Our tradition of Witchcraft celebrates the New Moon, Full Moon and the eight Greater Sabbats.  Sometimes for the sake of  ease in getting everyone together we might celebrate on the nearest Saturday or Sunday.  If you are practicing by yourself, try to celebrate the actual day.

The New Moon is a time for planting, ideas and new projects.  Seed is planted in the darkness and grows, so do our goals.  Write out the things you want to work with during the next two weeks.  Visualize them happening and how good you will feel about your accomplishments.  When you use the Greeting and the Evening Rituals check on your progress.  Invite the Goddess and God to show you how to help yourself.  Sometimes your dreams will point the way.

Give yourself time to complete the tasks too.  Sometimes the immediate goal needs to be the first step toward a long term goal.  If your goal is getting a better education, you may want to start with one evening or Saturday class to help yourself develop (or redevelop) study habits.  Sensible eating, losing a bad habit and other major changes need time.  (I know, it would be very nice to be able to wave a wand over that extra poundage and have it disappear, but that isn't quite the way it works.)
 

The New (Dark) Moon is the traditional time for planting crops that grow under the earth, root crops.  Thus we use it to "plant" ideas, goals, the "seeds" of things we wish to grow in our lives.  In the Spring and Summer, we use seeds or very young plants.  They are planted or potted before the ritual.  As you press the soil around the plant/seed, think about the things you want to grow in your life.  Then, during the meditation, see them happening.

At other points in the Wheel of the year, we might write down the ideas and goals and tuck them in a plant, or at the foot of a favorite tree.  Then, during the meditation see the paper returning to its basis components ready to feed the plant/tree so that your ideas can help the tree grow, and of course, as you see the tree grow you are reminded of and strengthened in you own growth.
 

We are met this Night, in the shadow of the Dark Moon, to focus the energy of the Goddess Within on our needs.  We seek growth, financial, spiritual and physical and we plant the seeds of those things within ourselves, within the Circle.

This night we meet to celebrate the New Moon.  We set goals that we want to grow.  This night we meet to celebrate the New Moon, symbol for us of the hidden face of the Goddess, and our own hidden sides. 

From all the many times and places that have known Her faces, the faces of all the old Wise Ones...  Priestesses in their temples...  Wise ones in their Groves,  those who have been Goddess throughout the ages...  We see Her images before us.  We fill the quiet night with Her names.

ADITI, ARIDA, ANAHITA, ANDRASTE, BRIGID, CERRIDWEN, CHANGING WOMAN, DEMETER, FREYA, HATHOR, INANNA, ISHTAR, ISIS, JUNO, KUAN-YIN, LAKSHMI, MA'AT, MAYA, MARI, MINERVA, MORGANNA, PARASHAKTI, SIOBHAN, TIAMAT, PELÉ, URANIA, VESTA, ZU-EN...

This is the time of New Beginnings... We remember our beginnings.  We hear the voice of the Goddess,

"All acts of Love and Joy are My Sacraments."

Let us cast the Circle.  We call forth the Elementals, Sun, Moon and Stars to share our joy.  May the Lady and Her Consort, the Horned One, be with us!

Hail guardians of the watchtowers of the East
Powers of the Winds.. Intelligence... Reason...
Winged children of the Goddess
Soaring eagle... Singing lark...
Warm breath of morning... Hurricane... First light...
Come, Arida... Radiant Dawn...
Be With Us Now!

Hail guardians of the watchtowers of the South
Powers of the Flames... Action... Will...
Graceful children of the Goddess...
Lioness at noon... Antelope at play...
Lightning... Volcano... Noon's Heat...
Come, Pele... Brilliant Day...
Be with us now!

Hail guardians of the watchtowers of the West
Powers of the Waters... Emotions... Feelings...
Swift swimming children of the Goddess...
Dolphin dancing... Dragon of the abyss...
Tranquil stream... Thunderstorm... Evening Rain...
Come, Tiamat... Evensong...
Be with us now!!

Hail guardians of the watchtowers of the North
Powers of the Body... The world around us... Strength
Earthborn children of the Goddess ...
Bear and Wolf... Cat and Owl...
Mountain... Valley... Midnight Star...
Come Cerridwen... Darksome Queen...
Be with us now!

The Circle is Cast...
We Are Between The Worlds!
 

We bring our concerns to you, Lady of Light and Shadow... Queen of Air and Darkness.  We thank you for past aid.  Now we draw your energy into the Circle...   Out of our dreams, may we grow into the best we are capable of being.  We seek to examine our goals and our progress toward them.  The key to all knowledge is the knowledge of the self.  Let it grow within us this night as these plants grow in the mundane world.

Let the chant of the Lady's names as guardian/guide begin...

