The phases of the Moon

The New Moon happens when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, so its lit side faces away from us and the sky goes dark.

This is the quietest point of the whole cycle, and also the most fertile. Think of soil in late winter: nothing shows yet, but everything is possible underneath. The energy is inward and still. You may feel tired, private or a little flat for a day, and that is not a bad sign. It is the pause before the breath.

Witches have always treated this darkness as a doorway. What you choose now is not yet visible to anyone, which protects it. Old plans can be laid to rest and new ones named without pressure to prove anything. Keep your wishes simple and honest, because the Universe hears clarity better than noise.

You do not need to know how something will happen. At the New Moon, it is enough to know what you want and to say it with your whole chest.

This is my favourite night for intention work. Cleanse your space first with a little salt in each corner, then light a white or silver candle. On a clean sheet of paper, write three intentions in the present tense, as if they are already true. Fold the paper towards you, place a moonstone or clear quartz on top and leave it by the candle while you sit quietly for a few minutes.

A bowl of water with a pinch of salt and a sprig of rosemary can stand beside it. Sprinkle it on your doorstep in the morning to open the way.

The Waxing Crescent is the first thin curve of light that appears in the evening sky a day or two after the New Moon, growing a little each night.

Here the seed cracks open. The energy is hopeful and tender, like a green shoot that has just found the light. Your intentions from the New Moon start to feel real, and with that often comes the first wobble of doubt. That is normal. Anything worth growing meets a little resistance as it pushes upwards.

This phase asks for faith and small, steady effort. You do not need a grand gesture. You need consistency: a message sent, a page written, a step taken each day. Gather your resources, look for allies and give your plans some shape.

The crescent is also a symbol of protection. Many old traditions bowed to it or turned a coin in their pocket when they first saw it. Greet it in your own way. You are telling your energy that you are ready to grow.

Now we feed what we planted. Take your New Moon intention and anoint a green candle with a drop of olive oil, from the base towards the wick, to draw things in. Roll it lightly in dried basil or cinnamon for momentum. Light it for a few minutes each evening until the First Quarter, saying your intention aloud.

Carry a piece of green aventurine or citrine in your pocket. When you first see the crescent in the sky, turn a silver coin in your hand and ask for growth.

The First Quarter comes about a week after the New Moon, when the Moon has travelled a quarter of its orbit and exactly half of its face is lit.

This is a crossroads. Light and dark stand side by side, and the energy feels active, even restless. Whatever you started is now meeting the real world, so obstacles, delays or questions often appear here. Do not take them as a sign to stop. They are the Universe asking how much you truly want this.

The First Quarter favours courage and decisions. It is a moment to commit, adjust your course and push through resistance with determination rather than force. If something in your plan clearly is not working, change it now while it is still easy. If it is working, put your weight behind it.

Many people feel a burst of energy at this point in the month. Use it well. A clear choice made at the First Quarter can carry you all the way to the Full Moon.

This is the phase for strength and breakthrough spells. Light a red or orange candle and carve a single word into the wax for what you need: courage, focus or clarity. Burn it with a few bay leaves nearby. Write the obstacle in your way on one bay leaf and burn it safely in a fireproof dish, watching the smoke rise.

Wear or hold carnelian or tiger's eye during the day. A pinch of black pepper in a small pouch with salt makes a simple charm for pushing through.

The Waxing Gibbous is the phase between the First Quarter and the Full Moon, when more than half of the Moon is lit and the light keeps swelling towards fullness.

The energy here is building, focused and slightly impatient. You can almost see the result of your efforts, yet it is not quite ready. This is the time of finishing touches: polishing, editing, adjusting and practising. Think of an apprentice before her final test, going over everything one more time.

The Waxing Gibbous rewards attention to detail and patience. It is a good moment to look honestly at what you have built since the New Moon and ask what still needs care. Small changes now make a big difference at the peak.

The shadow of this phase is perfectionism. You may feel nothing is ever good enough. Trust that your work already holds power. Refine it with love, not with fear, and let the Moon carry it the rest of the way.

This is the moment to strengthen and amplify spells already in motion. Light a yellow or gold candle beside your written intention and read it again, adding any details you have learned. Rose quartz or amber helps soften perfectionism, so keep one close while you work.

Brew a cup of chamomile with a pinch of lavender, stir it clockwise three times and drink it slowly while imagining your goal in full colour. Bless your tools, your tarot deck and your crystals with incense smoke ready for the Full Moon.

