The four phases of the Moon
The moon revolves around the Earth in a cycle of about 29 days. Four phases are identified in this lunar cycle: New Moon, Waxing Moon, Full Moon and Waning Moon.
New Moon is the moment when the moon is barely visible from Earth, the beginning of the new lunar cycle.
The phase when the moon’s surface that is lit by the sun slowly increases in size, is called Waxing Moon.
At Full Moon, the moon is directly behind the Earth in relation to the sun, so that its side facing the earth is entirely lit by the sun. The moon takes 29 days to go through the four phases of the moon. So about once a month we can see a full moon from the Earth.
In the Waning Moon phase, the sun shines on more than half of the moon’s surface and that illuminated part of the moon is gradually diminishing.
The lunar cycle and you
That the moon influences life on our planet is obvious. Low tide and High tide, for example, are caused by the moon’s gravity, which ‘pulls’ at the Earth. The flow of our bodies’ vital energy also moves to the rhythm of the moon.
Many natural religions and spiritual traditions already use this wisdom for generations. For example, new moon is a good time to start something new. During waxing moon energy increases, there is growth. So it is a good phase to start a new project, for example. After Full Moon the energy decreases, a good phase for losing weight or diminishing destructive habits.
There is no inherent ‘good’ or ‘bad’ moon phase. The trick is to learn to move with the flow and you will find that harmony and balance increase in your life.
