Neolithic Shamanism: Spirit Work in the Norse Tradition - Raven Kaldera 2012

Gibbous Moon
The Silver World: Moon

The Gibbous Moon is the Waxing Three-Quarter Moon, and it is the time of correcting missteps. This is a good time to apologize for things you’ve done out of selfishness, and to keep the promises you’ve been putting off. Good hard work on your emotional self is a balm during this time. Connecting with the lunar spirit can give you the motivation to do those hard things. In fact, this coming Gibbous Moon, stand out under the Moon and ask yourself: What is the thing I’ve done in the past year that I am most ashamed of? Then ask: How would I have to change as a person in order to never have that happen again? Ask the Moon to help you to become that person.

Exercise: Dream Journal

Dreaming is the Moon’s business, and for some practitioners, it is part of their business as well. Dream work is a particular talent that some people seem to be born with. For them, the time when they are most open to other influences is when they are sleeping, and specifically during their REM cycle. They get their clearest messages and most important images while asleep. To see if dreaming will be part of your shamanic toolkit, you need to start by learning how to remember your dreams.

Select a journal that appeals to you aesthetically—or, if you have the interest, try your hand at making your own. Book making and book binding are fascinating crafts to explore. It’s important that you actually hand write this journal. There’s something about writing it out rather than typing on a computer that allows for better dream recall and for greater facility at accessing your dreams. Keep the journal and a writing implement by your bedside.

Before you go to bed, ask the Moon to grant you good and useful dreams and recall upon awakening. As soon as you wake, before you do anything else (even if you wake in the middle of the night), reach for your journal and write down your dreams, anything you remember. That’s all there is to it. It may take a few weeks or even months to really develop any facility with this, but eventually the dream journal has the potential to become a useful tool in this work. We’re less guarded when we sleep, and Gods and spirits are more able to communicate with us clearly, all the more so if this is one of our talents.

We add one caveat: you really need to get a full and regular night’s sleep. In this work, that’s not always as easy as it sounds, but doing so can be offered up as a gift to the Moon.