ESBATS
Esbats, as you will recall from the First-Degree Lessons, are the monthly rituals celebrated by Wiccans in time with the phases of the Moon.
In our examination of ritual, we will begin with the Esbats. Most Temples celebrate Esbats for the New Moon, and for the Full Moon –though some choose one or the other, and a few celebrate only Sabbats.
To understand the purpose of the Esbats you must understand the Lunar phases.
The Moon represents the Goddess, and also the Soul which has its origins in the Goddess. The Moon represents our emotions and inner self, and the psychic and spiritual energies associated with the Higher Self. Consequently it is believed that our psychic and magical abilities are affected by the phases of the Moon, being strengthened as the Moon Waxes and grows Full, and turning inward when the Moon Wanes.
The New Moon begins the Moon’s Waxing phase, when She grows stronger and brighter, beginning as a slender crescent and building up towards Full. This is the phase of the Maiden Goddess. This is the time for new beginnings, and growth. At New Moon we work for those things we wish to start, and those things which we wish to develop –either over the course of the month, or over a longer term. It is a time to work on qualities which we wish to cultivate, skills we wish to learn, behaviors we wish to perfect, and to focus on our goals.
The Full Moon is when the light of the Moon is at its height in the middle of the cycle. This is the phase of the Mother Goddess. The Full Moon is generally considered to last for three days –one day to either side of the calendar date. This is when the energy of the Moon is at its strongest, so it is a time to take advantage of the extra energy and work on those things we most wish to manifest, since at Full Moon the Lunar energies are pulling with us.
The Waning Moon is when the Moon decreases from Full back to a Crescent, and finally disappears. This is the phase of the Crone Goddess. During the Waning Moon we work on those things we wish to release, to cleanse, and to let go of. It is the time for endings. The Waning Moon is the time for internal growth and integration, just as the Waxing Moon is the time for external growth and development.
In ritual, we attune ourselves to these energies, and work with them toward our personal goals.
RITUAL CONSIDERATIONS
The New Moon is ruled by the Maiden Goddess. You may choose to invoke Her as an Archetype, or you may choose a specific form Maiden Goddess to invoke. You might choose a form of the Maiden which has personal significance to you or to the group, or you might select a form of the Maiden Goddess which has significance to the time of year, or the Astrological placement of the Moon. For example, if the New Moon is in Aries, you might choose the Warrior Maiden Athena. If the New Moon is in Taurus, you might consider a Goddess with bovine associations such as Hat-Hor or Lakshmi. Since the New Moon occurs when the Moon is in conjunction with the Sun, the Astrological placement of the New Moon will be the same as that of the Sun –though if you celebrate your New Moon Esbat the night after the exact New Moon, the Moon may have moved on to a new sign.
Because the Moons are Lunar celebrations some people invoke only the Goddess. Others like to invoke the God as well, for balance. For a New Moon you would choose a God from the Hero archetype, whose qualities are in sympathy with the Goddess being invoked.
Again it is not necessary to choose a Personal form of Deity to invoke –it is perfectly alright to invoke through Archetype. This is up to you.
The second major consideration in setting up your ritual is an ACT OF POWER. The Act of Power is a spell, visualization, or divination intended to use the energies of the ritual to either help the individuals present in some way, or to give them information. Every ritual should include an Act of Power. Below we include several examples of Acts of Power which we might use at a New Moon –but these are merely suggested possibilities.
It is also good to select several appropriate chants to use during the ritual, as people enjoy chants and they help to raise energy. If space permits, simple dances also help top raise energy –even if it’s simply dancing in a circle. Remember, as we discussed in the First-Degree Lessons and in the Exercises accompanying this Lesson, sound effects the vibration of energy: this is one reason why chants are useful in Circle. Chanting is not only enjoyable, but it also has a real effect on the magical energies being raised.
The ritual below is written as if for a woman and a man. This is merely for convenience. It can just as easily be performed by a single person, by simply treating the two parts as one. The gender of the ritualist is not important. The ritual can be adapted to a larger group by dividing each part between several people.
Having considered these things, let us move on to the subject of this section: A New Moon Esbat.