Storytelling Rituals of the Harvest Moon: Goddess SELENE & Love Spells with YARROW
Humans have had a deep relationship with the Moon since time immemorial. In the great teachings of the Vedas, the Moon rules over the Mind, Consciousness, Emotional Body and is often associated with the Feminine. It may be no coincidence therefore that a woman’s Menstrual Cyce often mirrors the Moon. It usually lasts 28 - 30 days, and many women report to sync their ovulation either with the Full Moon or the New Moon. In the realms of Magick and Alchemy, the Moon is identified with the legendary Soma plant which was believed to have the essence of the Divine and which provided sustenance to gods and humans alike. Far on the other side of the world, the Mayans worshipped Goddess Ixchel, Goddess of the Moon, goddess of fertility and childbirth. She is often depicted as a young woman with aspects of motherhood, symbolizing her role in helping women during pregnancy and childbirth. Her nurturing and maternal aspects align with the moon's association with cycles and growth. Likewise, in Europe several Goddesses are dedicated to the Moon. We last encountered Artemis - in my previous post, but today I want to speak about Selene, the Goddess who gave her name to the term Selenophile - meaning Moon Lover.
This Harvest Moon, let me tell you a story of Goddess Selene and Endymion.
In a time when the stars whispered secrets to those who listened, there lived a goddess named Selene, the radiant Lady of the Moon. Her chariot was adorned with leaves of silver and reins made of pearls and she would ride the velvety night sky, casting soft, celestial glows upon the Earth below.
One night, as Selene journeyed on her celestial path, her dazzling gaze fell upon a mortal, a shepherd named Endymion, who lay in peaceful slumber upon the gentle slopes of Mount Latmus. Endymion's form was bathed in the silvery light of the moon, and his face was so breathtaking that Selene's heart stopped for the briefest of moments, enough to make her realise, she had fallen deeply in love with him. It was the type of love, you just knew, as if you happened upon your secret self, hidden away in the realms of mortals.
Selene, bewitched by his ethereal beauty, gently guided her chariot towards the earthly realms. She landed silently beside Endymion, and there, under the watchful eyes of the night, she touched his sleeping brow, and his handsome chest and felt his beating heart, her own heart surging in the the most exquisite joy she’d ever felt.
Endymion, the mortal, yearned for eternal youth and immortality. With great longing, he had beseeched mighty Zeus, ruler of the gods, to grant him this extraordinary favor. Zeus, moved by Endymion's earnest plea, had agreed to his request, but with a condition – Endymion would remain in an eternal slumber, untouched by the passage of time, preserving his beauty forever.
Thus, each night, Selene descended from her heavenly kingdom, her reins of pearls jangling, the silver leaves tinkling, her radiance brightening the dark night. Yet Endymion slept, unaware that he had captured the heart of the Lady of the Moon. Lost in a world where she could not reach him, Selene mourned, wiping her tears over gentle kisses with her slumbering lover. On and on Endymion slept, his endless dreams stretching into the night. And each night, except one, Selene would descend from her moonlit chariot to visit Endymion. She would lean over him, her lips meeting his in gentle kisses, all the while her beloved shepherd slept and woke in the realm of endless dreams.
Painting by G F Wells
The tale of Selene and Endymion, serves as an eternal reminder of the moon's enchanting journey through the night sky. It is a story of ethereal beauty and timeless love, where the moon's luminous phases mirror the waxing and waning of emotions, and the quiet moments of slumber hold the promise of eternity.
In the quiet embrace of the night, their love remained unspoken, but it danced amidst the stars, and it whispered in the dreams of all who gazed upon the luminous moon above.
So tonight, as you tiptoe out of your bed in the middle of the night, to watch the Moonrise, remember Selene’s yearning for her sleeping love. If you too are yearning for an eternal love, may Selene be your comfort as you search the land for your one true love.
If like me, you are fortunate to have found your love, give a prayer of thanks to the Harvest Moon, and ask that she may shine her silvery light on your love for all eternity, so you can dance among the stars forever more.
Making Magick with Yarrow
Photo by: Philippe Glade
Yarrow, Achillea Millefolium, is a plant with magnanimous magical properties and was often used in love spells. The plant grows wild across the British isles as well as many parts of the Northern Hemisphere. The flowers are often white, formed in dense clusters with a distinguished centre and with tiny petals around the centre. It has feathery leaves that are finely divided and fern-like, which is where it’s botanical name Millefolium is derived from. Yarrow was often used in love divination spells. Young women across the British isles would place a sprig of yarrow under their pillow to dream of their future husbamd. At Beltaine, young maidens would recite the words: “good morrow, good morrow, to thee fair yarrow and thrice good morrow, to thee, I pray, tell me today or tomorrow, who my true love be…” and look up in all four directions, to see the face of their husband to be.
Stories like these speak volumes of the relationship ancient people used to have with plants growing around them. If you too are ready to embark on a deep relationship and communicate with plant beings, Yarrow would be a great plant to work with during Septermber’s Supermoon, incidentally stationed in Pisces, the watery sign which is also the element of Yarrow.
On the Full Moon night, take your incense or any other offering, and a glass of spring, rain or even tap water which has been left outside for a few hours to be neutralised and greet Yarrow as a beloved friend. Bend down and take in the full smell of this flower, which often speaks so much as it shares its musky scent. Speaking words of love (see the spell below), pick a few Yarrow flowers (use a sharp knife or scissors as the stems are tough) and float them in your water. Leave the water under the magical light of the Harvest Moon and next morning, drink it, with a prayer of thanks. It will be like drinking liquid crystal.
With deep intention, recite this Spell:
I will pluck thee Yarrow fair,
that more benign will be my face,
that more warm shall be my lips
that more chate shall be my speech,
be my speech the beams of the sun,
be my lips the sap of the strawberry,
may I be an isle in the sea,
may I be a hill on the shore,
may I be the star in the waning moon,
may I be a staff for the weak,
wound can I every man,
wound can no man me.