How to Easily Work With the Phases of the Moon

The phases of the Moon once seemed very mysterious to me. How did people know what phase the Moon was in? Sometimes it seemed like the Moon was always full and time was slipping by or like I hadn’t seen a full moon in forever. 

If that sounds familiar, you need the moon even more than you think you do. 

Once I learned a little about astrology I started paying attention to the phases and it changed my entire life. 

Eventually I wanted to know how the phases were calculated. Why was this phase a waxed chihuahua and that phase a waning jabberwocky or whatever. 

I poured through all of my astrology books trying to find the answer. All anyone would talk about is what they mean (and I’ll get to that too) but I wanted to know where the borders were.

It turns out, understanding those phases made it easier to work with them and it’ll help you add a little more mindfulness and magic to your life. 

I’m going to start with the astro-nerd details but stick with me because I promise by the end of this podcast you’ll be able to work with the phases of the moon in a profoundly powerful way that is also easy.

The Four Phases of the Moon 

Each phase of the Moon is based on an aspect. 

An aspect is just the geometry of where the planets are in relationship to one another, or how many degrees Planet A is from Planet B. When it comes to the phases of the moon, it is the aspects the Moon is making to the Sun. 

Most people know that when the Moon and Sun are together (called a conjunction / ☌ / 0°) there is a New Moon or that when they are on opposite sides of the zodiac from one another (called an opposition / ☍ / 180°) there is a Full Moon. 

It’s even easy to figure out that the First and Second Quarter of the Moon is when they are at a right angle from each other (which is called square / □ / 90°) and it looks like the moon is half full. 

I think that’s why most people focus on those four phases of the Moon. They are easy to identify and find with basic astrological software or by simply looking at the Moon. But that leaves out the nuances of what working with the Moon can provide and it’s why I include all eight phases of the Moon in the Digital Astrology Calendar.

Wax On Wane Off

I want you to remember this phrase because it’ll change everything for you: Wax On, Wane Off. 

What do the words waxing and waning have to do with the Moon anyway? 

Waxing means to increase and Waning means a gradual decrease.

A Waxing Moon is one that is increasing in light - the period between the New Moon and the Full Moon. 

A Waning Moon is one that is decreasing in light - the period between the Full and New Moon.

Ok so to summarize we have a 4 phase lunar cycle that goes like this:

• New Moon
• Waxing First Quarter 
• Full moon 
• Waning Second Quarter

The Nuance of Phases

Buckle in because this is where we lose most people. All four of the other phases of the Moon are either Crescent or Gibbous. 

Crescent Moons

The meaning of Crescent gets a little technical but for the purposes of all things related to the Moon, it means less than half full. 

If it is a Waxing Crescent Moon, it is on its way to becoming a great big Full Moon but hasn’t even made it to the halfway point yet. A Waning Crescent Moon is moving towards being a brand new New Moon (and it’s allllllllmost there!).

Since this wouldn’t be any fun at all if it were easy, some people call the Waning Crescent Moon the Balsamic or Dark Moon. But this isn’t just about language, it’s also about math.

A Crescent Moon occurs when the Sun and Moon are semi-square ( ∠ / 45°)  each other. 

The easy way to remember it is: It’s the phase on either side of the New Moon.

During a Waning Crescent, the Moon is approaching the Sun and gets within 45° of a conjunction (remember that just means New Moon). Her light is dimming slowly.

Then you have a New Moon.

A Waxing Crescent occurs when the moon has sashayed 45° away from the Sun and is working on becoming a Full Moon. Her light is just starting to shine again. 

Ok so to summarize we now have a 6 phase lunar cycle that includes crescents and goes like this:

• New Moon
• Waxing Crescent Moon
• Waxing First Quarter 
• Full moon 
• Waning Second Quarter
• Waning Crescent Moon

Gibbous Moons

The next phase we are going to tackle is gibbous. Gibbous is an interesting word. And by interesting I kind of mean annoying. The primary definition according to Merriam-Webster is “marked by swelling or convexity especially on one side.”  The secondary definition is “humpbacked.” Interesting, right? 

