All the time, people are asking me how they too can learn astrology. And my answer is—before I recommend a book or a class—keep a journal. Also: pay attention to the moon. Astrology, like time, collapses if there’s no structure holding it up. The moon is an easy structure to project on. She waxes and wanes just like we do.
The moon takes approximately 28.5 days to orbit Earth. Throughout that cycle, the moon appears to wax and wane based on proximity to the sun, and has eight distinct phases:
New
Crescent
First Quarter
Waxing Gibbous
Full
Waning Gibbous (or Disseminating)
Last Quarter
Waning Crescent (or Balsamic)
It was years into my serious astrological practice before I really understood the moon’s phases. My aha moment came after a major event in my life mapped exactly onto a lunar cycle. I drove cross country from Los Angeles to New York—leaving LA at the New Moon, and arriving in New York at the Full Moon. I couldn’t help but see the crescent moon hanging over the Golden Gate Bridge, the First Quarter Moon glimmering in the late afternoon over the Nebraskan flatlands, and the Waning Gibbous Moon lighting up the Toronto sky on a night I surely had too much to drink.
To give you a better idea of each lunar phase, I’m sharing a cheat sheet to each phase along with my field notes (edited “One Line A Day” journal entries) from that very potent time.
To start tracking yourself, I recommend bookmarking this page or downloading this simple app (which gives you a visual of the moon’s illumination along with her phase each day, and also sends esoteric notifications during each New and Full Moon.) A great time to start tracking is the New Moon, but, really, you can begin anytime.
Some might say the lunar cycle begins with the New Moon, but I think we have to start in the days before it. The ending of one cycle plants the seeds for what’s to come.
Balsamic or, Waning Crescent
When: 3 to 4 days before the New Moon
Best for: Cleaning, leaving, quitting, tying up loose ends
As one lunar cycle ends and another begins, the balsamic moon is a time for reflection, distillation and integration. Float and imagine. Tidy up. Finish projects. When all else fails, take a nap.
Field Notes from the Balsamic Moon (August 27-30, 2019): Final days in LA. An entire day spent at a Toyota Dealership in Hollywood getting the Prius ready for the road. Dropped overdue books at Atwater Village Library; Drove up the coast stopping in Santa Barbara and Big Sur. Selfies at the Bixby Creek Bridge. Arrived at Craig’s (north of Santa Cruz) after dark.
The New Moon
Best for: Resting, waiting, trying new things
The moon is completely dark during this phase. Though the popular advice is to “set intentions!” or “manifest!”, it’s actually best to wait until the moon is showing some light to move forward with anything. The New Moon is a clean slate. Why rush to mess it up? Enjoy the freedom of confusion.
Field Notes from the New Moon (August 30 - September 2, 2019): woke up early, hike in redwood park; shots at Santa Cruz dive bar; gave a talk on astrology at Craig’s work; Bonny Doon nude beach; face masks before bed; drove the scenic route SF; met up with Nancy and saw the tiniest sliver of a crescent moon over the Golden Gate Bridge
The Crescent Moon
When: 3 to 4 Days After the New Moon
Best for: making new friends, going too fast, learning through doing
The crescent moon is an exciting but also a tender and vulnerable time. Those intentions you’ve been mulling over since the New Moon? Now’s the time to experiment with them. Do a little ritual and put them out into the universe. This is where things can start to get a little messy and uncertain because it’s where things really begin. You won’t know how it turns out until you try.
Field Notes from the Crescent Moon (September 2 - 6, 2019): left Nancy’s house and set out truly on my own for the first time on the trip; drove to Lake Tahoe through El Dorado National Forest - beautiful!; stopped at a gas station to buy a lighter and hugged a man named Jaime who had family in Brewster; got a speeding ticket in Nevada going 90 in a 75 (thought limit was 80) while listening to Smashing Pumpkins; saw a lightning storm over Wyoming
The First Quarter Moon
When: One week after the New Moon
Best for: taking risks, making decisions, happy accidents, growing pains
The first quarter moon always brings a challenge. This is when you might face resistance to your plans because everyone else is gaining their own energy and confidence. Make a choice and stick to it. The clearer your vision, the better the chances are it will happen. This is where things get hard but the point is to keep going.
Field Notes from First Quarter Moon (September 6-9, 2019): drove from Laramie to Omaha; went to Conor Oberst’s bar in Omaha and had 3 (three) beers; a bottle of turmeric, inexplicably in the front pocket of my backpack, exploded all over Airbnb bedding 30 minutes before checkout time; argued with Omaha Airbnb hosts via text while driving through Iowa; show at a bar in Minneapolis with Nadia; woke up hungover and went to brunch; thought I could drive from Minneapolis to Toronto in one day, but realized I couldn’t; booked an Airbnb that was a tour bus parked in someone’s backyard in Indiana for $20/night; have the best night of sleep of the whole road trip in the tour bus Airbnb?