The Full Moon happens when the Earth sits between the Sun and the Moon, so the whole face of the Moon is lit and it rises as the Sun sets.

This is the peak of the cycle, and the energy is strong, bright and emotional. What was hidden comes into the light. Feelings run high, sleep can be restless and situations that have been building for weeks may come to a head. Many people feel more sensitive, more intuitive and more alive.

The Full Moon is a time of harvest and revelation. You may see clearly what has grown from your intentions, and also what has not. Both are useful. It is the most powerful night for gratitude, divination and charging your tools, because the Moon's light is at its fullest.

It is also a natural turning point. After the peak, the light begins to fade. Celebrate what you have received, give thanks, and notice gently what you are now ready to begin releasing.

This is the night for moon water and gratitude. Place a glass jar of water on a windowsill or outside under the Moon overnight, with a clear quartz or moonstone beside it. Lay out your crystals and tarot cards to charge as well.

Light a silver or white candle and write a list of everything you are grateful for this month. Draw one tarot card for clarity on what is coming to light. Finish with a bath: a handful of salt, white rose petals, and a cup of your fresh moon water.

The Waning Gibbous begins just after the Full Moon, when the Moon is still more than half lit but its light shrinks a little each night and it rises later in the evening.

The energy now turns outwards and generous. The harvest is in, and the natural impulse is to share it. This is a time for teaching, giving thanks, passing on what you have learned and digesting the revelations of the Full Moon. You may feel calmer, wiser and more reflective than you did a few days ago.

The Waning Gibbous is also when the release begins. Not the big clearing yet, but a gentle loosening. You start to see which habits, thoughts and commitments helped you this month and which ones only weighed you down.

Gratitude is the key to this phase. When you give back to the people around you, and to the Universe, you make space for more to flow in next time. Generosity, given freely, is its own kind of magic.

Now we give back and begin to loosen. Light a blue or purple candle and write a thank you note to the Universe, naming what came to you this month. Leave a small offering outside: a little honey, some bread, or flowers.

Cleanse your home with smoke from rosemary or sage, moving from the back of the house towards the front door. Keep amethyst or lapis lazuli near your bed to help you digest what the Full Moon showed you, and let your dreams do some of the work.

The Last Quarter comes about a week after the Full Moon, when the Moon has completed three quarters of its orbit and the other half of its face is lit.

This is the second crossroads of the cycle, and its question is about letting go. Light and dark are balanced again, but now the darkness is growing. The energy is clearing, honest and sometimes a little sharp. Things that no longer fit become harder to ignore. You may feel a strong urge to declutter, end something or forgive someone, including yourself.

The Last Quarter is the right moment for cutting cords and breaking habits. Where the First Quarter asked you to push forwards, this phase asks you to put something down. It takes courage too, just a different kind.

Do not fear endings now. A garden must be cleared before it can be replanted. What you release under this Moon frees energy for your next intention, and you will feel lighter for it.

This is the phase for cord cutting and banishing. Take two black candles and tie them together with a piece of string. Name one candle for yourself and the other for the habit, situation or tie you are ready to release. Light both, and when the flame reaches the string, let it burn through.

Write what you are releasing on paper, tear it into small pieces and bury it in the earth or wash it away under running water. Keep black tourmaline or obsidian at your door for protection.

The Balsamic Moon is the last thin crescent before the New Moon, rising just before dawn and fading into the Sun's light over the final days of the cycle.

The word balsamic comes from balm, something that soothes and restores, and that is exactly the energy here. This is the most restful, inward phase of the month. You may feel tired, dreamy or more sensitive to atmosphere. Your intuition is often very strong, and your dreams can be vivid and meaningful.

This is not a time for pushing. It is a time to surrender, to rest and to let the old cycle finish on its own terms. Think of it as the deep breath out before the next breath in. What you let go of now, you do not need to replace yet.

Witches have always respected this dark corner of the month. It is ideal for spiritual practice, quiet divination and listening to your inner voice. Make room for stillness, and the New Moon will find you clear and ready.

This is the phase for deep cleansing and rest. Run a bath with a handful of salt, a few drops of lavender and some dried rose petals. As the water drains, imagine it carrying away the last of this cycle.

Light a single dark blue or black candle and simply sit with it, breathing slowly. Place an amethyst or a sprig of mugwort under your pillow for dreamwork, and keep a notebook by the bed. Draw one tarot card and ask only: what do I need to know before I begin again?