Moon Phases

For anyone who has worked with me over the years knows, the Moon is my thing. I am mesmerized about the Moon.

Each week, I will share about Grandmother Moon. But it’s first important to understand the different aspects and characteristics about each moon.

The first more “broad sense” of understanding Grandmother Moon are the Phases. It takes 29.5 days for Grandmother Moon to orbit Mother Earth, each month. Which means there will be many many Moon Phases.

We are going to focus on 8 Phases. There are 4 Phases that get printed on the calendar: New Moon ?, First Quarter Moon ?, Full Moon ?, and Last Quarter Moon ?. These are very common and known.

Because of this Cycle, a menstrual cycle follows these same patterns. When a group of women consistently hang together, their cycles become in sync with each other. It’s rather fascinating.

The Lunar Cycle

Connecting with the Moon puts us in touch with her cycles and rhythms.

The New Moon is the time to put your wishes and intentions out there to the Universe.

The Full Moon is a time when we can become extra emotional, which makes sense, as the Moon is about emotions.

Moon-watching started by our ancient ancestors, as long as 25,000 years, to work with the changes of the seasons, guiding the processes of agriculture where they learned to work with the planet.

Following Moon Cycles to do things like when is the best time to cut your hair, cut your nails, pull weeds or grow plants. 

While the Sun is what others see about you – acting like a spotlight, the Moon is what is unseen by others – our internal work, emotional needs.

Your emotions, instincts, intuition, and most private passions are dominated by your Moon sign.

Let’s explore each one.

Phase 1: New Moon ? 

New Moon – BeginningsKeywords: a clean slate, potential, dreams

New Moon is the ordinary world, just as we are straddling the potential of entering a new journey. We don’t know what we don’t know. They are uncertain of what the core of their problem is.

This is the new cycle, a new beginning. Energy is intense and focussed. The moment is full potential. Moods may be quiet and introverted. Something new is germinating in the dark. Strength is being gathered. A powerful time to plant your metaphorical seeds and to set clear intentions.

Plant the seeds of your future dreams

(Beginnings/Fresh Start)

This is the time of the month when the moon and the sun are on the same side of the Earth. To us on Earth it looks like the dark side of the moon is facing us.

Historically during this time, women took time away from everyone during this time, as it represents the menstrual cycle, the menses.

The new moon is about fresh starts. This is a time to retreat to regain strength to start again.

The themes during this time: new beginnings, fresh starts, clean slates.

This is your time to “reboot intensely”. Visualize filling yourself up to recharge under the energy of this new moon. Throw away all unwanted thoughts and excess “junk”.

Give yourself as much alone time as possible. Embrace any feelings of wanting to be alone to introspect. As the Grandmother Moon shifts to her dark side to us, turn yourself inward, move away from the energy of others, take time for yourself.

Phase 2 – Waxing Crescent Moon (Setting Intentions) ?

Keywords: courage, moving forward, faith

This is the time of the fastest increase in its visible size. Its energy is correspondingly active and dynamic. Ancient druids regarded it as the most auspicious time to work creative magic – to catch the rising tide. The potential of the new Moon is starting to manifest. Keep your intentions in mind and act.

This time marks the transition from the ordinary to the special world, the unknown. Here we are introduced to our quest, or our problem becomes painful enough that we are motivated to want to change. Fear sets in, we may not seek help. We want to stay in the “comfort” of what we know, no matter how unpleasant. This is the crossroads where we must choose. At this point, you will embark on the adventure (there is no turning back). We are leaving the illusion of security.

Explore your dreams

The sun starts to move closer to the new moon and begins to lighten up. A crescent appears until it grows into a first quarter moon.

This is the time for setting intentions, hopes and wishes. After recharging under the newness of Grandmother Moon, your desires are ready to be planted.

This is the time for laying the mental groundwork on new projects, developing your intentions, writing cheques to the universe or burying your crystals.

Phase 3 – First Quarter Moon (Action) ?

Keywords: challenges, confidence, commitment

During this time, we are crossing the first threshold. In one sense this is the point of no return.  We can’t go back the way we came, we can’t forget our problem or go back to being unconscious, you may want to even forget they have a problem, but you can’t, they also know it must be solved.  This is a breakthrough point.

It’s time to commit

About a week after the new moon, we’ve reached the first quarter. We are now one quarter of the way through Grandmother Moon’s cycle.

This is when obstacles appear and we begin to feel some resistance. The first hitch is experienced here, if your intentions were set with the new moon.

The themes here are challenges, decisions, action.

The time for rest and setting your intentions are over and it’s time to work harder than ever. Things will now be thrown and you may need to make decisions on the spot. Stay calm and be flexible. Make decisions that will bring you closer to your desired outcome with the intentions that you set during the new moon. Keep focussed on your desires.

