Every 27 days the Moon completes a full rotation around the Earth. Her cycle of gaining light as she approaches her fullness opposite the Sun, and her rapid shedding of light as she travels back to conjunction with the Sun, have something to say about each person who born under her influence.

Just as nurses in emergency rooms report increased activity under the influence of the Full Moon (my roommate is a nurse and said she never believed in astrology until she started to work in health care), so too are those born under the Moon’s full phase said to embody prominence, visibility, and increased activity and gregariousness.

In this blog post, I’ll explore the simplified eight-fold cycle of the Moon. But be aware that her phases can be broken down even further. The ancient astrologers — primarily Valens, Porphyry, Paulus and Rhetorius — spoke about an eleven-fold cycle, while still others spoke about sixteen phases. For our purposes, let’s keep it simple and stick to what is more commonly used in astrology in modern times.

The New Moon — Connection and Longevity

This phase occurs when the Moon is conjunct (or at the same degree) as the Sun. The Moon would be considered in the new phase up until about 45 degrees.

The Moon in this phase is said to express a hot and moist quality. Those born under this part of the cycle have a need to connect with others and are able to sustain quality relationships. This is due to the ability of the temperaments of hot and moist to bind together.

Kate Winslet, the star of Titanic, was born under this phase with her Moon just two degrees away from the Sun. Her Moon also has extra heat and moisture given its position in Libra. A New Moon in Libra would intensify her need for connection, for pleasing others, and for building long-term, sustainable connections. Libra is the home of Saturn’s joy, so longevity is stressed even more as a theme in Winslet’s life.

Winslet began a relationship with actor Stephen Tredre when she was just 15 years old, and though they did break up in 1995, she remained close to him. In fact, she missed the premiere of Titanic, the movie that rocketed her to stardom, to attend his funeral. She admitted to reporters many years later that she has never fully recovered from his death. This speaks to the kind of deep and abiding relationships that people with this phase can experience. She has married three times over the years and remains married to her third husband with whom she has children. She also had children with her second husband. She frequently turns down roles because they would interfere with her familial relationships.

The Waxing Crescent Moon — Ambition

This phase occurs when the Moon is sextile, or between 45 degrees and 90 degrees, ahead of the Sun in zodiacal order. In this part of the lunar cycle, Selenē is rapidly gaining light as she gets further away from the Sun.

A person born under the influence of a Waxing Crescent Moon has energy similar to the first sprouts of new seeds planted in the spring. There’s a hopeful, youthful quality here, with the Crescent Moon person perhaps finding success very early in life.

A good example of this is Britney Spears, whose natal Moon is 62 degrees from the Sun in the sign of Aquarius. Spears burst onto the pop scene in 1997, at the youthful age of 15, taking the world by storm. She was quickly crowned the “queen of pop,” enjoying success through much of the early 2000s. Her Moon is in Aquarius, which is a sign that speaks to the collective consciousness. It’s safe to say that during Spears’ reign at the top of the charts, she expressed the aesthetics and flavor of the zeitgeist of the time.

The First Quarter Moon — Confidence

The Moon reaches this phase when it is 90 degrees — or square — ahead of the Sun. The Moon has exited her springtime and entered summer, expressing a hot and dry quality.

The person born under this Moon phase will exhibit the physicality and activity associated with the hot and dry temperaments. This is a person with a certain level of drive and determination, perhaps even a headstrong nature that could potentially make them seem arrogant or overly confident.

My favorite First Quarter Moon example is Ariana Grande, whose Moon is 91 degrees from the Sun in the sign of Libra. Known for her girl power anthems, Grande essentially grew up in front of the cameras and has dished out confidence advice over the years in Seventeen, Tiger Beat and Cosmo. Hot and dry temperaments tend to be separating in quality, which can make for someone who finds it easy to meet partners but difficult in sustaining them. Her song “Thank you, next,” self-deprecatingly mocks her inability to keep a relationship.

The Waxing Gibbous — Refining and Improving

In this phase, the Moon is now 135- to 180-degrees — or trine — from the Sun. The Moon is pretty darn bright at this point, and she’s beginning to express the height of her power.

A person born under this Moon phase continues to express the heat and dryness of the previous phase, but now it’s more refined. There’s a maturity that comes with this phase, just like grapes that are nearly ripe enough to pick. While action and drive are part of this phase, there’s also a quality of fine-tuning. People born under this Moon may exhibit a love of the details, have an ability to fix or improve things, and a need to express themselves.

A great example of this refinement is Tyra Banks. Her Waxing Gibbous Moon is conjunct her Midheaven, making it directly tied to her public persona and career. She made a name for herself as a Victoria Secret fashion model, later moving on to host her ridiculously popular show, America’s Next Top Model. In that show, Banks essentially made it her job to help budding models refine their presentation, up their game and improve their odds for career success. This is a perfect expression of this phase.

