Introduction to Moon phases: The power of spiritually aligning yourself with the Moon
In our new monthly column, our new resident astrologer Kerry Sweeney will guide us on how following the cycles of the Moon can help us live our most fulfilling lives and what each moon phase means for us.
Do you ever gaze up at the beautiful Moon and it takes your breath away every time? Us, too.
Often with the frantic pace of our modern-day lives, it’s hard to find the time to connect with nature. That’s why turning to the spiritual meaning of Moon phases can help you connect to something deeper and sometimes give you a new outlook on life.
The Moon signifies wisdom, intuition, birth, death, reincarnation, and spiritual connection. And each Moon phase presents us with an opportunity to either manifest, reflect, take action or rest. Living in tune with the Moon is completely natural, allows us to be more mindful and lets us create rituals and practices that harness the energy of that unique phase.
Want to know more? Our new resident astrologer Kerry Sweeney is here to guide us through everything we need to know about following Moon phases.
WHAT MAKES THE MOON SO POWERFUL?
The magic and wisdom of the Moon make it so powerful. It reminds us of a time when our feminine ancestors would come together under a Full and New Moon, bringing powerful feminine energies together (the Moon being the ‘feminine’ and the Sun being the ‘masculine’) to connect to their intuition, asking for her guidance and wisdom along their life’s journey.
It’s so wonderful to see this ancient spiritual practice returning to encourage women to take guidance from the Moon and her lunar cycles. Following the different phases of the lunar month enables us to live in alignment with our most fulfilling lives and souls’ path.
THE DIFFERENT MOON PHASES
There are eight different phases to a lunar cycle, and the Moon takes around three-four days to move through each phase.
The New Moon
During this period the Moon is not visible to us on earth. This is a time of new beginnings and therefore a time for setting our intentions on what we would like to come to fruition. During this phase, we would carry out a New Moon ritual and journal our intentions.
Waxing Crescent
As the Moon moves into her next phase, she begins to become visible to us in the sky and this is when we would begin to bring our intentions into practice.
First Quarter
Exactly half of the Moon is illuminated. This is a time when we check in that we are working in line with the intentions we set at the New Moon.
Waxing Gibbous
This Moon phase signifies refinement. This lunar phase is similar to the previous phase – it’s your time to continue taking mindful steps that align with your intention.
The Full Moon
At this time she shines her light on what it is we need to see as we reflect and look back over the previous phases to check to see if our intention has come to fruition. If it has, we celebrate this and if it hasn’t, we would look at what we need to let go of, what we need to release at the Full Moon and continue to release as we move through the cycles.
Waning Gibbous
This Moon phase signifies gratitude. As you reflect on all the abundance that you already have in your life, this lunar cycle is the time to focus on gratitude.
Third Quarter
Exactly half of the Moon is illuminated, the opposite side of the First Quarter Moon. This Moon phase signifies forgiveness and is a great chance to again reflect on the intention you set during the last New Moon.
Waning Crescent
This Moon cycle signifies surrender. A time to let go: let go of your intention, your stress or worries and simply enjoy being alive and not carry this energy going forward into the next cycle. The cycle then begins again with the New Moon.
HOW MOON PHASES IMPACT YOU
As well as the Moon moving into her various phases, she also moves into a different Zodiac sign every two days which brings the characteristics/personalities of that particular sign for us to work with. For example, we have just moved into the Virgo Full Moon on 7th March. This earthy, practical, grounding sign is asking us to get real and make these changes so we can create a brand-new beginning for ourselves.
WHAT ARE MOON CIRCLES?
I hold monthly Full Moon circles and I love the amazing community we’ve created. Coming together as a sisterhood using the energies of the Full Moon to explore, heal and delve deeper into the relevant areas of our own lives.
We begin our ritual by pulling a Moon oracle card to tap into her ancient wisdom for guidance. We then discuss how living with the lunar cycles and astrology enables us to come into alignment with living our most fulfilling, expansive life. Following this, I give journaling prompts for guidance to work with the Moon’s energies, a yoga practice, and a powerful guided meditation to draw down the energies of the Full Moon.
When is the next full moon?
As we’re currently going through the New Moon phase, the next full moon will be on Thursday 6th April. I’ll be writing monthly features that will give you some guidance on the Moon and how it will affect you. Stay tuned!
For more information on Moon phases and to book Kerry’s classes, visit her website.
Keep Updated
Sign up to receive HLN straight to your inbox, for free, twice a week.