16 - Lunation Guide: How to Make Sense of New and Full Moons

What’s the next new or full moon going to mean for you? In this episode, I give you a step-by-step formula for making sense of any moon, and finish up with a look at the Leo Full Moon happening on February 12th, 2025. This episode is like a mini workshop and one that you’ll want to revisit again and again.

• 02:08 Basics
• 04:28 Step one: zodiac sign
• 10:22 Step two: natal house
• 14:33 Step three: aspects
• 23:14 Step four: birth chart activation
• 25:14 Step five: look at the ruler
• 27:26 Leo full moon on February 12

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Transcript

Hi, I'm Claire Gallagher, and this is Third House Gossip, where we spill the astrological tea. So pour something delicious and let's chat. This podcast is sponsored by me. So to support the show and support yourself, come see me for an astrology reading. Just head to astrologywithclaire. com. That's astrology with C L A I R E dot com. 

Hey, astro lover. Welcome to another episode of third house gossip. I am excited to be here talking about the moon with you today. One of my favorite planets. But before I get into all of that, I just want to let you know that I have opened up a few more February appointment slots.

So if you want to talk to me about your natal chart or talk to me about how the current astrology is augmenting and modifying your natal chart, come to an appointment. I would love to see you. So you can book one at astrologywithclaire. com. That's astrology with CLAIRE. com. [00:01:00] I am also reopening my custom astrology mentorship.

So if you're ready to take your astrology skills to the next level, including learning how I prepare for astrology readings and organize all of that information. If you want to work on your interpretive skills and your communication skills, I would love to work with you. Again. You can find that on the appointments page on my website. Essentially, what you'll do is just sign up for a free discovery call and we'll chat for about 20 minutes about where you're at, how you've learned astrology so far and what you'd like to do with it and how I can potentially help you.

And last but not least, I have some exciting things coming up in the next few months, and I want to make sure you hear about them first. Since I'm not on social media, and that is very intentional, and that may change in the future, but right now I'm not on social, The best way to keep up with what I'm doing astrologically is to be on my email list.

[00:02:00] And to get on my email list, just head to astrologywithclaire. com slash email, pop in your first name and your email address, and you will hear first. 

So Let's get to today's goodies. Today we're going to pull back the curtain a little bit and I've prepared a simple how to guide on interpreting a new or full moon. Looking at new and full moons is probably one of everybody's favorite astrological pastimes. It's probably the most popular astrology content out there. And so I thought I'd do a fun spin on it and kind of just describe how at least. An astrologer like me with a traditional mindset might unpack what a moon might mean for us.

So looking at a lunation, which is the fancy word for a new or full moon, can give you insight about the collective mood and the collective happenings. But it can also give you insight about personal themes throughout your birth chart that are being [00:03:00] activated and highlighted that ebb and flow throughout the year. And the moon can tell you a little bit about productivity and energy management throughout the month.

Although I don't talk about the lunations very much on the podcast, I think it's a really good practice to be up on where the moon is in the sky, the phase that it is, and use it as a tool to teach you, uh, how astrology reflects the day to day vibe. The Moon is our closest cosmic neighbor, and it really does a stellar job, no pun intended, of describing life as it is, really reflecting back to us what the mood is, what the energy level is, what the focus is of a certain period of time. 

When I first got into astrology, I kept a moon journal and I was really diligent about following the moon's every twist and turn. And I learned so much from doing that. So don't let anyone [00:04:00] talk down about the moon. The moon can teach you so much about the other planets and about the dynamics of astrology.

All right, let's go through our step by step formula for assessing a new or full moon. You can apply this to any moon that is coming up in the calendar, and we're actually going to practice it together. After I go through the formula, we're going to use the info I present to assess the upcoming full moon in Leo on February 12th.

 So step one is to look at the zodiac sign of the upcoming new or full moon. And this is really going to describe the energy level of the lunation, some of the initial themes of the lunation, and how you might feel on those days surrounding the lunation. Now, to keep this brief and short and sweet, which is my preference, I'm going to divide the zodiac signs up by their element. But if you want to take this deeper, you can always head back to episode 3, [00:05:00] where I do a deep dive on all of the zodiac signs.

