Are you like me?

Curious about the moon, intrigued by the different moon phases, wondering if it’s truly possible or truly bullshit that you can align your energy with the moon and use that alignment to inspire your actions and support you as a modern day woman? Oh you are like me…..well then, welcome to a powerful moon conversation. Within this conversation, we’ll cover the four moon phases and their different energetic components, how women’s cycles, seasons, and life stages can align with the moon, and how to put this information into practice.

Okay modern day goddesses, shall we begin? Let’s dive in.

Meet the Moon Phases

Now let me be clear about this before we begin this journey together – you don’t need to be bleeding to use the lunar system,  you don’t need to have a regular period, you can be on a contraceptive, you can be pregnant, you can be in the transition from a period to menopause, and you be post-menopause.  This system is robust enough, flexible enough, and intelligent enough to serve everyone woman’s needs. You can choose to align your energy with the current moon phase, with the quarterly season, with the life stage you’re in, or with your current phase of menstruation. You get to choose what works for you, what interests you, and what inspires you, that’s the beauty of working with the moon.

Below are the four moon phases and what I feel is the must-know moon information.

The New Moon

• Energy profile – yin or feminine
• Season – wintertime
• Women’s cycle – menstruation phase, physical bleeding
• Other names – Fertile Void, Oracle Phase
• Life stage – fourth, post-menopause, crone archetype, defined by wisdom
• Chakras – sacral, third eye, crown chakra connection
• Characteristics – darkness, pause, stillness, rest, reflection, healing period
• Core Intention – Listen to Your Intuition

Think about the season of winter.

The days grow shorter, the nights grow longer, darkness takes over. The colder temperatures drive us inside and often times cause feelings of solitude and isolation. Mother nature assumes a period of death where almost all living plants shed their livelihood and animals hibernate and rest.  It is indeed a fertile void during this season, and yet a powerful process is happening within, beneath the surface, undetectable to the human eye.

It is the process of the pause.

It is the process of healing, letting go, shedding, resting, reflecting, and listening.

It is the process of accessing your inner compass and discovering your powerful instincts.

It is the process of setting heartfelt intentions.

It is the process of opening to your best ideas and innovations.

It is the process of birth, evolution, growth, and renewal.

And sadly, it’s a process that many of us trample over, resist, and ignore due to societies outlook that there’s no time for pausing, rest, or periods. 

Think about the season of winter or if you’re a woman whose currently bleeding, think about your period. Do you make space for the pause here? Do you rest and retreat? Do you reflect and listen? Do you set meaningful intentions for the next season? Do you believe in your ideas and intuition?

Because I’m writing this post and because I’m a woman who does bleed, I’ll answer these questions from my perspective.

I kinda-sorta-not-really-half-ass-attempt-to-do-these-practices.

It’s interesting how even me, a woman who works within the “self-help” sphere, a woman who has a hall pass to endlessly experiment and learn, still doesn’t extend herself the permission slip to embrace them. I still feel pressured to keep doing-doing-doing while I’m bleeding-bleeding-bleeding, laying in bed with terrible cramps and a heavy period.

Why is this? What the f*ck is this? 

Why don’t we listen to our bodies or the energy of the seasons? Why in ancient times did women have a red tent to rest in, surrounded by their fellow bleeding sisters, that excused them from village duties? Why in modern times do we treat our period as taboo, something we only speak about in private, a thing to be embarrassed about or hide, or an experience we attempt to get rid of or weaken via contraceptive?

My best guess is…. through our evolution we slowly severed the connection, and now many of us have little to no knowledge as to how we can embrace and reconnect with this period or season.

So sisters, this is your invitation to change that.

Below are modern day strategies to align your energy with the new moon:

• Embrace the softness of your feminine nature
• Prioritize rest and relaxation
• Experience stillness and silence
• Practice meditation
• Practice restorative yoga with an awareness at your pelvis/womb
• Keep track of intuitive and instinctual hits
• Listen to your ideas, entertain them, believe in them
• Spend time with your journal
• Work with the sacral, third eye, and crown chakra elements

The Waxing Moon

• Energy profile – yang or masculine
• Season – springtime
• Women’s cycle – follicular phase, the week after menstruation
• Other names – Emergence Phase, Warrior Phase
• Life stage – first, pre-period, maiden archetype, young woman filled with energy and determination
• Chakras – root, sacral, and solar chakra connection
• Characteristics – new beginnings, abundance of energy, re-birth and renewal
• Core Intention – Rise into Your Potential

Think about the transition from winter to spring, what happens here?

The envelope of darkness fades to an emergence of light and life. We witness re-birth and renewal everywhere; from the the timing of the sunrise and sunset, to the first shades of greenery and color, to the warmer temperatures, to the appearance of more and more animals – the world literally comes back to life after a period of healing and rest. This real life analogy is exactly what you can experience, if you choose to commune.

