A simple guide to align the Lunar Cycle with your Spiritual Work
Understanding the Lunar Cycle
The Moon is on a 30-day cycle when it makes its orbit around the Earth. The Moon spends 2 to 2 1/2 days in a particular constellation, aka Zodiac Sign, and passes through all 12 signs. In hindsight, this is why when you're born, you have not only a Sun sign but also a Moon Sign, representing what Zodiac Sign the Moon was in at the time of your birth. The Moon takes 29.53 days, to be exact, to orbit the Earth and is measured from one "New Moon" to the next.
Understanding The Phases of the Moon
The Moon goes through 8 different phases every month.
1. New Moon: The Moon is not visible from our perspective because it's positioned between the Sun and Earth.
2. Waxing Crescent: After the New Moon, the moon continues its journey around the Earth, becoming visible. A crescent Moon is easy to identify as it looks like a sliver in the Sky. This moon is growing in illumination.
3. First Quarter Moon: The moon appears full however it's a Half Moon.
4. Waxing Gibbous: The Moon is still growing as we head toward the Full Moon and is a little fragment of a crescent, and the illuminated part is growing. Gibbous = More than Half & Waxing = Growing in illumination.
5. Full Moon: The Full Moon comes about 15 days after the New Moon, the mid-point of the cycle. The Moon is now in alignment with the Earth and Sun again, just as in the New Moon Phase, but this time, the Moon is on the Opposite side of the Earth, so the entire portion of the Moon that is lit by the Sun is facing us.
6. Waning Gibbous: Waning means decreasing in illumination as we head towards the darkness of the New Moon.
7. Last Quarter Moon: At about 22 days, the Moon has entered its 3rd quadrant phase and looks like a half moon again except this time it's headed toward the New Moon phase and disappearing instead of growing.
8. Waning Crescent: The Moon is a little fragment of a crescent, decreasing in illumination and now facing the opposite direction as when it was a waxing crescent.
Now you know how the moon will look in the sky during the 8 Moon phases. Time to impress people by calling out the Moon type on the spot without looking at google!
Now for the juicy stuff!!
What To Do During the Main Moon Phases
The New Moon - Last about 3 days
The New Moon is all about turning over a new leaf, starting fresh, and having new beginnings. This is a great time to plant the seeds verbally, mentally, and physically to formalize your intentions. Let's say you want to start a better job; now is the time to start buying the petitions & tools you need for your rituals such as a Prepared Ogun 7-Day Candle for Career Advancement or Prepared Aje Shaluga 7-Day Candle for Wealth & Abundance. You might want to buy High John The Conqueror Incense to cleanse your space and draw in blessings, then take a Finacial Windfall 3 Day Spiritual Bath to create a well-rounded ritual using all the elements.
When you're planning this ritual, you want to get as aligned as possible with what you want in your heart, mind, and spirit. Once you have your Spiritual Arnsel then make sure your resume is fresh and you have clean interview clothing. You can even wash your interview clothes in our Organic Spiritual Laundry Cleanser to lift the spiritual vibration of your clothes during the interview day. Lastly, I would plan on refreshing your hair. In your mind, begin picturing your interview process, receiving an offer letter and your joy/happiness with your new job/promotion.
The Waxing Moon - Lasts about 2 weeks
Now it's time to take action. Send out those resumes, send that email to the higher-ups, order a Candle Service or start your Spiritual Work at home! You're now actually taking the practical steps to create what you desire.
The Full Moon - Lasts about 3 Days
Time to release what no longer serves you! Now is a time to listen more than your speak because things that were hidden will now come to light. This is a good time to go within, do shadow work and reflect on what you've accomplished and what you need to continue to work on. Release expectations, outcomes, or control over your intentions so that you can fully surrender and trust a higher power, whether it be your God, your ancestors, and/or the Orishas.
Plan on what you want to release before the new moon. This is a time to start putting together another Spiritual Arsenal. To release old emotions and start healing a 3 Day Yemaya Healing Spiritual Bath or a Prepared Yemaya 7-Day Candle would be ideal. Full Moons are also a great time to remove blockages in your life that may show up as people, Evil Eye, Crossed Conditions, Jinxes, or Curses. My highest recommendation would be to petition Elegua or Ogun.
The Waning Moon - Last about 2 weeks
This cycle is a powerful catalyst for healing and letting go of negative energy around us, our homes, and our lives. Now is the time to put all the thinking, introspection, Shadow work and planning of what you wanted to release the Full Moon into action! Throw away broken items in the home, remove clutter, clean up stains, wash the dishes, take out the trash and wash your dirty laundry. Spiritually you can do spiritual work that removes and strips negative energy. For best results, cleanse your body with a spiritual bath, set the intention with a Prepared Candle, smoke out your home with Incense Powder, and mop your floors with High Vibrations Floorwash for negativity.
The Secret Sauce
Now you have learned how to successfully align your Spiritual Work with the ebb and flow of the Lunar cycle. It's more beneficial to look beyond the New Moon and Full Moon and weave your intentions with the growth/illumination cycle of the moon. Following Moon, cycles can be a great way to set goals and reap the most benefits. Women are especially tied to the lunar cycle, and it can be seen through our menstruation cycles. The Moon in astrology represents feminine energy and our intuition. Universally it represents the rhythm of time as it embodies our menstruation cycle. The moon takes 29 days to complete its cycle, and a women's cycle is generally 28 days.
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