Calling Down the Moon

Ah, the moon! She is so close to the hearts of pagans. There’s nothing quite like a ritual in the light of the full moon, bathing in moonlight, doing magic in that silver-white glow. Even more powerful is to call the magic of the moon right into ourselves. This is called “drawing down the moon”.

The moon is like a battery. We charge it with our moon worship and we can draw its power into ourselves when we need it. Ideally, it’s a reciprocal relationship. We feed the moon with our songs and praise and we can draw magical energy in return.

In pagan full moon rituals, the priestess will often call the moon into herself thereby ‘aspecting’ the Moon Goddess. Here’s how Amber K describes it in her guidebook for Wiccan circles: Covencraft: Witchcraft for Three or More

“Drawing Down” the Goddess is not the same as simply calling Her. You can simply request the Lady join the circle and bless its work, but when She is drawn down, She becomes incarnate in the priestess. A proper drawing down is immediately apparent and quite impressive: everyone in the circle can feel Her energy, and the appearance, voice and mannerisms of the priestess change dramatically. She may speak voluntarily to the coven or be willing to answer questions. There will be no doubt that your coven sister Susie has stepped aside for the moment, and that the goddess Diana is fully present. p. 138

I have had this experience, sometimes powerfully. I have felt the Moon Mother fill me. And, for me, music has been key to bringing me to that place. I remember singing to the moon at a fall equinox festival, late at night with a group of people, jamming on the song Moon, Sister Moon by Moving Breath. The moon filled me. I was transformed, for a little while, into a glowing moonspirit. I will never forget it.

Moon, sister moon, shining so high
Smile down upon me full faced in the sky
Moon, sister moon, with your silver glow
Whisper your secrets, tell me what you know

“Moon, Sister Moon” (c) 1991 by Chris Leja, recorded by Moving Breath on their album “She Changes”

I’m a songwriter for the pagan choir Crow Women. I wrote a moon chant called Mooncycle for our second album, Crow Magic. I write a little about that (under my Alane Crowomyn byline) in my blog post Moon Goddess Magic: A Singing Ritual, a post I published very early in the life of the Pagan Song blog.

A few years ago I started writing songs for myself, rather than for Crow Women. I love the Crowz, but it’s also a pleasure to create my own solo act, with my own songs, without considering how to turn them into choral arrangements appropriate for a pagan choir. I write about all kinds of things, and share that here under my solo byline Alane Brown.

Calling Down the Moon is one of these solo songs. I was absolutely picturing drawing down the moon when I wrote it. I even tried singing “Drawing down the moon, silver moon…”. But, as we shall see, there are many songs with the name “Drawing Down the Moon”. So, I thought I’d use something more unique in my lyrics. Plus, I perform this song pretty often for non-pagan audiences and I think Calling Down the Moon is a more accessible name for it. I dunno, it’s just what I did.

Here are the lyrics.

We gather in a moonlit glade
Chanting a goddess tune
Luna hears our voices sing
Calling down the moon

Calling down the moon, silver moon
Calling down the moon, silver moon

Silver glints on upraised fingers
Rings with magic runes
Draw the force of the rising orb
Calling down the moon

Calling down the moon, silver moon
Calling down the moon, silver moon

Praying to her shining face
Asking for a boon
Magic flows from her to us
Calling down the moon

Calling down the moon, silver moon
Calling down the moon, silver moon

Luna, Luna, Luna, Luna!

Since the beginning of humankind
we have been attuned
Basking in her blessed light
Calling down the moon

Calling down the moon, silver moon
Calling down the moon, silver moon
Calling down the moon, silver moon
Calling down the moon, silver moon
Luna!

“Calling Down the Moon” by Alane Brown © 2020

In this video, you can see me performing the song for one of those general audiences. This was in a bar called Todos Santos Brewing, my favorite pub in the town in Mexico where I live during the winter months. Yep, this is me doing my solo act.

I recorded the vocals for Calling Down the Moon with my now very former partner playing mandolin. It didn’t feel full enough. I approached my friend Celia Farran and she created bodhran tracks and a whole set of harmony lines for the piece. The song is mixed and ready to be released. I have 5 songs completed and several more in the pipeline. It’s my hope that I can put them out into the world on my solo album Out of the Nest, next year. But you, dear readers can listen to this sneak preview of Calling Down the Moon.

