The moon can influence your life in more ways than you think. After all, the moon’s gravitational pull affects the tides. Some research supports the idea that the moon may have some influence on menstrual and sleep cycles, and in astrology, the moon is said to influence our emotions pretty heavily. Having a general awareness of the Lunation of the Moon could help you navigate your life with a little more ease.

Each month, the moon cycles through eight phases — new moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, third quarter, and waning crescent — in just under 29.5 days. At the start of the moon’s cycle, during a new moon, the moon sits between the Earth and the sun, and because the near side of the moon isn’t illuminated by the sun, a new moon isn’t visible in the sky. Every few days, the moon reaches the start of the next phase in its cycle, with more of the moon’s surface gradually illuminated. In the middle of the lunar phases, the moon reaches peak brightness, otherwise known as a full moon. Then, the lit portion of the moon gradually wanes until the cycle begins again. At some points during a moon’s cycle around the Earth, the Earth momentarily moves directly between the sun and moon, or the moon may move directly between the sun and Earth. This creates a lunar eclipse and a solar eclipse, respectively.

In astrology, lunar events like new moons, full moons, and eclipses are believed to carry deeper emotional meanings that can help you decode and navigate life events like new beginnings, chapters closing, and tricky periods of self-reflection.