ermetikon

Lunar Phase

First Quarter

The First Quarter Moon occurs when the Moon reaches 90 deg of elongation from the Sun - the first square (quartile) in the lunar cycle. Classical astrology treats the square as an aspect of tension, friction, and required action. The Moon is still waxing, still increasing in light, but now stands at an angle of challenge to the solar principle.

At a glance

First Quarter meaning in the current sky

Decision, friction, and active correction. Strong for confrontation, adjustment, and moving a plan through resistance.

Current sky

Last Quarter in Pisces

First Quarter is not active right now; the Moon is currently in Pisces.

Next exact occurrence: Apr 24, 2026, 2:32 AM UTC

Elongation range

90 to 135 deg

Measured from the Sun, with illumination running from 50% to 85%.

Best used for

Strong for confrontation, adjustment, and moving a plan through resistance.

The Moon stands in square (quartile) to the Sun, having completed one quarter of its synodic cycle. Classical doctrine marks this as a moment of tension, decision, and action - the Moon's will presses against the solar principle.

Caution

Watch the first quarter build in Leo

The square demands effort rather than ease.

Visual geometry

First Quarter geometry

A visual anchor for where this phase sits in the solar-lunar cycle.

90 deg square
Sun
Moon
0 deg
90 deg
180 deg
270 deg

Solar side

Sun as the source of light and the fixed reference for lunar elongation.

Lunar side

First Quarter as a representative lunar position in the cycle.

Local personalization

Local timing for the First Quarter

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Next First Quarter

Apr 24, 2026, 2:32 AM UTC

First Quarter in Leo.

The First Quarter Moon is the most-searched lunar phase for a reason: people sense that something significant is happening at the half-illuminated Moon, and they are right. In classical astrology, the Moon has just completed its first square to the Sun - a quartile aspect traditionally associated with difficulty, friction, and the need for decisive action.

This is not a malefic phase, but it is a challenging one. The Moon is still waxing (increasing in light), which is favorable, but the square introduces tension. Classical electional doctrine often treats this phase as a crossroads: the energy of the new lunar cycle must now navigate a genuine obstacle.

The First Quarter marks the midpoint between the New Moon and Full Moon. Whatever was begun at the New Moon now faces its first test. In mundane astrology, the First Quarter lunation charts were used to assess the condition of the following fortnight.

The Moon's Square to the Sun

At 90 deg elongation, the Moon is in quartile to the Sun. Classical doctrine holds that the square is a partile aspect of friction and required effort. The Moon's signification runs at cross-purposes to the Sun's - not in opposition, but at an uncomfortable angle that demands resolution.

Still Increasing in Light

Unlike the Last Quarter (a waning square), the First Quarter occurs while the Moon is still increasing in light. This means the underlying trajectory is still favorable: the Moon grows toward fullness. The challenge is to navigate the square's friction without abandoning the momentum built since the New Moon.

Elections and the First Quarter

Classical electional doctrine is more nuanced about the First Quarter than modern writers suggest. An increasing Moon in square is not ideal but is workable - particularly for matters requiring confrontation, decision, or active intervention.

Classical Perspectives

Primary-source passages on the first quarter from the Hermetikon archive.

Cover of A Manual of Astrology

A Manual of Astrology

Raphael (Robert Cross Smith)
1828
"In a short time after the conjunction, she appears like a fine crescent, soon after the sun sets, which crescent begins to fill up, and the illuminated part to increase, as she advances in her orbit; and when she has performed a fourth part of her revolution, she appears to be half-illumined, being then in her first quarter"
Page 60Open in Reader
Cover of Clavis Astrologiae Elimata

Clavis Astrologiae Elimata

Henry Coley
1669
"When the ☽ is in her first quarter, that is, from the time she is receded from the ⊙'s Conjunction, the moistures of Bodies do flow, until her second quarter, at other times they decrease"
Page 280Open in Reader
Cover of Anima Astrologiae

Anima Astrologiae

Henry Coley
1676
"But Fire-Wood and what you would have grow quickly again, cut when the Moon is above the Earth in the first quarter, joyned either to Venus or Jupiter"
Page 191Open in Reader

Sources on the First Quarter

Open the cited books and authors behind this first quarter page.

Books cited here

Manual of Astrology

Open the full book page in the archive.

Clavis Astrologiae Elimata

Open the full book page in the archive.

Anima Astrologiae

Open the full book page in the archive.

Authors cited here

Henry Coley

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First Quarter in Every Sign

First Quarter in Aries

Fire - Cardinal

First Quarter in Taurus

Earth - Fixed

First Quarter in Gemini

Air - Mutable

First Quarter in Cancer

Water - Cardinal

First Quarter in Leo

Fire - Fixed

First Quarter in Virgo

Earth - Mutable

First Quarter in Libra

Air - Cardinal

First Quarter in Scorpio

Water - Fixed

First Quarter in Sagittarius

Fire - Mutable

First Quarter in Capricorn

Earth - Cardinal

First Quarter in Aquarius

Air - Fixed

First Quarter in Pisces

Water - Mutable

First Quarter FAQ

What does the first quarter moon mean in astrology?

In classical astrology, the First Quarter Moon occurs when the Moon is exactly 90 deg from the Sun - in square (quartile). This is a phase of tension, decision, and required action. The Moon is still waxing (increasing in light), which is favorable, but the square aspect introduces friction that demands resolution.

Why is the first quarter moon so widely searched?

The first quarter moon - the half-illuminated Moon - is one of the most visually striking and symbolically significant phases. In traditional astrology it marks the Moon's first square to the Sun, a genuine turning point in the lunar cycle between the New Moon's beginnings and the Full Moon's culmination.

Is the first quarter moon the same as a half moon?

Yes - the first quarter moon is the waxing half moon, when exactly half the Moon's disc appears illuminated (roughly 50% illumination). It is called first quarter because it marks the end of the first quarter of the 29.5-day synodic cycle, when the Moon is 90 deg ahead of the Sun.

How does the first quarter differ from the last quarter moon?

Both are squares to the Sun, but in opposite directions of the cycle. The First Quarter is a waxing square - the Moon is increasing in light and the cycle is building toward the Full Moon. The Last Quarter is a waning square - the Moon is decreasing and the cycle is moving toward its end. Classical doctrine treats them differently in elections.

Related Pages

Waxing CrescentFull MoonLast QuarterAstrology TodayMoon Phase HubMoon Return CalculatorRetrograde CalendarPlacements HubAstrology Hub
Waxing CrescentAll PhasesWaxing Gibbous