I’ve always admired the moon, but it wasn’t until the past few years that I started ‘celebrating’ the different phases of the moon. And it’s really just an acknowledgement rather than like a seance in the woods.

And I don’t do it every month, but there are just those times where you’re drawn to doing something to commemorate it.

First off, I want to share some of the phases of the moon. I normally focus on the new moon for some reason. And I always notice the full moon, as well as have it on my calendar. Waxing and waining, not so much, although I do find them interesting.

I also think there is a similarity between the lunar cycle and the menstrual cycle, just like there’s connections between the seasons and our cycles as well.

So, below I have listed out four phases of the moon, the question you should ask yourself during that phase, what menstrual phase it correlates with, and what the essence of that phase is about.

New Moon - “I want…"

+ menstrual phase

+ new beginnings, optimism, hope

Waxing Moon - “If I were free…”

+ follicular phase

+ growth, learning

Full Moon - “I release…"

+ ovulatory phase

+ peak energy, gratitude

Waning Moon - “I feel…"

+ luteal phase

+ let go, cleanse, break habits

You can celebrate a phase however you see fit. Like I said above the one I find myself most drawn towards is the new moon, but every now and then I like to focus on the full moon as well.

But today is about what I do on the new moon.

Some people like to have a little new moon ritual, but I like to keep it more basic than that.

I always wait until it’s dark out, turn off the harsh overhead lights, usually light a candle or an intense and use a lamp or the twinkle lights to illuminate what I’m doing.

Other elements I like to add are music and a cup of tea or a glass of red wine.

I haven’t been the best at meditating lately, but I like to at least take a few minutes to just sit there silently, if not meditating.

Once I’ve created the atmosphere and mindset for it, I’ll begin.

And my chosen ‘main event’ is to write a letter to the Universe. It’s a way to manifest what you want, put what you want into words and send it out into the universe.

I’ve talked before about writing letters to the universe, including a script of how I do it. You can read that here.

Basically, I start by listing a few things I’m grateful for at that moment before getting into what I’m asking for. I then wrap it up with a few more thanks before signing the letter.

And although I write my letters in either my journal or in my Evernote app on my computer, there’s a sense of putting what it is you want out there and just leaving it along after that.

This doesn’t mean acting upon opportunities that come your way, it just means I’ve put it out there so I don’t need to fret about it anymore.

Do you celebrate the new moon? What will your ritual/routine be this weekend when it comes around again?