Crescent Moon ~ Altdorfer, Albrecht/1529 ~ photographic reproduction

“The green shoot is healthy and alive. The pressure of life expanding within the seed builds against the hard shell, the product of an earlier time when protection was necessary against the cold, hard winter. If the plant is to live, this shell must go. The shoot must leave the safety of the shell and begin making it's way in the world.” The Lunar Report by Phillip LLevine M.A.

At the New Moon a conception occurred ~ at the Crescent ~ the new life quickens in the womb. The sliver of light with the Moon in dark relief behind it represents our tentative beginnings. The dark Moon barely visible behind the thin crescent is our capacity to a envision the whole but not to see it clearly.

If it feels good ~ it's probably not growth

It's during the Crescent Phase that we must overcome our fears and commit to opening ourselves to information and resources as we plan for action. The questions to ask yourself are ~ “What do I fear? And what do I need to guarantee the survival of my vision?”

Continuing with the example used in the New Moon Phase article ~ During the New Moon Phase your dream of a new job became a goal. Now in the Crescent Phase the realization of the what that could mean rises all the doubts you have about yourself and your abilities ~ your resolve is tested (45 degrees waxing semi-square).

As you begin the incremental steps toward seeking a new job, old habits and patterns of limiting behavior set in and these can hold you back. Yet, within the Crescent is the opportunity (60 degrees waxing sextile) to draw in what you require to move forward.

Change can be frightening and the realization that something is struggling to be born can seem like a sudden imposition on your sense of security. The new direction is still not fully formed. It's young, immature and dependent upon your making a commitment without any clear understanding of where it all could lead. The opportunity offered during the Crescent Phase can be lost unless you can push aside all your doubts.

During the Crescent Phase resistance is internal~ you can become you own stumbling block. This phase is where many dreams become buried in self doubt. It can be the time period when you complete our resume, only to put it in your desk drawer and never take it on an interview.

The Crescent is about breaking through the inertia of old habits and ideas that can prevent us from successfully moving forward into the 1st Quarter Phase where we take action with activities that will build a better future.

Each of the 8 phases last just under 4 days. During the Crescent phase the Moon moves from 45 – 90 degrees ahead of the Sun and waxes (increases) from a thin sliver of light visible in western sky following sunset, to the half-light of the 1st Quarter Moon.

Those born during a Crescent Moon you are often rebels or reformers. They know what they want to do, they have big goals and big dreams, but are also frequently victims of their own self doubts. Often they resist moving forward and fear failure and their lives remain the same year after year. Though they look to the future and want to rise above the circumstances of their births their feet often seem firmly planted in the past.

Just a reminder...the lunation cycle is a dynamic relationship between the moving Sun and the moving Moon. Instead of calculating the phases from the fixed point of the New Moon ~ the aspects are calculated in terms of the evolving relationship between the developing ego (Sun) and the developing emotional mind (Moon) ~ the synodic cycle.

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Patricia Lantz is a practicing astrologer and hypnotherapist living in Atlanta Georgia. She can be reached by calling (678) 763 0552 or by visiting her home on the web at www.astrology-hypnotherapy.com. Patricia is also the Astrology Editor for All Things Healing,  an online community for spiritual and healing practices.