So first up, let's talk about lunations in fire signs. So this is going to be Aries, Leo, or Sagittarius. So when we have a new moon or a full moon in a fire sign, the energy, even if it's a new moon, can be a little higher. There can be a lot of activity going on. If we think about what fire does, it moves up and it speeds things up.

And so the pace of a new or full moon in a fire sign can be a little quickened. There can be a lot of physical energy streaming through you during a fire moon, especially a full moon in a fire sign. Fire signs are pretty dramatic, they're pretty expressive, and they also can take quick changes and quick pivots, so when we have lunations and fire signs, sometimes events can unfold kind of rapidly.

Fire moons are also really great for [00:06:00] clarity and decision making. So if we think about fire burning something down to the core, to the essence, or fire as light, as illumination, they are really good at allowing us to see what's in front of us and then cutting off the excess and getting to the heart of a matter. Fire moons are also really good for taking action and putting yourself out there.

Earth moons are Much more grounded and reserved from an energetic perspective, the mood or the vibe is a little slower and a little bit more contained, especially in comparison to a fire moon. The focus might be on more practical matters like your home or your job or your money or your possessions, you know, these earthly things that we can touch and see and feel. Earth lunations are really good for laying down plans, for creating strategies, for [00:07:00] creating structures and also for just adulting and getting things done. 

Air moons are a little bit like fire moons in their speed. So air moves up and swirls out and about in all sorts of directions. And this really reflects the kind of flighty, changeable mood that surrounds a lunation in an air sign. Oh, and the air signs, by the way, are Gemini, Aquarius, and Libra.

There can be a lot of mental energy streaming through during an air lunation. So there can be a lot of new ideas. I like to think of air moons as little idea factories where suddenly you're just writing down all these random notes and seeing how things connect and play off of each other. It's also a really increased time of social connection.

When we have a lunation and an air sign, we might be thinking about seeing our friends or family. We might be [00:08:00] thinking about communication or in the middle of a really intense dialogue. So, it's definitely more socially focused. It's also information focused, and that can be whether, you know, internal information like idea generation, but it can also be things coming at you from the outside where maybe you feel a little overloaded with information or you have welcome insight or new information drops in.

Airmoons are also just good for any type of exchange, whether that's exchange of words and information or exchange of money and business transactions. 

And then finally we have our water moons, and the water signs are Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces. These are probably the most tender and inward lunations of the year. They are definitely not exaggerative like the fire moons. They're definitely not super [00:09:00] social and outward, like the air moons. They're a little bit more introverted. Now, water moons definitely like to connect, but they're more interested in deep, intimate connections, instead of surface, multiple connections, it might be about the most intimate, uh, partnerships or relationships that you have. Water moons also tend to run high on emotions, so there can be increased sensitivity, there can be increased moodiness, there can be just an ebb and flow of all types of emotions during a water moon.

Sometimes themes of safety and security can come up under a water lunation. And it's also a really, um, potent time for intuitive insight. And so I think all the moons have their own intelligence, if you will. And so fire moons bring in a [00:10:00] lot of that physical energy and intelligence. Earth moons bring in a lot of that practical intelligence, air moons, that social intelligence and water moons, that emotional and intuitive intelligence and intel.

Okay, so that's the first step, is to look at the zodiac sign. Again, you can take that deeper with episode 3. And step 2 is to personalize the sign a little bit and find out what house in your birth chart the lunation is happening in. So, For example, if you're using whole sign houses, and we're having the full moon in Leo, we want to know what house Leo occupies in your birth chart.

Is Leo on the first house, the seventh house, the tenth house, the fourth house, etc.? And this is going to describe the content of the moon for you. So a full moon is not going to mean the same thing for everybody. [00:11:00] It might have a few similarities here or there, but the content of the moon is really going to be described by the house that the moon falls in in your birth chart.

And again, I've got a detailed episode on the houses. It's episode 4, so you can listen back on that one for more information on what houses 1 through 12 mean.