Essentially, a Gibbous Moon occurs when the Moon is almost full. It occurs when the Moon and Sun are 135° apart ( which is called a sesquiquadrate ). 

It’s the phase on either side of the Full Moon.

A Waxing Gibbous Moon occurs as the Moon approaches her opposition to the Sun. She’s almost Full and becoming more luminous each night.

Then you get the grand event - A Full Moon!

During a Waning Gibbous Moon (sometimes called a Disseminating Moon) the Moon has just left her opposition to the Sun (a Full Moon). Her light is slowly starting to decrease but she still looks pretty spectacular.

We now have all 8 phases of the lunar cycle!

• New Moon
• Waxing Crescent Moon
• Waxing First Quarter 
• Waxing Gibbous Moon
• Full moon 
• Waning Gibbous Moon
• Waning Second Quarter
• Waning Crescent Moon

New Moon 

Now let’s talk a little bit more about the two phases that everyone likes to work with, starting with the new moon.

The New Moon is a great time to set an intention for something you want to grow in your life over the next two weeks. Try to limit yourself to one (maximum of three) thing to focus on - it is only a two-week period after all. 

Remember, an intention is something you will be taking action on - it’s not an affirmation or a state of being. Instead of saying you want to treat your body like a temple write an intention that is actionable and measurable. For example, dance for five minutes every day or drink a glass of water with every meal. It’s the little actions that lead to big changes.

Full Moon

Now on to the Full moon. 

Once the light of the Moon begins to decrease, it is a great time to release that which no longer serves you. It could be people, thoughts, belongings, habits, or anything else you would prefer to move through life without.

Using the example of treating your body like a temple that began with the new moon, you might consider something you could release that would facilitate that larger goal. For example, if I know drinking soda all day every day isn’t exactly my idea of bodily worship, I might give it up for two weeks - just to see if I like the way my body responds.

I love the narrow time frame because it’s doable for most changes and it gives you enough data to see if you like the change you’ve made without feeling trapped.

The Easy Part

Now that you know how the phases are calculated and all the nerd details, let’s talk about the easiest way to work with the phases of the Moon that I promised earlier.

The truth is it doesn’t really matter what the phases are called, what sign the Moon is in, or even what house the moon is going through in your chart when you’re getting started. 

It all comes down to the way the Moon looks in the sky. 

When the Moon is growing brighter, it’s a great time to be thinking big, putting yourself out there, and letting your light grow right along with her. This is especially true as the Moon approaches fullness. 

For example, let’s say there is a Full Moon on Thursday night at 10 pm local time (local to wherever you happen to be in the world). You wouldn’t want to spend the whole day before that Full Moon trying to decrease something because it would be prime time to work on fully showing up and increasing some part of your life as the Moon moves towards fullness. The releasing part begins immediately after the full moon. 

To amp up your Moon game even more, remember that when the Moon is dimming or completely dark, it’s a great time to become more reflective and turn inwards. That means as soon as the Moon reaches fullness until her light becomes visible again near the Waxing Crescent Moon. 

That sounds like a lot of reflection and processing time, right? But think of how powerful you are when you do take action from a place of reflection and deliberation rather than reaction and hustle. 

It is life-changing.

The Power of Working with the Phases of the Moon

The power of working with the Moon isn’t found in chanting and writing spells at a specific hour or dancing naked around a bonfire. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you can’t do those things too ;)  

But the real power of working with the phases of the moon is found in the process of rhythmic reflection. 

When you’re constantly watching that big beautiful visible light in the sky grow bigger and smaller and using it to remind yourself to pay attention to your own thoughts and dreams and to take deliberate action to increase what you want more of in your life and decrease what no longer serves you…

You go from wondering how January suddenly turned into November without your life changing at all to being more fully present for yourself and your dreams each day - or at least each phase of the Moon.

Until next time, my wish for you is a connection with the Moon that deepens your connection with yourself.

Podcast Theme Music

License:  Rustic Ballad by Alexander Nakarada