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The keen and curious minds over on TikTok have yet another theory that might absorb you in a deep spiral down Google, and this time, the Moon is involved.
In case this trend hasn't made its way onto your For You Page yet, allow us to provide the full down-low. I'm going to boldly go out on a limb and assume that if you're reading this, you have a birthday. On said birthday, while you were making your grand entrance, the Moon was in a specific phase (like Full Moon, New Moon, Waxing Gibbous, you get the gist). Now, the idea TikTok's currently running with is that if your Moon phase + another person's Moon phase = a Full Moon, that's just the universe's way of identifying your soulmate. See:
How can I find my moon phase? Asking for a friend
Luckily enough, lunar timekeeping has been tracked daily for a *very* long time, so unless you were born before, say, 40,000 years ago, your birthday Moon phase details should be ready and available. Hit up a reliable cosmic calculator to confirm which of the eight Moon phases you were born under. You can also find your partner/friend/unrequited lover's Moon phase, as long as you've found their birthday. Based on TikTok's ~soulmate~ notion, if the images put together create a Full Moon, you've found your soulmate! Or have you...?
Wait, exactly how reliable is this moon phase soulmate thing?
According to astrologer and resident Cosmopolitan Moon expert Monisha Holmes, this is a bit of an oversimplification. "Sometimes I have the concern that people hyper-fixate on these concepts, as opposed to really using Moon phases as a prop to get to know how a person approaches life," she says.
"The Moon phase tells more of a story about how someone is approaching their purpose, versus being an indicator of soulmate compatibility," Monisha adds. For example, according to TikTok's theory, a Full Moon baby and a New Moon baby would perfectly complement each other, but Monisha says that given the themes and traits associated with the phases, that's not necessarily a guaranteed case. "The New Moon person is going be excited and throw themselves into the great unknown, because that's kind of what you have to do when you're at a starting point," she explains. On the other hand, "someone born under a Full Moon spends life as a lifelong realiser, and not necessarily being in a hasty place of movement."
Therefore, it'll likely do you more good to look into what your partner's/crush's/etc. Moon phase says about them, and from there, gauge if those are traits that you could vibe with or not. For your files/future soulmate-seeking needs, here's a helpful little breakdown from Monisha about the key themes associated with each Moon phase:
- New Moon: Starting a quest, beginnings, foolish behaviour
- Waxing Crescent: Movement, to-do list, gathering together
- First Quarter: Conflict, tension, triumph
- Waxing Gibbous: Returning, cooling down, collecting
- Full Moon: Completion, reward, closure
- Waning Gibbous: Reflection, taking stock, relaxation
- Last Quarter: Internalisation, recognition, acceptance
- Waning Crescent: Observation, inquiry, advocacy
