HOW WE’RE AFFECTED BY The Moon
Ancient astrologers gave a lot of attention to the Moon, tracked Moon cycles, and created lunar calendars. The Moon tracks the days and months, and the word “month” stems from the root word “Moon.” Astrologer, Demetra George says that the Moon “means time and being," and we can see this with the menstrual cycle. The Moon is associated with time, life and being, and the different rhythms and cycles of life.
Ancient astrologers thought of The Moon as a luminary. There are two luminaries, the Moon and Sun. They are our guiding sources of light. Everything pretty much centers on these guiding lights as the Sun guides the seasons of our lives and The Moon guides our everyday experience. The Moon and the Sun are the most visible “planets”, and that’s why they’re special.
The Moon has been thought of as mysterious, but it can be known. We’ve paid more attention to the Sun because most of us tend to be awake during the day and we rely on the Sun to guide our day. The Moon calls our attention at night so we see it as mysterious, but it doesn’t have to be. It’s not that we can’t know the Moon, but we have to get more quiet, go inward, and listen to the messages from within. We’ve been socialized to embrace outward forms of expression more than internal, intuitive ones. Getting to know the Moon means unlearning that socialization, and connecting more with our bodies and intuition.
The Sun emits light whereas the Moon reflects the light of the Sun. The Sun is associated with our intellect, spirit and vitality, while the Moon is our physical body, home, environment and nourishment. The Moon represents our bodies, and our bodies are affected by what the Moon is doing.
When we have a Full Moon, for example, we can feel more sensitive and also lose more sleep because Full Moons are a time of heightened activity. Generally speaking, the New Moon phase to the Full Moon phase is a more energetic time because the moon is waxing and becoming brighter, so you might feel more energized by Full Moons, but you can also feel more tired and overstimulated because the energy is higher. Astrologer, Catherine Urban says,
“We are affected by the Moon psychologically and physiologically. We’re very affected by the Moon’s effect on water and we’re 70% water, so our relationship with the Moon is felt on a cellular level. And, so we have a gift of being able to tap into that and understand that and feel it in our bodies as well, which can be translated into helping us understand these other planetary cycles that we can’t feel as easily.”
The Moon and it's representation of our bodies and the cycles our bodies go through are part of our experience as humans on this earth. Paying attention to the Moon and our bodies can tell us a lot about what we need and what is getting highlighted for us at any given time. The Full Moon phase is one where the Moon and the Sun are in opposition to one another allowing for full luminosity. This is a time when things that started during the New Moon cycle will culminate or come to fruition.
You can get an idea of what each Full Moon will indicate for you by looking back at what began during the New Moon. This could be the New Moon of that month or six months ago when the New Moon was in the same sign as the Full Moon. The Full Moon is a time that’s highlighting of all that you’ve been building and nurturing since the New Moon. It’s a time of acknowledging and celebrating all that you’ve accomplished, and all of the ways you’ve tried.