The Moon's Energy

Looking up at the night sky, the most dazzling celestial body is the Moon, which has been casting its silvery light on the Earth for millennia. Woven into our cultural consciousness, the Moon is spiritually significant to most belief systems. The Moon is a universal spiritual symbol recognised across every culture, along with its brighter sibling, the Sun. Whereas the Sun signifies the visible world; the Moon represents the more mysterious, hidden world of the spirit.

But the effect of the Moon on the Earth is not just symbolic. Despite being millions of miles away from the Earth, the Moon exerts a tangible effect on our planet. Its magnetic pull causes the rise and fall of our tides, and also keeps Earth stable as it rotates.

The Moon in Tarot

The Moon Card features in the Major Arcana of the traditional tarot card deck where it can symbolise emotions, dreams and intuition.

Moon Goddesses 

The Moon is seen as a feminine archetype in many European Pagan cultures. Some historians theorise that a female Moon mother goddess was the pre-eminent deity in pre-historic times because of the Moon's links with the female cycle and so with birth and new life.
The Moon was used to measure months before a written calendar was developed, so the Moon helped our ancestors determine when to sow crops and when to harvest them. So it was natural that the Moon was linked to fertility goddesses.

Artemis
Ancient Greek goddess of the Moon. A protector of girls and women. A huntress and seeker of justice.

Diana
Her Roman equivalent; a woodland goddess.

Hecate
Ancient triple goddess adopted by many cultures. A night goddess who symbolises intuition and the sixth sense.

Aine
Celtic goddess who lights up the darkness of the night.

Virgin Mary
A mother goddess often depicted with the Moon. Symbolising purity and serenity.

Ishtar
Babylonian daughter of the moon.

Selene
Greek Moon goddess, sister to Helios the Sun. Also protects transitioning souls and travellers.

Moon sayings

The imagery of the Moon has become entwined with popular phrases in the English language:

*Over the Moon - to be delighted about something. Possibly originating from the nursery rhyme The Cat And The Fiddle, which contains the line 'the cow jumped over the Moon.'

*Lunacy - meaning madness; a reference to the Moon’s supposed effects on humans. From the word Luna, the Latin name for the Moon.

*Once in a Blue Moon: a rare occurrence. A blue Moon is when two full Moons occur in one month. This only happens once every two to three years.

Phases of the moon

As the moon orbits the Earth, its shape appears to change. This happens because certain parts of it are visible while other parts are obscured as it moves around the Earth. The shape varies from a full Moon when it is at its brightest to a new moon when it is invisible. The term 'waxing' describes the time when the Moon is growing larger and 'waning' is when it's getting smaller. 'Gibbous' describes the irregular shapes between when the Moon is quarter visible and when it is whole.

Spiritually speaking, the phases of the Moon are thought to have an effect upon humans. Below is an interpretation of how you can use the phases of the Moon to positively influence your life.

New Moon
Ask: What do I want to achieve?
Key words: New beginnings, intentions, planning

Waxing Crescent
Ask: Why do I want to achieve this goal? What can I do to make it happen?
Key words: Commitment, information gathering, growth

First quarter
Ask: How can I put my plans into action?
Key words: energy, creative drive, removing obstacles

Gibbous Waxing
Ask: How can I improve my plans?
Key words: analyse, question, self reliant

Full Moon
Act: I bring my plans to fruition
Key words: awareness, clarity, illumination

Waning gibbous
Ask: How can I share my achievement?
Key words: communication, transformation, sharing

Last quarter
Ask: What do I need to do to finish the task fully?
Key words: completion, responsibility, corrections

Waning crescent
Ask: What can I learn from this past cycle?
Key words: contemplation, healing, release