The Moon doesn’t make its own light. We see the half the Sun lights up, from an angle that keeps changing, so it seems to grow and shrink over about 29.5 days.
The eight phases
- New Moon: dark. Set intentions.
- Waxing crescent: a sliver of light. Take small first steps.
- First quarter: half lit. Decide and act.
- Waxing gibbous: almost full. Refine and adjust.
- Full Moon: fully lit. Celebrate and release.
- Waning gibbous: share what you learned.
- Last quarter: half lit again. Let go of what isn’t working.
- Waning crescent: rest before the next cycle.
Memory trick: in the Northern Hemisphere, light on the right means the Moon is growing (waxing). Light on the left means it’s shrinking (waning).
Try it tonight
Step outside and find the Moon. Is the light on the right or the left? Name the phase.