The Full Moon — Prominence and Leadership

When the Moon is opposite the Sun, or about 180- to 225-degrees, she has reached her fullness. The Moon is now at peak exposure. The dark of night is flooded with light. What we could barely see under the New Moon is now fully visible.

The person born under this phase exhibits prominence, visibility, and public stature incomparable to anyone else. Full Moon people are natural leaders, using their light to guide the course of groups and society.

Henry Ford, the founder of Ford Motor Company, revolutionized the vehicle industry by popularizing the use of an assembly line for vehicle production. Mass production brought down the price of vehicles, thereby allowing the general person to afford a car, which had previously been a luxury for the rich. His Moon is in Aquarius, showing someone whose impact would be societal and on the collective consciousness.

The Waning Gibbous – Sage Mentor and Teacher

From here forward the Moon begins to rapidly shed her light. She’s risen to prominence, impacting the whole of society, and now she begins to lighten her load. This phase is at approximately 225- to 270-degrees, or trine, the Sun.

Doing less is an important part of the waning phases. The person born under the Waning Gibbous phase, sometimes called the Disseminating phase, takes on the quality of a wise sage or teacher. The Moon has filled her cup with wisdom, and now she is ready to share that knowledge and experience to others.

Setting aside recent controversy for a moment, Adam Levine would be a great example of this phase. Levine came to prominence as part of the group Maroon 5, only to restart his career as a judge and mentor on the singing competition show The Voice. Levine uses the experience he gained as a successful musician to coach others for success.

Notice the similarities between the Waxing Gibbous and Waning Gibbous phases. Both are expressions of the trine aspect, which has a quality of wisdom, generosity and giving.

The Third Quarter Phase — Running Out of Time

The Moon is now square the Sun again, but this time behind the Sun rather than in front of him. She appears half full in the sky, having shed even more light.

This phase is marked by the quality of cold and moist. In seasonal terms, we would say this has the quality of winter. A person born under this phase may express a kind of Saturnian vibe, with an overall feel of introspection and introversion. A common theme reported by people with this Moon is that they’re running out of time. There’s a sense that they have to do it all and experience as much as they can before there isn’t any time left.

River Phoenix came from an itinerant family and began his acting career at the young age of 10. According to biographical accounts, Phoenix said his unstable childhood and time his family spent in a cult compelled him to seek success early in music and acting. Fame would be a way out of instability. With the quality of “doing it all” in mind, he appeared in 24 films before his untimely death at the age of 23 by accidental overdose.

In Belinda Carlisle's 1996 song "California,” she refers to Phoenix's death by singing: "I remember I was in the tanning salon / When I heard that River Phoenix was gone / They say that only the good die young / But that ain't true where I come from / California, California."

The Balsamic Phase — Solitude and Spirituality

Sometimes called the Waning Crescent, this phase is 315- to 360-degrees from the Sun, or a sextile aspect. The Moon has reached peak darkness now and prepares for her hibernation period conjunct the Sun, when she will be completely invisible.

What little light is left at this phase is usually conserved. People born under this Moon will express a deep need for the spiritual life, philosophical meaning and solitude. A Balsamic Moon person doesn’t have a need to prove by doing, to convince by arguing or to convert by proselytizing. They are content to sit in their truth, understanding their worth and their ability to see life for what it really is.

The classic poet Emily Dickinson is a perfect example of this phase. Her natal Moon is sextile the Sun in Libra. It is also in the 12th House, which is infamously linked to seclusion, prison, solitude, religious convents and monasteries, among other solitary pursuits. Dickinson was famously reclusive, from a young age showing reticence to leave her bedroom to meet with guests at her family’s home. She developed few friendships and never married — and most relationships that she did maintain were done so by letter. While she’s been baptized by secular atheist academics, Dickinson had a fervent belief in God, once writing, “[it was my] greatest pleasure to commune alone with the great God & to feel that he would listen to my prayers."

I think it would be fitting to end here with a poem from Dickinson, which expresses the solitude of the Balsamic phase so well.

I’m Nobody! Who are you? (260)

I'm Nobody! Who are you?
Are you – Nobody – too?
Then there's a pair of us!
Don't tell! they'd advertise – you know!

How dreary – to be – Somebody!
How public – like a Frog –
To tell one's name – the livelong June –
To an admiring Bog!

If you’d like to discover what the Moon phase in your birth chart means, hop on over to the “Book a Consultation” page. The Moon, in concert with all the other planets in your chart gives a full picture of you, your strengths, and your challenges. Together we can create a roadmap to maximize the benefits of your natal placements, minimize the impact of challenging positions, and time your life with astrology.

What the Moon’s Phase In Your Chart Says About You