Living The Lunar Calendar ((EXCLUSIVE))
The moon takes approximately 28.5 days to orbit Earth. Throughout that 28.5 day cycle, the moon appears to wax and wane based on its proximity to the sun. Every lunar cycle begins with a new moon, which is when the sun and moon are on the same side of the Earth, and peaks at the full moon when the two luminaries are on opposite sides of the Earth.
Living the lunar calendar
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I know, living according to the phases of the moon sounds eccentric and maybe even confusing. But after following a full moon cycle and adjusting my daily life accordingly, I came to see its value. An interest in the spiritual realm isn't required to reap the benefits, though you can be the judge of that. If you're intrigued, read on to find out what you need to know about this practice and my experience of trialing it.
The lunar cycle begins with the waning crescent moon, though Gallagher prefers to call it the dark moon. The moon is so small in the sky, you can barely see it. "This is the most emotional and lowest energy point of the lunar cycle . . . we want to be inward focused, quiet, and reflective," Gallagher said, adding that it's at this stage that we become aware of what we don't like about our lives, which is important for the next phase.
Close to the end, you get the waning gibbous moon, which is a time to reflect on the lunar month gone by. The moon begins to lose its fullness here. Finally, it's time for the waning last quarter moon. Gallagher explained that you should use this as an opportunity to let go of anything that no longer serves you. It's a motto that, while often flouted around by wellness influencers, has importance.
"You can massively overcomplicate it and live by the moon changing sign every couple of days, if you want to, but most people just don't have time for that," she explained. As an expert herself, she only pays attention to this part of the lunar journey when she feels out of kilter and wants extra clarification on what's happening in the sky.
Where it's ideal to work with the zodiac signs in relation to the moon is at the points of the new and full moons. The new moon will always be the same zodiac sign the sun is in (so right now we're in Scorpio season), whereas the full moon will always be in the opposite sign. Gallagher said these signs add a "flavor" to the overall energy of the lunar cycle each month.
While speaking with Gallagher for advice, she said people who are unable to rest tend to struggle with the quieter energies at the start of the lunar cycle. They have to learn to "be" and not always "do." On a personal level, this resonated with me as someone who hates nothing more than a quiet weekend. As I reluctantly eased my social schedule and dialed back extra commitments around work, I found myself gradually becoming more comfortable with that introspective and restful energy. I even became drawn to switch up my yoga practice, favoring gentler routines.
Working the different lunar energies into my lifestyle made it easier to chart the steps I was taking towards fulfilling my intentions set at the new moon. The phases became akin to small milestones or checkpoints, encouraging me to keep going. Usually, my sense of how fast time is moving hits when the seasons change, rather than with every full moon.
Did I achieve my intentions and release all that I hoped to? No. Did I make mindful choices that honored my intentions? Yes. Regardless of your thoughts on the rise of spiritualism, living with the lunar phases in mind can serve as a tool to better navigate the ebb and flow of life.
Founder of Living with the MoonContinue readingCHECK THE DAILY ADVISEYour Free Calendar and GuideThe Art of Living with the Moon Our lifestyle system can help you to look great, maintain a healthy diet, improve your career, love and social life, save time and money by timing your activities for optimal impact with the lunar cycle.
I started LIVING WITH THE MOON a few years ago with my basic Biodynamic calendar charts and a handful of tips. books and recipes from my grandmother. This lifestyle system - what I now call LIVING WITH THE MOON - has always been in my life. It is my little...
The lunar calendar is not unique to Islam nor was it not developed by Islam. Rather, it has been used for thousands of years. Historians think that the Sumerians (4500 BC to 1900 BC) were the first civilization to adopt the lunar calendar. [1] Similar to Islam, Sumerians had a calendar consisting of 12 months each with 29 or 30 days starting from the first day the new moon could be seen. However, as the lunar calendar is shorter than the solar year by approximately 11 days, therefore, by 4th century BC, they modified (or intercalated) the calendar with an additional leap month. [1] Other religious calendars such as the Hebrew and Chinese calendars also use modified lunisolar calendars in which days or months are added to the lunar year to coincide with the solar cycle. [2] Today, the Islamic calendar remains one of the only calendar systems to exclusively rely on the moon to classify dates. [3]
There are four main lunar phases [5]: the barely-there new moon is the first lunar phase, followed by the first quarter in which the right half of the moon is illuminated for an observer in the Northern Hemisphere, the full moon during which time the whole disk is fully lit, and the last quarter in which the left half of the disk illuminated (as seen from the Northern Hemisphere). [6]
The role of the sun is apparent; the alternation between night and day, the change in seasons, and the cycle of a single solar year are an integral part of life. For example, many birds, in part, rely on changes in daylight each year, as a cue for their migration, reproduction, and other important life history behaviours. [8] The changes in the day length, due to the varying position of the Earth in relation to the Sun, serves as a natural and seamless calendar for these birds.
