The Phases of the Moon

Ah, the mysterious and awe-inspiring Moon... or Luna, Selene, Isis, Artemis. There are many names and mythologies surrounding this celestial body, which has a very close relationship with our planet, with the Human Being and with nature. In the physical world, gravity, tides, and bodily fluid dynamics are direct examples of its effects.

In our personal realm, its phases set the tone by allying themselves with astrology to be able to carry peculiar purposes and energies, which influence us daily in different areas such as our emotions, aspects of fertility, nutrition, in the process of interacting with the public, in our business, interpersonal relationships, health, sleep, among other things.

Due to its gravitational force, the Moon interacts with the volume and dynamics of all the liquids present on our planet, and this includes vegetables, animals and the human body itself. Our blood flow and lymphatic fluid can also suffer its influence, we must not forget that our bodies are composed of 70% water.

An important point to consider is the lunar phases. While the Full Moon reflects as much sunlight as possible, the New Moon reflects the least amount. Between the two, other phases emanate this energy at different levels. In just under a month the Moon goes through 8 phases, completing its cycle. We can even say that each night the Moon channels and reflects a different energy from the Sun, hence the importance of determining which phase the Moon is in.

Embark on this journey towards understanding the full potential that lunar dynamics can provide.

Lunar Cycles: the Moon in its cyclic domains

The Moon is the fastest transitioning body in our solar system, taking an average of 28 days to make a complete turn around our planet, changing its main phase every 7 days. Every month it also travels through the 12 signs of the zodiac, spending an average of 2 days in each one and forming different aspects with other stars. It actually takes 28 and a half days for the cycle to complete, from New Moon to New Moon, moving about 1 degree every 2 hours.

With that, it can be said that this celestial body that is so worshiped and revered throughout human existence plays an important role in our short-term cycles, in our emotional fluctuations and in the ups and downs of our mundane lives, creating a monthly personal dynamic, weekly, daily and even hourly. Each phase of the moon can be interpreted in a different way and the total set forms a mosaic of our lives at a given moment.

Each month, the New Moon is the potential for a new beginning and the Full Moon is a culmination. As the Moon's orbit takes an average of 28 days (and not 30 or 31), every two or three years we have an adjustment, with a second Full Moon in a month, called a Blue Moon.

The lunar month then begins at New Moon, which is when the Moon and Sun are in conjunction. Each lunar month brings two opposite houses as it passes through your birth chart. 1 and 7 | 2 and 8 | 3 and 9 | 4 and 10 | 5 and 11 | 6 and 12. Depending on the size of the houses in your birth chart, if there are intercepting signs, this cycle can be altered so that sometimes the Full Moon can fall in the house next to the house in which it was opposite in the New Moon. For example, there may have been a New Moon in the fifth house of your chart, but a Full Moon in the 10th house instead of the 11th, for example.

Walking between stages

Think of a project, for example, that has its beginning, development, mishaps, until its conclusion and results. The New Moon is the initial phase, where there are ideas, plans, designs, where something comes up, and the Full Moon are the results.

The Crescent phase has the role of protecting and leveraging what is in progress and the Last Quarter helps to close issues, so that a new cycle begins. Knowing what each phase represents is essential for us to be able to take advantage of its influence in the best possible way within the context of our lives.

In astrology, lunations have the power to influence the issues of the astrological house where it occurs in an astral map, indicating the possibilities that can be realized or aspects that can be activated.

Obviously, we must always bear in mind that, physically, the Moon does not "change" its shape. What changes is its relationship with the Sun. While the Sun takes 365 days to walk through the 12 signs of the zodiac, the Moon does it in about 28 days. On the 29th day, it returns to conjunction with the Sun, starting another New Moon.

This new lunar cycle receives the energy and name of the sign where the New Moon began. For example, if it was in Scorpio, it would be a lunar phase in Scorpio. After 28 days will come the Sagittarius lunar phase, Capricorn and so on. In the 3 days leading up to the new phase, the lunar energy begins to grow, reaching its peak on the exact day of the transition.

