In astrology, the full moon and new moon cycles get a lot of attention—but they’re only two of the moon’s monthly phases. The full moon is connected to a feeling of abundance, celebration, and, occasionally, restlessness; while the new moon is for setting intentions and starting a new cycle fresh. But since most of our time unfolds amid waning and waxing moon cycles, understanding how to best harness their energy is crucial.

According to transformational astrologer Corina Crysler, a key component of working with the moon is knowing patterns in the moon’s cycles. “Knowing the patterns creates awareness and a deep understanding of what you want, and how to get it,” she says. “When we know how we want to feel, we can apply that to our dreams and create soulful manifestations.”

What are the 8 phases of the moon?

The moon has been around forever (well, for at least 4.53 billion years), and as such, it’s gained meaning beyond what meets the eye throughout its existence. “The moon orbits around the Earth pulling at the oceans to create the tides while she reflects the sunlight on her face as the Earth orbits around the Sun,” Kim Woods, MBA and Evolutionary Astrology Master explains.

For some basic background lunar intel, the moon’s cycle is 29.5 days. The first half of the cycle builds light (waxing phase) and the second half loses light from the sun (waning phase). Although it may seem that the moon’s glow is constantly growing and depleting, “The sunlight reflected on the Moon’s surface is always in relation to what you can see from the Earth’s perspective,” says Woods. “The far side reflection can’t be seen from Earth, so is known as the new moon, and the near side reflection, which can be seen completely, is known as the Full moon. The other phases involve the day side of the moon.”

That said, the eight phases of the moon in order are as follows:

• New moon: In this phase, the moon is closest to the sun, where it orbits between the sun and Earth, making it appear dark and nearly invisible from our perspective.
• Waxing crescent: The waxing crescent has a faint glow that grows gradually because of the sunlight reflected from Earth.
• First quarter moon: Also called the half moon, the first quarter moon marks its halfway point between the new and full moon, and likewise, its glow looks half-illuminated.
• Waxing gibbous moon: Following the halfway point, during the waxing gibbous moon, the moon’s glow illuminates more than half of the moon.
• Full moon: At this point, the moon moves on the opposite side of the Earth. The Earth is caught between the sun and the moon, and the sun catches its full illumination.
• Waning gibbous moon: The moon moves past 180 degrees, so its glow starts to recede and repeats the cycle invertedly. Meaning, the illuminated side starts to lose its light.
• Third quarter moon: Also called the half moon, the third quarter or last quarter moon appears to be half illuminated. It’s similar to the first quarter moon, only the illuminated side is on the left side rather than the right.
• Waning Crescent moon: Finally, the moon has orbited past its 270-degree cycle and starts to lose its light as it prepares to go back to the start, aka the new moon.

What does the moon symbolize in astrology?

In astrology, the moon is related to feminine energy and feelings, the phases of the moon can alter mood greatly. “The moon affects your mood because she loves to deal with the mysteries of the heart,” Woods says. “The moon involves the unseen, unheard, and unknown. She longs to connect and engage while respecting the need for solitude and silence. She’s the softer side of life.” In that sense, the different moon phases garner certain spiritual points and cues about when to plant seeds (the regenerative new moon) and when to let go (the culmination of the full moon).

The new moon phase, spiritually, is the planning and restorative start of the lunar cycle, urging for change, self-care, and building blueprints for the next few weeks. On the other hand, the full moon phase is about emotional release and surrendering things that no longer serve you; a culmination of all that you’ve learned since planting the initial seeds from the new moon.

“The moon represents the feminine, intuition, and emotional realm of feelings.”—Kim Woods, MBA, evolutionary astrology master

In terms of your birth chart, though, a person’s moon sign signifies where the moon was within the sky at the time of their birth. Generally speaking, your moon sign is said to reflect your subconscious. “The moon represents the feminine, intuition, and emotional realm of feelings,” Woods says. “She symbolizes the heart, remembrance, nurturance, and motherly energy.” So if you’ve ever wondered how or why the moon affects your love life, now you know.

Between preparing for catharsis and reflecting on spiritual lessons, the waning and waxing moon phases can be of service to your emotional balance. Below, learn how to most effectively embrace the energy of each.

What is a waning moon?

