Letter 13: Sagittarius New Moon, Oakmoss, The Eyes, & Rune Sigils

"Beneath the veil of stars, where shadows dance and whispers weave, may your journey be illuminated by the mystique of the unseen."

This week, if you are tuned in, you may have noticed that everyone around you has been on a wide spectrum of emotions lately. Be this overly nice, confrontational or even just outright not pleasant. You may have also noticed yourself going through some of these emotions, or just feeling extra exhausted, irritable, had a headache or some other form of burn out. You are not alone in this, this week we will explore the realm of the Sagittarius New Moon which could potentially be one of the cosmic causes of the happenings. We will also dive into some new information about a plant (or lichen) called Oakmoss. As we try to see the connection between our inner worlds and our outer worlds you may notice more energy swirling in your head space, this is why I have decided to reach further into the scope of The Eyes and the emotions that become stored there. We will end the day with talking about Rune Sigils, a witchy tool to add to your set of skills whenever you are in need of any type of energy pick me up or energy blocking!

Enough introduction, let’s start exploring!

This week we experience yet another cosmic happening, a new moon. New moons are representative of a reset. This is a time in the moon’s cycle where things are not building, but slowing down, becoming darker, taking time away from the spotlight, and becoming unseen. This can be highly utilized in our lives here on earth. Using the moon’s phase we can relate it to ourselves by starting to slow down, taking more time to rest and reset away from the hustle of our culture. Taking time to become a hermit, go within, and trust in the unseen as we take a step back. As you begin to slow down and settle in, it’s also an opportunity for taking account of everything you have gone through the last month and noticing what has worked out well and what you wish could come to fruition before the next full moon, as this is a time for goal setting and manifestation as well. 

Using the moon in your witchy practice is a great way to stay connected to our natural world. Find ways to cycle your personal life to the moon’s phases if your intention with your craft is to become more like the energy of the moon. If you need peace, comfort, healing and the ability to go with the flow and accept your phases then this is the right thing for you to include in your practice. 

Now this particular new moon is in the sign of Sagittarius. This means that, keeping in mind that you are manifesting and setting intentions and goals for the next full moon, you are also taking actions and physical steps towards these. Which might seem the opposite of what a new moon signifies on its own, but it’s within rest that you can decide which steps to take, which path to follow, and plans to make. The new moon in Sagittarius' message for us this month is “Go for it.” Take a leap of faith, or make some major decisions you have been putting off. Be this with money, work, relationships, hobbies, or travel. On the day of the full moon, take the time to rest and become introspective on what your next moves are, and once the new moon is over, follow your plans through! 

As I was mentioning at the beginning of the newsletter, many of us are in a period of lethargy, and low motivation or exhaustion. As this is likely due to the new moon's energies asking us to slow down, many of us find ourselves unable to take a break or slow down as much that’s being asked of us. Even though these energies will still affect you no matter what your schedule looks like, I want to talk about a plant that has uses for releasing lethargy.

Oakmoss is a type of lichen that grows on oak trees. Pretty self explanatory. But as simple as it is to know its name and what type of moss it is, its magickal correspondences and energies are not as simple. Oakmoss dates back to being used as perfume as early as the 16th century, and is known for its earthy notes. It has been found in ancient tombs of Egypt as well, but whether it was meant for food or something else is unknown. Though it is edible and can be used as essential oil blends as well as digestion problems, it is not recommended for people that suffer panic attacks as its energy is very sporadic and well, energetic. Which is why this plant has been used to treat lethargy as well. 

The energy of this plant being powerful, quick, and jumpy, can be utilized in magick practices however. Using this lichen in spells where you wish to see more energy, or see more movement would be ideal, it has also been used in the way where it makes spells and other magicks have a longer lasting effect. It is also great for divination, and grounding, and has been used within poppet dolls to perform exorcisms. It is said to yield long term results for manifestations that deal with money, business and prosperity and is greatly utilized in banishing practices. I recommend researching this plant before using it, as what works for some doesn’t always work for everyone. 

