The moon is an excellent tool for self improvement, to move you closer to who you want to be. You can use it to bring good things into your life and you can use it to let go of things that no longer serve you.
PHASES OF THE MOON
Each month the moon becomes New as it meets up in the same astrological sign that the sun is currently in. It moves through the signs until it is opposite the sun at the time of the Full Moon and then continues on until it becomes New in the next sign as it meets up again with the moving sun.
As the moon moves through its phases it brings certain energy with it. The time of the New Moon is for setting intentions. As the moon grows we begin to work on those intentions. At the Full Moon we are at a time of culmination and release. As the moon shrinks away again we are incorporating and adjusting and we find a period of quiet reflection just before the moon becomes New again. Cafe Astrology explains the phases of the moon in more detail.
INTENTIONS AND RELEASE
I like to think of the New Moon as a time when your emotions (moon) and your expression (sun) are in the same place. And there is a great power of intention in that area of your life. And I like to think of the Full Moon as a time when your emotions (moon) and your expression (sun) need to find balance with each other. Sort of like the balance between desire and reality. You become aware of how the intention you set at the New Moon needs to be adjusted and you have the opportunity to release the things that are holding you back from achieving your intention.
"New Moons are a blank page on which to speak your dreams out loud, and Full Moons are for taking action and celebrating the fruit of your efforts. Every new Moon is different, and this gives you the chance to claim the energies of each different sign. Find out where the new Moon falls in your chart for clues as to what to "call in" that month."
Let's use the example of a person who wants to lose weight who decided during the New Moon to eat healthier. He sets his intention, "I eat diet of clean, unprocessed foods in appropriate quantities." By the Full Moon, he will begin to see the challenges to his intentions ... the cost of healthier foods, the nights he works late and needs a fast, easy option. It is at this point that he sees the real world challenges to his desire and can take this opportunity to release what is holding him back.
RITUALS
Many people engage in rituals to set their intentions and release what is holding them back.
During the New Moon, I write my intentions on a piece of paper. I light a candle and speak my intentions to the Universe and then place them under a quartz crystal. This year I would also like to add an element of creativity to my intentions by creating a journal where I will create a collage or doodle or art piece to support my intentions and I would like to add an offering. There are plenty of fabulous rituals you can find both simple and complex.
During the Full Moon, I look back over my intentions and decide what I feel is holding me back from achieving them fully. I write those items on pieces of paper and I burn them. I have a special bowl and a spot in my yard where I like to do this but I have been know to gather up a larger pot in the middle of a dinner party so all my friends can do it to! Again there are plenty of rituals to draw from and you should use or create what works best for you.
WHAT AREA OF YOUR LIFE IS BEING AFFECTED
Depending on what sign the moon and sun are in and what house that means for you will determine the best area for your intentions.
I look at both the sign and the house that the New Moon fall in and determine what they together mean to me.
New Moon in Signs
Aries
SELF Show a pure part of yourself to the world. Take action. Be assertive. Find ways to rely on yourself.
Taurus
RELAX. Breed contentment. Enjoy life's pleasures (food, nature, etc). Stop and smell the roses. Reevaluate possessions. Dream up ways to increase money. Beautify home.
Gemini
KNOWLEDGE Be comfortable with people. Listen to enjoy the moment (not just for the answer). Socialize. Begin a new writing project and find new ways to express myself.. Don't strive for an answer but be content to gain knowledge.
Cancer
EMOTIONAL Honor deepest, most irrational and intimate feelings
Leo
PRIVILEGE Take pride in yourself. Build self confidence. Deal with others in a personal, emotional manner. Add more playtime. Engage in hobbies.
Virgo
THINKING Make sense of our lives. Start a health regime. Set up routines and organize. Practice mindfullness.
Libra
OTHERS Make peace with those around us. Work on tact and negotiation skills. Put yourself in partners shoes and learn something.
Scorpio
CHAOS Take chances. Don't be content with the status quo. Tackle things that undermine (compulsive behaviors, addictions). Learn to merge with another being without giving away all our energy. Release fear of confrontation. Develop strength and depth of character.
Sagittarius
WISDOM Focus on the big picture. Increase understanding and awareness. Branch out to a new way of thinking. Work on positive thinking as a way of life.
Capricorn
LOGICAL Set practical goals. Ambition. Recognize limitations so we can see what really matters.
Aquarius
PURPOSE Reach out and find support. Brainstorm. Detach from issues. Reach out to people.
Pisces
FEELING Take a leap of faith. Accept imperfections. Put yourself in others shoes. Enjoy imaginative experiences. Start a creative project. Rejuvenate.
