I remember a clear summer night in rural Oregon when I first connected
           with the moon. I'd been celebrating with a Coven filled with wonderful
           individuals and our Circle had just ended. We were all hot and panting
           from an enthusiastic spiral dance and slowly broke into groups, slowly
           drawn by various topics of conversation. I wandered off alone, sitting in
           the midst of a nearby field while the rest of the coven talked and milled
           about. There, in the darkness, I gazed upon the face of Luna and
           wondered what my ancestors thought and felt when they gazed up at the
           same sky.

           One by one, my Coven-mates came and joined me and we talked about
           the past, about the legacy our ancestors had left us. Did our ancestors
           realize that the moon was a satellite that orbits the world we live on? Or
           was it simply a constant companion whose light ebbed and flowed, setting
           the lunar month? We talked about what each of us would feel if, unfettered
           by the words of science, we stared up at the moon with a mystical awe.

           It wasn't a book we were learning from, or even a physical teacher. We
           learned from the moon itself, from the magick that permeated the air from
           our Circle and spiral dance. It was the whispered voices of our ancestors
           that spoke to us, as our minds let go of the bonds of time and slipped back
           through the centuries to earlier rituals. And for the first time, as we lay in
           the open field, gazing up at the light of the full moon, I didn't just know
           what the moon meant. I understood.

           In Wicca, the moon is associated with the Goddess. The new moon
           symbolizes new beginnings; an appropriate time to perform magick that
           begins a new chapter of our lives or blesses a new undertaking. As the
           moon tiptoes just past new, waxing toward fullness, it represents the
           Goddess as Maiden. The lunar month is new and fresh, the possibilities it
           holds are endless. Just as we grow and mature, so the moon waxes and
           grows full. In the full moon we find a time of bounty and fullness, the
           perfect time to charge ritual tools and stones with lunar energy. It
           symbolizes the Goddess as Mother, fertile and full. As the lunar month
           continues, the moon begins to wane, the time of the Crone. Though the
           moon's light is fading, we are filled with the wisdom that we have gleaned
           since the moon was new, the lessons we've learned throughout the lunar
           month. This is an appropriate time to cleanse ritual tools and stones in
           moonlight, leaving them on a window sill or under a tree, letting the waning
           moon take the old energy with it as it fades, leaving the items clean and
           fresh as the moon becomes new.

           The celebrations we hold during the various aspects of the moon are called
           Esbats. They are more than just a time of lunar magick, but serve other
           purposes as well. As we raise the energy for our rites, as the magick flows
           through us, we reconnect with the mystical energy of life that is all around
           us; in a very real sense we recharge ourselves with the energy we raise.

           Esbats also serve to heighten our awareness to seasonal changes. In many
           cultures (and some Pagan Traditions) each moon of the year is named.
           Sometimes, the naming of the moon takes on a significance connected to
           the immediate environment. For instance, the "Strawberry Moon" would
           be the time that the local strawberries ripened; the "Snow Moon" might be
           the time of year the first snowfall is due. Other names for the lunar months
           are connected with the Sabbats (our solar festivals) and remind us of the
           lore that accompanies those celebrations. For instance, many Wiccan
           Traditions name the moon closest to Yule as the "Oak Moon," as the oak
           tree is considered to be symbolic of the God and Yule is the Sabbat when
           the God is born.

           For many Traditions, Esbats also serve as a time to take care of Coven
           business. It's a convenient time to address issues and plan future events as
           the whole Coven typically gathers for such festivities.

           There are no rules to celebrate an Esbat. It can be a time of honoring the
           Goddess or observing a specific season of the year. An Esbat can be a
           time for working magick or it can be a time of gathering to address
           mundane issues. However you choose to observe the occasion, it will
           mean more to you if you can truly appreciate the experience. On that
           special night sitting in the field with my Coven-mates, I came upon a
           technique for connecting with the moon. Feel free to develop your own
           approach to understanding the Esbat, but this is what worked for me.

           Sit outside under the moon (or, if your environment isn't too safe, sit in a
           window) and clear your mind as you gaze up into the night sky. Take a
           moment and imagine what your early ancestors must have felt and believed
           during that phase of the moon. Let your mind wander back to earlier times.
           Imagine yourself in an early society, one that honored the lunar cycle. How
           do you feel? What do you think? What does the moon mean to you?

           It may seem silly at first, but we honor the same moon that our spiritual
           ancestors honored. It is no more or no less mystical to us than it was to
           them. And each Esbat, we set aside a bit of time to reconnect with the
           energy around us, with the Goddess symbolized in the moon, and with
           luna's pale light that shines down on us, just as it did so very long ago.