Use the Moon Phases for Inspiration and Planning

I’m seeking a sense of flow.

Being flexible and allowing has never been my strong point, I’ve always erred more on the side of control, regime and routine. But I find my desperate need for control subsides when I find real connections with the world around me, when I can find peace in letting go of the reins and trust that I’ll still keep moving forward. It quietens my frantic busyness and leaves me with both a calm, appreciative warmth for the world and the peaceful knowledge that I’m better off moving with the world than trying to wrestle it into submission. The Boy and I planned out a new routine this morning (we still haven’t quite recovered from the lack of routine at Christmas) and found a really nice compromise between my more driven, purposeful nature and his spontaneous, freedom-loving character. It got me thinking about planning and how I could find a system of planning that combined all of the above, that would still be a beneficial, productive way to work.

My idea: to learn about the lunar cycle, what to do during moon phases and how I could use that to shape my life flow.

The moon is company and motivation, a way to feel like you’re not alone in your goals and progress (a big, glowing lump of ex-Earth has got your back) and feel a little more connected and grounded in the world.

Let’s take a look at each phase, shall we?

The New Moon occurs when the moon is fully hidden from us, as the sun is behind the moon and illuminating the side that faces away from us. This is the beginning of the lunar cycle.

The New Moon is time to begin. Set your intentions for the cycle, plan out your goals and go-plan. This can be a nice time to reset things, mentally and in your space — clean and tidy to have everything fresh for the cycle.

The Waxing Moon is seen as the sun slowly emerges from behind the moon, illuminating the moon’s right side, and leave us with a thin, visible crescent.

The First Quarter is when the sun is exposed to the whole right side of the moon — we see this as half the moon being illuminated.

The sun and the moon are side-by-side, with the moon lit up halfway. Continue working, but take time to reflect on your plans and how far you’ve come. Take a deep breath before throwing yourself into the next stages.

The Waxing Gibbous Moon leaves only a slither of moon unilluminated as it’s almost completely exposed to the sun’s rays.

Start making big strides towards your goals and plans. Pay attention, concentrate and hone your energy. In this big push, remember to continue looking after yourself, sticking to those habits we laid down earlier, so you can use your strength to your full potential.

The Full Moon is the phases in which the whole moon is illuminated. The sun’s rays are hitting our side of the moon and lighting it fully.

This is your period of full strength — you’ve done the work to build up to this point, this is your chance to really knuckle down and put 110% into everything you’ve planned.

With the Waning Gibbous Moon, the sun’s light starts to recede again, illuminating most of the moon but leaving a slither of shadow on the right-hand side untouched.

This is your chance to begin to tie up loose ends of your goals. Start to turn inward, spend more time on introspection and really appreciate and evaluate the work you’ve put in this cycle so far. Take a good look at your habits and rejig them to help you through the cycle’s final stretch.

The Third Quarter is the opposite of the First Quarter, where now only the left-hand side of the moon is illuminated.

The Waning Moon is the final stage of the lunar cycle, where only a slither of the sun’s light is left illuminating a crescent on the moon’s left-hand side.

Take a breath to appreciate how far you’ve come in the last few weeks. Be kind and compassionate to yourself, focussing on the good you’ve achieved and noting the ways in which you can work to improve and continue.

Then, you’re back to the start, planning and setting your intentions with the New Moon.

I’m trialling this way of planning, working with a system that leads me through a more purposeful, refreshing process than a simple however-many-days month does. And wow, to be inspired by the moon, to have that great glowing giant to look to when you feel like giving up — at least to the poet in me, that’s really something.

As always, there are no rules here. You don’t have to complete every cycle over and over, just know that it’s there for drawing on when you need it.

See you later, Space Cowboy.

Related posts:

Even though Scala has sensible static typing and quite a few errors will be caught at compile time, unit testing is still important. It can greatly help to get quick feedback that the evolving code…

I grew up learning music since I was about 7. Always equated music=piano for a long time, and eventually got pretty good at it. The keys helped me process difficult feelings and kept me in company in…

Marcela caminha lentamente pelas ruas de São Paulo. No fone de ouvido, uma música do Criolo reflete o seu estado de espírito desesperançoso. A garoa fina, típica de um Julho frio e nublado cai em…