So let's break new and full down for a little bit. So new moons in a particular house can be more about looking ahead. So it's the beginning of a cycle. It might correlate with a fresh start in a particular area, or maybe a new storyline in a certain area of your life. Now the Important thing to know about the new moon is that it's invisible. It's dark. You can't see it. And in astrological symbolism, this kind of represents things that we can't see or being in the dark, so to [00:12:00] speak.

And so even though this is a fresh start and a new beginning in a particular area, um, we, we can't really see all that much and we have to rely on our instincts and our intuition to move ahead. So when it comes to the very popular practice of setting new moon intentions, my professional opinion is that it's great to dream during the space, when the moon is dark during the exact new moon, but I would wait to set any intentions or especially to put anything into motion until the moon is visible again at the waxing Crescent. You know, take it or leave it. That's just how I work with visibility. 

And then there's the full moon, and the full moon is the opposite of the new moon, meaning it's super duper bright. We can see everything under the full moon. And so the full moon, in a way, is about looking back and seeing what [00:13:00] we've done. And also where we're going. We have a lot more visibility at this point of the month. We might have more information, we might have more objectivity and be able to really see the facts and what's going on.

The full moon can also be associated with a culmination of a particular storyline, whether that storyline started at the new moon or many moons before, it doesn't really matter. It can definitely coincide with something coming to a head. And finally, the full moon, mostly because of its visibility, can be associated with revelations, seeing things plainly and clearly. And this is what I think of when I hear the term releasing ritual, which is very popular under the full moon is just that I can see everything very clearly. And that means I can slice and dice and take off what doesn't work, what's not performing well, what doesn't feel good anymore, what I don't want to [00:14:00] keep doing and make decisions that, uh, are about pruning and refining something so that the path ahead can be a little bit more straightforward.

So again, step two is determining, is this a new moon, looking ahead, or a full moon, looking back? And where is this happening in my chart, and what does that rule in my life? Does it rule relationships? Does it rule my job? Does it rule my money? And you determine that by figuring out what house the moon is occurring in.

Step three is to look at the aspects the new or full moon is making for more information about what this lunation is going to be about and how it's going to feel. Now, to do this step, you're going to need a little astrological tool, probably a moon calendar that lists the aspects, or my favorite is a personalized astrology almanac. I get mine from honeycomb. co, highly recommend them. [00:15:00] They are wonderful, very useful, don't know what I did without them. And they list the aspects that the new and full moon is making. And what aspects are relationships between planets. And we want to prioritize And think about the tightest and closest relationship that the moon is making to another planet.

So when I am assessing or interpreting a new or full moon, and the moon is really busy and it's talking to a lot of planets, I'm probably going to focus most of my interpretive and assessment attention on the aspect that's the closest, the closest relationship. So I say three degrees or less. If you want to be really picky, and I want to be really picky, because otherwise it can get to be TMI and it can really dilute the meaning of the moon.

Okay, the other [00:16:00] prioritization tip I have is to really focus on the dynamic aspects instead of the maybe weaker aspects. So when I say dynamic, I mean conjunctions, squares, and oppositions. These are the aspects that are going to probably create the most uh, change the most, uh, activity and they'll be the most noticeable.

Okay, let's go through all of the planets that the moon might aspect and talk about how they might Augment or change the moon a little bit how the moon might feel an aspect to these particular planets.

So if the new or full moon is making an aspect to Mercury I've nicknamed this the chatty moon and there's a real emphasis on information, knowing, gathering, assessing, sorting, you know, taking things and putting them in their place. So there's an emphasis on new information dropping [00:17:00] in, new insights or revelations, and sometimes secrets kept or secrets revealed. It kind of depends on what Mercury is doing when the moon is aspecting it. It can also reflect a real busy moon. So, uh, a time that feels very haphazard. Maybe there's just a lot going on because Mercury is just a planet of connection. It's a planet of speed. It's a planet of, uh, wanting to do a lot of things at once. And so it can definitely quicken the moon a little bit. 

When the new or full moon is an aspect to Venus, I have nicknamed this The pleasant moon. It really emphasizes the themes of rest and relaxation, as well as making time for things that are pleasurable, uh, leisure time, and definitely highlights relationship, specifically our intimate connections.

