Welcome to our Spell Book here at MoonCrafted Essentials. We are a family business of witches who make handmade ritual bath products and invocation candles while helping mystical people learn and embrace their love of magick and the moon.
The ability to change, adapt, renew, however, you look at it, growth is a gift. Proof of life abounds in nature this time of year. Trees have buds on them, spring daffodils and tulips abound, and the birds are nesting once more. Much like March, this is a time of conception and fertility.
This year the April full moon falls on the 30th. In my neck of the woods, we recently were gifted with about a foot of snow so Spring and growth are a little hard to think about. Now, whether or not Mother Nature is having a tantrum, the April Growing Moon is all about…you guessed it, growth. Like all other monthly full moons, this one has many names. It has been called the Magickal Seed Moon, Growing Moon, Hare Moon, Planting Moon, Budding Trees Moon, Green Grass Moon, and the Planter's moon. Obviously, all of these names have connotations towards spring, planting the garden and the fields.
Magic for the Moon
The essence of life prevents stagnation, so this is the best time for magick involving change and new beginnings. It’s time to move on from the planning phase and into action. Just as the flowers burst forth from the earth, your intentions burst forth from you. Take the ideas you have been brewing since the new year and make them grow.
April is usually the first month of rain, so now is a good time to gather up rainwater for use in magic. Leave a few glass jars outside in the open so you can collect water for different magical purposes. For instance, the rain that accumulates during a soft, light drizzle can be used in rituals for calming and meditation. On the other hand, the water that fills your jar in the middle of a late-night, thunder-and-lightning deluge is going to have a lot of energy in it–use this for workings related to power, control, and assertiveness.
Don't forget, this month's full moon is also called the Seed Moon. Do some planting magic, plan out your garden, and get your seedlings started. In the weeks leading up to Beltane, planting rituals can help get new things growing in your garden and in your life as a whole. The very act of planting, of beginning new life from seed, is a ritual and a magical act in itself. To cultivate something in the black soil, see it sprout and then bloom, is to watch a magical working unfold before our very eyes. The plant cycle is intrinsically tied to so many earth-based belief systems that it should come as no surprise that a garden is a magical place in the spring.
Growing Moon Correspondences
- Bright primary colors such as red, yellow, and blue–and their many combinations–are associated with the ongoing spring season. Don’t forget the primary colors are also foundation colors, all other colors grow from them!
- Stones and crystals like quartz, selenite, and angelite are connected to the element of air. Leave stones outside on a windy day to absorb the energy of the elements.
- Trees, including hazel, forsythia, lilac, and willow, are beginning to bud in April and represent the beginnings of a new life for the coming summer.
- Gods and goddesses like Ishtar, Tawaret, Venus, Herne, and Cernunnos all represent the greening of the earth, and the coming of the fertility season, which is right around the corner.
- Herbs like dandelion, milkweed, dogwood, fennel, and dill are associated with air, in part because their seed pods will blow away and spread on a breezy day.
- The element of air is strongly tied to this month, because of the winds that may pop up out of nowhere to surprise you.
The Magic of Wind
Because April's moon can also be associated with the winds now is a good time to explore the winds that blow from each of the cardinal directions and the power they can bring.
The North Wind is associated with cold, destruction, and change–and not always the good kind of change. If you've got some bad stuff looming on the horizon, now's the time to work through it. Do this not just by changing yourself, but also the way you respond to other people and to events that are taking place in your life.
The South Wind, in contrast, is connected to warmth and the element of fire, which in turn is associated with passion and power. Fire is a destroyer, but it also creates, so if there is a passion that you've lost in your life–whether it's romantic or something else–work on doing what you need to do to rebuild it.
The winds of the East are often associated with new beginnings; in particular, focus on new careers, education, or other aspects of your life that are related to communication and your intellect.
Finally, the West Wind is tied to the cleansing and healing powers of water, so if you need to get rid of things that are causing you heartache or pain, let the wind blow them right out of your life.
I hope this helps you get a better understanding of the Growing Moon Esbat. Do you typically honor the full moons each month? What kinds of rituals do you do?