Orphic Hymn to the Moon: Empower Your Lunar Prayers & Magic

The Moon is arguably the most important of the seven traditional planets from the perspective of astrological magic. Virtually every magical election must attend to the location and condition of the Moon. As written in the Picatrix:

“You should pay attention to the Moon in all workings, as the foremost of the planets, because she has the most manifest effects and judges all things in this world, and to her belong the powers of generation and corruption, and she is the mediatrix of their effects; for she received the influences and impressions of all the stars and planets, and pours them down onto the inferior things of this world.”
—Picatrix, tr. John Michael Greer & Christopher Warnock, Book II, Chapter 3

The world of phenomena and appearances in which we live gets called the sublunary realm in our tradition, since the sphere of the Moon is the closest of the celestial spheres to our own. The Moon functions to transmit the light of the other planets down to the sublunary realm, and thus the Moon plays a crucial role in translating the more remote powers and energies into perceivable effects down in the world in which we live.

From a certain perspective, then, establishing a good working relationship with Luna ought to be a high priority for anyone delving deeply into astrological magic. The Moon is implicated in all phenomena and all workings, and thus one’s relationship with the Moon will ripple through all of your magical and devotional efforts:

“You should not do anything in this work unless the Moon stands in a degree convenient and appropriate for the work you intend to do, because the Moon has powers and manifest works in all things that are beneath her, and none of them are hidden from her.”
—Picatrix, tr. John Michael Greer & Christopher Warnock, Book I, Chapter 4

For the astrological magician, then, a lunar devotional practice can provide an enormous boon. In general, invocations, prayers, and offerings to a planetary spirit can help you attune to and come into rhythm with that planet. There are many ways to pray to or invoke a planetary spirit, including simply speaking from the heart, but a natural place to start is one of the most common and accessible prayers to Moon: The Orphic Hymn to Selene.

The Orphic Hymn to the Moon

The Orphic Hymns are a collection of Hellenistic religious poems that were involved in the practices of Orphism, a mystery religion centered around the mythical figure Orpheus. The infamous magician Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa wrote that “nothing is more effective in natural magic” than the hymns of Orpheus.

The Orphic Hymn to the Moon, traditionally referred to in the Orphic tradition as Selene, exemplifies one approach to planetary prayer, which is to regale the spirit with praise, listing many noble qualities, powers, accomplishments, and superlatives associated with that spirit.

Hear, Goddess queen, diffusing silver light,
bull-horned and wandering through the gloom of Night.
With stars surrounded, and with circuit wide
Night’s torch extending, through the heavens you ride:
Female and Male with borrowed rays you shine,
and now full-orbed, now tending to decline.
Mother of ages, fruit-producing Moon,
whose amber orb makes Night’s reflected noon:
Lover of horses, splendid, queen of Night,
all-seeing power bedecked with starry light.
Lover of vigilance, the foe of strife,
in peace rejoicing, and a prudent life:
Fair lamp of Night, its ornament and friend,
who gives to Nature’s works their destined end.
Queen of the stars, all-wife Diana hail!
Decked with a graceful robe and shining veil;
Come, blessed Goddess, prudent, starry, bright,
come moony-lamp with chaste and splendid light,
Shine on these sacred rites with prosperous rays,
and pleased accept thy suppliant’s mystic praise.
—Orphic Hymn to Selene, tr. Thomas Taylor

The Orphic Hymn to Selene can be recited on Mondays, the day of the Moon, particularly during the planetary hours of the Moon. We recommend lighting a candle and burning incense with any prayer or invocation. Incenses appropriate to the Moon would include frankincense and jasmine. You could light a single candle or if you were performing a more involved ritual or petition you might use nine (the number associated with the Moon).

In addition to Selene, there is also an Orphic Hymn to Diana. The Moon as a celestial spirit is not identical to Diana, of course. However, Diana embodies archetypal lunar qualities and powers that are helpful to keep in mind, and the Orphic Hymn to Diana deserves mention when we are thinking about lunar prayers.

Hear me, Jove’s daughter, celebrated queen,
Bacchian and Titan, of a noble mien:
In darts rejoicing and on all to shine,
torch-bearing Goddess, Dictynna divine;
O’er births presiding, and thyself a maid,
to labour-pangs imparting ready aid:
Dissolver of the zone and wrinkled care,
fierce huntress, glorying in the Sylvan war:
Swift in the course, in dreadful arrows skilled,
wandering by night, rejoicing in the field:
Of manly form, erect, of bounteous mind,
illustrious dæmon, nurse of human kind:
Immortal, earthly, bane of monsters fell,
’tis thine; blest maid, on woody hills to dwell:
Foe of the stag, whom woods and dogs delight,
in endless youth who flourish fair and bright.
O, universal queen, august, divine,
a various form, Cydonian power, is thine:
Dread guardian Goddess, with benignant mind
auspicious, come to mystic rites inclined.
Give earth a store of beauteous fruits to bear,
send gentle Peace, and Health with lovely hair,
And to the mountains drive Disease and Care.
—Orphic Hymn to Diana, tr. Thomas Taylor

If the aesthetics of 18th century poetic verse do not appeal to you, then be aware that other more modern translations of the Orphic Hymns exist, such as in the Orphic Hymns Grimoire by Sara Mastros.

