Working with the moon
November 24, 2025
Claire Duval
I am an author of tarot decks, oracles, Petit Lenormand, and passionate about cartomancy. I share my work and passion with you.
How to work with the Moon: a simple, embodied, and magical practice
Before rituals, books, and correspondences, there’s a simple gesture: look up at the sky. Here’s how to build a living relationship with the Moon, phase by phase.
We often begin “working with the Moon” by opening a magic book, an almanac, or a web page that lists what we “should” do at the new moon, full moon, waxing or waning moon.
It’s interesting… but if we stop there, we remain in our heads. The Moon becomes a concept, a list of instructions, instead of being a presence, an ally, a rhythm that flows through our body and life.
1. Start with the simplest: observe the Moon
Before rituals, readings, incense, and crystals, there’s a foundational gesture: look up at the sky. This is what our ancestors did for generations, long before writing grimoires.
Go outside or look out the window. Where is she in the sky? High, low, hidden behind a building, resting on the mountain line? Repeat this gesture several nights in a row and observe her movement.
Is she very white, golden, slightly orange? Is her light harsh and sharp, or soft and vaporous? Notice what attracts or disturbs you.
Choose one night per week to tell her: “Tonight, I’m coming to see you.” Five minutes is enough. The idea is to create a regular appointment, not to “do something complicated.”
After a few weeks, you no longer look at the sky the same way. You begin to feel that the Moon is not an abstract concept, but a regular movement that accompanies you.
2. Listen to the Moon in your body
The Moon influences the tides, and therefore large bodies of water. We ourselves are largely made of water. Without trying to “prove” anything, you can simply observe what’s happening within you throughout the cycles.
Every two or three days, quickly note: “I feel tired / electric / joyful / on edge / neutral…” No need to elaborate, a word or two is enough.
After a few weeks, compare your notes with the Moon phases. You might notice that you sleep less well during the full moon, or that you’re more introspective during the new moon.
It’s not an exact science, it’s a conversation. You’re not looking for a rule, you’re looking for patterns, tendencies, repetitions that help you know yourself better.
If you’re not yet following the lunar cycle, start by noticing those moments when you say: “I’m strangely irritated today” or “I feel charged with emotions.” Then check: is it the full moon? Note it, without judgment.
3. Give names and poetry to the Moon
In many cultures, each full moon carries a poetic name: Snow Moon, Harvest Moon, Flower Moon… These are ways of connecting the sky to seasons, harvests, and daily life.
You can draw inspiration from existing traditions, but you can also invent your own names based on what you’re experiencing. For example:
- “Moon of great changes”
- “Moon of quiet courage”
- “Moon where everything shifts”
At each full moon, ask yourself: “If I had to give a name to the period I’m going through, what would it be?” Note this name in your journal, with a few words about what you’re experiencing.
4. Understand the “dance” between the Sun and Moon
A bit of astronomy makes magic more concrete. When you look at the light on the Moon, you’re actually seeing the reflection of sunlight. The phases are the result of a dance of three: Sun, Earth, Moon.
Without going into technical details, remember this:
- At the new moon, the Moon is on the same side as the Sun: we see almost nothing, it’s the dark night.
- At the full moon, she’s opposite the Sun: her disc is fully illuminated from our point of view.
- In between, the light waxes then wanes: this is the complete cycle, which lasts about 29.5 days.
Knowing this allows you not to experience the cycle as something “magical” in a vague sense, but as a physical reality, which you can lean on to do symbolic, psychic, and spiritual work.
5. Use the Moon phases for your inner work
You’ll often find ready-made lists like: “at the new moon, do this, at the full moon, do that…” It’s a foundation, but the essential thing is to understand what these phases represent for you.
The Moon is dark or almost invisible. Symbolically, it’s the realm of the unconscious, fears, shadow zones, things we don’t yet understand.
Practice: note your feelings, dreams, intuitions. Don’t try to analyze. You’re in the “I feel” space.
The light increases each evening. It’s a beautiful period to set intentions, wishes, projects that need to gain momentum.
Practice: write 1 to 3 clear intentions. Imagine that the growing light accompanies their activation.
The Moon is full, everything is illuminated. Emotions are often stronger, sometimes explosive: this is when “the inner werewolf” can manifest.
Practice: reread your feelings from the new moon. What has been illuminated? What have you understood about yourself? This is the time for conscious shadow work.
You can use the cycle like this: new moon = I feel and welcome, full moon = I analyze and understand. The Moon gives you a rhythm to explore your fears, shadow zones, automatic reactions, without getting lost in them.
6. Create your personal lunar journal
One of the simplest and most powerful tools for working with the Moon is a dedicated journal. It doesn’t need to be perfect or “Instagram-worthy”: it should mainly be honest.
What to note in it?
- The date and Moon phase (new, waxing, full, waning).
- Your general state: energy, mood, sleep, strong emotions.
- Significant events of the period.
- Intentions set, wishes made, any rituals.
- Realizations, especially around the full moon.
After a few cycles, you’ll see your own patterns emerge. This is where the magic really begins: when you stop copying ready-made correspondences, and discover how you, yourself, dance with the Moon.
7. Stay in living magic, not performance
Working with the Moon isn’t a contest of perfectly executed rituals. It’s a relationship. Sometimes, you’ll follow all the phases, you’ll note everything. Sometimes you’ll “miss” a full moon because life is busy. That’s okay.
The essential thing is to keep this living thread:
- Look at the sky whenever you think of it.
- Listen to what your body tells you.
- Add a bit of poetry to what you’re going through.
- Use the phases as landmarks, not obligations.
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