When the new or full [00:18:00] moon is in relationship with Mars, I've called this the tense moon. It also tends to increase the speed of the events occurring around the new or full moon. Mars is hot and fast and a little agitated and so this can reflect, um, in the moon mood and the mood of the collective. When Mars is an aspect with the moon, there can be an emphasis on themes like stress and sometimes conflict and conflict resolution. But also when Mars and the moon interact during a lunation, we can have a shot of courage come through where we feel able to do something that we were previously nervous about or felt unable to do for whatever reason.

When the new or full moon is in contact with Jupiter, I'm calling this the buoyant moon, it brings in a measure of hope and optimism. [00:19:00] So this is a really great moon for thinking about the future and setting intentions and wishes, et cetera, especially a new moon that might be conjunct Jupiter for as an example. And. Moon Jupiter really emphasizes new opportunities and looking forward to the future. So it definitely has this uplifting, encouraging vibe as compared to some of the other moons, especially the next one, which is Saturn.

So when the new or full moon is an aspect to Saturn, there can be a bit of a serious or a somber tone brought in to the lunation and the days, and when I say that, I mean the days surrounding the new or full moon. It can feel a little serious. We can feel a little bit down. I've nicknamed this the melancholy moon, you know, for that reason.

There can be a real emphasis on what's real, [00:20:00] what's tangible, and it can also reveal obstacles or challenges that are in our way and can definitely ask us to figure out how we're going to work with those things. So it's not the funnest, most upbeat party moon, but it definitely is asking for some hard work, elbow grease and commitment in order to make what we want happen in the future.

Now let's briefly talk about the moon and the outer planets. So Uranus, I've nicknamed the mayhem moon, and this is what we have coming up in February. So when the full moon especially, but also the new moon, aspects Uranus really tightly, it definitely ups the drama and the unpredictability of the events surrounding the moon.

There can be quick pivots, there can be mind changes, new information drop in that you really didn't expect. There can be a huge [00:21:00] desire to break away from something, to really set yourself apart or, uh, freedom or individuality. These are real big themes of Moon Uranus. So, You may decide that you need to do something very differently than you ever have before.

You may experience some type of breakthrough and, um, sometimes it can just feel a little bit wobbly and unstable, um, the hours surrounding the moon where things just feel up and down swirling around.

When the moon makes an aspect to Neptune, I've nicknamed this the Sleepy Moon, it's a great time to just let go, to rest, to recharge, to maybe put down work for a little bit if you can instead of pushing through. And it's also a really good time to remember that Neptune is a little foggy, and a little dreamy, and a little spacey. And so, Things [00:22:00] may not be as they seem when the moon is aspecting Neptune. So even if a full moon is all about revelation and clarity, et cetera, if it's in a tight aspect to Neptune, it still might be a time of confusion where we need to wait it out a little bit.

 And finally we have Pluto, and I've nicknamed this the Power Moon, and it can give the new or full moon a really intense, kind of stubborn, fixated quality. So the quality of time surrounding a Pluto moon, uh, you might notice you get really interested in one thing, or you just can't let something go. You are definitely focused, you are intent, um, you know. Got to get this thing done, got to figure this thing out. Um, it's definitely great for going deep with one thing and also being really brutally honest with [00:23:00] yourself about what needs to change, what needs to, you know, that very popular word for Pluto is what needs to transform. And so these moons can reveal those themes in our life.

All right, step four is to take step three deeper and to notice what personal aspects the new or full moon is making to your birth chart. So, for example, we have the full moon in Leo coming up. Is that full moon in Leo making a conjunction to a planet in your birth chart, maybe an opposition or a square to a planet in your birth chart, then it's really going to be active for you.

So I don't know if you've noticed, but I've certainly noticed that certain new moons and certain full moons go by completely under the radar, whereas others are really Obvious and prominent and things really happen during those lunations and, [00:24:00] and that has to do with whether or not the lunation is activating your birth chart.

So again, you're going to need some type of astrological almanac to help you assess if a moon is aspecting one of your planets. But, again, the rules remain the same, prioritize the closest relationship, so the closest aspect. Don't worry about really far away relationships, really prioritize the one that is the closest.