The 8 Phases of a Perpetual Rhythm

Many people only know the 4 main phases of the Moon, also called active, especially here in Brazil: New Moon, First Quarter, Full Moon and Last Quarter. However, the Moon has 4 more intermediate phases, treated as receptive: Crescent Moon, Gibbous Moon, Disseminating Moon and Waning Moon - this one, with its final 3 days called "Black Moon", is the very end of the phase that precedes the next New Moon .

Examining each lunar phase can provide perspective on the physical, emotional, and social unfolding we experience throughout the total cycle, as well as providing a guide for planning our lives.

 

1) NEW MOON - here the so-called high tide seasons happen, where the Sun and the Moon are in conjunction, practically aligned. The gravitational attraction between the earth and the moon is very high and they practically add up. Astrologically, it helps in starting things, it brings new beginnings, changes and spontaneity. It's a good period to start new projects, close deals or launch businesses. Everything that is started during the New Moon captures a highly positive energy charge, which predicts success.

---

2) CRESCENT MOON - it is the intermediate phase between the New Moon and the Crescent Moon. Indicates a phase for us to gather knowledge and begin to shape our plans.

---

3) FIRST QUARTER MOON - here the Moon and the Sun are aligned at 90 degrees, forming a quadrature. The lunar gravitation opposes that of the Sun, although they do not cancel each other out, something that generates the so-called minimum tides. Astrologically, it helps with expansion, but it also gives rise to the confrontation of problems and unresolved issues. Here it is time to resolve issues and make decisions. Plans in progress may suffer setbacks. It's also a good period to lay the groundwork for your plans and keep taking care of what you've already started, even if it requires a little more effort. Everything generated here tends to grow and prosper. Like a vehicle accelerating up a hill, you may have to shift gears so as not to give up on the ascent of the slope.

---

4) GIBBOUS MOON - is the intermediate phase between the Crescent Moon and the Full Moon. It is a phase for fine adjustments, where our goals become more visible, although it is necessary to stop and analyze what is working and what is not in order to make the adjustments and filters necessary for completion. Let go of everything that doesn't work to refine the process.

---

5) FULL MOON - about two weeks after the beginning of the New Moon phase, there is a new alignment between the Moon and the Sun. Again, a high tide phase. It is the culmination of all the other phases, where everything that has been done and prepared can finally be harvested. If everything went well during the process, you will reap good results. It is a period of realization, revelation and help in resolving things. During the Full Moon, we may also feel more desirous of a relationship and longing for a partner, although the biggest crises also tend to occur during this phase. Those who are more predisposed to insomnia may suffer more during this period, which is also not recommended for surgery in general.

---

6) DISSEMINATING MOON - is the intermediate phase between the Full Moon and the Waning Moon. In this phase, a greater understanding between people allows sharing knowledge and emotions. A great period to delve into yourself and find yourself, as well as helping others to do the same. It's a good time to reflect on recent events and start preparing to resolve what's pending.

---

7) WANING QUARTER MOON - here the gravitational influence between the Sun and the Moon again decreases. It helps with finalizations, being a good period to resolve outstanding issues or finalize unfinished projects. Either way, you should put the past behind you and start planning for the future. It becomes easier to end relationships and let go of our feelings during this phase. This phase is also indicated for surgeries in general.

---

8) WANING CRESCENT MOON - is the intermediate phase between the Waning Moon and the New Moon. Here, it's time to take a moment to relax, reflect and evaluate. Don't mess with what's finished and don't actually start new processes. Free yourself from the past to start a new cycle that is coming, without ties or fears. Make considerations and envision the possibilities of the next cycle, to plant a new seed, even if it turns out to be a new seedling of the same plant.

---

Everything has its phases and its rhythm

The teachings of Hermes Trismegistus tell us in his fifth law that everything has its rhythm, everything has its ebb and flow - everything rises and falls. Think of the cycles of a plant, for example, from its initial conception.

Making an analogy with the Moon, in this case, the first phase of sowing, it would be like the New Moon, a period that relates to the seed that is in the ground, preparing for germination. A new beginning was implanted.

