Create your own personalized New Moon ritual to make positive changes in your life and connect with yourself on a deeper level.

A New Moon is a great time to check in with yourself and take stock of what changes you’d like to make. The practice of doing a New Moon ritual every month over the long term can bring new perspectives, progress, and manifestations into your life.

I’ve been working with the moon cycles for almost a decade to set intentions and clear away old patterns. I specifically use the New Moon and the Full Moon to assess how I’m feeling and what I’d like to change, do, or experience more of. The New Moon is especially good for turning inward, reflecting on the past month, re-centering, and setting new intentions to feel more aligned in our everyday life.

For more moon-related updates:
Create your own Full Moon Ritual
Read your Monthly Tarotscope for each zodiac season
Sign up for my Full Moon Witchy Wellness Letter
Book a Tarot reading or breathwork session

Intentions are different than goals, where goals tend to be more external, intentions are about how you want to feel and move through your everyday. In order to set our intentions, I think it’s important to make time and space to get perspective and clarity. Rituals are a beautiful way to do something nice for yourself and take some quiet time to listen to your intuition and figure out what you need.

Why create a new moon ritual?

Think about the New Moon in the dark sky (find out the exact date and time of the New Moon here) — the moon is exactly aligned with the sun and isn’t visible in the sky. This is our cosmic blank slate for the cycle. From today, the moon will begin to grow in steady increments until it’s completely full, then wane back down again to dark, then new again.

The moon is our guide in helping us expand and go inward in a reliable rhythm. Whenever you see it or think about it, you’re reminded to check back in with yourself, your intuition, and your intention.

The key to creating your own ritual is to find something that feels both special and comfortable for you. If you’re doing something that doesn’t feel genuine or you find yourself scrolling through your phone to read instructions for half the time, it can take you out of the moment — so trust your instincts and do what feels natural. You’re aiming to create a magical space, but one that feels in your wheelhouse.

A ritual should include a few simple steps and a tool or two (more on that below). It’s something that can be focused on as a way to ground you in the present moment. 

Balance it out

Find a balance that feels right for you by including as many or as few tools as you’d like. An easy starting point is to incorporate the four elements — earth, air, fire, water.

Earth can be a plant, leaf, flower, salt, crystals, or stones.

Air can be incense, music, diffused essential oils.

Fire can be a candle, spices, or something with bright colors like red, orange, yellow or gold.

Water can be, well, water or something that evokes the sea like a shell.

If you want to keep it simple, using a candle can actually cover all four elements (solid wax is earth, air flickers the flame, melted wax is water, and the fire is self-explanatory). Experiment and see what feels good to you, or take the temperature of the day and assess what you need. If the New Moon is in a water sign, for example, you may want to put more focus on that element. 

Stay in the moment and don’t think too much about what you’re “supposed to” do — just follow your gut and do what feels right at that time. It can be as simple or elaborate as you choose.

The Ritual Basics

1. Comfy and quiet spot to sit
2. About 20 minutes to yourself
3. Your breath (maybe overkill to mention, but important!)
4. Notebook + pen
5. Nourishment. Make yourself something simple and nourishing. That can be a tea, hot chocolate (see below for a recipe), big glass of water, or an easy, plant-filled meal to eat afterward.

Optional add-ons

• Cleansing plants like rosemary, mugwort, cedarwood, palo santo, or sage (I recommend making your own dried herb bundles or buy them from Mountain Rose Herbs — which sources herbs responsibly)
• Candles (see below for a simple candle magic ritual)
• Crystals
• Essential oils/Incense
• Mood music
• Tarot cards 
• Hot bath with epsom salts

Here’s what I do: 

Pick a time

The evening of the new moon or the one after, if possible. Pick a time when you can be alone and undisturbed for about 20 minutes.

Set up the space

Turn on some music that makes you feel good (I love making a New Moon playlists for myself, or going with an artist I’m feeling in the moment). Light some candles and a salt lamp for low-lit ambiance and prepare a warm drink or food.

Gather your notebook, a crystal or two you’re working with, and/or a tarot or oracle deck. 

Freshen and settle in

Burn rosemary, mugwort, a bay leaf or your favorite herb to cleanse the space and/or use an essential oil spray for the same purpose. I like to wash my hands and sit down on the couch with my coziest blanket on my lap and a large glass of water or some tea nearby.

Meditation

Close your eyes and breathe. Focus on the breath for at least 10 counts, letting thoughts come and go and just sit with yourself for a few minutes. Start to envision the dark sky and how you might like to grow with the moon over the next month. 

Ask & write it out

Questions to ask: How am I feeling right now? What am I still resolving from this last cycle? How did I change in the last month? What did I learn? What feels exciting for me at this time? What feels blocked for me? What is the thing I’m most yearning for at this moment? What do I need most at this phase in my life? What will be my guiding theme this cycle? 

Journal your responses. Writing, especially with pen and paper, is magic on it’s own. It helps our brains process things differently than just thinking alone.

If you need a little help digging deeper into what’s showing up for you, check in with your tarot cards if you have them (see the New Moon Tarot Spread below), or read your monthly tarotscope.  

You can also book a personalized one-on-one tarot reading with me here.

From there, you can set an intention for the month ahead based on how you’re feeling and any major thoughts you’ve had. If nothing is clearly coming up for you during this ritual, DON’T WORRY. That’s completely normal.

Sleep on it and come back to set your intention the next day or two when it comes to you naturally. 

Candle magic

If you want to get down with some witchy sh*t, try this simple candle magic set up: 

1. Place a white candle in a small bowl of water with a pinch of sea salt or sand (the wick and top of the candle should, of course, be comfortably above the water). Light it. 
2. Take two small pieces of paper and write what you’re letting go of on one and what you’d like to cultivate on the other.
3. Set them on fire one at a time and dunk into the water once it’s nearly burned out/you’re in danger of burning your fingers. 
4. Take a deep breath and keep the candle lit until you’ve finished your ritual. 

Ground down

By enjoying a snack or meal, sitting outside, or taking a bath.