For centuries, people have been looking up into the night sky, gazing at the stars and marveling at the beauty and wonder of the moon. Some see the face of a man emerging out of the shadows and craters, others see a rabbit, and still others can see the power and mysticism hidden inside the moon itself. Not even the fact that man has stepped foot on the surface of the moon has diminished its mysticism, just look at the eyes of a child who notices the moon for the first time.

Controlling the tides, sharing it's cycle of 28 days with that of the menses of a woman, and its swelling from new to full has aided in the moon being associated with women, water, and being the bearer of fertility. The ancient Greeks worshipped the moon in such ways. They revered a triad, or group of three goddesses, who are essentially the same being. This triad of the moon includes Artemis, Selene, and Hecate. Artemis represents untamed nature. She is a maiden, or virgin, and is thought of as the patron of hunters. She represents the waxing moon, or the moon phase between new and full, and when she is in power, she comes to the aid of all mothers to lessen the pains of childbirth. Selene is a silver winged goddess who pulls the full moon across the sky with her chariot. She is associated with cows, and thus their horns which resemble the crescent moon. Little is known about her, but she represents the full moon and its roundness with motherhood. Hecate is the goddess of the waning moon and the dark, or new, moon. She is sometimes thought of as chthonic, which literally means underground, but in mythology it implies the Underworld. She rules over ghosts, can bring death, and is a crone, or old woman. Her special thought is, "There can be no life without death."

The moon is an important figure in the Wiccan religion. The moon represents the Great Goddess. Just like the Greek triad, Wiccans see the Great Goddess in triple form. She is the maiden, the mother, and the crone all in one. She is a young maiden who falls in love, she is the mother of all things, she is also an old woman at the end of her path. She is all of these beings, changing as the moon changes. Just as the Greeks have Artemis who changes into Selene who transforms into Hecate, there are many other ancient cultures who had the same sort of belief. The Irish have Anu, the virgin aspect of the triple goddess representing the waxing moon, Danu who was the Great Mother to the ancient Irish representing the full moon, and Badb who is the crone aspect of this triad who is associated with war, death, and rebirth and the waning and new moon.

The phases of the moon itself are important to Wiccans. To focus energy, Wiccans use each correspondence to help them attune with the different faces of the Great Goddess, the moon. The waxing moon, or the increasing moon from new to full, is associated with the maiden aspect of the triple goddesses. This in turn reflects ease in childbirth, beginnings, increasing health, and gaining in general. The full moon is associated with the mother aspect of the triple goddess because of its round belly. It represents positive growth in money, love, and protection. It is thought of as a very powerful time. The waning moon, or the decreasing moon from full to new, and the new moon are associated with the crone aspect of the triple goddess. She is aging and eventually dies, just as the moon is shrinking and eventually is completely hidden by the earth's shadow. This moon phase is good for the banishment of habits, disease, and negative thoughts.

The lessons that the moon and its different faces and phases has to teach is not only for Wiccans to learn. Everyone faces as many changes as the moon in their lives. Each person is born, grows, goes through puberty, most become parents, age, and finally die. So, to does the moon. As the moon emerges from behind the earth's shadow, it is born again anew. It grows and swell into fullness, then diminishes, until finally, it is invisible again. The moon can help us understand that change is inevitable. It cannot be stopped. Instead of being afraid of what the future holds, we need to learn to embrace our life changes.