Full Moon in Signs
Aries
Self vs Others. As we heal and become more balanced within, working together becomes easier because emotions that previously blocked progress are resolved. Burn through emotional debris. What must be left behind? What can you bring with you?
Taurus
Steady Progress vs. Transformation. This energy can help you be empowered, overcome obstacles and heal. There may be some stuck or lodged emotions that may surface. Who are what are you loyal to? This is such an important question during this Full Moon in Taurus. Does your loyalty cost you in some way? Spiritually, mentally, emotionally or physically? Do you remain attached to something or someone even when it is toxic and unhealthy for you? Are you attached to a friendship that has long grown apart and is now a dead weight on your path, but you remain loyal? Are you loyal to being attached to possessions instead of deeper values? Loyalty is a wonderful quality, yet the most important loyalty is to Soul. And many people are simply loyal to everything and everyone other than Soul.
Gemini
Information vs Wisdom. A Gemini Moon encourages us to think logically, while Sagittarius persuades us to think in a far broader manner. Sagittarius symbolizes the quest for meaning and ideas that expand upon the here and now. Gemini is quite comfortable in his or her immediate environment or neighborhood, while Sagittarius stimulates us to venture beyond.
Cancer
Emotion vs Logic. Cancer wants, Capricorn says “Not so fast”. If there’s something (or someone) that you just gotta have, take a step back. Trying to mold/nudge/manipulate a scenario into something that makes you feel secure will not work. Neither will forcing your nurturing onto someone else. Instead, ask yourself the following:
Why do I need ___ to happen so badly?
What’s missing, and is there another way I can supply it?
Chances are the person/goal you can’t have is just a stand in; you want what they represent.
Leo
Entitlement vs. Inspiration How badly do you want to stand out and what are you going to do about it? How important is it for you to get your way in a certain scenario? What do you have to offer that makes you special? think about what Leo and Aquarius have in common. They both stand out. One is about ego (Leo) and the other is about liberation from ego (Aquarius). Aquarius is so far out there that being number 1 or receiving applause doesn’t matter anymore and that’s what makes Aquarius special.
Virgo
Thinking vs. Feeling. Virgo rules the tools and techniques that we use to deal with day-to-day life, while Pisces rules the tools that we use to deal with our spiritual selves. Some sort of crisis (which can be a crisis of consciousness) or sudden awareness of a lack in our lives provides us with a golden opportunity to explore our emotional needs This Full Moon urges us to strike a balance between work and service, practicality and impracticality, criticism and acceptance.
Libra
Self vs. Others. The Aries-Libra polarity is a relationship axis, where Aries represents "self" and Libra represents "other". Where Aries is about self-assertion, Libra is about compromise. This Full Moon urges us to strike a balance between meeting our personal needs and tending to the needs of a significant other, and between independence or autonomy and dependence or companionability.
Scorpio
Chaos vs. Relaxation The Scorpio-Taurus axis is about going deep, physically merging with Earth or energetically/sexually merging with a lover. At the Big Reveal of the Full Moon, you see what you're enmeshed in -- is it healthy or is it a toxic wasteland? Can the negativity be transformed, or is it time to make a clean break?
Sagittarius
Wisdom (Moral) vs Knowledge (Rational). The Gemini-Sagittarius polarity is a mental axis, where Gemini represents the "lower mind" and Sagittarius represents the "higher mind". The Gemini Sun encourages us to think logically, while the Sagittarius Moon persuades us to intuit, and to think in a broader manner. Sagittarius symbolizes the quest for meaning and ideas that expand upon the "here and now". Gemini is quite comfortable in his or her immediate environment or neighborhood, while Sagittarius stimulates us to venture beyond it.
Capricorn
Logical (Discipline) vs Emotional (Creativity). In some ways, this polarity deals with the balance between unconditional love and conditional love. Cancer encourages us to value our home base and our roots, while Capricorn persuades us to consider our sense of duty and responsibility along public or professional lines. While Cancer may be content to be dependent, Capricorn urges us to be grown-up and responsible. Cancer represents the origin, and Capricorn represents the goal.
Aquarius
Personal Goals vs Collective Need
Pisces
Feeling vs Thinking. It deals with the balance between day-to-day functions and routines, physical health, and the need for order (Virgo) and vision, spiritual health, disorder, and the infinite (Pisces). Virgo rules our personal set of tools and techniques that we use to deal with day-to-day life, while Pisces rules our tools that we use to deal with our spirituality. The key to balance lies in identifying and expressing our spiritual needs, while maintaining order in our everyday lives.