The Hygromanteia Prayer to the Moon

Another prayer to the Moon comes from the Hygromanteia, also known as the Magical Treatise of Solomon, a group of Byzantine-era grimoires focused on astrological and planetary magic. The Hygromanteia prayer to the Moon is somewhat more commanding than the Orphic Hymn to Selene, and you may wish to use it when you have more experience invoking and petitioning Luna. This prayer, like the Orphic Hymn, lists some of the qualities of the spirit, which the text describes as “the powers and the graces of each planet.” In contrast, though, the Hygromanteia prayer appeals to the spirit by a list of names associated with the Moon. Different versions appear in the text, one of which is as follows:

Lord almighty, supreme, creator, king of kings and lord of lords, who created and fashioned man, who embellished the heaven with stars and adorned the earth with flowers and animals, before the sight of whose power every creature, visible or invisible, shivers and trembles, I, your unworthy servant, beg you and I entreat you to hear me and subdue to me the virtue of this planet. Lady Luna, the order and the knowledge of the world, the figure of the heaven, the consolation of the night and the queen of the constrained spirits; lady Luna, the indication of time, the sign of all celebrations and festivals; I conjure you, Luna, by the high throne of God, by the Solar rays, by the rest of God, by the Cherubim and the Seraphim, by all the order of the holy angels, and in the following names: Khariomo, Gallagil, Benouel, Agramouel, Adekael, Thyeloel, Rhaphael, Zygothoel, Galael. For your above names, do not disobey me, but grant your grace, power and virtue in the work I am going to attempt.
—Hygromanteia, MS Harleianus 5596, tr. Ioannis Marathakis

The Heptameron Conjuration of the Moon

Another somewhat more involved prayer can be adapted from the Heptameron, a grimoire of spirit invocation attributed to Peter de Abano. A translation of the Heptameron by Joseph H. Peterson is available at Esoteric Archives. The Heptameron takes a very different approach than the Orphic Hymns or the Hygromanteia prayers. Rather than appealing to Luna herself, this invocation approaches the spirit by appealing to other spirits in the same cosmic hierarchy. The Heptameron also involves facing and calling upon spirits of the different directions. You can think of this type of prayer as locating yourself within the Great Chain of Being so as to best position yourself to appeal to a particular spirit.

This particular invocation invokes the planetary archangel of the Moon, Gabriel. The Heptameron planetary invocations are prefaced by invocations of angels of the relevant level of heaven in the four directions. An abbreviated ritual for appealing to the angels of the Moon could go as follows:

[Facing East:] Gabriel. Gabrael. Madiel. Deamiel. Ianael.
[Facing West:] Sachiel. Zaniel. Habaiel. Bachanael. Corabiel.
[Facing North:] Mael. Vuael. Valnum. Baliel. Balay. Humastrau.
[Facing South:] Curaniel. Dabriel. Darquiel. Hanun. Anayl. Vetuel.
[Facing West:] I Conjure and confirm upon you ye strong and good Angels, in the name Adonay, Adonay, Adonay, Eie, Eie, Eie; Cados, Cados, Cados, Achim, Achim, Ja, Ja, strong Ja, who appeared in Mount Sinai, with the glorification of King Adonay, Saday, Zebaoth, Anathay, Ya, Ya, Ya, Marinata, Abim, Ieia, who created the Sea and all lakes and waters in the second day, which are above the Heavens and in the Earth, and sealed the Sea in his high name, and gave it bounds, beyond which it cannot pass: And by the names of the Angels, who rule in the first Legion, who serve Orphaniel, a great, precious and honourable Angel, and by the name of his Star, which is Luna; and by all the names aforesaid, I conjure thee, Gabriel, who art chief Ruler of Monday the second day, that for me thou labour and fulfil, [speak your own petition or request here].
—Heptameron, XIX. Considerations of Monday, tr. Joseph H. Peterson

Note that the Heptameron is a highly complex grimoire and the above prayer is a simplified adaptation of a much more extensive rite of conjuration. You may wish to further research the text before delving into this prayer.

