Lunar Gardening

Learning real life "magic" is quite simply a better understanding of nature.

There are some known scientific facts regarding the effect that different celestial bodies have on everything here on Earth. Farmers of old, as well as modern day scientists and witches of aeons past all agree. The position of the moon and stars matter!

The Moon's Position in Relation to the Sun

In order to understand this concept fully, you will need to familiarize yourself with the natural order of the moon. First, allow me to demonstrate how the moon phases come about using a very old and very French diagram.

By studying this you should begin to understand why it is that we see certain shapes of the moon throughout its 29.5 day orbit around the Earth.

When the moon is opposite of the sun from the Earth, we see a full moon, and it is a "new" moon when it is on the same side as the sun. In English we call the Croissant a "Crescent" Moon and an Ovale "Gibbous", respectively. When the moon is on its way to becoming full it is "Waxing", when it is growing darker it is 'Waning". Over the course of each month, the moon grows through all its phases. (New Moon, Waxing Crescent, Waxing Gibbous, Full, Waning Gibbous, Waning Crescent, New, etc.)

Both the sun and the moon have a gravitational effect on the Earth. Obviously the sun is much larger, causing Earth to orbit around it. However, the moon has its own gravitational pull on the Earth because of its own massive size. So at different cycles of the moon there are different effects on the Earth's gravity.

When it is a full moon, the moon is counteracting the sun's pull. There is more balance in the gravity on Earth, causing for a natural grounding, and more moisture collects as a result. The phase from a waxing crescent leading up to a full moon (First Quarter) is the time when roots have the better chance of growing and seeds germinating due to the heavier gravity.

When the moon is on the same side as the sun (New) the magnetic pulls combine, making a very strong pull towards space, effecting everything likewise. This causes the period when the moon is between being a new moon and a waning gibbous (Last Quarter) to create less moisture in the soil and makes plants to grow upward as a result. This is the best time for pruning and harvesting for storage.

The Moon's Position in Relation to the Zodiac

There is a lot of assumed and crafted information regarding the zodiac signs, but I promise you, there is a reason scientists since the dawn of man have calculated these!

To understand this idea better, you must that there are in fact 12 zodiac signs in the night sky. The moon passes through each sign in its orbit, about every 2.5 days. This is in relation to its position around the Earth.

The earth passes through one zodiac sign month, in relation to its position around the sun (hence your own personal signs.)

The sun changes its sign about every 3600 years! (Cue the ABBA)

You'll notice as each planetary body moves in orbit, it passes into each sign in a specific order. There are four sets of three signs in total, each sign belonging to a grouping based on the four essential elements. The order of elements repeats perfectly, making the cycle Water, Air, Earth, and Fire, and then W,A,E,F again, ad infinitum.

Now, as just mentioned each sign belongs to a specific element so I will give those here.

Water- Scorpio, Cancer, Pisces

Earth- Virgo, Taurus, Capricorn

Fire- Leo, Aries, Sagittarius

Air- Gemini, Aquarius, Libra

The Water and Earth signs are typically nurturing signs, embodying the creative forces of the universe.

The Fire and Air signs represent the "tough love" of nature, embodying the destructive forces of the universe.

There are countless ways to use these forces to your benefit, and you will have to simply experiment to find the proper methods in accordance of nature.

However, to maximize the effects of the moon on your plants, remember these two very simple principles.

-Encourage growth by sowing seeds and transplanting in the days before and during a full moon (First Quarter), especially when the moon is in an Earth or Water sign.

-Apply the "destructive" laws of nature by pruning and harvesting in the days before a new moon (Last Quarter), especially when the moon is in an Air or Fire sign. Allow for a resting period during the new moon if possible.

Download the Moon Phase app, or begin to follow along with the moon phases yourself. That way you start to get in the same rhythm as the moon, as well as you'll be able to plan ahead. I love the Moon Phase app because it presents all the info you need in an extremely efficient way, and it is cheap too, making its value quite incalculable.

Admittedly, this article about lunar gardening is only barely scratching the surface.

Allow it to be an introduction for you into the science of the amazing power of the universe.

You will have to do a little more research and practice yourself. In time, you will no doubt begin to see the correlation between successful gardening in accordance to the relation of the moon and stars.

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