In the past, our ancestors stared up at the night sky and marveled at the stars and the Moon and were guided by the waxing and waning of the Moon through each of its never-ending cycles.
Nowadays, many of us have lost touch with the natural world and the cyclical rhythm that the Moon brings, so in this post, we look at the spiritual meaning of tonight’s Moon and how to live your life according to its phases to bring more meaning and balance to your existence.
The Spiritual Meaning of Tonight’s Moon
1. New Moon
The new Moon represents the end of one cycle and the beginning of the next, so above all, it is a time to pause, to reflect and to take stock.
With the arrival of the new Moon, you should make time for a moment of quiet reflection to think about the coming lunar cycle and what you hope to achieve during this period as well as your longer-term goals and how you plan to bring them closer to reality.
At this time, it’s a good opportunity to write down your goals and intentions because setting them down on paper can also help make them more concrete and achievable.
During this moment, some people may choose to make resolutions to start good new habits like exercising or to cut out bad habits such as smoking. Setting short-term goals like this can help you achieve such things, making small but incremental positive changes to your life.
Finally, you should use this time to relax, recharge and reset. Spend time in meditation and contemplation, release and eliminate all stress and do everything you can to energize yourself in readiness to make the most of the coming lunar cycle.
At the time of the new Moon, connecting with nature is an effective way to unwind and release any pent-up anger or stress, and taking an hour on the night of the new Moon to sit outside under the stars and the dark sky is also an excellent way to empty your mind.
2. Waxing Crescent Moon
After the moment of pause and preparation during the new Moon, the waxing crescent phase is the time to start working towards the goals you set yourself to achieve.
Going into this Moon phase, you should be rested and full of new energy and enthusiasm, so now is the time to direct all your energies into realizing your intentions.
At this moment, you should feel highly motivated, so you should advantage of your high energy levels during this Moon phase.
To keep your motivation levels high, you can look up to the Moon and see it growing each night as a symbol of you working towards the objectives you have set and your projects slowly but surely coming to fruition.
This is also a time of spiritual growth, so continue to meditate or follow whatever other spiritual practices or rituals you keep.
From time to time, don’t forget to go back and review the goals you wrote down to help keep your mind focused on what needs to be done.
3. First Quarter Moon
The first quarter Moon represents the midway point between the new Moon and the full Moon, so it’s the moment to step back and take stock of how everything is advancing.
To do this, you should take the list of objectives that you wrote down during the new Moon phase and assess the progress you have made.
When you do this, you can evaluate how far you have come and establish where you need to concentrate your efforts during the next phase of the Moon.
After a period of reflection and taking stock, you can then reaffirm your intentions to keep working towards your goals, taking motivation from the fact that the realization of these goals is now a little nearer than when you set them.
Take confidence and motivation from the arrival of the first quarter Moon and resist any temptation to fall into self-doubt.
If you made resolutions for this Moon cycle at the time of the new Moon, now is also a good time to reaffirm your determination to stick to them until the end of the cycle.
4. Waxing Gibbous Moon
As the Moon moves past the first quarter and starts to swell towards the full Moon, you may feel the need to rediscover the motivation and enthusiasm that filled you at the start of the waxing crescent Moon.
This means now is a good time to take a break to re-energize, so you might want to allow yourself to take a few days to slow down before preparing to redouble your efforts.
As the saying goes, a change is sometimes as good as a break, so now might be the right time to stop thinking about your main goals for a moment and concentrate on something else for a while, something that will allow you to come back to your main goals with renewed vigor.
5. Full Moon
The full Moon marks the halfway point of the Moon cycle and is a moment of celebration.
Again, make time to take stock of everything you have achieved since the beginning of this cycle on the day of the new Moon and congratulate yourself for how far you’ve come.
If you made resolutions at the start of the cycle and have managed to stick to them, then you should also congratulate yourself for your self-discipline and reaffirm your determination to continue the good work.
If not, you can take a moment to reset and determine to at least stick to the resolutions for the second half of this Moon cycle.
You should also reward yourself for all of your hard work, so try to find a suitable recompense for your achievements so far.
The full Moon is also the most spiritually powerful and resonant moment of the Moon cycle, so now is also a good time to meditate and connect with your own inner being.
Some people may find that the power of the full Moon may make them feel emotionally sensitive, but by finding calm and inner stillness, you can harness the power of the full Moon to aid yourself on your journey of spiritual growth.
6. Waning Gibbous Moon
With the afterglow you should be feeling from celebrating the arrival of the full Moon and the power you took from it, now is a moment of forgiveness.
This is the time when you will feel most able to forgive others who have wronged you, and this will help rid you of pent-up negative energy, leaving you spiritually cleansed and purified.
You should also consider your own failures and forgive yourself for these too, and this will allow you to move forward with more positive intentions.
For example, if you haven’t managed to achieve something you set out to do, you might forgive yourself for this failure and resolve to attempt to achieve this goal in the next Moon cycle.
Similarly, if you didn’t manage to stick to a resolution you set yourself, simply accept it and make a plan to try again next time.
7. Third Quarter Moon
The arrival of the third quarter Moon, like the first quarter and the full moon, is a moment to step back and take stock of your progress.
Look again at your list of objectives and assess how well you are progressing towards your goals. You can then make the necessary adjustments and change your focus for the upcoming final Moon phase to redouble your efforts and make sure you finish the cycle on a high.
Each quarter of the Moon’s cycle also represents a time of reflection, and with the third quarter, you should take a moment to think of the things you are grateful for.
With only one phase left to complete, now is a time for positive thinking and preparation for a final flurry of activity and effort before the culmination of the cycle.
8. Waning Crescent Moon
The final phase of the Moon’s cycle is a time of letting go, so now you should look back over your experiences of this cycle and think about the things that have been holding you back.
You should now consider how you can bring more balance to your life, and you should also think about how you can reduce negative influences.
Are certain people holding you back or bringing negativity into your life? Do you have relationships with certain people that are all one-way, with you making all the effort while receiving nothing in return?
If the answer to any of these questions is yes, now could be the time to put an end to these negative relationships that are holding you back so that you can step into the new Moon cycle with renewed positivity and fewer emotional or spiritual restraints.
Finally, now is also the time to clear clutter from your life, both mentally through meditation and physically through the tidying of your space in preparation for the arrival of the new Moon and the beginning of the next cycle.
Follow the Moon cycle to bring order to your life
Although the natural rhythms of the four seasons and the cycle of the Moon can sometimes feel elusive to us, paying attention to the phases of the Moon can allow us to reconnect with nature.
Then, by allowing the Moon to guide you as it did our ancestors in times of old, it can help you find a new sense of balance and order that will bring more positivity, success and fulfilment to your life.