Picatrix Prayer to the Moon

A more extensive prayer to the Mooncan be found in the premiere grimoire of astrological magic, the Picatrix or Ghayat al Hakim. This prayer can be used on its own, but was originally intended as part of a more extensive rite of petition involving complex suffumigations and other ritual trappings. The full version of the Picatrix prayer involves all three approaches we have seen so far: listing epithets and qualities, appealing to different names of the spirit, and appealing to associated spirits in the relevant cosmic hierarchy:

May God bless you, O Moon, you who are the blessed lady, fortunate, cold and moist, equitable and lovely. You are the chief and the key of all the other planets, swift in your motion, having light that shines, lady of happiness and joy, of good words, good reputation, and fortunate realms. You are a lover of the law and a contemplator of the things of this world, subtle in your contemplations. Joy, songs, and jests you take delight in and love; you are the lady of ambassadors and messengers and the concealer of secrets. Free and precious one, you are closer to us than the other planets, you are larger than all and most luminous; you are apt to good and evil, you join the planets together, you carry their light, and by your goodness you rectify all things whatsoever. All the things of this world are adorned by your beauty and accursed by your curse. You are the beginning of all things and you are the end thereof. Thus I call to you and I conjure you by Celan, who is the angel whom God set beside you to complete all your effects, that you will take pity on me, and hear my petition, and by the humility which you bear toward our Lord Most High and His kingdom, that you will hear me in the things concerning which I beseech and ask you. By all your names I invoke you: that is, in Arabic, Camar; in Latin, Luna; in Persian, Mehe; in Greek, Zamahyl; in Indian, Cerim; in Roman, Celez, that you hear my petition in this place.
—Picatrix, tr. John Michael Greer & Christopher Warnock, Book III, Chapter 7

For the complete version of the Picatrix prayers to the planetary hierarchy, consult the full version of the Picatrix, available from Christopher Warnock.

Writing Your Own Prayer to the Moon

The above prayers from the Orphic Hymns, the Hygromanteia, and the Heptameron are excellent general-purpose texts for coming into relationship with the Moon. If you intend to pray to or petition Luna for a very specific purpose, such as making an astrological talisman with a particular intention or keyword, you may wish to write your own prayer.

As we saw above, there are generally three main approaches to praying to a particular spirit that are exemplified in the prayers listed above. These are:

Listing noble qualities, powers, or deeds of the spirit;
Calling upon the spirit by their various different names and epithets;
Situating oneself in the relevant cosmic hierarchy by invoking or appealing to other spirits associated with or ruled by the spirit.

Prayers in astrological and planetary magic can serve as double duty for a request or petition: that is, one can appeal to what the spirit does effectively and downplaying what is not in line with the spirit’s influences. As Agrippa writes:

“[C]omposing [prayers] for attracting the virtue of any star or god…is accomplished by praising, extolling, amplifying, and adorning that which the star typically brings about and influences, while suppressing and rejecting that which the star typically destroys and impedes. Pray and implore for that which the star typically destroys and impedes; reprimand and detest that which one desires to destroy and impede.”
—Three Books of Occult Philosophy, Book I, Chapter 71, tr. Eric Purdue

A good place to start with this is primary sources about the spirit. The Orphic Hymn to Helios and Picatrix prayer to the Moon each have some great epithets, names, and descriptions of Luna. The Hygromanteia and Heptameron likewise have associated names, spirits, and effects of the Moon. Agrippa also lists a number of epithets and descriptions of the Moon that you may wish to draw upon:

“The Moon is called Phoebe, Diana, Lucina, Proserpina, Hecate, menstrua, a semi-form, evening light, wandering, silent, two-horned, safeguarder, night-wanderer, horn-bearer, queen of heaven, the highest of gods, first of the heavenly gods and goddesses, queen of the underworld, lady of all the elements, she whom the stars answer, returning times, serving elements, with whose nod lightnings breathe forth, sprouting seeds, growing buds, original parent of crops, sister of Phoebus, shining and brilliant, carrying light from one planet to the rest, illuminating all of the deities with her light, confining the various movements of the stars, dispensing ever-changing lights by the circuit of the Sun, lady of great beauty, lady of rain and waters, giver of wealth, nurse of men, governor of all positions, pious and merciful, protecting men at land and sea, mitigating tempests with fortune, dispensing with fate, nurturing all that is born on the earth, wandering through various sacred groves, confining attacks from larvae, holding fast the gates of the earth, the culminating brilliance of heaven, the healthful winds of the sea, her nod managing the deplorable silence of hell, ruling the world, treading upon Tartarus, whose majesty makes the birds flying in the sky, beasts wandering in the mountains, serpents hiding alone, and beasts swimming in the sea all shudder.
—Three Books of Occult Philosophy, Book II, Chapter 59, tr. Eric Purdue

Research into the mythology of Selene as well as the mythology and epithets of Artemis can also help provide perspectives from which to approach the planetary spirit. Although the Hellenistic gods and the planetary spirits are not identical, insight into the gods can help provide an inroad into the aspect of the spirit you wish to invoke.

Other Resources

Other resource posts in this series:
Diana Rose Harper‘s primer on planetary prayers is an excellent general place to start for beginners.
Christopher Warnock’s book The Celestial Way provides a more extensive resource for planetary devotion.

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