Calling Down the Moon by Alane Brown

Many Interpretations of Drawing Down the Moon

Next, I’ll share 4 different songs called “Drawing Down the Moon”.

Three Weird Sisters

The Three Weird Sisters version is called Draw Down the Moon. This band definitely has the “mirth and reverence” balance working with songs like My Karma Broke Down and Boys Want Sex in the Morning. Their drawing down song is more of a traditional folk song, with a nice forward momentum.

The full moon rises in the sky
And sheds its light upon the path
That takes us far from worldly eyes
Yes, we will be there soon
See in the distance welcoming
There stands a woman and a man
Who bid us join their fairy ring and
Draw down, draw down
Draw down the moon

from “Draw Down the Moon” (c)1989 by Brenda Sinclair Sutton, recorded by Three Weird Sisters on “Hair of the Frog”

Gaia Consort

One of my first favorite drawing down songs is Drawing Down the Moon by Christopher Bingham. His band was called Gaia Consort and then morphed into Bone Poets Orchestra. Chris writes for Pagan Song–I highly recommend you check out his posts for an polyamorous atheist’s take on paganism.

His lyrics are pure poetry. I recommend the whole album. Remember when people listened to albums and you could do cool things with the track sequence? On Evolve, this song is the culmination of the 3-song sequence Moon She Rises, Aradia and Drawing Down the Moon. Here’s how it begins.

Gaia softly turning – Luna never sleeping
Mama Moonlight heavy with a belly of dreams that’s almost foaling
Night bloom takes me under – Night skin tastes of wonder
Night kiss stir the hunger, lapping the dark with tongues of silver

from “Drawing Down the Moon” (c) 2002 by Christopher Bingham, recorded by Gaia Consort on “Evolve”

Enchanted Moon 143

In preparing this post, I fished around for more songs called Drawing Down the Moon. I found two that I want to share with you. There’s not a lot of information about Enchanted Moon 143, but I think this is a groovy song. I hope we hear more from them in the future.

Drawing down the moon, shadows paint the land
Magic in the air as we unite our hands
Feel the ancient power coursing through our veins
Drawing down the moon will break the earthly chains

from “Drawing Down the Moon” by EnchantedMoon143

Flora Ware

And here’s one more song to check out. Flora Ware gives us this drawing down chant that is totally usable for ritual. The lyrics are easy to follow. If I was using it with a group that didn’t know the song, I might do it in call-and-response style. All the participants need to know is the last word of the lines.

Or, you could go around the circle and let each person fill in a word that is meaningful to them. When you’re basking in the full moon light, what does that help you remember?

Under the full moon light we remember our wholeness
Under the full moon light we remember our truth
Under the full moon light we remember our beauty
Under the full moon light we remember our roots

Under the full moon light we remember our wisdom
Under the full moon light we remember our joys
Under the full moon light we remember our magic
Under the full moon light we remember our voice

Drawing down the moon
Drawing down the moon
Drawing down the moon
Drawing down the moon

“Drawing Down the Moon” by Flora Ware (c) 2024, from the album “Center of the Pentacle”

Drawing Down the Moon: The Book

No post about drawing down the moon would be complete without mentioning Margot Adler’s book with that title. Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America Today is a sociological study of paganism. The first edition came out in 1979 and was a key element in explaining where modern paganism came from and how it is practiced. This book was incredibly influential. She revised and updated it for the 1986, 1996 and 2006 editions. The book is well researched and written. That’s no surprise given that Adler was a correspondent for NPR for 35 years. I recommend it.

A Solitary Drawing Down Spell for your pleasure

Let’s finish up with a spell you can do on your own to draw down the moon and use its energy. Cassandra Eason has written many books on magic spells. This video is from her Chronicles of Magic series on YouTube. Very simple and gentle.

I’ve set out a bowl of water to capture the moonlight many a time. Try it out!

I’ll end by offering you my Spotify playlist of moon songs by pagan bands. The moon in all her phases is a rich source of inspiration for songs. Maybe you’ll write one, too.

Cover photo of full moon by Aron Visuals

For more information about Alane Brown (as a solo artist), including her collected articles here on Pagan Song, her bio, and links to sites on the web, check out Alane’s author page here on Pagan Song.

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