Working With the Moon Cycles: Why We Remember, How We Begin
Long before calendars, clocks, and productivity metrics, humans oriented themselves by the moon.
The moon was our original timekeeper: marking seasons, tides, fertility, rest, and renewal. To work with the moon cycles is not a trend or spiritual aesthetic; it is a remembering of a rhythm the body already knows.
At Shamanic Artistry, working with the moon is not about rigid ritual or “doing it right.” It is about listening, attuning, and allowing life to move with more intelligence and less force.
Why Work With the Moon?
The moon governs water; the human body is made of over 70% water. It influences tides, sap flow in plants, menstrual cycles, emotional states, sleep patterns, and the subconscious mind. When we ignore lunar rhythms, we often feel like we are pushing uphill, disconnected from our natural timing.
Working with the moon offers:
A return to cyclical living, rather than constant output
Greater emotional awareness and self-compassion
Clarity around when to initiate, refine, release, and rest
A deeper relationship with intuition and the unseen
Rather than asking, “What should I be doing?” the moon invites us to ask,
“What is being asked of me right now?”
This subtle shift changes everything.
What I Witnessed Through Years of Moon Circles
For many years, I guided women’s circles aligned with the lunar cycle — meeting consistently, month after month, through new moons and full moons, seasons of expansion and contraction.
What unfolded in those spaces was not dramatic overnight transformation. It was something far more powerful.
I watched women soften back into their bodies. I saw nervous systems settle. I witnessed cycles of grief, courage, creativity, anger, and joy move through the room — not as problems to be fixed, but as energies to be honoured.
As the months passed, something subtle yet undeniable occurred.
Women began to trust themselves more.
They stopped forcing clarity.
They made decisions with greater timing and less urgency.
They showed up more honestly — in the circle, in their relationships, in their lives.
The community itself evolved, too. Bonds deepened. Listening became more present. There was less comparison, less urgency to perform healing, and more reverence for process.
This is the quiet power of lunar work.
It creates sustainable change, not burnout.
Evolution, not extraction.
The Moon as a Mirror
Each lunar phase carries a distinct energetic quality — not as rules, but as invitations.
New Moon — stillness, intention, planting seeds
Waxing Moon — momentum, growth, gentle action
Full Moon — illumination, expression, emotional truth
Waning Moon — release, integration, rest
When we work with these phases, life becomes less about control and more about collaboration. We stop forcing outcomes and begin responding to what is naturally unfolding.
From a shamanic perspective, the moon mirrors the inner world. Emotions rise not to overwhelm us, but to be witnessed. Patterns surface not to shame us, but to be transformed.
How to Begin Working With the Moon (Without Overcomplicating It)
You don’t need elaborate ceremonies or perfect consistency to work with the moon. The most powerful practices are often the simplest.
1. Track the Moon
Notice how you feel at different phases. Your energy, mood, creativity, and sleep patterns are all messengers.
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2. Set Intentions Gently
At the new moon, ask:
What am I inviting in? What wants to grow through me?
Write it down — then release the need to control the outcome.
3. Honour Emotional Peaks
At the full moon, allow yourself to feel. Journal, create, move, or simply sit with what is present. Illumination brings clarity, not always comfort, but that is part of the medicine.
4. Release With Compassion
As the moon wanes, ask:
What am I ready to soften, release, or lay down?
Rest is not a reward, it is part of the cycle.
Creativity Is Lunar by Nature
Creativity does not move in straight lines. It ebbs, flows, retreats, and resurfaces.
When we allow our creative process to follow moon rhythms, we remove pressure and reconnect with flow. Some phases are fertile and expressive; others are quiet and internal. Both are essential.
At Shamanic Artistry, lunar cycles inform the timing of ceremonies, creative workshops, art-making, and community gatherings , not to dictate, but to support alignment.
A Living Relationship, Not a System
Working with the moon is not about mastering a framework. It is about building a relationship — one rooted in observation, trust, and presence.
Over time, the moon becomes a companion.
A reminder that life moves in waves.
That contraction is not failure.
That rest is productive.
That endings carry wisdom.
And perhaps most importantly — that you are not meant to live in one gear.
If you feel the pull to deepen your relationship with the moon, begin simply. Look up. Notice. Listen.
The rhythm is already within you.
