that you can better connect to when you visualize our own cyclical nature.

Again, before the moon is completely full (consult an almanac for exact times) you want to complete your "growing" workings. However, when the moon begins to wane from the Full moon through the Third Quarter, you should begin the "breaking down" process. In our example, if you wanted to focus on your health because you have a cold, put your focus on that sickness being broken down. You'll still focus on yourself as being healthy, but the sickness itself is crumbling away from you. The same goes with anything that needs to be broken down...if you're having trouble with a co-worker, during the waning moon you'd want to "break down" those barriers that are keeping you from communicating, while during the waxing moon you are building bridges. Try to keep your overall feeling a positive one, but when you look at situations from different perspectives you will learn that you can create your magick at any time of the lunar month.

The final phase of the moon before the cycle begins again is the Last Quarter. As you can probably guess by now, the Last Quarter moon rises around midnight, is at its zenith around sunrise, sets at noon, and is hidden at sunset. Again, in the Northern Hemisphere, the Last Quarter moon's left half can be seen, while in the Southern Hemisphere the right half is visible.

This is the time for the Crone or Sage to rule. They are there to teach us those final lessons before disappearing for about three days (since the moon will be below the horizon from sunset to sunrise and the crescent of the sun's reflection will not be visible quite yet), after which it will reappear as the New moon. This really emphasizes the idea of life, death, and rebirth...the same story is told in many myths, and if you or your group chooses to have esbats on the Dark/New moon, you can share those myths as part of your teaching/learning plan.

The time period from the Third Quarter to the Dark moon is ideal for wrapping up any final projects and preparing for a rest. I agree with the quote by Tori Amos, "Everybody knows you can conjure anything by the dark of the moon." (from "Suede" on her "To Venus and Back" album.) While the Dark moon is ideal for rest, it doesn't mean you can't do anything. I've just always found these times more appropriate for internal change or finally getting rid of the old to prepare for the new. This period of time is an excellent chance to make the final push to get rid of those bits of your life that you haven't been able to do before (such as quitting smoking which has been the source of that hacking cough you haven't been able to shake) and making your promise to come out strong and new. The time when the moon is hidden is a good time for yourself to really hold yourself to your vow. Or if you just have a cold that you can't shake, take those three days off from school or work to allow yourself to fully rest and recover because you can't get healthy if you're still working yourself to death and running on nothing but DayQuil and adrenaline.