What Is the Waning Gibbous Moon?
The waning gibbous moon appears just after the full moon, when the light has started to shrink but the moon is still mostly illuminated. It is the mirror image of the waxing gibbous, standing on the other side of the full moon’s peak. Where the waxing gibbous built toward something, the waning gibbous begins the slow process of letting that fullness go.
This phase can be easy to overlook because the full moon gets so much attention, but what happens right after it matters just as much as the peak itself. It sets the tone for how the rest of the release process will feel.
What This Phase Represents
The full moon is the moment of culmination, when whatever you have been working toward reaches its peak visibility. The waning gibbous is what comes next, the quiet space where you sit with what actually happened. Did the intention manifest the way you hoped? Did something shift that you did not expect?
This phase carries an energy of gratitude and reflection. It is less about taking new action and more about acknowledging what has already occurred, good or difficult. It is also the very beginning of release. You are not cutting cords yet, that comes later in the cycle, but you are starting to loosen your grip on whatever the intention needed you to hold onto tightly.
A lot of people rush past this phase looking for the next thing to manifest. But skipping the reflection here often means carrying unprocessed feelings into the next cycle instead of actually closing the loop on this one.
What Kind of Spellwork Suits This Phase
Gratitude rituals fit naturally here, whether that is a simple thank you spoken aloud to whatever helped your intention along, or a small offering left on your altar. This is also a good window for gentle release work, nothing dramatic, just identifying what you are ready to loosen your hold on.
If something ended around the full moon, whether a relationship, a project, or a chapter of some kind, this phase supports beginning to process it. Not forcing closure, just letting yourself start to feel what needs to be felt.
This is not the time for aggressive banishing or cord cutting work, that fits better a little later in the cycle. Right now the focus is on honest reflection rather than decisive action.
A Simple Ritual for This Phase
Write down three things related to your recent intention that you are genuinely grateful for, even if the outcome was not exactly what you wanted. Gratitude does not require a perfect result, it just requires honesty about what you gained along the way.
If you are ready for a small release, light a white or grey candle and name one small thing you are willing to let go of. It does not have to be the whole situation, sometimes it is just one specific expectation or fear tied to it.
If you kept notes from your full moon ritual, this is a good time to revisit them. You can find the full process in the full moon ritual guide for reference.
How Long This Phase Lasts
The waning gibbous typically spans days seventeen through twenty of the lunar cycle, the stretch right after the full moon and before the last quarter. It gives you several days to sit with reflection before the more decisive release work of the phases ahead.
A Final Note from Aurora
I think this phase gets skipped over more than any other, because everyone is so focused on the full moon that they forget what comes right after matters too. Give yourself permission to just sit with what happened, without rushing to fix or release anything yet. If you are working through something painful right now and need support processing it, my Heavy Regret & Remorse Spell was built for this kind of reflection. Whatever you are holding onto, you do not have to let go of it all at once.<
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