{"id":29698,"date":"2024-04-29T16:36:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-29T20:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/?p=29698"},"modified":"2024-04-29T16:36:00","modified_gmt":"2024-04-29T20:36:00","slug":"learning-lunar-moon-magic-and-mystery-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2024\/04\/29\/learning-lunar-moon-magic-and-mystery-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Learning Lunar: Moon Magic and Mystery"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Last Quarter Moon<\/em><\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The last quarter or third quarter of the moon is the beginning of the end; the final phase before waning all the way to the new moon. In different traditions, it can mean letting go, allowing things to diminish, or even feeling energy diminish within yourself. It can also be the gentle illumination needed for certain types of inner workings, or the reminder that shadow work is an essential aspect of growth, for many.<\/p>\n

What Does Last Quarter Mean?<\/h3>\n

The moon\u2019s quarter refers to how far along in the cycle of the moon we are. It\u2019s not a reference to shape, as both the first quarter and last quarter are visibly half-moons. \u00a0The first quarter is a waxing half-moon<\/a>, and the next phase after that is the full moon.<\/a> Today, we\u2019re exploring the third quarter or last quarter, which occurs around 22 days after a dark\/new moon<\/a>. This phase is also called the waning half moon.<\/p>\n

Did you know? It only takes 27.3 days for the moon to orbit the Earth, but an entire moon cycle lasts around 29.5 days. This is due to the Earth\u2019s trajectory around the sun which causes a discrepancy between the moon\u2019s orbit and how much of the moon we see illuminated by the sun.<\/em><\/p>\n

What Does a Third Quarter Moon Look Like?<\/h3>\n

In the northern hemisphere, the third quarter is a perfect half-moon: a semi-circle of light with the bulge to the left. Readers in the southern hemisphere: your third quarter moon will be the opposite way around, with the bulge to the right of the straight line delineating the half-moon. During this phase, the moon usually rises around midnight and sets approximately 12 hours later. This phase of the moon is fleeting, as within 24 hours, it transforms into a waning crescent.<\/p>\n

What To Do During a Waning Half Moon<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A waning moon can bring with it the urge to let go, to banish, to exorcise the trash that\u2019s been weighing you down. Combine that with the balance of the half moon, that poised, liminal moment of perfection, and you might find yourself suddenly able to make plans to clear your home, change habits, or even reorganise the way you work.<\/p>\n

For others, though, this phase can represent a pause in activities. It can be the moment where, like the moon, you hang in the balance, neither ready to look back or move forward. This is entirely valid. We all need to rest, and if this is the ideal opportunity for you to do just that, then grasp it!<\/p>\n

Banishment and letting go isn\u2019t always limited to everyday aspects of your life. This is an ideal time to consider the way you view the world, the way you interact with people, and ask yourself if you\u2019re happy with those things. It might not be about you at all; in fact, the waning half-moon is an excellent time to reassess relationships, whether professional or personal, and determine what needs your effort and what is draining your resources. You don\u2019t need to take drastic action right now, but you could begin to formulate plans to improve your life moving forward\u2014and the lives of those that matter to you<\/p>\n

Magic<\/h3>\n

Witches and other magical practitioners can perform so many different types of magic at the waning half-moon. It\u2019s a truly liminal time, meaning it\u2019s a transitional phase, quickly changing from more than half to less than half with only a short stop in between. Liminal Goddesses like Hekate may be felt more powerfully than usual, although Hekate\u2019s traditional times are the dark and new moons. Magical work that aims to cause a transition should be more powerful now, as should any banishment work.<\/p>\n

Do you celebrate the waning half-moon, and what does it mean to you? Come and tell us on our socials<\/a>!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Image credits<\/em><\/p>\n

Photo by Jayvyn mason<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/p>\n

Image alt text: A waning half moon against a black sky.<\/em><\/p>\n

Photo by nikohoshi<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/p>\n

Image alt text: Numerous tealight candles on a semi-circular holder in a similar shape to a half-moon against a blue background.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Last Quarter Moon The last quarter or third quarter of the moon is the beginning of the end; the final phase before waning all the way to the new moon. In different traditions, it can mean letting go, allowing things to diminish, or even feeling energy diminish within yourself. It can also be the gentle illumination needed for certain types of inner workings, or the reminder that shadow work is an essential aspect of growth, for many. What Does Last Quarter Mean? The moon\u2019s quarter refers to how far along in the cycle of the moon we are. It\u2019s not a reference to shape, as both the first quarter and last quarter are visibly half-moons. \u00a0The first quarter is a waxing half-moon, and the next phase after that is the full moon. Today, we\u2019re exploring the third quarter or last quarter, which occurs around 22 days after a dark\/new moon. This phase is also called the waning half moon. Did you know? It only takes 27.3 days for the moon to orbit the Earth, but an entire moon cycle lasts around 29.5 days. This is due to the Earth\u2019s trajectory around the sun which causes a discrepancy between the moon\u2019s orbit and how much of the moon we see illuminated by the sun. What Does a Third Quarter Moon Look Like? In the northern hemisphere, the third quarter is a perfect half-moon: a semi-circle of light with the bulge to the left. Readers in the southern hemisphere: your third quarter moon will be the opposite way around, with the bulge to the right of the straight line delineating the half-moon. During this phase, the moon usually rises around midnight and sets approximately 12 hours later. This phase of the moon is fleeting, as within 24 hours, it transforms into a waning crescent. What To Do During a Waning Half Moon A waning moon can bring with it the urge to let go, to banish, to exorcise the trash that\u2019s been weighing you down. Combine that with the balance of the half moon, that poised, liminal moment of perfection, and you might find yourself suddenly able to make plans to clear your home, change habits, or even reorganise the way you work. For others, though, this phase can represent a pause in activities. It can be the moment where, like the moon, you hang in the balance, neither ready to look back or move forward. This is entirely valid. We all need to rest, and if this is the ideal opportunity for you to do just that, then grasp it! Banishment and letting go isn\u2019t always limited to everyday aspects of your life. This is an ideal time to consider the way you view the world, the way you interact with people, and ask yourself if you\u2019re happy with those things. It might not be about you at all; in fact, the waning half-moon is an excellent time to reassess relationships, whether professional or personal, and determine what needs your effort and what is draining your resources. You don\u2019t need to take drastic action right now, but you could begin to formulate plans to improve your life moving forward\u2014and the lives of those that matter to you Magic Witches and other magical practitioners can perform so many different types of magic at the waning half-moon. It\u2019s a truly liminal time, meaning it\u2019s a transitional phase, quickly changing from more than half to less than half with only a short stop in between. Liminal Goddesses like Hekate may be felt more powerfully than usual, although Hekate\u2019s traditional times are the dark and new moons. Magical work that aims to cause a transition should be more powerful now, as should any banishment work. Do you celebrate the waning half-moon, and what does it mean to you? Come and tell us on our socials!   Image credits Photo by Jayvyn mason on Unsplash Image alt text: A waning half moon against a black sky. Photo by nikohoshi on Unsplash Image alt text: Numerous tealight candles on a semi-circular holder in a similar shape to a half-moon against a blue background.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":206,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/206"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29698"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29698\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29704,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29698\/revisions\/29704"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}