The moon was no doubt the greatest mystery to our ancestors because it changed its form monthly, endlessly returning to its original shape again. Yet even its ever-changing nature was predictable. Therefore, it was the constant inconstant light in the night sky. To add to its mystery, the moon seemingly disappeared each month into the blackness of the night sky for three nights. This isn’t unlike the idea of seeking renewal through immersion in water.
Black is one of the three colors of the Great Mysteries: Birth,
Life, and Death. Like water, black represents the formless state of
procreation and the realm of all possibilities. From the ancestral perspective, anything could be lurking in the black of night, and anything might emerge from it. When we factor in that (scientifically speaking) black is the presence of all colors mixed together, we can comprehend the essential nature of its full potentiality. The idea here is that since black contains the all, then any part of that can manifest
separately or in combinations.
The moon isn’t detached from ideas connected to the concept
of blackness. In fact, its cycle of change is well suited for such a
mystical realm in which it abides. The color black is often associated with death, and in the writings of ancient Greeks, such as Plutarch,
we find a belief that souls of the dead are drawn into the moon. The ancient sect of mystical Pythagoreans also taught a related theme.
In occult philosophy, the dead and the moon share the principle of
renewed form, which connects to the belief in reincarnation. This
suggests an occult mechanism in which the blackness of night
represents full potentiality, and the moon symbolizes the means
through which the parts of the whole are generated into manifestation.
In the old tales of Witches, the night is the favored time of their
gathering, and the preferred place is at a crossroads. We previously
noted that the place of the crossroads has long been associated with spirits of the dead, and it’s often defined as in-between the worlds.
Hecate, one of the classic goddesses associated with Witchcraft, is
intimately connected to the dead (and is said to escort them into the Underworld).
The magic of Witches belongs to the night, the moon, and the
realms hidden in the black shadowing places. The Full Moon and
its rite is the fulfillment of the covenant of the Witch who tends
the ancient ways and keeps faith with the tides of the moon. This
is because the moon represents the essence of what flows through
the mysteries embraced by the Witch. It’s enlightenment in the dark places, the cycle of transformation, and the promise of return.