ATHENA... CERRIDWEN... ISIS ...DIANA
ATHENA... CERRIDWEN... ISIS ...DIANA
ATHENA... CERRIDWEN... ISIS ...DIANA..

Listen to the sound of your own breathing... Hear the air being drawn into your lungs... Listen to your heart beating... Feel the pulse moving through your body... Close your eyes and see with the inner eye, the Goddesses at the compass points of the Circle... See them as figures of light and shadow... feelings... caring presences.

East, Arida...   Opalescent... Shimmering...   Cool... White...
South, Pele...    Fire and Ember... Glowing...  Hot... Scarlet and Black...
West, Tiamat...   Clear... Surging...
Barely Warm... Green...
North, Cerridwen... Starlit... Stable...
Cold... Dark Blue...

As you breathe, take in the energy of the Elements... Take what you need from each of them to energize the seeds within yourself.   Feel the strength of the Earth beneath you.  Let it flow up into you.  Feel the energy of the Moon... Draw it down from the Lady... the Mother.  Feel the energy growing within you...  Let it fill you and overflow into your left hand.  It flows sunward through the Circle... an electric blue, a warmth...  It floods the Circle, and fills it with energy, and strength.

As the energy flows around the Circle,  through our seeds, shadowed shapes begin to form...  the Lady and the Unicorn.  Reach out to them.  Let them take you to the Sacred Places, the Oracles and ask them for the wisdom to listen to the answers to your questions.

Open yourself to new growth.  Let the energy you need to be the best that you can be fill you.

The Firebird's Song*  will call you to return, until then, go with the Goddess and Her Consort....

Embrace the Lady... Thank Her for this magical journey. Embrace the Unicorn...  Let Him bring you back now...  Back to our place between the worlds...  You are relaxed, renewed, revitalized, rested... You can hear your renewal in your strong heartbeat... in your relaxed breathing...  Again, we breathe the names of the Goddess... as a blessing on our futures.

ATHENA... CERRIDWEN... ISIS ... DIANA..
ATHENA... CERRIDWEN... ISIS ... DIANA..
ATHENA... CERRIDWEN... ISIS...  DIANA..

 

Her Names can not be counted...
Her Faces are the Seasons
Her Love became Creation
Her Promise is Eternal

Life is... Change is... Change is... Life is...

Cycles of Becoming...
Dreams become the Goal Stars
Courage leads to action...
Love and Will the torch fires

Life is... Change is... Change is... Life is...

Be the Lady's Daughter
Strong and Valiant Woman
Be the Horned One's Other...
Warm and Loving Human...

Life is... Change is... Change is... Life is...

In the silver moonlight...
Know yourself as Goddess
Bringing into Daylight
Insights born at midnight...

Life is... Change is... Change is... Life is...

Out of dreams and darkness
Grows your spirit's future
Seeds with great love planted
Grow with warmth and nurture

Life is... Change is... Change is... Life is...

**She charges everything She touches and
everything She touches, changes (repeat)

Touch is, change is, change is, touch is
Touch us, change us, change us, touch us

Everything lost is found again, in a new form, in a new way
Everything hurt is healed again, in a new life, in a new day!
 

From traditions hidden in the mists of time, our people have shared food and wine as a pledge of our love, trust and friendship... So now we share the Cup of wisdom, healing and rebirth... Promise of the Lady that we are Her children, Her reflections... Her self... Promise too, that all will be renewed, that the cycles are unending.

See the Chalice, the Cup, the Cauldron of Rebirth... symbol of the Lady.

See the Atheme, the Sword... force and symbol of the Horned One... power to change...

See them joined, one in power and ecstasy.  In their joining is strength, joy and beauty, the wonder of creation.  Let this energy fill the plant/seed you hold.

We join the Goddess and God in the love of each other in the Circle.  We share our joy as we share the Cup.

 See The Lady... Hear Her Voice...

"Mine the Cup... the wine of life... 
Drink deeply, and with joy"

We pass the Cup with a kiss.

From the ideas we have planted, may goals grow.  May our dreams bring new assurances to us.  May they aid us in our choices.

Let this sharing set the seal of the Goddess on our gathering.

Guardians of the East... Wind's children
Guardians of the South... Fire born
Guardians of the West... Sea spawned
Guardians of the North... Earth's Bones

Lady, Queen of times past, present and time yet to come...
Lord Consort, lover of the Shining One...

We thank you for your presence and protection.  As you depart to your ancient realms, remember us, our needs... our goals.  Let there be peace and love...  trust and joy between us always.

From Time's Beginnings to Eternity's Endings... Hail and Farewell... Blessed Be!
 

*The music used here is from Stravinsky's "The Firebird"
**From Starhawk's "The Spirial Dance"  Used with great reverence and thanks but without permission.