Self vs Others. As we heal and become more balanced within, working together becomes easier because emotions that previously blocked progress are resolved. Burn through emotional debris. What must be left behind? What can you bring with you?
Taurus
Steady Progress vs. Transformation. This energy can help you be empowered, overcome obstacles and heal. There may be some stuck or lodged emotions that may surface. Who are what are you loyal to? This is such an important question during this Full Moon in Taurus. Does your loyalty cost you in some way? Spiritually, mentally, emotionally or physically? Do you remain attached to something or someone even when it is toxic and unhealthy for you? Are you attached to a friendship that has long grown apart and is now a dead weight on your path, but you remain loyal? Are you loyal to being attached to possessions instead of deeper values? Loyalty is a wonderful quality, yet the most important loyalty is to Soul. And many people are simply loyal to everything and everyone other than Soul.
Gemini
Information vs Wisdom. A Gemini Moon encourages us to think logically, while Sagittarius persuades us to think in a far broader manner. Sagittarius symbolizes the quest for meaning and ideas that expand upon the here and now. Gemini is quite comfortable in his or her immediate environment or neighborhood, while Sagittarius stimulates us to venture beyond.
Cancer
Emotion vs Logic. Cancer wants, Capricorn says “Not so fast”. If there’s something (or someone) that you just gotta have, take a step back. Trying to mold/nudge/manipulate a scenario into something that makes you feel secure will not work. Neither will forcing your nurturing onto someone else. Instead, ask yourself the following:
Why do I need ___ to happen so badly?
What’s missing, and is there another way I can supply it?
Chances are the person/goal you can’t have is just a stand in; you want what they represent.
Leo
Entitlement vs. Inspiration How badly do you want to stand out and what are you going to do about it? How important is it for you to get your way in a certain scenario? What do you have to offer that makes you special? think about what Leo and Aquarius have in common. They both stand out. One is about ego (Leo) and the other is about liberation from ego (Aquarius). Aquarius is so far out there that being number 1 or receiving applause doesn’t matter anymore and that’s what makes Aquarius special.
Virgo
Thinking vs. Feeling. Virgo rules the tools and techniques that we use to deal with day-to-day life, while Pisces rules the tools that we use to deal with our spiritual selves. Some sort of crisis (which can be a crisis of consciousness) or sudden awareness of a lack in our lives provides us with a golden opportunity to explore our emotional needs This Full Moon urges us to strike a balance between work and service, practicality and impracticality, criticism and acceptance.
Libra
Self vs. Others. The Aries-Libra polarity is a relationship axis, where Aries represents "self" and Libra represents "other". Where Aries is about self-assertion, Libra is about compromise. This Full Moon urges us to strike a balance between meeting our personal needs and tending to the needs of a significant other, and between independence or autonomy and dependence or companionability.
Scorpio
Chaos vs. Relaxation The Scorpio-Taurus axis is about going deep, physically merging with Earth or energetically/sexually merging with a lover. At the Big Reveal of the Full Moon, you see what you're enmeshed in -- is it healthy or is it a toxic wasteland? Can the negativity be transformed, or is it time to make a clean break?
Sagittarius
Wisdom (Moral) vs Knowledge (Rational). The Gemini-Sagittarius polarity is a mental axis, where Gemini represents the "lower mind" and Sagittarius represents the "higher mind". The Gemini Sun encourages us to think logically, while the Sagittarius Moon persuades us to intuit, and to think in a broader manner. Sagittarius symbolizes the quest for meaning and ideas that expand upon the "here and now". Gemini is quite comfortable in his or her immediate environment or neighborhood, while Sagittarius stimulates us to venture beyond it.
Capricorn
Logical (Discipline) vs Emotional (Creativity). In some ways, this polarity deals with the balance between unconditional love and conditional love. Cancer encourages us to value our home base and our roots, while Capricorn persuades us to consider our sense of duty and responsibility along public or professional lines. While Cancer may be content to be dependent, Capricorn urges us to be grown-up and responsible. Cancer represents the origin, and Capricorn represents the goal.
Aquarius
Personal Goals vs Collective Need
Pisces
Feeling vs Thinking. It deals with the balance between day-to-day functions and routines, physical health, and the need for order (Virgo) and vision, spiritual health, disorder, and the infinite (Pisces). Virgo rules our personal set of tools and techniques that we use to deal with day-to-day life, while Pisces rules our tools that we use to deal with our spirituality. The key to balance lies in identifying and expressing our spiritual needs, while maintaining order in our everyday lives.
