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mbg Spirituality & Relationships Editor

By Sarah Regan

mbg Spirituality & Relationships Editor

Sarah Regan is a Spirituality & Relationships Editor, and a registered yoga instructor. She received her bachelor’s in broadcasting and mass communication from SUNY Oswego, and lives in Buffalo, New York.

Image by Scotspencer / iStock

January 13, 2023

We’re just about halfway between this month’s full moon and the upcoming new moon in Aquarius on January 21. While new and full moons get a lot of hype, let’s not leave the quarter moons in between out of the equation! In fact, this week’s last quarter moon is a great opportunity to set the stage for the upcoming new moon next week—here’s why, plus how to work with it.

The month’s upcoming quarter moon falls on January 14 at 9:10 p.m. EDT. As you may know, new moons are a time to set intentions and start on projects or goals, while full moons are a time to release what’s not working. With any last quarter moon between the full and new, then, the emphasis is still on release, so you have a clean slate by the time the new moon arrives. (Which happens on January 21, BTW.)

And in the case of this month’s last quarter moon, it will fall in Libra, a sign all about balance, peace, and justice. Meanwhile, the sun is moving through its last leg of Capricorn season already, and Mercury is retrograde (until January 18) in Capricorn as well.

Luckily, Mars is finally out of its retrograde period—and in the sign of Gemini—forming a harmonious trine with the moon in fellow air sign Libra. With Mars direct once more, we may have a newly emboldened urge to tackle what we’ve been putting off. While the red planet was retrograde, things were definitely moving slowly, and you may notice your energy and motivation coming back full force.

The planet of love and beauty, Venus, will also be trining the moon as it falls in air sign Aquarius, which is favorable energy for smooth relationship sailing—just keep in mind that Mercury is still retrograde for just a bit longer, so we do still want to think before we speak and double-check everything.

We’ve got just about a week before the new moon in Aquarius on January 21, so the name of the game now is to set the stage for that new moon, figuring out what needs to be released for you to have the fresh start you want.

Whether it’s your relationship, career, or personal habits, is there anything you’ve continually run up against lately? As we navigated Mars retrograde, habits that tend to hold you back may have taken center stage. Now that Mars is direct, where are you feeling a pull to get things done, and what’s getting in the way? The latter is what you’ll want to get clear on right now.

To do so, consider doing some personal exercises or rituals to take stock and release. Journaling or tarot reading, for instance, can help you peel back the layers to reveal deeper insights.

If you opt for a tarot reading, consider asking the cards the following:

• What issue(s) am I dealing with that needs addressing to move forward?
• What can I expect for the upcoming new moon?
• What can I do now to prepare/release ahead of the new moon?

• Since the last full moon, I have been releasing…
• Before the upcoming new moon, I want to let go of…
• I’m looking forward to the upcoming new moon because…