This appears to be pretty basic stuff, but when the world is so complex and moving so rapidly in its dynamic metamorphic karmic shifts, sometimes it’s good to check in with the Moon. In the vein of Thich Nhat Hanh, “The way out is in”.

All Earthlings feel the energy of the Moon. Even when we cannot see it, we feel it cellularly, hormonally and organically. Our vital force rises up the body as the Moon waxes and moves down the body as the Moon wanes. The water levels are up and the high tides are highest when the Moon is full. Our head is full when the Moon is full and the tops of plants are ready for plant medicine. In the dark of the Moon the energy is at our feet and the roots are ready for plant medicine.

Women have traditionally marked their cycle by the lunar month but all Earthlings are aware of this monthly energy flow. Even our intestinal worms who cannot see the sky will leave the wall of the intestine to party all night under the full Moon. Can you see it? Well, Rudolf Steiner could and it is now biodynamic wisdom to worm your pets and people when the Moon is full (twice a month actually - when the moon is full and in the dark moon are equally effective times to expel intestinal worms). But let’s get back to the moon.

The movements of the Sun and Moon create the lunation cycle, the dance of the two most visible luminaries in our sky. The Sun, the absolute Yang light source of creation (which rules Leo - no surprise there!) shining on the face of the Moon. The Moon is the absolutely Yin reflection of that light source of creation (which rules Cancer - no surprise there!). It is the dance of the Yin and Yang together that rules the rhythm of our days.

Consciously working with the most changeable energy of our universe never stops showing us that the most natural movement in life is the Yin and Yang balance - what is full must move to empty and what is empty must move to fullness. Consciously living with the Moon teaches us to morph, shape change, evolve and pivot. Lunar consciousness helps us to feel less afraid to face the unknown future simply because we know how to wax and wane.

The poetry of the lunation cycle as the Moon travels around the zodiac each month reminds us that all of life is familiar with change. That each of us is able to change gracefully, to have a change of heart, a change of mind, a change of habit, a change of ownership, a change direction. It is good to be reminded that when we feel resistant to life, that resistance will pass if we allow it.

The seed point of each lunar cycle is the New Moon, when the Moon is exactly conjunct the Sun. In that moment we experience the emotional, instinctive, intuitive energy of the Moon infused with the Sun’s vital creative will and energy to thrive into the future. It is the perfect time to consciously set an intention.

The New Moon is the same as the Dark Moon. Many wise sky folk consider the New Moon to be the first sliver visible in the sky after the Dark Moon. If that is your way, remember that the sliver of visible New Moon will be in a very different mood in the next sign of the zodiac. The New Moon energy is a three day window to include the day before and the day after the exact conjunction. We can use these three days to consciously reinforce our intention.

This is the viable seed point of two distinct cycles. A monthly cycle and a six monthly cycle. The first will come into fruition with the next Full Moon which will be opposite the Sun and often, but not necessarily, in the sign opposite the sign of the New Moon we set our intention by. This is very interesting in terms of conscious Moon walking.

When the New Moon is at later degrees of any sign it is considered to express the maturity of that sign. The closer it is to the final anaretic 29° the more it expresses the perfect distillation of that essence. An intention made at the later stages of a sign reflects that maturity.

Let’s take our recent New Moon in the late degrees of Taurus. Rather than setting a youthful intention to manifest what we desire for a perfect life (I intend to have a haircut, buy a new outfit, a perfect marriage and a house with a white picket fence) we are more likely to set a more mature intention made around what we really value in life and what we have been holding on to for safety that is no longer needed. The intention will ripen in some way in the next Full Moon in a way that reflects the nature of the sign the Moon is in. Scorpio will dive deep in the transformational process. Sagittarius will take it philosophically, release it quickly and move along.

Perhaps more significantly, there is the six month cycle when the Full Moon is in the same sign as the New Moon we set our intention with. The full cycle from New Moon to Full Moon six months later.

Cast your mind back to a particularly significant stop-the-traffic New Moon on Saturday 20th December 2025. I remember it well. Exactly at 12:43pm on a day cloudy enough to look straight at the Moon, The Sun, Mars on one side, Venus on the other and way out and beyond was the centre of the galaxy at 27° Sagittarius. It was a significant portal straight from the galactic centre to my little earthling eyes.

That intention will come to fruition under the revealing light of the Full Moon on 31st May 2026. We will all feel this wherever Sagittarius and Gemini play out in our natal chart. This is the axis of thought, information, mental ability, mental acuity, intelligence, travel, education, communication. If your Birthday is on or near 20th December, or 31st May this one is for you. Considering that Uranus is at 0° Gemini, it’s a good idea to keep your skates on.

The Moon has such a profound influence on Earthlings that if we work consciously with the Moon as she moves from sign to sign through the month, through the various degrees of each sign, conjoining planets along the way, as well as with her waxing and waning…we could learn astrology from a very personal perspective in a single intensive month.