So if it's one degree away, two degrees away, three degrees away, that's what I mean by close relationship. Let's pretend that the full moon in Leo is conjunct your natal Mars. And so a way you would personalize this is not just think about what Mars means and how the moon might activate that, but also what Mars rules in your chart by sign.

For [00:25:00] example, Mars rules the signs of Aries and Scorpio. So you would find these houses in your birth chart and that would give you extra themes in terms of what this full moon might kick up for you. 

And finally, step five is a little bit advanced, but if you really want to get nuanced information about what a new or full moon is gonna mean, you want to look at its planetary ruler.

So all of the planets rule particular signs, and I've gone through that in other episodes, but real quickly, Sun rules Leo. Moon rules Cancer, Mercury rules Gemini and Virgo, Venus rules Taurus and Libra, Mars rules Aries and Scorpio, Jupiter rules Sagittarius and Pisces, and Saturn rules Aquarius and Capricorn. I got a little flustered at the end there. Anyways, so you want to determine, okay, what sign is the moon in? [00:26:00] And who rules that sign? And that's the planetary ruler of the lunation. And so you want to determine what planet that is. It's going to add some extra nuance and themes to the themes you've already picked out.

And if you can figure it out, you want to answer the question, where is that planet today? What sign is it in? Does it like being in that sign? Is it super strong there or super weak there? So this will give you more information about the content or the outcome of the events of the moon, or the experience that you might have, uh, during the couple days before or after the moon.

You also want to know if the planetary ruler of the lunation is retrograde or direct. So if it's retrograde, it might describe a moon with a slower pace, delays, or maybe just an alternative route. And finally, is the planetary ruler visible or [00:27:00] invisible? If the ruler is invisible, so for example, it's really, really close to the sun and the sun just overshadows it, it might describe a moon whose effects are more internal rather than external, meaning what's going on, uh, around this moon isn't really seen readily from the outside, but it might be more of an internal process.

Okay, so let's put all this together and look at the full moon in Leo that's happening on February 12th, 2025 at 8 53 AM Eastern time at 24 degrees of Leo.

Alright, so basics. This is a full moon, so the visibility is at 100%. It's really bright, and big, and bold, so we can see everything really clearly. If we think of the full moon like a spotlight, and we're looking down from above, [00:28:00] we can see it all. So there's this theme already of revelation, and also this theme of culmination, things coming to their fullness, to their fruition.

So, I like to think of a full moon as arriving at a certain part of your birth chart and going what's happening here? Really turning all the lights on, really inhabiting that part of your chart and feeling and learning what is this part of my chart about? Okay, so step one is to figure out what zodiac sign the moon is occurring in and this one is Leo which is a fire sign.

So we know from this that the full moon in Leo is going to be much higher energy than some other full moons and especially new moons. There can be a lot going on during these couple of days. There can be full schedules, lots of [00:29:00] activities, lots of obligations. You might feel like you want to move your body.

You want to express more, whether that's through movement or through, uh, talking or art, etc. There's a lot of energy that builds up during a fire moon that needs some type of outlet or expression. You might notice that that you have quick changes, quick decisions, quick pivots, or that there's an extra dose of drama throughout the day, whether that's welcome or unwelcome.

It can be fun. Fire full moons can be fun. It can be a great party moon, but it can also be a little much sometimes. So figuring out how to moderate that for yourself will be important. And then we also have our themes of clarity and. Decision making and action taking under a fire full moon. 

We can add a little nuance to the fire by thinking about [00:30:00] what Leo adds to themes. And that would be themes of self expression, maybe individuality, also places of leadership in your life, where you are visible and being observed, being perceived, being received by other people. And also people in power generally can be represented by Leo. 

So step two, we want to personalize this. So I want you to find Leo in your birth chart and determine what house it occupies. So does Leo fall on your 12th house or your 11th house or your 10th house? So in these examples, if it fell on your 12th house, this full moon might be about your mental health or your spiritual health. If it fell in the 11th house, this full moon might be about your It might be bringing revelations in about your friendships and your connections. Or if it's in the 10th, it might be about your professional life. So you can really personalize where [00:31:00] the energy and high activity of fire is going to be focused by figuring out where Leo is in your chart. 

