The moon is our closest planetary body to the earth. In human design, the moon represents our driving force and the desires of our heart and soul, the physical consciousness. When the sun shines yang energy through the form of the moon, the sun delivers the energy of our mental awareness.
Through those beams of sunlight, the moon flavors the mental awareness stream with the essence of your subconscious desires before that light returns down to earth for us.
There are four primary phases of the moon each month.
The New Moon
A new moon is when the moon is between the earth and the sun. The moon no longer reflects the light from the sun and the absence allows for the opening of inspired mental awareness.
We can use this time for new beginnings, inspiration through the crown chakra –
to have an open mind to learn a new skill or to start any new work or even to take any new decisions.
The Waxing Moon
A waxing moon is when the moon is at a 45 to 90 degree angle from the sun. The moon is once again flavored by the rays of the sunlight & allows for the manifestation of the physical consciousness and mental awareness to come together as one.
We can use this time for intentional actions – to create momentum and merge what feels nourishing and harmonious.
The Full Moon
A full moon is when the moon and the sun are positioned at opposite sides of the earth. The moon is fully illuminated, however, the tension provokes a release of emotions or pressure that has built within this current cycle. The tension of mental awareness vs physical consciousness and true desires provokes change.
We can use this time for our big exhales – to set free the ideas, projects, relationships or opportunities that have been tethered to us up until know.
The Waning Moon
A waning moon is when the moon and the sun are positioned to return to the same side of the earth. The moon will cleanse from the illumination of the sun and begin her journey back towards the darkness of the yin to inspire creating once again.
We can use this time for a cleanse – discard what no longer serves us, return our home and closets back to an orderly state, schedule our hair cuts, dental cleanings and most importantly, we rest.
My relationship with the moon phases started with tracking my own menstrual cycle as inspired by Bella Passentino, MSc of @nourishwithbella. Her simple and supportive approach to hormone balance through our cycle helped me feel more responsible for my physical experience with my energy levels. While we may only track the first day of our last period, she encourages us to track the full window of the month to get a peek into how our hormones, energy levels and periods of rest are being considered. While bleeding may only be 3 days, the body often needs a full 6 days to feel back to baseline. She helped me learn to take the time my body needs to rest.
In my family life, I started using the moon for help with dentist appointments and planned those around the clearing of the waning moon. My son was 10 years old, going through his first of many growth spurts and his adult teeth were coming in a little early, crowding his mouth. This led to the arduous task of scheduling teeth pulling around orthodontics. If there is one thing I can say about this experience, it is to listen to our children and gauge what they are or are not ready to handle at any given time, like how many teeth to pull. Trust they will know what is right in their body.
In my line of work in sustainable product development, I was never really a task oriented person. I tend to work from a big picture approach but running a business has pulled me back into the priority lists of task-keeping. Now, I look to the phases of the moon to guide what to prioritize and it feels really good to co-create in this way.
Business meetings and design meetings are scheduled on or around the new moon, giving us ample space to channel new inspiration and ideas. Launches and contracts are moved to the Full Moons to really capture the tension and momentum of solving a problem or finalizing a decision. Working with a supply chain, I have come to see that if I order my inventory needs on the Full Moon, there is a quickness to the delivery. I don’t know if this is a set pattern but I’ve been keeping my eye on this turn-time. Essentially, if you want it done quickly, use the energy of the full moon.
My podcast I co-host with Priscilla Bernstein, Your Inner Authority, is mostly recorded on the New Moon as well. There was one time we recorded during a Full Moon and it felt more rushed, from the scheduling of our time to the hastiness of the topics - so we went back to the ease of the New Moon for the recording sessions.
Sometimes I laugh at myself when I think I can choose a better way than that of the ways which our Universe has already perfected. Being a right variable in human design has taught me, if anything, there is always something more grand when you co-create with another - in this case, the moon.