As we work with the energies of God and Goddess in ourselves and in the world, through the awareness of sun and moon magic, we become truly aware that there are points of power in the movements of energy - and those points are always in the moment, the powerful now, the present here, the only place where change is ever possible.

There are two aspects in which rituals "work" in our lives. First, the mundane—focusing our attention. When we have deliberately used a concentrated ritual to focus our awareness on something, we pay more attention to it in our everyday lives. We notice both opportunities and danger signs more as they apply directly to our intention. Also, serendipity and synchronicity work better for us because we are listening and noticing what is going on around us that gives us clues we need. The woman at the busstop may say something to her friend, and we have a sudden insight as to how it applies to what we are working on. We probably wouldn't notice that if we were not especially aware of it as a result of the ritual.

Second, the magical—focusing our intention. This is an energy thing. When we focus our awareness on something and deliberately feed energy into the process, as we do with these rituals

The purpose of these rituals is to use the energy of the the Sun and Moon to help us to move through the continuing cycle of the various processes and phases of our lives. Using them enables us to consciously access these powerful natural energies to help us to keep moving through the cycle by affirming and focusing these energies in the appropriate aspects of our lives. This is a way of attuning ourselves to the natural wheel of Sun, Moon, and Earth. I hope you will find it helpful.

Solar Focusing

There are four major energy points during the daily cycle of the Sun: sunrise, sunhigh, sunset, and midnight. There are also energy points in the solar year: spring equinox, summer solstice, autumn equinox, and winter solstice. These times are especially appropriate for celebrating and utilizing the solar aspect of the archetypal masculine energy of the God within and without. Our bodies, our minds, and our energy fields respond to the shifts of solar energy at these time.

Lunar Cycling

The tides of the moon are in our blood. They are a part of the fabric of our being just as are the rhythms of the day and the seasons of the earth. Each cycle of the moon takes us on a journey through the bright and dark, the visible and the hidden sides of our own psyches.

This cyclic energy in all of us, both male and female, circles constantly through the aspects of the Dark Goddess (dark of the moon: conception), the Maiden (waxing moon: birth, growth), the Bright Mother (full moon: nurturing, fulfillment), the Eldest (waning moon: release, death), and then once again back to the Dark Goddess to be conceived again on a new level. Every part of our lives moves continuously through these four stages, always moving us on to new levels of being, new experience, new growth. Although this cycle looks like a circle, in a living, growing being it is a spiral. Which way that spiral goes—up or down—depends on how we use the energy

The On-Line Discussion Group

"Lunar Cycling" is an on-line discussion group for these pages. What we'll try to do there is to remind each other of when the Moon and Sun have their special days—the full and dark moons, the solstices and equinox. We can also discuss any questions you may have about the process. To join, just send a blank e-mail to:
lunarcycling-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

You will then receive a request from Yahoo for a confirmation of your subscription. Just send it back to them as instructed, and you'll get a notice that you're a member of the group.