Step three is Figuring out the aspects that the moon is making and prioritizing the closest relationships. So for me, I like to do three degrees or less on either side. That's called an orb. That's for another day. But let's unpack the full moon and Leo aspects. So this full moon is going to make a really tight square to Uranus and Taurus. And so not only is this a fire moon that's already bold and a little dramatic, it's square the planet of changeability and unpredictability and, you know, a planet that really likes to do things backwards and turn everything on its head.

So there can definitely be a fresh take during this moon where you finally see something differently than you ever have before. You might have to take a new approach to a [00:32:00] problem that you've been addressing recently. You might have to be extremely creative and finally figure out like, oh, this is a solution.

So that can be a really bright spot with Uranus is innovation and invention when it comes to maybe problems or obstacles that we have in our life. There can be new and unexpected directions, whether welcome or unwelcome, when Uranus is an aspect to the full moon, and the time and quality of time surrounding the moon can feel a little unsteady and unsmooth, but also pretty exciting.

This moon is also opposite Mercury, which is at 26 Aquarius, and Mercury is really close to the sun right now, so it's invisible. And remember we talked about invisible planets representing things that maybe aren't seen readily from the outside. And so to [00:33:00] me, what this is representing is Maybe what's going on now under this full moon might be something kept under wraps for a little while. Maybe something you're not ready to fully talk about or express just yet. Or it might be depicting something that you don't have all of the information about at the moment.

Okay, step four is when you personalize the aspects by figuring out if this full moon aspects or talks to any planet in your birth chart. I'm really thinking about planets between 21 and 27 degrees of Leo, Aquarius, Taurus, or Scorpio. Those are the signs that oppose and square Leo. So they're going to be the most dynamic and palpable signs. 21 to 27 keeps the relationship really close. So check your chart and see if there's any planets between 21 and 27 of the fixed [00:34:00] signs, Leo, Aquarius, Taurus, or Scorpio. And if you want to take it a step further, you want to ask yourself, what topics does this planet rule in my life? And, you know, our example earlier was the full moon conjunct Mars and Mars rules Aries and Scorpio. So you'd find wherever Aries and Scorpio are in your chart and what houses they occupy and therefore what topics they manage in your life. 

And step five We're going to look at the ruler of the full moon in Leo for a little nuance and extra information about what this moon might be about. So Leo is ruled by the sun. And at the time of this full moon, and honestly, in every Leo full moon, the sun is in Aquarius. And this is a. Um, interesting position for the sun to be in, um, the sun in Aquarius is in a position called [00:35:00] detriment and this sounds really scary, but I think I explained this in the last podcast where it's like landing in an international like foreign airport and your luggage got lost and you can't speak the language and you don't have the right currency.

And someone asks you for directions and you're like, I can't even find my way out the terminal. How am I supposed to direct you? So it's a planet in a position that's a little uncomfortable. It doesn't have everything that it needs, but this isn't the worst thing in the world. What planets and detriment excel at is getting really creative at solving problems. And so the planet in detriment may have to work extra hard to do the same work another planet may be able to do easily, but it figures out how to do things in a new way, an innovative way, and in a way that can help other people. 

So, the sun in detriment can bring up themes of lower self [00:36:00] esteem or maybe insecurity. Maybe even a little bit of imposter syndrome and can ask us to figure out how we can work with these things creatively and compassionately and maybe in a new and different way than we ever have before. So that's just a little extra nuance about the Leo full moon. You may or may not feel that, but if you do, it's probably going to be in the houses that are connected to the Leo full moon for you.

So definitely get your birth chart out and have a look. And if you need help with any of this, I would be happy to sit with you in a session and walk you through how to do this for yourself and what it might mean for you. So, thanks for listening. I hope this was helpful and again, you can apply this formula to any new moon or any full moon in the upcoming calendar and figure out what it might mean for you and your life. Okay, until next time, much love. [00:37:00]