These past few weeks, my FYP (for you page) on TikTok has been crowded with moon phase videos. These videos contain two moon phases- one from the creator’s date of birth, and the other from their love interest’s date of birth. Essentially, if the two moon phases come together and make a full moon, they are believed to be soulmates; but is this true?
In short, not totally. Determining the compatibility of people through astrology is much more complicated than this! Let’s start with some vocab: your ‘natal moon phase’ is the phrase used to describe the moon phase of the night you were born. Each natal moon phase, like astrology signs, have characteristics that attribute to the person that was born under this phase.
In these TikTok trends, the moon phases between you and your soulmate are meant to fit together like puzzle pieces. According to this article by Dani Fankhauser, the new moon and the full moon are respectively “The dreamer and the doer [potentially balancing] each other out.” The waxing crescent and the waxing gibbous are “The rising star and the mentor, [which] share a preference for growth and ease.” The waning crescent and the waxing gibbous, “The thinker and the coach,” “share an emphasis on transformation.” Finally, the first quarter moon and the third quarter moon are “The activist and the philosopher. Both have a high tolerance for tension and may lean into conflict.”
In these puzzle-piece match-ups, there is a lot of ‘evening each other out.’ However, it is important to note that certain energies may be overwhelming leading to problems between the two people with supplementary natal moon phases. Since they are, essentially, opposites, there can be conflicting values and when their energies don’t bring them closer together, they will drive themselves apart. Thus, even if you have the puzzle piece completed with your natal moon phase and that of your soulmate, it is not definite that the relationship will flourish.
A more accurate way to analyze your relationship using astrology is to identify your and your soulmate’s birth chart, including elements associated with their date of birth and planets. Oftentimes this reveals more about your emotions, habits, behaviors, and reactions to situations. It is important to have qualities that balance each other out, but also similar habits such as the way you love or your opinions on certain things.
Ultimately, there is no harm in trying the moon phase challenge on TikTok, but don’t let it determine your soulmate!