How does the saying go? "If you can't handle me at my Lilith, then you don't deserve me at my Venus" or something along those lines. A wise woman knows she's both sun and moon, heaven and hellfire, soft and sinister, divine feminine and dark feminine, and she embraces both sides of the coin equally.
Meet Lilith, the original rebel: the mythic figure who was banished from Eden for refusing to lie beneath Adam, choosing exile over obedience and sovereignty over comfort. Just as Lilith was severed from the paradise of the Garden, many of us have also been exiled from our own instinctive knowledge and connection to ancient feminine wisdom.
Who is Lilith?
Lilith's lore spans millennia and predates written language. Though her role in astrology is a modern concept, the symbol of Black Moon Lilith draws inspiration from a deep, ancient history marked by themes of exile, autonomy, and rebellion against conformity. Depending on where you look, different cultures have created many myths and folkloric superstitions about Lilith. Here are some of the key historical aspects:
-
Ancient Roots (Sumerian, 2000 BCE): Lilith first appears as a "dark maid" in the oldest poems about the goddess Inanna. In one account, Lilith is forced to flee her home in a sacred tree when the hero Gilgamesh destroys it, establishing her enduring motif of outcasting and exile to the desert.
-
The Night Demon (Jewish Folklore): Deriving her name from the Akkadian Lilitu ("of the night"), later folklore casts Lilith as a sexually voracious, nocturnal demon associated with storms and the death of infants.
-
Adam's First Wife (Biblical): The most famous story, from the satirical Alphabet of Ben Sira, establishes Lilith as Adam's first wife. Created equally from the same Earth, she refused to submit to him, demanding respect and equality. When Adam refused, Lilith voluntarily chose self-exile to the Red Sea, cementing her role as a potent foil to male authority and a symbol of defiance.
These depictions draw attention to dangerous perceptions of seeing powerful women as being shameful or demonic. But what the patriarchy doesn't recognize is that this darkness is also her super power. She empowers because she will not be the label you put on her. She remains a force unbound by judgment. Ultimately, she is whoever she needs to be for the collective feminine, and whoever you need her to be for your own personal liberation.
Lilith in Your Astrological Birth Chart
Just as we have a placement for each of the planets, we also have a placement of Black Moon Lilith in our chart. Black Moon Lilith isn't a celestial body, but a calculated point at the time you were born. It represents the Moon's apogee, or its farthest distance from Earth, and is the most widely used astrological representation of the Lilith archetype.
Planets in a birth chart represent the core energies, traits, and motivations of the psyche, while Black Moon Lilith reveals the hidden, rejected, or taboo aspects of your personality and power, particularly around themes of sexuality, control, and independence. While planets are celestial bodies with tangible physical qualities, think of your Black Moon Lilith as an emotional force that contains your shadow self and the parts of you that have been suppressed due to shame or societal pressure.
We live in a patriarchal society that promotes conformity, obedience, and perfectionism. We are taught to suppress the wild, chaotic, darker aspects. Lilith isn't here to hold your hand; she's here to break you open so you can rise up to be the untamed, sovereign woman you were born to be. She ignites your dark feminine energy, because where we unlock our dark feminine is where we find the healing.
Understanding your natal Black Moon Lilith offers a chance to reconnect with and reclaim those untamed parts of yourself. Use this free birth chart calculator to find your Black Moon Lilith.
Lilith and Eve
If you've made it this far in this article, odds are you carry an interest in our girl, Lilith. You may have even already come across a meme or two like this one:
Years ago this quote sparked my own interest into the vast lore of Lilith. The concept of it even inspired me to design a sweatshirt about her years later. When I posted the sweatshirt that included the above quote on the Luna Lifted Instagram, I had no idea of the backlash I would receive from it. I received many comments of "why are you pitting two women against each other" to "you're supporting the patriarchy by creating a comparison" and to be fair, that got to me. It was never my intention to pit them against each other, but to highlight the rebellious and wild spirit of Lilith and her lessons. But in hindsight, the original text was at the cost of Eve. So, I changed it to "In a world built for Eve, dare to be Lilith." I believe the updated version better articulates the message I was trying to capture all along: that in a patriarchal society where woman are expected to act, look, and think a certain way, we can take a page out of Lilith's book and unapologetically live for ourselves. The entire experience also highlighted another lesson that can be drawn from both Lilith's and Eve's stories: women are damned if we do, and damned if we don't.
Working with Lilith
If you're interested in learning more about the Lilith archetype, understanding your Black Moon Lilith, or working with your own dark feminine energy, here are some journal prompts, rituals, books and resources to get you started:
RITUALS TO HONOR THE DARK FEMININE
-Set up an altar or sacred space dedicated to Lilith. Add her sigil or an image of her archetype you connect with. Other symbolic items can include black or red candles, snakes, owls, or red wine (as an offering).
-Mirror Work. Look into a mirror and state aloud what you love about your power, sexuality, and defiance.
-Dress as the Dark Feminine. There is some truth in the idea of dressing for the job you want. When we feel confident, we act confident. If you're working with Lilith or on your own journey to discover your innate dark feminine energy, use your style as a way to match that energy. Lilith has been called the mother of vampires. Witches have been called the daughters of Lilith. Break out your best black ensemble, put on some red lipstick, add some lace (or ditch the clothes all together), and become your own dark Goddess to worship.
-Shadow work is the ultimate key to unlocking a connection with Lilith as well as a deeper connection to yourself and your craft. There are many journals, books, and courses out there that can help you start your shadow work journey. However, if you're looking to start small in a way that's not super intimidating, consider trying my Samhain Ritual Kit or my Samhain ritual digital guidebook. It includes themes of shadow work, release, transformation, renewal, goal setting and can be done during anytime of the year you feel called to do it, not just during Samhain.
JOURNAL PROMPTS
-If I think back to my childhood, were there any times I was scolded for doing or saying something that I didn't think was truly wrong?
-When was a time I felt punished or judged for being bold or emotional?
-What parts of myself have I been taught to hide because they were "too much"?
-What emotions or experiences do I tend to avoid, and what might I discover if I allowed myself to feel them fully?
-What judgements do I hold about women who are confident in their sexuality or success and why?
-What does "feminine rage" look like for me and why do I suppress it?
-When have I felt the most in touch with my inner wildness? What parts of me were set free in that moment?
-In which situations do I feel most mysterious, and intuitive, and how can I create more of these moments in my daily life?
BOOKS
Black Moon Lilith Rising: How to Unlock the Power of the Dark Divine Feminine Through Astrology by Adama Sesay - Amazon Link
Lilith's Fire: Reclaiming our Sacred Lifeforce by Deborah Grenn-Scott - Amazon Link
Women Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés - Amazon Link
MEDITATIONS
Connect with the Goddess Lilith - YouTube Link
Uncoiling the Serpent Within: Lilith Guided Meditation & Energy Healing - YouTube Link
About the Writer
Kendra is the creator of Luna Lifted, an eclectic witch with a passion for sharing her craft and knowledge of magick with the world. When she's not designing and creating new things for Luna Lifted, you can find her reading a fantasy novel, gardening, gaming, or indulging in a long bath. Kendra resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota with her three cats: Tunechi, Rumi, and Marceline.