Write yourself a DAILY to-do list using paper and pen. Keep a journal to track everything you are doing to move through this resistance. As you complete the task, cross it off throughout the day, if you can.

Phase 4 – Waxing Gibbous Moon (Refine) ?

Keywords: tweak, hone, adjust

Stay on course, you will show up more strongly here if you do not get lost in the obstacles that present themselves here. 

This is the point where you tend to encounter many obstacles, some of them are people, well-meaning people, but harmful nonetheless with their thinking, saying well-intentioned things. These people may talk you out of solving your problem or convince you that you can even solve it. You need to be able to identify these obstacles, people, internal noise in order to overcome it and keep moving forward. 

The waxing moon is one phase away from becoming a full moon. The largest part of the moon is lit up leaving it to be seen throughout the day.

The themes during this time are adjustment, refining, editing.

During this moon, we realize what we need to change directions on, reevaluate or give up. Things don’t always work out the way we planned and we need to readjust.

This is the time to course-correct or make sacrifices. Don’t resist the feelings of change during this phase.

Phase 5 – Full Moon (Harvest) ? 

Keywords: results, forgiveness, gratitude

It’s make-or-break time!

At this point, you are moving into your deepest fears. You have the most to lose at this point. You either need to move forward, possibly at great risk to yourself or give up altogether. Be sure on where your guidance is coming from and that they know and support you, as you are strong, you have what it takes to move through this, you break through old belief systems that are holding you back. You may feel like you can’t do it. You may even want to give up, in fact, you may give up. Things may look harder than you thought or not possible. Have hope. Call on your own internal power. This may be something that you don’t know you have to move through.

This is when the moon and sun are on opposite sides of the Earth. When the sun is directly across from the moon making the moon shine bright and fully appear to us on Earth.

During this time, not only are they across from each other but the sun and Grandmother moon are in different zodiac signs. We fight to balance between two extremes, which heightens tensions creating high emotions during this time. Do not get emotionally attached to anything during this time.

This is the time to reap the benefits of the seeds of intention that you sowed at the new moon.

During this time, you’ll see new opportunities appear or you may even see the previous week’s results from your hard work. Be open to receive these.

Phase 6 – Waning Gibbous or Disseminating Moon (Grateful) ?

Keywords: cycle, relax, accept, regroup

B-R-E-A-T-H-E

You made it through that struggle, your internal challenge, and solved your problem. The biggest reward here is how you feel about yourself. You don’t always make it through this cycle. Sometimes you have to go back and start again. But you are not starting from the beginning, but moving forward where you left off. 

Grandmother Moon becomes less illuminated as she moves towards the last quarter moon into another new moon.

The themes during this time are gratitude, sharing, enthusiasm.

Now you should feel the benefits of your hard work from the last two weeks. You should be seeing an abundance of the “crops”, even if it’s small outcomes to the goals or intentions that you set during the last new moon. This is a good time to give to those around you – feel the love.

Phase 7: Last Quarter Moon (Release) ?

Keywords: re-evaluate, balance, trust

The adventure isn’t over yet. You must return and share what you’ve learned and deal with any issues that came up from the problem or challenge. You are doing more deeper work here. 

What do you know?

Grandmother Moon continues to become less illuminated as she moves towards the last quarter moon into another new moon.

The themes during this time are still gratitude, sharing, enthusiasm.

You will continue to feel the benefits of your hard work from the last two weeks. You should be seeing abundance of the “crops”, even if it’s small outcomes to the goals or intentions that you set during the last new moon. This is a good time to give to those around you – feel the love.

This is the time to start releasing the things you’ve been hanging on to that may be preventing you from fully receiving what you desire. Release those blocks and anything that no longer serves you.

Phase 8 – Waning Crescent or Balsamic Moon (Surrender) ? 

Keywords: healing, soothing, surrender 

And release …

The final test – did you solve their problems, did you overcome the issues, this is the final test. This is the stage of mastery, your reality is different, what you’ve experienced and learned will be integrated into your new reality. 

Now there is just a sliver of Grandmother Moon being lit up and decreasing as it moves towards the new moon.

This is the time to surrender, rest and recuperate. You’ve now gone through an entire cycle – things have come and gone – willingly or not.

The theme during this time is emptiness.

You will be preparing to set new intentions with the new cycle, but not during this moon. Just relax and surrender to the universe.

Why does understanding Moon Phases matter?

The Moon has the “power” to shift tides and if she can do that, she certainly has the power to shift you. We’d be silly to think otherwise, we are made of 60% water ?.

I challenge you to look at each of these phases each month and see how much you are affected.

Want to work more with Grandmother Moon? Join me in Insider Moon Energy