The 8 phases of the moon — your monthly cycle.

From the New Moon's blank page to the Waning Crescent's quiet rest, the moon's monthly cycle is the most universally felt energetic rhythm in the body. Eight phases, each with its own job. Each with its own ritual. Each with its own lesson.

How the cycle works

The moon takes about 28 days to circle the earth. Across that cycle it passes through 8 distinct phases — from invisible (New Moon) to fully lit (Full Moon) and back. Almost every traditional culture noticed this and built spiritual practice around it.

The first half (New Moon → Full Moon) is the building half — the seed grows, faces its first test, refines, and reaches peak. This is the time to plant, push through, polish, and celebrate.

The second half (Full Moon → next New Moon) is the releasing half — the harvest is in, the truth has been revealed, and the work is now to integrate, let go, and rest. This phase is the one most people skip — and it's exactly the missed phase that makes their next cycle exhausting.

Pair each phase with a chakra, a healing meditation, and a stone — all linked from each phase guide.

🌑 Day 1/8
New Moon
Day 0 (start of cycle) · begin
The dark page. The moment before the next chapter is written.
🌒 Day 2/8
Waxing Crescent
Days 1-6 · plant
The first sprout. The seed has cracked open underground.
🌓 Day 3/8
First Quarter
Days 7-8 · push through
The first resistance. The cycle's built-in test — and the muscle that grows from passing it.
🌔 Day 4/8
Waxing Gibbous
Days 9-13 · refine
The work refines. The fruit is forming but not ripe.
🌕 Day 5/8
Full Moon
Days 14-15 · peak · reveal
The light fills everything. Whatever has been hidden is now visible.
🌖 Day 6/8
Waning Gibbous
Days 16-21 · integrate · share
The teaching phase. What was revealed at the Full Moon is now ready to be shared.
🌗 Day 7/8
Last Quarter
Days 22-23 · release · let go
The honest goodbye. What's no longer yours leaves now, with grace.
🌘 Day 8/8
Waning Crescent
Days 24-28 (last days before next New Moon) · rest · empty
The quiet hush before the next dark. The cycle's rest day.

Want to know what your upcoming Full Moon is asking of you?

A $9 personal reading looks at the next major lunation in your chart — which house it falls in, what it's activating, what to focus on this cycle. Request yours →