The Waxing Gibbous Moon
When: A week and a half after the New Moon
Best for: being a local celebrity, getting in reps, refining, editing, finishing strong
The waxing gibbous phase is like “tech rehearsals” (for the theater nerds) or “finals week” (for the regular nerds). The moon is almost full and is visible for most of the night. Countdown to showtime. Energy builds rapidly. Invitations are received. Things come together. This time feels very make or break. Try not to get distracted and caught up in someone else’s story!
Field Notes from the Waxing Gibbous Moon (September 9-13, 2019): quick trip to see Lake Michigan; finally on the road to Toronto; stopped at a coffee shop to finish horoscopes on deadline; cross the border into Canada; arrive in Toronto around 10pm; go to The Communist’s Daughter with David to live out the Shelia Heti fantasy that Toronto inspires; accompany David on errands and pretend I live in Toronto; drive to Ithaca; cry when crossing the border into New York (I really had to add two border crossings into this road trip for dramatic effect didn’t I?!); take scenic route from Ithaca to parents’ house playing “Empire State of Mind”; see somebody that I used to know (literally from when the song of the same name was top of the charts) at a coffee shop in Peekskill and don’t say hi; arrive at parents’ house; start unpacking
The Full Moon
When: 2 weeks after the New Moon
Best for: Culmination and release, launching and saying goodbye
It’s the day of the show! The full moon is when all the energy we’ve put into our intentions over the previous two weeks reaches culmination. Most people are high energy and hungry to connect, but this time can also bring out big emotions and sensitivity, especially if whatever was initiated at the new moon doesn’t go as planned. It’s party time, but some of us are crying at the club.
Field Notes from the Full Moon (September 14-17, 2019): saw Jasmine; learned how to get turmeric stains out of clothes; drove down to see Tura’s show at Wave Hill and reunited with a bunch of friends; went to a random Irish bar in the Bronx after; tried and failed to write for one whole day, couldn’t focus
The Waning Gibbous, or Disseminating Moon
When: 4 Days after the Full Moon
Best for: Connecting or confronting, Circulating, Gossiping
If the Full Moon is the show then the disseminating moon is the after party. This is a time for spreading joy, networking and making connections. Sometimes, though, the show hasn’t gone well so it’s necessary to collect feedback and course correct. This is the busiest and most socially engaged part of the cycle: a great time for sharing ideas, following up, and seeking inspiration.
Field Notes from the Disseminating Moon (September 18-21, 2019): went to see an artist housing share in Peekskill—should I just move to the Hudson Valley?; drove into Brooklyn; awkward appearance at a birthday party I wasn’t invited to, but saw many friends there and had a lot to drink; vomited on the subway and no one blinked, welcome back to New York; hungover at the Climate March; ran into Ethan from Mt. Tremper immediately after throwing up and died a little inside; dinner at No. 7 with Michelle; New York Art Book Fair with Mitchel; met someone who knew Juwelia from Berlin at the Art Book Fair; visited Nathalie at Essex Market; hung out with Tessa and met Jules!; Scears’ 30th Birthday Party at Julius; extremely awkward conversation/confrontation with [redacted] ended the night…
Sent a text to David that said, “so basically, I re-lived my entire 20’s in one weekend in Brooklyn.”
The Last Quarter Moon
When: One week after the Full Moon
Best for: Regrouping, revising, reflecting, accepting
The last quarter moon is another challenge point. The adrenaline of the Full Moon has fully worn off, and it’s time to regroup. If the Full Moon culmination was lackluster, this is actually where you get your power back. Keep social obligations light so you can use the extra time to reflect. The vibe is: post-mortem.
Field Notes from the Last Quarter Moon (September 22-25, 2019): Brunch with Shelley; drove back to Somers which felt like running away; BBQ at Jasmine’s parents’ house; sent pay stubs to Peekskill artist housing; questioned whether I even want to live in Brooklyn again; meltdown at dinner with parents over where and how and why I should live (location wise); wrote monthly horoscope at three different Westchester coffee shops—is this my new life?
I very much enjoyed this moon missive. I love the bullet action points. You are fun to know over zoom and in your writing. Thank you for the incandescent imagery. Every time I see the moon since reading moon missives, I think of you. Tonight, a sliver of a moon over the new barn in Catawba, Virginia.