the moon phases, explained.
a gentle introduction on the moon phases.
Once we are attuned to the Moon, we can activate her innate powers.
the moon does not produce its own light. moonlight is actually the sun reflecting off of the moon's surface. the sunโs light comes from one direction, and it always illuminates the half of the moon that is facing the sun. we can only ever see one half of the moon from earth. even when the moon is full, we are just seeing half of the moon, fully illuminated.
๐ new moon: the moon is positioned in between the earth and the sun, so it cannot be seen from earth. this phase signifies new beginnings.
๐ waxing crescent: "waxing" means the moons illumination is growing. "crescent" means less than half of the moon is visible.
๐ first quarter: the moon is now a quarter of the way through it's monthly journey/cycle. often called (and viewed as) a "half moon", but this is really when we are seeing one quarter of the moon being illuminated from the sun. half of the illuminated half.
๐ waxing gibbous: "waxing" means the moons illumination is growing. "gibbous" means more than half of the (visible part of the) moon is illuminated. most of the moon that we can see on earth is now visible. the moon begins to appear brighter in the sky.
๐ full moon: the moon is opposite the sun, as viewed from earth, illuminating the entire half that we can see from earth. the moon will appear full for a couple of days before and a couple of days after its ultimate fullness. this phases signifies reflection, release, and refinement.
๐ waning gibbous: "waning" refers to the decreasing of the moonโs illumination. "gibbous" means more than half of the (visible part of the) moon is illuminated. the moon is journeying back towards the sun. the opposite side of the moon is now reflecting the moonโs light onto the earth.
๐ third/last quarter: the moon looks like itโs half illuminated from the perspective of earth, but what youโre seeing is half of the half of the moon thatโs illuminated by the sun - or a quarter.
๐ waning crescent: "waning" refers to the decreasing of the moonโs illumination. "crescent" means less than half of the moon is visible. the moon is nearly back to the point in its orbit where it directly faces the sun, and all that we see from earth is a thin crescent curve.