The Moon Phases - Explained

If you've ever looked up to the night sky and a part of you wondered what phase the moon was in and if it meant something (it always does btw) then you're in the right place.

I'm going to explain a little bit what a Lunar Cycle is and what each phase means, in as simple terms as possible.

First of all, Why does the moon change shape?

The Moon takes 28 days (actually 27 days, 7 hours and 43 minutes) to revolve around the Earth, and depending on where it is in that cycle, we see it in different shapes from Earth.

Those phases are broken down to 4 Primary and 4 Secondary phases.

The Primary:

• New

• First Quarter

• Full

• Last Quarter
  

The Secondary:

• Waxing Crescent

• Waxing Gibbous

• Waning Gibbous

• Waning Crescent

So, the moon starts its cycle as a New Moon and ends it with Waning Crescent until it becomes a new moon again.

New Moon- Waxing Crescent - First Quarter - Waxing Gibbous - Full Moon - Waning Gibbous- Last Quarter - Waning Crescent

What does each phase mean?

New Moon: It starts here. This is when we can’t see the moon in the sky because it’s exactly between the Earth and the Sun.

I show you here how to start a simple new moon ritual.

Waxing Crescent: Waxing means it gets bigger, and that’s what the moon is doing taking on the shape of a crescent.

First Quarter: Even though in this phase you’ll see the half of the moon lit, it’s still called the first quarter cause she (the moon is the embodiment of feminine energy, while the sun is masculine) has travelled her first quarter of the trip around Earth.

Waxing Gibbous Moon: After that, the moon continues to grow (hence: waxing) until it reaches our favorite phase where we make our moon water also, Gibbous means “shape”. So, it literally translates to a growing shape, hehe for some reason that seems funny to me!

Full Moon: The star of the show in many ways (even though I love all her phases for different reasons) but this one needs no introduction. This is when the moon is the most bright, completely lit by the sun and is in full force of its Moon Magic.

If you want to know how to make moon water, here you go. And how to use it.

Waning Gibbous Moon: Waning here means getting smaller. And since Gibbous means shape so this phase means a shrinking shape hehe (also funny)

Last (Third) Quarter: This is when the moon finishes her last quarter of her trip around us and is half dark.

Waning Crescent: The final phase of the Moon’s cycle, where we find it again being a tiny sliver in the sky in the shape of a crescent.

I'll be posting next about how to use each phase to your advantage and what you should and shouldn’t do in each one. Like I said, the moon's phase no matter where it is always means something ;)

See you in the next one✨