The New Moon represents new beginnings, a time for pursuing the things our subconscious wants or needs most. It's a time to check in with ourselves and find out how we're feeling, how we want to be feeling, and determine what we need to do to feel that way. At the New Moon, we can set intentions for how we wish to move through life for the next moon cycle — what do you want to feel? What qualities or habits would you like to improve or work on? What do you want to bring more of into your life?
Here's a simple intention-setting ritual I like to follow every New Moon. Feel free to adapt it to however you feel most comfortable tapping in to your intuition!
You will need:
- a candle - any color/scent you'd like! Try to make it match your intention (see color chart below).
- a crystal - optional, but I like incorporating the energy of crystals into my rituals. Again, you'll want this to match your intention (amethyst for peace, overcoming addiction; citrine for abundance, creativity, success; rose quartz for love, harmony; etc).
- a piece of paper
- a pen
Our Ritual Kits contain everything you'll need for this ritual, plus their own spell scrolls if you're looking to invite in more Calming & Healing energy, Creative Abundance, or Love for yourself or others.
1. Set up your space. Gather your materials in a quiet room in your house and close the door. If you live with others, let them know you need a few minutes of quiet time. If you wish, you can also cleanse your space with sage.
2. Choose your intention. I find this works best when I choose just one intention, so I don't feel overwhelmed or guilty when I can't do it all. Think about what matters most to you, what your core values are, or what could use extra attention for the next 28 days. Do you want to be healthier? Exercise more or eat better? Is there something you'd like more of in your life? Love? Money (or perhaps some other form of abundance)? Joy? Creativity? Friendship? Or maybe you want to focus on reconnecting with your friends or spending more time with a relative or your partner. If you need help, journal a few ideas out and see what feels like it's most important.
3. Set your intention. Once you've chosen your intention, it's time to let the universe know, and decide on a few actions to make it happen. Thoughts are nice, but you still have to do some work! Light your candle and hold your crystal in your hand. With your eyes open or closed, slowly breathe in and out a few times to center yourself. Write out your intention on a piece of paper, along with 3-5 things you're going to do to bring about this intention. Then, if you feel comfortable, say the following:
Mother Moon, I call to thee
In your New phase, give me energy
As I set my intention to [fill in with your intention]
Please help me do the work required of me
To make this intention a reality
As I will it so mote it be ~
If you're using a mini ritual/spell candle (like the one in my photo above) or a tealight candle like the ones in our Ritual Kits, let it burn completely. Otherwise, safely extinguish your candle with a snuffer or by blowing it out. Some witches believe blowing out a candle stops its magic, but I believe blowing it out slowly mixes your breath with the intention and sends it up to the universe with your own power.
4. Store your intention. I like to fold up my intention and keep it on my altar with the crystal I've used until my Full Moon ritual, when I take it down and see what I've manifested. If I still have work to do, I return it to my altar until the next New Moon.
Additional ideas for this ritual:
- You can also turn this into a bath ritual! I like doing New Moon and Full Moon rituals in my bathtub because baths are a sacred time for me where I'm (usually) alone with my thoughts, soaking up good energy from herbs, flowers, salts, and other bath goodies. Shop Bath Products.
- Anoint your candle with scented oils that represent your intention. Citruses are great for joy or creativity (our Create Body Oil would be perfect), lavender or chamomile for calm (try our Calm Body Oil), rose or vanilla for love (Love Body Oil), etc. Whatever you do, don't use essential oils "neat" as they can be toxic and way too strong on their own! Always blend a few drops of essential oil with a carrier or base oil (almond and jojoba oils are my favorite).
Check out all of our Rituals here and ready-to-go Ritual Kits here.
