New Moon – Inspiration

The New Moon represents a lunar rebirth and encapsulates pure potential. It occurs when the Sun and the Moon are powerfully conjoined in the same sign, each offering a different flavour of energy and focus for the month ahead. When the Moon is invisible, it signals that all that came before has been cleared, and it’s time for a new beginning and a new awareness. New Moon babies are full of energy and zeal, courage, new ideas, inner desires, positivity and inspiration. Popular and friendly, they’re self starters and willing to take calculated risks. New Moon babies often stand out in their group, they have star quality maybe as the star athlete, class president or charismatic work colleague. Find out which house the New Moon is in your chart, and any aspects to other natal and transiting planets and angles, to gauge which area of your life is being rebooted, and how significantly.

Waxing Crescent Moon – Planning and Executing

The energy is now beginning to build in strength and intensity, signifying the sprouting growth of the seed. We can begin to see things, as the Moon is partly illuminated. A burst of expansive energy moves our ideas forward powerfully, giving them solidity and shape. You are vibrant, quirky and noticeable, a bit edgy, and full of joie de vivre. You work on the details, build the resources, and begin to face the challenges ahead. Digging deep, you assess whether the vision must evolve, what is possible or to be discarded, what the reality to work with is. Learning is an obsession, especially when it comes to what is hidden under the surface. You have a great ability to focus your intentions and deliver on your goals. Highly motivated, although less enthusiastic than a New Moon baby, your projects do however exude more grounding and credibility.

First Quarter Moon – Forward Momentum

Brilliantly lit, growing rapidly, and visible even in daytime, the Moon is now strong and prominent. The phase of uncertainty is over, and strength and confidence abound. The First Quarter Phase is the time to start dynamic, fast-paced and highly active projects. You like to take charge, get unstuck, and fight for what you want. There are no half truths or shades of grey with you. Something either works or it doesn’t, and you’re not afraid to let others know. Your remarkable drive is unstoppable when faced with challenges in the real world, and yet they tend to excite and stimulate rather than daunt you, because you can begin to see your vision taking concrete shape. Any fears or doubts that might get in your way get pushed to the side by your creative impulse to see things through. You enjoy a sense of accomplishment overcoming challenges. Confrontation is never ruled out, as your energy is high, as is your level of activity. Quick on your feet, you push for progress, make decisions, and take action. Others may see you as opinionated and uncompromising, yet never boring and your sense of humour brings people to you. With a marked ability to lead and support others, many First Quarter Moon babies often become dominant figures in their field of expertise.

Waxing Gibbous Moon – Perfecting

The Waxing Gibbous Moon is when we are so close to our goals we can almost touch them, yet we need to tweak them further and re-assess their viability. The buds are preparing to bloom, and our plans can be fine-tuned on the brink of manifestation. Your Moon phase is all about evaluating, fine-tuning, strengthening, and perfecting things. The ultimate problem solver, you leave no stone unturned to ensure the best possible outcome. You are the kind of person who crosses all the ts and does the precision work. Hard-working and fully dedicated to your goal, you are not afraid to question the status quo in order to achieve more. Yet, you are impatient. This is the last chance to launch something new in this cycle, before the waning phase starts. A great listener and communicator, people often come to you with their problems because you’re easy to talk to, supportive and can see things objectively. Everyone sees you as the voice of reason. You enjoy many things, and are often found immersed in multiple activities in which you can wrap your head around.

Full Moon – Dramatic Tension

Entirely illuminated by full sunlight, with the Sun in opposition, the Full Moon represents a time of culmination, maximum yield, pivoting, and abundance. The light of the Moon, along with her power, has reached a peak. We see it, we feel it, we sense it. The level of energy and emotion is higher on Full Moon than any other time of the month. It’s a time for reaping the fruits of our past intentions and actions. The seed is now in full bloom, and dramatically on display. The vague visions of New Moon, if nurtured, are now illuminated, clearly visible, and manifested. This is a powerful time, of excess and extremes, which can manifest in a positive or negative way. Express your creativity. Take a closer look at things, see hidden potential, look for mistakes, and find opportunities. You can also get a clear insight into yourself, as your emotions are much stronger than usual. Everything comes out into the open in this bright light — including the parts of human nature known as the “shadow”. Tension, polarity, intensity, instinctual reactions, and emotional outbursts are likely, and hospitals and the Police are indeed on high alert at full moons. As energy and emotions run high, arguments and conflicts are more likely at Full Moon. Relationships come under the spotlight. From this period, the Moon begins to wane, signalling our journey to look inward instead of out. The period of growth and time for beginnings is past. Bring things to an end, let go where needed. Great for completing a project or a phase. This can be a good time for public displays, drawing attention, or presentations, for putting on a show, and getting a dramatic response. Track which house the Full Moon is in your chart, and any aspects to other natal and transiting planets and angles, to gauge which area of your life is being activated, and how significantly.

Waning Gibbous or Disseminating Moon – Sharing

As the moon is getting ready to complete its cycle, there is a frenetic impulse to disseminate all of the lessons cultivated from the previous phases, a yearning to spread our accumulated wisdom with others. It’s still a very active Moon phase, with great enthusiasm, a strong commitment to act on bright visions, and full confidence in our purpose. The truth having been revealed in the lucidity of the earlier phase, vitality is high, our fervour contagious to others, our capacity to transform ourselves and the world around us untameable. This is an integrative phase, with a strong focus on information, optimal for getting a message out, spreading the word, or acquire new insights. Our awareness of others, of their needs and goals, increases. We begin to perceive where our knowledge may be useful to others, and their knowledge to us. Wisdom and understanding compel us to act. There is a sense of urgency, perhaps of awareness that time is running out. While our actions and their reactions at peak are still clear in our memory, a growing consciousness invites us to reflect and look inwardly. This is a good time for breaking habits, changing routines, and weeding out ideas which are no longer useful. Be open to change, as this phase is the beginning of a transformation. Ask yourself what you need to transform.

Last Quarter Moon – Hard Decisions

Half illuminated and waning, the Moon is now fading into darkness, having reached a perfect balance of light and shadow. This is a time of taking stock, making hard decisions, and evaluating the change. Restlessness abounds, and we feel uneasy thinking of all we’ve done and what is left to do. Perhaps we need a final push, perhaps we find ourselves at a fork in the road, with decisions for the future while the past is still fresh in our memories. We feel the burden of responsibility, and find ourselves having to deal with past mistakes, just when our achievements cannot be denied. We sense the end getting nearer, and we begin to take stock of what we have or haven’t achieved. Whether we’re wrapping up a project, or contemplating a new beginning, we assess whether something is worth pursuing or not, or whether a new approach is needed.

Waning Crescent or Balsamic Moon – Acceptance and Letting Go

Also called the Dark of the Moon, there is only a sliver of light left. This is a time of quiet introspection, of acceptance and letting go. This is not a time for dramatic changes and bold action. There is a sense of void, while we sense all that’s come before, and all that is yet to come. The subconscious, spiritual realms, daydreaming, imagination, and our own inner life stir us. Our energy levels are low. We must gather our strength before the next phase starts, so rest and recuperation are key. While not a time for pushing hard, it is excellent for endings and for what we want to slow down.