Moon Phases

The New Moon is for intention setting, acknowledgment, initiation, and manifestation.

The Full Moon is for appreciation, celebration, reflection, and revelation. 

The time in between is embracing the light that lives within us and following through on our commitment to the intentionality of creation. We set the intention on the new moon and we carry that intention with us every day up until the full moon. The intention is about doing something with purpose, thoughtfulness, and mindfulness. It helps to continue to affirm and declare our intention verbally or in writing so that we really are intentionally aligning ourselves with the energy of what we want. Affirmation makes it easier to align intention with action. What’s the good of setting an intention and not actually being intentional about it? That’s just a wish that falls on deaf ears.

The moon is not your Genie. Shoot, even Genies tell you to speak with intention when they say “Be careful what you wish for.” That’s why the evaluation of the full moon is necessary to make sure 1): did what you asked for come to fruition? Why or why not? 2): if it did come to fruition is it what you really wanted? How did it really make you feel? Reflect on how much your intentions and actions aligned from the new moon to the full moon.

Then after the full moon, as the moon wanes, the light and air of celebration leave us. It’s time to empty ourselves. The light and evaluation of the full moon helped us to see what wasn’t working. The moon’s willingness to shed its own light inspires us to be willing to dive into the darkness in order to lighten our load. It makes me think of icebergs and how only the tip is visible and above the surface. A lot of times it’s what we can’t see that holds the most weight. That is why if we hope to feel lighter we have to be willing to go into the darkness to release whatever anchors us down. The view we have of the moon is one-sided and two-dimensional. You might be familiar with the phrase “the dark side of the moon.” In reality, there is no dark side to the moon. It is just the side of the moon we don’t see because it faces away from us but all sides of the moon are always equally lit. The same could be said for us and our shadows. They are not inherently dark or bad, usually, they are just traits we are ignorant to or can’t see of ourselves. Usually, stemming from what’s behind us (our past). Darkness itself is really just the absence of light.

When we allow ourselves to embrace our “darkness” we can appreciate the light. When we give ourselves the permission to let go we also give ourselves the freedom to accept what’s to be gained.

As the moon wanes, we remove all of the things that were blocking the light. All of the things that were in the way. We are clearing our path. Once that path is clear, there isn’t so much distraction or energy leaking from us in all different directions. Our energetic field is clear and we are better with our own discernment. Darkness forces us to rely on our other senses, beyond sight. We must feel around and listen closely because things might not be as clear. However, it is this feeling and sensing that gets us more in tune with ourselves.

The waning moon teaches us about trusting ourselves, our intuition, and the unknown. The waxing moon is about having faith that things will work out how you hoped. During the waxing moon, we take action to support our faith. We can take action because we have faith in the fact that good will come from our actions.

The waning moon is our rest period, however, rest isn’t inaction. Rest is recharging. Rest is taking care of yourself so you can prepare to exert your energy to attract what you need. Rest is cleaning and cleansing the body and even the home. Rest isn’t all about laying down. You can give your brain a rest through creativity or movement. During the waning moon, we want to rest whatever part of us was most active over the course of the previous waning moon.

It’s all a cycle. Let’s say for the waxing period you’ve been focusing more on work but focusing less on your home. So during the waning period, you’d focus less on work and be more present at home as a break from work. 

The foundation of faith is what reassures us that even when we can’t see the new moon as it is submerged in darkness, we know it is still there. Faith reminds us while we are in the darkness of the waning moon that the light will return to us.

On the new moon, we acknowledge what we need by taking a look at what we have. It's not about what we don’t have. It’s about what we intend to acquire based on what would benefit what’s already in place. So the time between the new moon and the full moon is spent using what we already have to help us create what we want. The point is to keep our goal in mind the whole way through.

Faith is a constant. Belief is fleeting. Your beliefs can change, but your faith is your foundation. Faith is the foundation we build on the New Moon. During the waxing moon, we stand and build on that foundation. The foundation isn’t all we have to build but the foundation gives us the courage to know that we can build even more and sustain it even through our different phases.