Moon phase

The moon phase today

The moon takes about 29 and a half days to go from dark to full and back. Where it is in that cycle is its phase, and it tells you what kind of week it is: one for starting, one for pushing, one for celebrating, or one for letting go. Today's is below.

Waxing gibbous

September 23, 2026

Waxing gibbous

94% lit · day 12.4 of the cycle

Nearly full and still growing. The work is mostly done and the finishing is not. This is the stretch for adjusting rather than starting: fix the rough edge, tighten the plan, keep going when the excitement has worn off.

What to do with it

Go back and improve one thing you already made.

Next new moon

October 10, 2026

Next full moon

September 26, 2026

What are the moon phases?

The moon phases are the eight shapes the moon moves through as the sun lights up more or less of the side facing us. It takes about 29 and a half days to go all the way round, from a dark new moon out to a full one and back again. Half of that stretch is the moon filling up, which is called waxing, and half is it emptying, which is called waning. Almost every moon practice hangs on that one split.

The 8 moon phases and what each one is for

Four of these are moments and four are stretches. The new, first quarter, full and last quarter are single points in the cycle. The crescents and gibbous phases are the days in between, and they are where most of the work actually happens.

  • New moon

    The moon is between us and the sun, so the side facing us is dark. This is the start of the cycle, the quietest point, and the traditional night for naming what you want before there is any sign of it.

    Write down three things you want, in the present tense. Then write the first small step under each.

  • Waxing crescent

    The first thin sliver of light, growing every night. Whatever you named at the new moon is now real enough to act on and still small enough to protect. Most things die here, from being talked about too soon.

    Take the first step and tell nobody about it yet.

  • First quarter

    Half lit, exactly halfway to full. This is the point where the first real resistance shows up: the time it takes, the people who doubt it, the part you did not plan for. It is normal, and it arrives on schedule.

    Name the one thing that is in the way and deal with only that.

  • Waxing gibbous

    Nearly full and still growing. The work is mostly done and the finishing is not. This is the stretch for adjusting rather than starting: fix the rough edge, tighten the plan, keep going when the excitement has worn off.

    Go back and improve one thing you already made.

  • Full moon

    The whole face is lit. Everything is visible, including what you would rather not look at, which is why full moons feel loud. It is the top of the cycle and the traditional night for gratitude and for release.

    Say thank you out loud for one thing that arrived. Then name one thing you are ready to put down.

  • Waning gibbous

    Just past full and starting to empty. The old name for this stretch is the disseminating moon, the sharing one. What you learned in the first half of the cycle is worth passing on now, while it is still fresh.

    Tell one person what you worked out this month.

  • Last quarter

    Half lit again, on the way down. This is the clearing point of the cycle: the moment to look at what did not work and stop defending it. Nothing new starts well from here, and that is the point.

    Cancel, delete or finish one thing you have been dragging.

  • Waning crescent

    The last thin sliver before the dark. Energy is low on purpose. This is the rest stretch, and skipping it is why so many people arrive at the next new moon with nothing left to give it.

    Do less. Sleep more. Get ready to want something again.

A new moon ritual, step by step

A new moon is the dark point, the start of the cycle, and the traditional moment to name what you want. Give it fifteen minutes on the night of the new moon or the day after.
  1. 1Find somewhere quiet and turn the main light off. One candle or one lamp is plenty.
  2. 2Write down what you want, in the present tense, as if it were already true. Keep it to three things.
  3. 3Under each one, write the first small step you could take this week.
  4. 4Read the three lines out loud, once, slowly.
  5. 5Fold the paper and put it somewhere you will see it: a drawer you open daily, the back of your phone case, a book you are reading.
  6. 6Take one of those first steps within 48 hours, while the moon is still thin.

A full moon ritual, step by step

A full moon is the bright point, the top of the cycle, and the traditional moment to look at what has arrived and let go of what has not. Give it fifteen minutes on the night of the full moon or the day after. If the letting go is the part you find hard, these lines are written for it.
  1. 1Get the moon in view if you can, a window is fine. Otherwise sit somewhere you can see the sky.
  2. 2Read back what you wrote at the new moon.
  3. 3Write down what has moved since then, however small. Say thank you for it out loud.
  4. 4On a second piece of paper, write one thing you are ready to stop carrying.
  5. 5Tear that second piece up. Some people burn it safely instead.
  6. 6Say one line about who you are now, in the present tense, and go to bed on it.

Moon phases: common questions

Carry it past the ritual night

A new moon names the thing. Saying it daily is what keeps it alive until the full one. Attraya reminds you, in five languages, free to start.