Do the Moon phases have a spiritual meaning? You bet they do…
Like most esoteric and astrological wisdom, the more conscious you become of it, the more meaning is created for you. So the spiritual meaning of the New Moon will mean as little or as much as YOU allow. But let’s assume you want to go all in 😉 Here goes…
What is a new Moon?
A new Moon is a lunar phase that occurs when the Moon is positioned between the Earth and the Sun, with the illuminated side facing away from the Earth. During a new moon, the moon appears dark and is not visible in the sky.
The entire lunar cycle lasts 29.5 days, and each day, the Moon moves eastwards by about 12 degrees. This means she rises about 50 minutes later every day, and this delays the Moonrise further and further behind the rising Sun each day.
This gentle dance is what creates increasing and decreasing amounts of visible light across her surface.
To understand the cycle as a whole, here’s a (brief!) outline of the 8 lunar phases. Plus an extra that most people forget about…
What are the 8 phases of the Moon?
There are 8 (well actually 9!) phases that make up the lunar cycle. Here's a breakdown -
New Moon
The new Moon phase arrives when old Grandmother Moon has just become visible. She is a sliver of light, emerging into the daytime sky.
Read more: What's the Spiritual Meaning of the New Moon phase?
Waxing Crescent Moon
The waxing crescent Moon has a more obvious crescent shape, rising during the daytime and setting in the western evening sky.
Read more: Spiritual Meaning of the Waxing Crescent Moon
First-quarter Moon
The first quarter Moon forms an astrological square with the Sun, this phase is revealed as a clear “half Moon” shape. Light will expand, overtaking the dark quarter.
Read more: Spiritual Meaning of the First Quarter Moon
Waxing gibbous Moon
The waxing gibbous Moon is closer to the full Moon phase than to the new. This appears as a blossoming disc of light, illuminated from the right in the northern hemisphere, and the left in the south.
Read more: Spiritual Meaning of the Waxing Gibbous Moon
Full moon
At the Full Moon phase, la Luna rises with the Sunset, and sets when the Sun rises. She’s fully illuminated and present in the sky all night long.
Read More: What's the Spiritual Meaning of the Full Moon?
Waning gibbous Moon
Past the cycle’s climax, the waning gibbous Moon phase is almost a mirror image of the waxing gibbous – a swollen round disc ebbing away from one edge.
Read more: Spiritual Meaning of the Waning Gibbous Moon
Last-quarter Moon
The last quarter Moon (also known as the third quarter) forms another astrological square with the Sun and appears as a clear “half Moon” shape. This time, though, dark will overtake the light.
Read more: Spiritual Meaning of the Last Quarter Moon
Waning crescent Moon (or balsamic Moon)
The waning crescent Moon is closer to the next new Moon, than to this cycle’s full Moon phase. It appears as an ebbing, almost disappearing arc in the daytime sky.
Read more: Spiritual Meaning of the Waning Crescent Moon
Dark Moon
The dark Moon appears between one and three days before the new Moon, and is invisible. During the dark Moon, la Luna rises with the Sun, but is bleached out by sunlight, and absent completely from the night sky.
Read more: What's the Meaning of the Dark Moon Phase?
What’s the Spiritual Meaning of the New Moon?
The new Moon is a significant spiritual symbol that represents new beginnings, renewal, and growth. It is a time for setting intentions and planting the seeds to manifest your desires. The new Moon is also associated with introspection and reflection, making it a powerful time for initiating spiritual and personal growth, and for connecting with the energy of the divine feminine.
Even though we know cycles are ongoing – with no real beginning or end – it’s easy to see how the New Moon can be regarded as the start of the 29.5-day lunar month.
The spiritual meaning of the New Moon offers hope for the future, and invites the belief that anything is possible!
At the New Moon, all potentials are alive in the universal fields of becoming. It’s a mystical place: dark, soft, quiet, but full of latent power. New Moon is the quiet beginning, the origin point.
It’s when we sow our metaphorical seeds into the dark, fertile soil.
Spiritually, the New Moon gives us faith
After the waning Moon phases, and the deep, dark inky skies, the re-emergence of the crescent Moon promises new light and new life. Akin to the weeks after the winter solstice – the darkest sabbat and season of the year – the New Moon phase signifies the return of the light.
Mythologically, the last waning quarter Moon phases represent our descent into the underworld…
Like Persphone, Innana, and the Dark Goddesses who traverse the shadowlands, the darker lunar phases were an invitation to you, to descend and seek out your shadow.
The spiritual meaning of the New Moon is the ascent. It’s the moment we return, rising above the surface of the Earth and back into consciousness.
So the New Moon signifies a change in direction – it’s an invitation to turn your focus from within, to without. It’s the ideal time to set intentions, tentatively begin to take aim for the future, and set out goals for a new chapter of life, and the cycle ahead.
BUT I don’t want you to just believe me about any of this!
Uncovering the spiritual meaning of the New Moon for yourself is YOUR journey! And this journey may reveal new and exciting insights. But for a lot of folks, a bit of an explanation as to WHY these spiritual significances exist is useful. SO that’s what I’ll share with you next…
WHY does the Moon have a Spiritual Significance?
Astrologers know that (as well as a myriad of other qualities) the Moon represents our unconscious.
The unconscious is the part of your psyche that you’re unaware of. It exists, and it’s there soaking up information, creating patterns and habits, and associations all the time! But you don’t know it’s happening.
SO… even when you’re not consciously interacting with the Moon and her phases, your unconscious is STILL being activated by her. This means the spiritual meaning of the New Moon is tugging at your psyche, and your psyche IS responding.
Even if you’re not even aware of what phase the Moon is in, your unconscious is!
… And let’s not even get started with the physical effect of the Moon. That’s a different article entirely…
What spiritual things can you do on a New Moon?
On a new Moon, there are several spiritual practices that you can do to connect with the energy of new beginnings, and set intentions for the upcoming lunar cycle. These include meditation, journaling, creating a vision board, performing a ritual or ceremony, and spending time in nature.
By engaging in these kinds of conscious practices, you can tap into the spiritual energy of the new moon and align yourself with your highest intentions and desires.
The most well-known New Moon practice is to set New Moon intentions!
This can be done simply by stating your intentions, either aloud or by writing them down on a piece of paper. Or why not create and perform a New Moon ritual around them, to connect more deeply with the Spirit of the Moon, and/or any lunar deities to help you manifest them?
More things to do on the New Moon:
- Slow down and take more time to be present
- Trust your intuition, gently shuuush the monkey mind
- Open up to the possibility of new opportunities
- Journal to gain clarity
- Set a crystal grid to focus and call in your desires
- Take a new Moon bath to purify mind, body and spirit.
Corresponding crystals for the new Moon phase:
- Clear Quartz
- Selenite
- Moonstone
- Black obsidian
Other specific crystals, herbs, plants, colours, and deities you may want to incorporate or call into your spiritual work with the new Moon phase, will depend on the astrological zodiac sign of the New Moon. And of course, your own intuitive guidance.
Now leave a comment telling me YOUR New Moon practice. Let’s connect!
