The cycle begins at the New Moon. Roughly every 28 days a new lunar cycle begins when the Moon is dark, invisible to us - but powerful within us. Our symbols of consciousness (Sun) and unconsciousness (Moon), outer structure (Sun) and inner feelings (Moon) align or conjunct. Our dreams and emotions activate deep within and initiate a new cycle.
New Moon
0–3 ½ days after the New Moon
Sun and Moon conjunct
Around the time of the New Moon, check in with your feelings, hunches, and goals. Listen to your night-time dreams and daydreaming meanderings for clues about this next cycle. The Sun and Moon are now in the same sign, sending you the same signals and instructions—listen and step forward. Initiate a new path. Start a project. Reach out.
Traditionally, this is a time to do a simple Moon ritual. Think about what you want to accomplish on a practical, emotional, or spiritual level this month. Write or speak that intention clearly and take action in that direction. It can be as magical as lighting a candle and calling on your guides and angels to help manifest, or an informal, sociable ritual, a chance to sit with your circle of friends to share intentions for the month and toast them with wine.
Waxing Crescent Moon
3½–7 days after the New Moon
Sun and Moon semi-square
Here comes a splash of reality. Notice the glitches, problems, and differences of opinion. Kids grow restless. Writers can hit a snag or writer’s block. Boredom or anxiety can arise if we feel overwhelmed by options or realize that what we’ve just begun may take some work. We can become impatient or feel inconvenienced and react as small setbacks irritate our old patterns. But a little sweat equity goes a long way now, so keep circling back to the projects you care about and take them a step further.
Waxing Half-Moon
7–10½ days after the New Moon
Sun and Moon square
People tend to square off as the Sun and Moon move into a right angle. Our head and heart may disagree. Clothes may feel too tight or uncomfortable. The mood can be argumentative, but also productive and realistic. We may have a crisis. The conflicts of desire may be between ourselves and others or between competing needs within ourselves. Our ideas can come in at right angles. Like cars at a crossroads, we need a good system so they don’t collide. Differing viewpoints can give us a more realistic understanding of our situation. Our challenge is to see both sides and find a third alternative that works for all. We can put this difficult, conflict-oriented energy to good use. Be courageous. Tackle a person, problem, or pile in the closet that needs extra bravery. Engage in sports or a physical workout and compete with your personal best.
Waxing Gibbous Moon
10½–14 days after the New Moon
Sun and Moon sesqui-quadrate
The energy swells, momentum builds, but we can be distracted or feel our attention stretched thin by a suddenly busy schedule. Maybe we do need to diversify, to round our life out and not just focus on one thing at a time. Our work will go faster if we take a break and respond to the extraneous needs that seem to interrupt our schedule. Our time with friends or co-workers will go more smoothly if we listen to their perspective, even though it may seem inconsequential or off mark to us. Honour these distracting voices, but stay in there and shepherd important projects through.
Full Moon
14–17½ days after the New Moon
Sun and Moon opposition
The Full Moon brings a culmination of energy and celebrates a high tide. Emotions are running high and our subconscious can run the show. If we’ve been acknowledging and integrating our feelings all month long, we’ll get a swell of harmonious energy but no big surprises. If we’ve been suppressing how we feel or not honouring our inner nature, that awareness can rip through us now. With this extra swell of emotional energy, it’s a powerful time to perform or make a presentation that really grabs our hearts. It can be a dramatic, tricky but successful time to make a statement or go to court because we move into adversarial positions so easily. For the same reason, it’s not a good time for a wedding or to sign a business partnership.
To take care of ourselves under the Full Moon, we should acknowledge inconvenient feelings or ideas. What part of us now needs to be expressed? Do we need to dance the night away or sing in the shower? Go for it. But if we’re really ticked off at work, let’s tell our journal or a friend what we’d really like to say to the boss, but wait a few days to consider and act wisely on this impulse. Acknowledge feelings and they won’t just rip out and create surprises.
Disseminating Gibbous Moon
17½–21 days after the New Moon
Sun and Moon sesqui-quadrate
Tensions soften, but again we’re distracted. Kids, friends, dogs can clamour for attention and remind us to keep our lives whole and balanced. We may notice a let-down in energy, as if we were crashing from too many espressos. Our bodies may feel stressed and appreciate a hot bath or massage. Our crops are ripening, and we begin to see the result of our efforts in this month’s cycle, the product of both our intention and whatever other agenda the universe had waiting for us. We are also reminded of ongoing responsibilities that we may have ignored recently. Consciously follow on the main projects and assume the distractions or irritations have a purpose. They’re here to stretch us, train us, and help us sort irrelevant distractions from important side lessons.
Waning Half-Moon
21–24½ days after the New Moon
Sun and Moon square
Assess. Three-quarters of the way through this lunar cycle we should be able to see pretty much what’s working and what’s not. We can also see clearly what we agree with and what we don’t. We may feel contentious or need to confront a problem, but can do so with more reason and forethought than in the first quarter. Learn from discomfort and become conscious of where to keep up the work. This is a good time to take a test or notice that you are being tested. But, like a martial arts test at a dojo, the teacher thinks you can win this one. Productive discontent can help us finish, polish, reassess, make corrections.
Balsamic Crescent Moon
24½–28 days after the New Moon
Sun and Moon semi-square
As the Moon enters its dark phase, our inner mood quietens down and we clarify our understanding. It’s time to sort the seeds of the last lunar cycle. Our physical energy may be low, but this calm allows us to see deep within. Our memories walk with us. This quiet in-breath encourages introspection, meditation, therapeutic conversation, scrying, and divination, as well as finding and addressing root causes. Take a moment to look back over the last month and assess life. Listen to dreams. Come to stillness, if only for a moment. Prepare for the next cycle.
Learn more about using the Moon's signs and cycles to transform your life with Moon Wisdom by Hather Roan Robbins. To get more great blog posts like this one - direct to your inbox – be sure to sign up to our mailing list here.