In astrology, the moon rules over our emotions, and physically, we’re all influenced by the moon’s pull on the ocean tides as we are also technically bodies of water!
Yet in modern life, spending most of our time inside little boxes staring at screens, it’s very easy to become detached from the rhythms of nature. This can lead to us feeling emotionally out of balance, disconnected, anxious, and overwhelmed.
But by doing something as simple as tuning into the lunar cycles and using their influence to guide your actions and decisions, you start to tune back into the natural rhythm of your body and can get a better sense of your own emotional ebbs and flows.
There are technically 8 specific phases in a whole lunar cycle, but if you just focus on when the new moon and full moon are each month and use their energies to guide you, you can start to get back in harmony with nature.
This can bring many benefits into your life over time, from more emotional balance to a heightened sense of presence and gratitude, added manifestation powers, a stronger intuition, and even helping to regulate your menstrual cycle!
Let’s get into what energy the new and full moon hold and how to use their influence to empower your life.
New moon
The new moon is the beginning of the lunar cycle, when there is no light.
As the moon grows bigger each day and gains light, it is called the “waxing” period. It waxes for about 14-15 days until it becomes a full moon.
In farming, the new moon is when you plant new seeds. The same goes for life, as the day of the new moon and for a few days after, it’s the perfect time to set intentions, make plans, and carve out goals for what you want to accomplish over this next lunar cycle.
During the first few days of the new moon cycle, it can be helpful to go inward, get still, and reflect on what new experiences you want to bring into your life.
Then, as the moon grows larger and gains more light, so too will you gain more energy and focus towards taking action on the seeds of intention you planted.
This waxing period is about growth and development. Think of a seed under the soil growing its roots, strengthening its resilience and power, so that it can break through its shell to sprout up above the surface.
The new moon/waxing cycle is a great time to:
- Start a new business idea or project
- Create new healthy routines
- Focus on developing your relationships
- Work on increasing your social reach
- Make more money
- Learn new things
- Take small steps towards your goals
- Embrace challenges
- Ask for support or hire expert help
- Consider all possibilities
Full moon
The full moon happens in the middle of the lunar cycle, when the moon is at its peak of light.
After the full moon, the light decreases each day which is called the “waning” period. It wanes for about 14-15 days until it becomes a new moon again, and a whole new cycle begins!
In farming, the full moon is when plants are harvested. In our lives, this can translate as a perfect time for manifestation and culmination, to assess how the seeds you planted are growing so far.
The full moon’s bright light is the perfect time to check back in with your goals and see what steps you still need to take to bring them to fruition.
It’s also a time to let things go! Time to weed the garden of your life and get rid of what’s no longer working.
On the day of the full moon and for a few days after, it can be helpful to make a list of what you’re ready to release in your life.
Write out the emotions, thoughts, habits and patterns, activities, and even relationships that you’re ready to say buh-bye to, and then burn it, bury it, rip it up or otherwise ceremonially release this list into the ethers.
Then as the light wanes over the next couple of weeks, your energy too will move more inward, more reflective.
This waning period is less focused on outward action, and more focused on harnessing your energy and bringing awareness to your inner workings.
The full moon/waning cycle is a great time to:
- Detox your body
- Do therapy or energy work
- Decrease debt or pay things off
- Identify & release subconscious blocks
- End a relationship that’s not working
- Culminate and share your projects
- Cleanse your space of negative energy
- Break bad habits
- Give things away and declutter
- Take long baths and do lots of self-care
We hope this gives you a great foundation for how to start using the phases of the moon to empower your everyday real life.
As you do, you’ll see what it feels like when you flow with the energy of the moon, rather than against it, and how it helps everything else in your life move into more flow, too.