There are many things that are allowing us to see connections between our lives and the earth’s energies, whether this is using the cycles of the moon, or using plants and herbs in our practice. Sagittarius season begs of us to see the bigger picture, so I found it only fitting to talk about The Eyes and their emotions. The eyes are the gateway to how we perceive the world, and how we decide to react to the things we see happening to others, they not only represent seeing physical things in our lives but also how we deal with the unseen, our open mindedness, and manifestations or visualizations as well. Trapped emotions in the eyes might appear different for everyone, it could be actual eye ailments, problems with vision, or even an energetic issue like lack of belief, fear of the future and so on. There are so many things said to become stuck energetically in the eyes, the list I have gotten from “Feelings buried alive never die” By Karol K Truman and it goes like this.

• Not wanting to understand what you are seeing

• Not seeing the truth

• Not seeing eye to eye with someone

• Inability to see self worth

• Not wanting to see a future for yourself

It is also stated that bags under the eyes or circles, are related to bitterness, deep seeded grief, resentments, hostility, and an inability to express yourself or your hurts. The eyes are the most telling sign of the metaphor of sight, what is it that you are seeing that you don’t want to see? What would you like to see in your future that you aren’t seeing now? These are questions you can ask yourself in your shadow work if you find you have any discomfort in your eyes, or in the reflexology areas that represent the eyes.

We are nearing the end of the newsletter now, so here is my witchy practice that you can take into your book of shadows, your repertoire, have under your belt for a rainy day, or share with a friend. Rune Sigils is the practice of using runic symbols as a form of protection, manifestation, attraction, warding, healing, and so on. There are many different runes and ways to incorporate them in your magick practice, you could carve them into wood or stone and place them throughout your home, draw them on paper and leave them under your pillow or under your welcome mat, draw them into the air before eating a meal, the list goes on. 

Sigils are described as “an inscribed, or painted symbol or seal that holds magical power.” While runes are part of an older germanic and nordic alphabet, and are now used for divination, oracle, and well, runic sigils of course. The practice is simple, if you feel so called to do so, incorporate these symbols drawn onto whatever it is you wish to hold the power of your intention. Some examples would be, your front door to your home, your car, your bedroom door, the entryway to any place, on a person, on the cover of a journal, on a hairbrush, on your altar, etc. You can literally use them on anything you wish to cast your intention into. 

You can find specific sigils others have made, or you can use a rune symbol, or even combine runes together to make your own! 

• Fehu (F) - ᚠ - Wealth, cattle

• Uruz (U) - ᚢ - Aurochs (wild ox), strength

• Thurisaz (TH) - ᚦ - Thorn, giant, chaos

• Ansuz (A) - ᚨ - God (Aesir), communication

• Raido (R) - ᚱ - Ride, journey

• Kaunan (K) - ᚲ - Torch, ulcer

• Gebo (G) - ᚷ - Gift, partnership

• Wunjo (W) - ᚹ - Joy, bliss

• Hagalaz (H) - ᚺ - Hail, destruction

• Nauthiz (N) - ᚾ - Need, constraint

• Isaz (I) - ᛁ - Ice, standstill

• Jera (J or Y) - ᛃ - Year, harvest

• Eihwaz (EI or I) - ᛇ - Yew tree, reliability

• Pertho (P) - ᛈ - Lot cup, mystery

• Algiz (Z) - ᛉ - Elk, protection

• Sowilo (S) - ᛊ - Sun, success

• Tiwaz (T) - ᛏ - Tyr (god of war), honor

• Berkano (B) - ᛒ - Birch tree, fertility

• Ehwaz (E) - ᛖ - Horse, transportation

• Mannaz (M) - ᛗ - Man, humanity

• Laguz (L) - ᛚ - Water, emotions

• Ingwaz (NG) - ᛜ - Ing (god of fertility), completion

• Dagaz (D) - ᛞ - Day, breakthrough

• Othala (O) - ᛟ - Ancestral property, heritage

Thanks so much for joining in this week! I hope the information finds you well and you are able to utilize it to your best intentions.