If you choose to recognize that this moon phase, this season, this life stage, or this phase of menstruation is an invitation to root down, rise high, and thrive. And if you honored the previous phase, then your energy is poised for new beginnings, new projects, brainstorming, getting involved, pursuing oyur goals, new habits or life changes, and moving your dreams from consciousness to the earth plane.

You can think of yourself as a warrior during this phase, filled with support, strength, and sustenance. Your system is THRIVING! Your energetic sheath is a fertile ground for your new moon intentions to take root and blossom.

This is the moment to take action!

Below are modern day strategies to work with this phase of the moon:

• Put new behaviors or desired habits into motion
• Engage in physical exercise, especially aerobic or weight-training
• Embrace any form of stillness to avoid overheating
• Say YES to adventure and new opportunities
• Create an aligned action plan to fulfill your goals or dreams
• Don’t underestimate your power and strength
• Avoid complaining or negative thinking
• Practice patience and have faith that your efforts matter
• Work with the root, sacral, and solar plexus chakra elements

The Full Moon

• Energy profile – yang or masculine
• Season – summertime
• Women’s cycle – ovulation phase, peak fertility for creation
• Other names – Visibility Phase or Creator Phase
• Life stage – second, when you have a period, mother archetype, devoted to others, devoted to the creation of your life
• Chakras – sacral, heart, throat chakra connection
• Characteristics – magnetic energy, bright, light, abundance, resonance
• Core Intention – Release Perfection & Forgive, Let Yourself Be Heard & Seen

You’ve reached the peak of the lunar cycle, say hello to the full moon! The full moon aligns with summertime, masculinity, and yang-like energy. It’s here that you’re your most magnetic, bright self with the ability to be the center of attention, to be the host of the party, to share your message, and to capitalize upon self-expression. It’s also a time for creation, both in the context of getting pregnant and further birthing your goals and dreams into reality. One thing to note here. While the full moon provides the opportunity to embrace your inner goddess and tap into passion, it’s also a wonderful time to release perfection and practice forgiveness and compassion.

Below are modern day strategies to work with this moon phase:

• Practice heart + throat chakra yoga classes
• Host an event, party, workshop, presentation, etc.
• Schedule projects that involve communication, being seen and heard
• Spend time looking after your home (clean, organize, decorate)
• Keep a daily forgiveness list
• Recommit to your new moon intentions
• Prioritize intimacy and romance
• Work with the sacral, heart, and throat chakra elements

The Waning Moon

• Energy profile – yin or feminine
• Season – autumn
• Women’s cycle – luteal phase, week before menstruation
• Other names – Culmination Phase or Sorceress Phase
• Life stage – third, transition into menopause, crone archetype
• Chakras – root, sacral, solar plexus chakra connection
• Characteristics – turning inward, completing things, preparing to rest, embodiment of femininity
• Core Intention – Fulfill Your Commitments, Embrace Your Wild Woman

As the full moon begins to wane, the lunar cycle transitions back to a feminine, yin-like energy with the season being like autumn. The lightness and brightness of summertime fades to cooler and cozier temperatures, which signals nature to prepare for winter and turn inward. The beauty of this phase is that you’re most poised for detailed work, to cross items off the to-do list, to fulfill your commitments, and to finish what you started. This is an opportunity to practice focused intention, honor endings and beginnings, and get prepared for the phase ahead so rest, relaxation, reflection, and introspection can happen.

This is also a time to embrace your “wild woman.”

For women, this is the transition from motherhood/creation to menopause, and it’s within this transition that many women feel called to reinvent themselves. The ego begins to wane and what comes forth is a fully embodied, expressive, uninhibited woman who feels confident and connected. This woman is no longer tamed by her ego or societies standards, rather she is finally FREE! I’ve witnessed my own mother go through this phase and re-discover that after having and raising three children, she still has a purpose, she still has her health, she still has beauty, and she still has a journey to fulfill.

If you’re in this stage of life, do you feel this way too?

Below are modern day strategies to align with the waning moon:

• Practice mindful movement, like gentle yoga
• Take control of your schedule
• Make a list of your must-do priorities (and do them)
• Do detailed, administrative like work
• Continue to manifest your dreams by focusing on the details
• Allow yourself to transition into the next phase (aka rest and relax)
• Embrace your wild woman nature, dance, chant, be sexual!
• Work with the root, sacral, solar plexus chakra elements

These are the four moon phases that can support you as a modern day woman, offering wisdom to inform and inspire y our daily actions. As you now understand, the lunar cycle is a powerful system with inherent connections to women’s wombs, the seasons, and the greater life stages we experience – giving us a multitude of ways to practice and experience them. Each of us gets to choose how we work with the lunar system and how much of it we embrace on a day-to-day basis.

Personally, I’m taking baby steps towards understanding my hormonal cycle and the various energetic shifts that happen within this four week period. With only a few years away from contraceptives, this is newer territory that I feel called to pay attention to and experiment with. But please remember, you get to choose what most interests you!

Thanks for reading, all my love,  

Allie, xx