[12] Kaiser, T. S., Neumann, D. & Heckel, D. G. Timing the tides: Genetic control of diurnal and lunar emergence times is correlated in the marine midge Clunio marinus. BMC Genet. 12, (2011).
Human and animal physiology are subject to seasonal, lunar, and circadian rhythms. Although the seasonal and circadian rhythms have been fairly well described, little is known about the effects of the lunar cycle on the behavior and physiology of humans and animals. The lunar cycle has an impact on human reproduction, in particular fertility, menstruation, and birth rate. Melatonin levels appear to correlate with the menstrual cycle. Admittance to hospitals and emergency units because of various causes (cardiovascular and acute coronary events, variceal hemorrhage, diarrhea, urinary retention) correlated with moon phases. In addition, other events associated with human behavior, such as traffic accidents, crimes, and suicides, appeared to be influenced by the lunar cycle. However, a number of reports find no correlation between the lunar cycle and human reproduction and admittance to clinics and emergency units. Animal studies revealed that the lunar cycle may affect hormonal changes early in phylogenesis (insects). In fish the lunar clock influences reproduction and involves the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis. In birds, the daily variations in melatonin and corticosterone disappear during full-moon days. The lunar cycle also exerts effects on laboratory rats with regard to taste sensitivity and the ultrastructure of pineal gland cells. Cyclic variations related to the moon's phases in the magnitude of the humoral immune response of mice to polivinylpyrrolidone and sheep erythrocytes were also described. It is suggested that melatonin and endogenous steroids may mediate the described cyclic alterations of physiological processes. The release of neurohormones may be triggered by the electromagnetic radiation and/or the gravitational pull of the moon. Although the exact mechanism of the moon's influence on humans and animals awaits further exploration, knowledge of this kind of biorhythm may be helpful in police surveillance, medical practice, and investigations involving laboratory animals.
Today, the moon calendar is used for ritual purposes, as opposed to official business. Easter, Ramadan, Rosh Hashanah, and the Chinese New Year are just a handful of holidays that rely on the lunar calendar.
Another question you may have is the first day of the month start on moon calendars? Well, it depends. For example, lunar calendars, such as the Hebrew and Hirji, began when a lunar crescent was noticed. The Hindu calendar started the day following a new or full moon. And, lunisolar calendars like the Chinese determined the first day of the month by when an astronomical new moon occurred in a particular time zone.
After three years, the lunar calendar would be about a month behind the solar Gregorian Calendar. Some moon calendars have taken this into account and get back in sync with solar calendars every 33 years.
The Waning Crescent is the final lunar phase where the moon appears to be just a tiny sliver in the sky. It occurs four weeks after a new moon and concludes when the sun and moonrise at the same time.
What about a blue moon? This occurs on average every 33 months when there are two full moons in one calendar month. Because there are only 28 days in February, there will never be a blue moon in that month.
It was the Babylonians who were created with developing the lunisolar calendar. Perhaps the most famous example of this is the Chinese calendar. Unfortunately, by around 1582, people began to rely more on the Gregorian calendar. However, it was adopted by China until 1912 and Russia in 1918.
Outside of Saudi Arabia, moon calendars are mainly reserved for religious and cultural purposes. Easter and the Chinese New Year are celebrated in accordance with the moon. This why the dates vary from year to year.
Additionally, Ramadan starts and concludes with the first sighting of the Waxing Moon. Because of this, it explains why the crescent moon is incorporated symbol in many flags of Islamic countries. Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, also uses the moon to determine when the Jewish calendar begins in the autumn. 041b061a72