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Many times since childhood I’ve imagined the end of the world. Whether it came by atomic bomb or the slow poisoning of the planet, I’ve seen myself surviving. Traveling light with a neo-feral pack of others, I would try to restart humanity. My gift would be knowing about the moon. I don’t mean complicated lunar facts like when to harvest seaweed. I mean simply knowing when and where the moon will rise each night: over which mountain; at what hour; in what phase.
Study the sky and you’ll learn the moon is predictable as the calendar. This is how the ancients told time—by keeping track of Luna’s position in the sky. Every month, the waxing crescent moon rises at the same hour and in the same portion of the sky. You’ll find it above the western horizon just after sunset, a few days after the New Moon. The First Quarter moon is always high overhead in the early evening. If you see a quarter moon high above in the early morning, then it is a Last Quarter moon. If, like my mother you go to bed at eight, you’ll never see the Disseminating moon in the evening sky, but you’ll have a beautiful view of it in the morning.
The moon’s path never varies. But moderns are so out of touch with this truth. I often see artwork or television shows depicting impossible moons: like a waxing Crescent smiling through a window at two in the morning. Most people, when planning an evening event outdoors, have no idea whether or not there will be moonlight. But true moon lovers know. Luna’s regular appearance is what helps make this earth feel like a home. Connect with the sky and you’ll connect with the part of you that remembers what it was like to live grounded in moontime.
I’m less inclined now to believe our world will suddenly end. The moon has taught me that endings and beginnings are a regular and rhythmic occurrence. Old worlds keep dying just as new ones are dawning. Connecting with moontime will keep you moving toward a fresh new world.
Visit Today’s Moon if you want to match what you see in the sky with the technical term for each phase. Or study the chart below.
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The New Moon rises at dawn and sets at sunset. Because of the brightness of the sun, you won’t see the moon on the day of the New Moon. Since the moon rises between 15 and 50 minutes later each night, you’ll see a sliver of moon in a day or two, just after sunset, hanging low in the western sky. |
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Against the bright Crescent of this second phase of the moon’s cycle, you’ll see the dim outline of the Full Moon—a reminder of the fulfillment that is to come. Look for this moon in the west in the early evening, after the sun has set. |
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Visible during the first half of the night, the First Quarter moon rises in the east at noon and sets in the west at midnight. At sunset, you’ll find the moon poised above the southern horizon, half light, half dark. |
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You can’t miss it—this moon is bright, almost full. The Gibbous moon rises in the east mid to late afternoon. You can see it clearly, even before the sun goes down. It will set around three in the morning. |
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The Full Moon is the only moon phase that shines the whole night through. It rises in the east at sunset and sets in the west at dawn. So now you know exactly when and where to find this moon’s spectacular rise. At sundown, pick your favorite eastern-facing spot and wait for this moon to peek above the horizon. Like magic. |
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The Disseminating moon rises mid-evening and sets mid-morning. I especially love to see this moon in the morning, heading for the western horizon. Big and beautiful. |
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Light and dark are in balance again on the face of this moon. You won’t see the Last Quarter in the evening sky if you retire early. It rises after midnight. But not to worry—you can find it in the morning sky. This moon sets around noon. |
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The Balsamic moon rises after three in the morning and sets mid-afternoon. I love to watch for this moon each morning. Its crescent of light grows thinner and thinner until it finally disappears in the light of the sun. That’s when I know the New Moon is just around the corner. |
