A funny thing happened when I relaunched my site www.regulus-astrology.com on Substack this summer. My feed suddendly drew in practitioners of ritual magic; a few astrologers, but mostly non-astrologers within the magical field. Most likely my ongoing research study on the Moon’s Configuration triggered the Substack algorithm to produce this result. And so I found
’s Magical Experiments Substack, responded to his invitation for an interview, and here we are.Magic at work: In my first Within Orb podcast with
we talked about astrological books and how at the end of the year I fulfill an anti-hoarding rule by donating all books which cannot fit the confines of existing bookcases. I mentioned an astrology book by Ben Dykes that I had not read because it is not the focus of my practice: Astrological Magic: Basic Rituals and Meditations. And yet ! to prepare for this interview with Taylor, I did read the main text from Ben’s book. It’s as if the world heard me talking about a book in my library that I hadn’t read - and decided to give me a nudge to finish the job.The Moon and magic intersect in two ways. First in a general way of using New and Full Moons, the Moon’s sign, and planetary days/hours as methods of recruiting astrological forces for auspicious rituals which occupy the normal rhythm of life. Second in a specific way of using the Moon in a full blown electional construction when magic is directed towards a specific action. The latter is where the Moon’s Configuration comes into play. Based on natal horoscopes with New and Full Moons I have examined, my research confirms traditional aphorisms which state that New or Full Moons are inauspicious; specifically, one needs to wait at least a day, preferably two days, after a New or Full Moon before initiating a ritual. Otherwise the Moon is so close to the Sun that her intuitive potential is clouded (New Moon) or so filled with the Sun’s luminosity (Full Moon) that cognitive errors are magnified. What is true for natal is also true for elections. I write this in response to Substack’s many rookie magicians who recommend to initiate projects on the New Moon, an unforced error which degrades the effectiveness of aligning with the lunation cycle.
While I do not practice astrological rituals in my own practice, I personally employ two related applications of astrological magic: I wear a Jupiter Talisman designed by Christopher Warnock and I wear an emerald ring on my right pinky finger as a method to strengthen my natal Mercury, assigned to the fifth finger.
This and much more on my convo with Taylor. Enjoy!
