Secret #2: Keep the Moon’s two rhythms.
The first rhythm the Moon plays for us is the song of high and low tides, formed by her dance around the planet. When Earth was covered in oceans, our ancestors, the first itty bitty life forms, moved to this rhythm daily. High tides carried them far inland; there they grabbed onto rocks or stretched out on the sand. As the tide receded, they paused, renewing themselves, learning what land and air were like, until the next high tide returned them to water, where they would jostle, dance, and recombine with other cells to create new life forms. This lunar rhythm still operates and guides our daily moods. It carries us out and away to new places and experiences. Then it returns us to our home. It invigorates us, it draws us into the flow. Then it recedes, encouraging our rest.
Flow naturally through your day (instead of charging ahead like a typically busy modern) and you’ll discover that your body remembers (and likes) this tidal movement. Like Earth’s first life forms, you experience it daily, in your own version of high and low tides. Notice when you’re carried into action. When your energy is high, this is your personal high tide. Notice when you run dry and need to pause, absorbing what’s around you. This is your low tide. The hour and intensity of the ocean’s tides vary throughout the month, depending on the positions of Earth, Sun and Moon (with the Moon being the most important force). The peaks and valleys of your daily mood vary throughout the month as well. Don’t resist them. Acknowledge and welcome your tides.
The second rhythm the moon plays for us is a month-long song of growing and disappearing. For two weeks (from New Moon to Full Moon), the light on the Moon’s face is growing. Then (from Full Moon to New Moon) the light on her face gradually disappears. Before there was electricity, before there were candles or even torches and campfires, this waxing and waning of moonlight had a significant effect on the life forms below. The waxing weeks encouraged an increase in activity that climaxed at the Full Moon. During the waning weeks, with the Moon rising later and her light thinning each night, activity naturally lessened.
You no longer need to plan your activities according to the presence or lack of moonlight. Nonetheless, astrologers still recommend you take appropriate advantage of this natural rhythm. When you want to initiate a project, choose a day when the Moon is waxing, and your project will be supported and energized. The waning weeks are optimum for introspection, for reviewing, analyzing and planning. There are other benefits to observing whether the Moon waxes or wanes. Gardeners know it’s better to plant above-ground plants on waxing Moons and roots on waning Moons. Doctors used to perform surgeries during the waning Moon as a way to minimize blood loss and control infections. The Moon’s position is still useful when planning surgeries today, even if your doctor no longer cares. There is much lost information you can recover if you start paying attention to the light of the Moon!