The Moon you were born with “moves forward” (progresses) and goes through different phases, just like the Moon in the sky. At some point in your life, you will experience your very own New Moon, Full Moon, and all phases in between.
Important events in your love life often coincide with the cycles of your Progressed Moon; knowing what phase you’re in (and what phase is approaching) can be a way to gain perspective on the ebb and flow of your relationships. Read on to find out how you can work with your Progressed Lunation Cycle.
Progressed Moon Chart
Your Progressed Lunations are calculated by looking at the angle between your Progressed Sun and Progressed Moon. Each phase lasts roughly three and a half years. There are four Waxing phases, which consist of your New, Crescent, First Quarter and Gibbous Moon. This is when your Moon is increasing in light; you start new things, build, grow and push for greater independence.
Then, there are four Waning phases (your Full, Disseminating, Last Quarter and Balsamic Moon). These are the times when your Moon is growing dark; you culminate, realize, pull back and end things. The entire cycle (from one New Moon to the next) spans approximately twenty-eight to twenty-nine years.
The phases happen at different times in everyone’s life, depending on what phase the Moon was in when they were born. For example, someone born during a Full Moon will jump right into the Waning half of their cycle, while someone born on a Crescent Moon will begin life with their Moon growing brighter (Waxing).
Exactly how each phase plays out depends on what sign and house the Progressed Moon is in. But there is a general theme to each phase, no matter where it occurs in your chart.
New Moon: Start Of A Cycle
Your Progressed Sun and Moon are conjunct (0 degrees). This is a time of major new beginnings, which are based on unconscious (or instinctive) impulses. The New Moon sheds no light, so you may experience this as a desire to move forward with no clear idea where you’re going.
This is the seeding stage, or conception. For example, if you get married during your New Moon, it may be a first marriage. A new relationship that begins during this time will have some innocence to it (no matter what your chronological age). There’s a sense of romantic adventure.
Although a Progressed New Moon can be an excellent time to meet a new romantic partner, this phase can also be the time to embrace singlehood (especially if you just ended a relationship during the preceding Waning phase). But in general, your Progressed New Moon is the time to start a new chapter in your love life. Anything is possible. The seeds you plant now will be the basis of what culminates during your Progressed Full Moon.
Crescent Phase: Learning To Do It Differently
Your Progressed Moon is moving forward, 45-90 degrees ahead of your Progressed Sun. Now you’re attempting to make real the changes that started during your New Moon. It’s a learning phase, and a time of struggle.
In relationship terms, this would be when you were learning how to live with your new partner. Or, you may just be starting to date again, and figuring out how to do things differently.
The challenge with this phase is to resist the pull of past relationship habits, which can feel especially strong now.
First Quarter Phase: Break From The Past
This is known as the “Crisis in Action” phase. Your Progressed Moon is 90-135 degrees ahead of your Progressed Sun.
This is one of the most active phases, when the struggle that began in the Crescent Phase results in a clean break from the past. You may get divorced, or married, but the basis is always a need to become independent.
A relationship that begins during this time may have a rebellious quality to it. This phase kicks off with the tense energy of a square (your Progressed Moon makes a square to your Progressed Sun). It’s this tension between your needs (Progressed Moon) and how you consciously meet them (Progressed Sun) that drives you forward.
Gibbous Phase: Adjust Your Expectations
Your Progressed Moon is now 135-180 degrees ahead of your Progressed Sun. This is the fine tuning phase; you may find yourself slowing down and analyzing what has happened since your New Moon.
Often, you’ll have to adjust your needs to the needs of others. For example, you may be pushing for marriage and discover that your partner is not ready. He’s not saying “No,” just “Not yet.” So you need to adjust your expectations.
If you’re trying to meet someone new during this phase, be prepared for some frustration. This is not the time when you get everything you want.
Full Moon: Results
Your Progressed Moon is directly opposite your Progressed Sun (180 degrees). Then it moves “behind” your Sun, from 180-135 degrees. This phase actually begins at the end of the Gibbous Phase, and marks the culmination of what you started during your New Moon. This can be a time of clarity (your Moon is fully illuminated), but what you see depends on what’s been growing in your life.
The opposition is about you and another, so the adjustments that occurred during the Gibbous Phase have now grown into the necessity to harmonize with someone else. If a relationship ends, it’s often characterized by an objective realization of what’s not working.
A marriage or new relationship that starts during this phase may be approached with more maturity (as opposed to the innocence of the New Moon relationship). This is something you’ve worked for, and it will probably not be an impulsive decision.
Disseminating Phase: Sharing What You’ve Learned
Your Progressed Moon is 135-90 degrees behind your Progressed Sun. This is the teaching phase; you’re ready to take what you’ve learned (during the Waxing part of your cycle) and deliver the message.It’s is a social phase, so if you’re looking, it’s a good time to meet a new partner. But the caution here is to avoid forcing your ideas onto others.
You may know a thing or two about why your past relationships didn’t work out, but that doesn’t mean you need to lecture your new love interest about it. If you’ve achieved what you wanted (so far) in your love life, this phase can be a satisfying time where you share your good fortune with others.
Last Quarter Phase: Break From What’s Inauthentic
Similar to the First Quarter Phase, this phase also begins with a square between your Progressed Moon and Progressed Sun. However, this time your Moon is 90-45 degrees behind your Sun, so tension will manifest as an inner “Crisis in Consciousness” rather than an external “Crisis in Action.”
You may experience a feeling that something is wrong, even if everything seems fine on the surface. Relationships may hit the rocks for no apparent reason, other than the fact that one partner is dissatisfied. In fact, something usually is wrong, but it has to do with your inner process (rather than what your partner is or isn’t doing).
This is the time to evaluate your path in life. Are you happy with the direction you’re heading in? Does your partner reflect your authentic self? This is not the best time to start a new relationship, because you need to figure out what you really want.
Balsamic Phase: End of A Cycle
Your Progressed Moon is 45-0 degrees behind your Progressed Sun. In preparation for your approaching New Moon (0 degrees), this can be a time of endings. The relationship that struggled during your Last Quarter Phase may wind down.
Trying to start a new relationship can be exceptionally difficult; you may want to withdraw and keep to yourself. However, you could meet a potential partner that you have unfinished (past life) business with. The purpose of this union will be to tie up loose ends.
Consequently, a relationship that starts during your Balsamic Phase may end once your Progressed New Moon begins. Know that this phase is a time of cleansing, and a fresh start is just around the corner.
Recommended Reading:
The Lunation Cycle: A Key to the Understanding of Personality
by Dane Rudhyar
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