Believe it or not, moon mapping, aka allowing our lives to be dictated by the phases of the moon, has become the latest and hottest New Age craze to grip the world’s seekers. What’s it all about and why do some say it made their life into a living hell?

For those who have never heard of it, moon mapping is an astrological gimmick which promotes the idea that we can use the eight cycles of the moon to tap into a new power and wisdom with which to guide our lives.

As a writer named Lisa Stardust explains on the Today Show website, “…[A]ccording to astrology, each lunar phase offers a different energy or opportunity: The new moon gives a push toward goals. The full moon, two weeks later, is a time for rest and release. Essentially, each of the eight major phases are their own opportunities. As a result, working with the moon is a way to turbocharge your manifestation rituals. Manifestation involves visualizing what you want and internalizing the belief that it’s possible — and moon-mapping puts that on a schedule.”

A person gets started by downloading an app, a moon phase calendar or a moon journal, which teaches them about the phases of the moon and how to live according to the phases.

For example, the dark moon, which is when the moon is barely visible, is described as the most emotional time because it’s the lowest energy point in the lunar cycle. It’s a time to “go inward and retreat from life” as well as embrace anxieties and fears to determine what they may be trying to teach us.

The dark moon cycles into the new moon phase which is when we are to put into action everything we learned about ourselves in the dark moon phase.

This is followed by the waxing crescent moon where we can plan how to move toward our vision such as creating a vision board or starting a “manifestation journal.”

The first quarter moon is when the magic starts to happen and when a person should “embrace every chance that comes your way.”

Next is the waxing gibbous moon which is a time when our project may be underway which means problems could arise. “[I]f we are having problems,” Ms. Stardust advises, “the moon is asking us to take a step back, reassess, meditate, or reach out for assistance.”

The last quarter of the moon is a time when the vision has been created and we’re getting a glimpse of what’s coming next. “Energetic and home cleansing are ideal, as we are detoxing and letting go of bad vibes. Our bodies, minds, and spirits are evolving and transforming while releasing the past,” Ms. Stardust writes.

Sandy Sitron, author of Moon Journal, admits that the evidence of the effect that lunar phases have on our mental and physical health is purely anecdotal, “but those who follow the moon find they feel more grounded and in sync with their body’s own energy – helping them to get more out of life…As one of our biggest forces of nature – the combined gravitational force of the moon and the sun controls our tides – it makes sense that it’s likely to make an impact.”

Actually, the studies don’t bear this out, and there have been plenty of them. As this article published by the Cleveland Clinic indicates, the cycles of the moon do affect us, but not in the ways described above. For example, people’s sleep may be disturbed during a full moon because of the increase in light and how this light affects the body’s circadian rhythm, not because of some mysterious “energy” being emitted by the moon.

But this hasn’t stopped people from jumping onboard the lunar living bandwagon, including Hollywood stars. Ariana Grande, Zoe Kravitz, and Emma Roberts are fans, as well as Rumer Willis who sports a tattoo of the moon phases. In fact, one way to spot lunar living enthusiasts is by their moon tattoos.

However, not everyone is enthusiastic about this way of life.

Writing for The Daily Mail, Jaci Stephen said she turned to the moon cycles during a difficult time in life when she was mourning her deceased parents, became obsessed with thoughts of dying, and was generally feeling like a failure both professionally and personally. She decided to try moon phase living to broaden her horizons and have a bit of a laugh and signed up for a year’s worth of Daily Moon cycle readings for $72.95.

“My overall Moon chart was astonishingly accurate with regard to my personality and working life – creative, hungry for change, loyal – and the individual day readings started out well,” Jaci said.

The first few days offered hopeful readings that favored money, business, romance, but by the fourth day, they were beginning to turn negative. For example, on January 4, she was told that this day would “bring ‘romance problems’ as well as ‘confusion and a lack of confidence, leading to creative blocks and setbacks.’”

On January 10, she fell ill and was so sick she was confined to bed for the first time in 30 years “and the Moon did nothing to warn me. ‘Manipulation is rife’ said my Moon reading. Really? I could barely manipulate my hand to reach for the Tylenol.”

When word spread on the internet that she was using the moon cycle, “legions of spiritual sidekicks” started to contact her with the hopes of making a sale off of her vulnerabilities.

Suddenly, there were daily ‘Moon Card’ emails flooding her inbox, inviting her to pick Tarot cards and cast magic spells. There was even a “telepathic duo” who claimed they could tell her what number to play to win the lottery.

“The escalation is gradual. There’s the initial contact and the ‘special relationship’. Then the enticement – the promise of a fortune or a great love,” Jaci writes.

One woman named Cynthia offered to find her soulmate along with a prophecy about when to buy a Powerball ticket. If she wanted to see a picture of her soulmate, she had to pay for it. A similar offer came from a woman named Rose who offered her a nude picture of her soulmate.

As Jaci quickly learned, “The more you ignore these people, the more they prey on your insecurities. And that’s when the real escalation and nightmare starts.”

Thanks to advances in internet searches and cookies, she began to receive emails from folks taunting her about how she would miss out on an impending fortune or meeting the love of her life if she didn’t contact them right away.

Another repeatedly urged her to get an “Astral Cleansing” and “Divine Rite of Celestial Protection” which she claimed would change her life once and for all. She even dropped the fee from $120 to $35.

If Jaci didn’t bite, these solicitors played the guilt card, complaining about how she was ignoring them and was making them feel as if they had done something wrong.

In a missive she shared with the Mail, a clairvoyant named Chris expressed his deepest concern over her lack of response to his offers of help.

“My telepathic powers allow me to connect with your subconscious and no longer than a few hours ago, I was able to establish a psychic connection with you,” he says, until her negative thoughts began to stand in the way and prevent her from reaping the success and good fortune she deserved.

“Believe in yourself and in your future and you can have the power to transform your life just like the Great Psychic Reading I offered you for an exceptionally low price,” he tells her in an attempt to pressure her with the idea of all she would be missing by continuing to avoid his emails.

And he was only one of many who besieged her during this time. Her lunar living soon turned her life into a living hell.

“It was a catalogue of missed opportunities, failures, and a litany of details about how I would never be able to escape my past unless I took heed, listened to the kind advice being offered, and sent money to ward off the evil that was doubtless coming my way.

“It’s nothing short of intimidation, and by the 31st, the end of my Moon living, the feelings of worthlessness, powerlessness and hopelessness these con artists had brought about finally became overwhelming.”

Thankfully, a healthy network of friends helped her to ward off these attacks, but what about those who didn’t have this kind of support, or who were mentally or physically ill and were clinging to the last thread of hope that someone – or something – might help them?

Like her, they would be sorely disappointed.

“I went in search of the man in the Moon,” she writes. “What I got was all the conmen in the universe.”

The moral of this story is that the only place we should go for guidance about how to live our lives is to the God Who created us and tells us: “I know well the plans I have in mind for you…plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11).

This is a promise the moon can never make.

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