The Eight Moon Phases

The Moon’s phase comes from the angle between the Sun and the Moon. As the Moon moves ahead of the Sun, more of its lit face turns toward us, until it is full when the two are opposite (180°), and then it wanes until they meet again. The whole cycle takes about 29.5 days. Astrology divides it into eight phases, each roughly 45° wide, and each carries its own rhythm of life.

The waxing half: beginning and building

• New Moon (0°): a starting point. A good time to set intentions and begin something, without needing results yet.
• Waxing Crescent: the intention meets doubt, and the first step takes some courage.
• First Quarter (90°): the first obstacle appears and a decision to act is needed.
• Waxing Gibbous: a time of refining and adjusting as things near ripeness.

The waning half: harvesting and releasing

• Full Moon (180°): the peak. The results of what you have been doing show clearly, and feelings tend to run high.
• Waning Gibbous: a time to share and pass on what you have learned.
• Last Quarter (270°): review, and cut away what has not worked.
• Waning Crescent: rest and letting go while you prepare for a new cycle.

Your birth lunar phase

The phase the Moon was in when you were born reflects the rhythm with which you tend to approach life. People born near a New Moon often love beginnings and trust their instincts. Those born near a Full Moon often see relationships and other people’s viewpoints vividly. The app shows the Moon’s current phase on the Home, Daily horoscope and Sky pages. You can find your own birth phase from the angle between your Sun and Moon, then compare your rhythm with the Moon’s today.

The eight phases and the birth-phase lines follow a twentieth-century school; the old books we read deal mainly with the New Moon and the Full Moon.

Remember that this is a symbolic language for self-reflection, not a fixed rule.