Even though the Moon simply exudes magic and seemingly saturates our lives
with it whether we want Her to or not, there are approximately twelve times
every month when She is positively incapacitated. It’s as if all Her power has
been stripped away, and suddenly She seems to have no strength or energy or
magic at all. In fact, to the magical practitioner, She has no purpose whatsoever,
except, of course, to light our way through the dark of night. It’s at these times
that the Moon is said to be Void of Course.
To some folks, especially those not well versed in astrological terms, saying
that the Moon is Void of Course sounds very silly, indeed. For the fact of the
matter is that the Moon is always on course, moving steadily through each
astrological sign every month. That being the case, Her journey continues like
clockwork.
There does, however, come a time when even the Moon needs a little R &
R. She needs to kick back, relax, and regroup before moving onward, to take a
power nap, if you will. And She grabs that opportunity just before She enters the
next astrological sign.
So how do we know when the Moon is out of service, and how long do
these periods last?
Void of Course periods are usually calculated by a plethora of complicated
mathematical equations and variables that few of us truly understand. Couple
that with the fact that the length of these periods varies from several minutes to
forty-eight hours, and proper calculations could be very sketchy, indeed.
Fortunately, though, we don’t have to worry about that. An ephemeris, an
almanac, or a calendar with accurate Moon data will provide this information
right down to the minute. All we have to do is keep one handy, and we’re good to
go.
Once we have the Void of Course information for the Moon, what do we, as
magical practitioners, do with it? In a word, nothing! Fact is, all magical
operations seem to run amuck when the Moon is chilling out. It’s not that they
don’t work. They do. It’s just that they seldom work as planned. It’s as if the
Universe is suddenly confused as to the quickest route between point A and
point B, and things tend to manifest in such a way that we often wish we’d never
set them motion.
Think I’m mistaken? Then try this on for size. A former student of mine
once did an abundance ritual during a Void of Course Moon. Her first mistake,
of course, was asking for abundance instead of prosperity, for money was what
she really needed. But even though I reminded her of both problems-the
abundance issue and the Void of Course Moon-she went right on with her plans.
And what did she get for her trouble? A lot more than she bargained for!
Whole regiments of gophers, moles, and rabbits took up residence in her
garden, and what they didn’t eat away from below, huge flocks of blackbirds
gobbled up from above. Termites invaded her house. Feral cats chose her garage
as a birthing quarters. She wound up with an infestation of sand fleas that even a
case of sevin dust wouldn’t cure. But that was just the abundant contribution
from the animal world. Her troubles had just begun.
Both of her children got sick about the same time she lost her second job.
Her budget wasn’t well padded and didn’t allow for extra medical expenses. And
while she was fortunate enough to find another job, the hours were absolutely
horrendous, which meant additional child care expenses. So in the final analysis,
she was doing little more than paying for the privilege to work a second job. All
in all, it was her worst nightmare-times three.
Magical efforts aren’t the only things that go awry during this period.
Computers and peripherals act up, communications get tangled, and plans don’t
work out. A sense of stalemate is in the air, and because of it, nothing runs true
to form, not even the thinking process. This communication breakdown often
results in a temporary but unrealistic view of present circumstances. Acting on
much of anything at this time could bring very unexpected consequences,
indeed.
That having been said, it pays to follow the Moon’s lead when She’s Void of
Course. Just kick back and relax, and take a bit of well-deserved time for
yourself. Read a book, see a movie, or take a leisurely stroll through the park.
The Moon will be back on track before you know it, and because you had the
good sense to rest as well, you’ll be raring to go when She is!
