The Balancing Path: Moon Water with No Moonlight was originally published to The Agora column on Patheos Pagan, on April 3, 2020. It is presented here with some edits from the original.

Moon water is water which has been charged with the energy of the moon, usually the full moon, which is useful as an ingredient for a wide variety of spells and workings.  It is normally made by putting water in a vessel and leaving it overnight where it will be hit by the light of the moon, whether that is in a windowsill or somewhere outside.

Simple enough, right?

Well, what about if you don’t have a windowsill which sees direct light from the moon?  What about if you live in an apartment or rent a room or otherwise don’t have a safe place you can set it outside where it won’t be disturbed?  What if your outdoor spaces are all hidden from moonlight by trees, buildings, or other obstacles?  What if the weather is completely uncooperative, and you have cloud cover during the night(s) when you wanted to create moon water?  What then?

If you don’t have the privilege of a situation where you can easily make moon water the typical way, you don’t need to deny yourself.  You also don’t need to beg, barter, or buy moon water from someone else who is privileged enough to be able to easily make it.

Moon Shadow Energy

It is easiest to make moon water if you can place your water where it is hit directly by the light of the moon for a length of time, but that is not technically necessary.  The energies of the moon are pervasive, if more subtle in the shadows, and sometimes the energy of subtlety is advantageous.  It reminds us that even when we can’t see the light, can’t see a way forward, such things still exist and affect us.  All we need to do is pay attention and hold the knowledge of them in our hearts.

It does take more effort, but you can make your moon water completely absent of direct moonlight.  The quality of the energy will be different, more subtle, with less spark and glimmer, but it still contains all the healing and guidance and potential of typical moon water.  For most intents it should work just as well, if in a correspondingly more subtle way.  You might even find it works better for some purposes, like aiding with healing shadow work, especially if it is made on the full moon.

It’s Not Just the Moon

A huge part of the energy of moon water is nighttime energy.  Moon energy exists throughout the day and the night, and is most powerful when the moon is in the sky.  During the new moon, the moon is predominantly in the sky during the day, and it is in part the absence or distance of the moon which we feel at night.

You could potentially make moon water during the day, but moon energy is much softer than sun energy.  Sun energy has a tendency to drown out moon energy, just as it drowns out the visage of the moon in the sky.  If you put out your water in view of the sky during the day, you’re much more likely to end up with sun water than moon water, no matter your intent.

If you are working with moon shadow energy, it is possible to create your moon water during the day (especially near the new moon when the moon is invisible or barely visible in the sky), but again, the quality of the energy will be different.  Shadows hide things through a lack of light.  During the day, moon energy is hidden by an overabundance of light.  Both are hidden, but in very different ways, with very different qualities.

Typical moon water is as much about the energy of the night as it is about the energy of the moon.  It is the quiet time, when most creatures are sleeping and restoring themselves, peaceful and dreaming.  If you make moon water during the day, you’ll get a vastly different brew, even if the moon is just as present in your water.

Make Your Water

In order to make moon water without moonlight, you must put more deliberate effort into it than simply setting out a vessel of water with intent.  I suggest making a ritual of it, whatever that means to you.  Whether you perform a full formal circle, use focused intent and a candle, or something in between, is immaterial.  What matters is that you put conscious intent and effort into the process of creating the moon water, however that works best for you and your practice.

I suggest placing your vessel of water on your altar, but if you don’t have an altar, or if another location feels right, do your work there instead.  Dedicate the water in your vessel to the moon and funnel those energies into it.  Gather the naturally occurring moon energies from the world around you and focus them until they become concentrated in the water.  If it feels right and is safe to do so, either during or at the very end of your ritual, step outside with your water and vessel and hold it aloft in the moonlight for just a few moments.  Let the kiss of light seal your working.  If that’s not practical or safe, know that the energy of the moonlight is still imparted to the water you have offered.

Finish the ritual by taking at least a few moments to reflect on the qualities of the energy imparted to the moon water, especially if you have never made moon water before, or have previously only made it by direct moonlight.  Its specific qualities will vary, and be more subtle, but it should still have the same overarching potencies and traits as traditional moon water.  It is important to observe those differences and take them into account when it comes time to actually use the water.

The moon water is probably ready to be used immediately, but you can also leave it on your altar overnight to continue absorbing the subtle moon shadow energies and nighttime energies.  It’s entirely up to you.