The waning phases of the moon are categorized as gibbous and crescent. In order, a full moon transitions to a waning gibbous, then to a third quarter moon, then to a waning crescent, which is the last phase of the moon, before re-entering into the new moon. Following the full moon, the waning gibbous and waning crescent moon phases each last about 7.38 days and mark the part of the moon’s cycle when it loses light—think “waning,” and getting smaller, day by day.

Once the light starts to retreat in the moon’s waning phase, you may notice its impact on your energy and emotions. To know when the moon is in its waning period, locate its shadow; if the shadow of the moon is on the right side, it’s waning.

What happens during the waning phase of the moon?

If you think of the moon phases as a spiritual cycle in which we grow emotionally—where the new moon renews our spirit each month and the full moon culminates lessons we’ve learned—the waning phase of the moon prepares us to let go before the full moon’s phase.

“During the first part of the waning phase, it’s important to look at what you’ve accomplished and harvest the rewards for your work,” says Crysler. “It begins the process of going inward and tapping into your intuition. It’s a time to be more gentle with your energy and adjust your routine to honor the opportunity for transformation. So instead of a boot camp, try yoga or a long walk; eat foods that are warming and grounding, and conserve your energy.”

“During the first part of the waning phase, it’s important to look at what you’ve accomplished and harvest the rewards for your work.”—Corina Crysler, astrologer

According to astrology, lunar energy is passive, gentle, and connected to retreating inward, and the darker moon phases ask us to pause rather than react, listen to our intuition, and be within our bodies. When the emotional body is suppressed, stagnation happens, which creates blockages and pain points. That’s part of why the waning phase of the moon asks us to look inside and realize what needs to be released.

This can culminate toward the end of that cycle when the waning moon becomes the dark moon. Any water moon signs will love this energy, which makes sense—moon signs reflect our deep emotional worlds, and water signs have deep emotional worlds. That said, the dark moon’s intensity impacts all other moon signs as well.

“The darkness, however, is not evil or bad—it’s concentrated energy where no light is reflected,” says Crysler. “It’s the unknown but holds the answers you are seeking. This is when we ask the questions we are seeking to help us rejuvenate and set out intentions to begin a new cycle on the new moon.”

What is a waxing moon?

The waxing moon is the opposite of the waning phase of the moon; it begins after the new moon and lasts until the full moon phase. The waxing phases of the moon are categorized as gibbous and crescent. Like the waning phase, the waxing gibbous and waxing crescent moon lasts approximately 7.38 days before reaching the first quarter phase. In terms of its glow, the waxing moon means that the moon’s illuminated area is increasing. Spiritually, this means

The waxing moon’s energy is noted as overt, outward, and expanding; it wants you to spring forth and finish what needs to be done in order to make your dreams a reality. If the shadow of the moon is on the left side, then it’s waxing.

What happens during the waxing phase of the moon?

As the waxing phase begins, it’s preparing us to take action and release our emotions as it progresses into its full moon phase. “Our energy builds during this moon phase for us to achieve our goals by creating action around our intentions,” says Crysler. “During this phase, it’s important to expend your energy to honor the cycle of movement and expansion. As the moon becomes illuminated, so do areas of life that need to be addressed that are challenging us in our personal expansion.”

“Our energy builds during this moon phase for us to achieve our goals by creating action around our intentions.”—Corina Crysler, astrologer

Plus, the waxing phase is a great time to draw out a plan for all that you wish to manifest. “The waxing or manifestation cycle begins with the waxing crescent, which is great for setting intention,” Woods says. “The first quarter moon is good for making adjustments and the waxing gibbous is good for making connections with others to either seek opportunities or gather support.”

So during the waxing moon phase, pay attention to what physical worldly obstacles are in your way, and creative ways to get around them. Look for new solutions to old problems and hustle, hustle, hustle. “The work during the waxing phase is to get things done and to find the motivation to create change for growth,” Crysler says. “This is typically associated with the feelings that make you feel motivated and have a lot of strength and creative expression.”

What is the relationship between wax and wane?

The waning and waxing lunar cycles are opposites. “They mirror each other with the waxing cycle moving from the major phases: New moon of potential to the first quarter of purpose to the full moon of power,” explains Woods. “The waning cycle moves into the last quarter of prosperity and back into the new moon of potential.”

Beyond just waxing and waning, she shares that the cycles of the moon relate directly to the seasons of the year. “The new and full moon phases relate to the solstices and the quarter moons to the equinoxes; the solstices are the farthest points and the equinox are the rebalancing ones,” she explains, noting that the lunar phases act in the same manner.