That’s Why iii Love the Moon

Using the Moon as a guide for spiritual workings

Every conjurer worth their salt knows that timing is everything, no matter the method we use to keep it. Sometimes we need to lay a working down for specific issues or callings, but much of our work is routine maintenance to keep the roads and our sight clear. In today's post, I'll talk about my timekeeper of choice, the Moon, and how to spot a lunar herb. Paid subscribers will get additional insights on the upcoming New Moon in Aquarius and tips on how to work with its potent energy. Enjoy!

Starbie B. Cleansed. (2025). Digital collage.

Astrological transits reflect our collective reality and the way they impact our charts can have a significant influence on our lives. The transits of the outer planets, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, are slow and tend to have long, drawn-out effects on a societal level. These planets take the longest time to travel through the zodiac (Jupiter takes 12 years and Pluto takes a whopping 250 years), so their transits through each sign can have long-reaching impacts that we may not even see in our lifetimes. The inner planets, the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Mars, move at a much faster pace and their effects tend to be more catalyzing than life-changing. When they occur at the same time as outer planet transits, they function like triggers and can influence how we feel or act in fleeting moments that last for a few days or weeks, at most.

The Moon moves the fastest out of all the planets and only takes about 28 days to move through all 12 signs of the zodiac. It rules our emotions, daily routines, and how we take care of our bodies and home. Its waxing and waning light can guide us on when and how to do our workings, and when we're moving through heavy or uncomfortable emotions, its quick cycle reminds us that those feelings won't last forever. The Moon sign and its aspects in our charts can provide insights into what we need to feel emotionally safe, and its transits and phases can guide our intentions and the type of workings we do to maintain our spirits, ancestors, and homes.

I think of the new and full moons as bookends for starting and releasing things and the quarter moons as check-in points to nurture or re-align those things. Generally, I use the new moons for cleansing and planting the seeds of new ideas, projects, or manifestations, the waxing and first quarter moons (when the moon is growing toward fullness) for nurturing the seeds I planted during the new moon, full moons for divination, conjure, and releasing things, and the waning and last quarter moons (when the light of the moon is fading) for reversals, cord-cuttings, cleansing, and reflections. In astroherbalism, the ebb and flow of the moon also indicate the body systems it affects and the types of herbs related to it.

The moon's impact on the tides is thought to have a similar effect on our body systems. The moon "pulls" on our blood, bodily fluids, and emotions, so it's associated with the gut/stomach, lymphatic and nervous systems, and menstrual cycles. Lunar herbs tend to have cooling and moistening properties and are usually diuretic (release excess water and salt through the kidneys) and nutritive to the nervous, reproductive, and digestive systems. Lunar herbs also tend to be mild and have buildable effects, so they work well when they are taken or used for long periods, like from a new to full moon (~2 weeks) or through a complete lunar cycle (~1 month). The upcoming New Moon in Aquarius has potent energy for long-term progress and we can use the buildable effects of lunar herbs to support it.