UNDERSTANDING HOW THE MOON PHASES COME ABOUT

 Without the sun the moon would always be dark and inward. With 
her vari
ed
reflections of the sun comes balance. Balance between the quiet
introspective times and the outward active times. It is 
interesting to t
hin=
k
about the fact that it does not matter where the moon is in the 
sky but
rather where she is in relationship to the sun. Because of this 
people a
ll
around the world will be experiencing the same moon phase at 
the same ti
me.
Although half of the moon is always lit up by the sun, from our 
perspect
ive
here on earth the moon is ever changing. When the sun and moon 
rise and 
set
together we cannot see the moon's face. She is traveling 
between us and 
the
sun so nothing is reflected toward the earth. We think of this 
as the da
rk
moon. As she waxes (increases) to a half moon she is coming up 
about 6 h
our=
s
after the sun so only half of her reflection can be seen from 
our earth.
 Bu=
t
at full moon time she is traveling opposite the sun and we see 
her full
reflection. Then as she wanes (gets smaller) we see less and 
less of her
reflection until we see none at all at the time of the dark or 
new moon.
Each day the moon rises about an hour later as it will travel 
its comple
te
cycle in about 29 1/2 days.
Knowing this can help us know were to look for her each day. 
For example
 on=
e
day after the full moon look for her to come up about an hour 
after the 
sun
goes down. This information on the individual phases is a 
repeat from wh
at
is written with each moon phase, but I thought it would be 
helpful to se
e i=
t
all together.

 NEW MOON (DARK)
We consider it to be the new moon up to 3 1/2 days after the 
official ne
w
moon. She rises around dawn, sets around sunset. Because she is 
between 
the
sun and the earth nothing or very little is reflected and for a 
few days
 th=
e
moon is lost in the brilliance of the sun. As the sun and moon 
are on th
e
same side of the earth the pull on us is the strongest. Because 
the sun,
moon and earth are all in a straight line this creates a time 
when the h
igh
tide is higher and the low tide is lower than usual.

WAXING CRESCENT MOON
 The waxing crescent moon occurs 3 1/2 to 7 days after the new 
moon. She
rises in the mid morning and sets in the evening. The moons 
light is
quickening. As the moon has dropped back until she is about 1/8 
th of th
e
way behind the sun and we see her lumination as a crescent 
shape.

FIRST QUARTER MOON (WAXING)
 You will see the first quarter moon from 7 to 10 1/2 days 
after the new
moon. She will rise around noon and set around midnight. As the 
moon is 
at =
a
right angle to the sun the difference between high and low tide 
is
minimized. Because light and dark are in balance the moon will 
appear to
 be
a half moon but the area of light will continue to grow each 
day.

WAXING GIBBOUS MOON
 The waxing gibbous moon occurs between 10 1/2 and 14 days 
after the new
moon. She rises sometime in the mid afternoon and sets in the 
early dark
hours of the morning. As the moon has fallen back around 3/8 of 
the way
behind the sun one side of the moon is seen fully, the light on 
the othe
r
side bulges out but does not yet fill all of the moon's face.

 FULL MOON
 About 15 days after the after the new moon the full moon first 
appears.
 At
this point the moon is on the opposite side of the earth from 
the sun so
 sh=
e
rises around sunset and sets around dawn. The sun shines fully 
on her fa
ce
and tides are at their extremes again. Some may sense the pull 
of the su
n
from one direction and the moon from the opposite and their 
energy and w
ill
feel a bit scattered.

 WANING GIBBOUS MOON (DISSEMINATING)
 The waning gibbous or disseminating moon appears 3 1/2 days to 
7 days a
fte=
r
the full moon. The moon will rise during the evening and set 
sometime mi
d
morning. Again we see the bulge on one side of the moon but it 
is now
decreasing each day. Darkness is slowly moving in. Waning is 
underway.

LAST QUARTER MOON (WANING)
The waning last quarter moon appears between 7 and 10 1/2 days 
after the
full moon. She rises near midnight and sets near noon. Because 
of the re
tur=
n
to a right angle between the sun and moon the variation between 
tides is
 at
its low again. There is once again a balance between light and 
dark but 
the
dark will soon overcome the light.

WANING CRESCENT MOON (BALSAMIC)
The Waning crescent or balsamic moon occurs between 10 1/2 days 
after th
e
full moon up until the new moon. The moon rises in the dark 
hours of the
morning and sets in the afternoon. Again we see the moon as a 
beautiful
crescent but it is rapidly diminishing into darkness. Preparing 
for anot
her
27 1/2 day lunar cycle.