In the first steps of the Crescent phase, it is as if the seedling that has been planted is drawn out of the Earth by the initial impulses of light. During the remaining stages of this phase, it is as if the plant goes through a strengthening process, mobilizing its energies against the elements of nature.

When the First Quarter phase arrives, it is as if the plant has already passed through the initial stages of survival and is now taking root. By firmly anchoring its life force, the plant is able to focus its energies on growing stems and leaves with the tiny buds that appear at the beginning of the Gibbous stage.

During the Gibbous phase, our plant is focused on the reason for its existence. By getting rid of all that is superfluous, the moment of fulfillment finally arrives as it blossoms into a flower. The Full Moon Phase would be the conclusion, the culmination of the process. The work is done and the gardener can rest, enjoy and evaluate his efforts.

As the Full Moon progresses through its forty-five degrees, the flower becomes the fruit.

The Disseminating Moon is where we reap what has been sown. The plant's purpose is now to give back to the land, to those who created and planted, everything it owns, nurturing others.

When the Waning Moon approaches, the harvest is over, the abundance has been shared and what is left in the fields begins to decompose... The cycle is ending.During the Waning Crescent phase, the seeds are buried back underground. What was planted before no longer exists in its original form. This is the time of transition. The Moon's light is already very dim and at the end of this phase it will disappear into darkness, in a last little phase of 3 days called the Dark Moon, the final charge to restart the whole process again with a New New Moon.

The Moon and its domains

In fact, the Moon has a great impact on the regulation of any cyclical process, any activity, situation, behavior or habit that has a well-defined beginning, that develops, that reaches results and then starts to diminish and end. It's like a breathing movement, which breathes in and out towards our vital gaseous maintenance. Other examples are the act of getting fat and losing weight, spending and saving, basic habits such as growing and cutting hai, nail maintenance, etc. As a representative of the feminine principle, emotions, sensitivity, intuition, pregnancy, fertility and nutrition, it has a good influence on these and other matters, such as:​

• Inspiring a more fluid or difficult emotional exchange between people;
• It acts on our emotional dynamics, influencing our temperaments and moods, making people more receptive and happy, or sad and melancholic, depending on the phase;
• The phases of the moon are also linked to increased or decreased emotional need;
• It reigns over the female capacity for pregnancy, fertilization, nutrition and protection. Research proves that during the changes of the phases of the Moon, the incidence of childbirths increases, mainly in the Full Moon;
• It interacts with our appetite and metabolism, as well as the assimilation of nutrients and liquids. Therefore, it also acts in the processes of weight gain or loss;
• Alters our perception and desire for a specific type of food or flavor;
• It affects the tides and fluids of plants and animals, including our blood and lymphatic flow;
• It interferes with the quality of our sleep and dreams, influencing quiet or restless nights;
• Good aspects between the Moon and Neptune influence the quality of our sleep. Already bad aspects between the Moon and Uranus can cause insomnia;
• Good aspects between the Moon and Saturn are great for carrying out real estate transactions or home repairs. Already between the Moon and Pluto, it's good for discarding useless things;
• Moon and Neptune in a tense aspect can also cause lack of concentration and low productivity. Moon and Mercury in tension can generate accumulation of tasks or inconclusive works;
• The Moon also interacts with humidity, influencing favorable moments for drying;
• Acts on the durability of vegetables, fruits and vegetables, influencing their conservation or the speed of rotting;
• It can also interact with rainfall. The famous lunar halo, that yellowish disc that we see from time to time around the moon, is usually associated with the proximity of rain;
• It influences people to participate more or less in social events and crowd places like bars, malls, concerts and restaurants;
• The opposite is also valid, the moon can generate laziness and recollection, while places can be more empty at certain times;
• It can decrease or increase swelling, edema, hemorrhages or interfere with the quality of a postoperative period;
• Commerce and other activities that depend on the presence or interaction with the general public can be greatly influenced by the Moon;
• Good aspects between the Moon and Venus are very favorable for encounters, romances and unions;
• According to the sign in which the lunar phase is found, there is a greater or lesser predisposition to romantic encounters, sexual desires or approaches in general;
• And finally... It lights up our night and gives us beautiful views!