The Triple Moon is one of the most powerful symbols of neo-paganism and Wicca . It unites in a single image three phases of the moon: waxing moon 🌒 , full moon 🌕 , waning moon 🌘 , and thus embodies the eternal cycle of life: birth, growth, decline and rebirth .
The Triple Moon thus reveals itself to be a true archetype. It refers to the Triple Goddess , a universal figure that permeates mythologies: Maiden, Mother, and Crone . These three faces of the feminine are forces that succeed one another, but also coexist within every human being, regardless of gender or age.
In a modern society focused on constant productivity and linear time, the Triple Moon serves as a reminder of another temporality: that of cycles , alternation, and natural rhythms . It honors what contemporary civilization often forgets: that everything is born, grows, declines, and is reborn.
The Young Girl: The Impetus of Beginnings
The first phase of the symbol, the waxing moon , embodies the Maiden . Free, untamed, curious, she carries within her the impetus of beginning, the energy of discovery, the joy of a world yet to be explored.
In the biological cycle, this phase resonates with puberty and youth , when the body and mind open themselves to new possibilities. But in a more universal interpretation, the Young Girl symbolizes every new beginning , every birth of an idea , every inner exploration .
Its energy is one of boldness, freshness, and creative freedom . In Wiccan traditions, it is associated with the magic of awakening, the power of opening intuition, and the promise of what is to come.
The Mother: fullness and vital power
The second phase, the full moon , embodies the Mother . Fertile and protective, she is the guardian of life, creation, and love. She symbolizes maturity , fertility , and the power of accomplishment.
The Mother is the moon shining at its zenith, offering light and guidance. She is the life force that nourishes, protects, and connects beings. In a spiritual interpretation, she embodies not only motherhood in the biological sense, but all forms of creativity , whether artistic, spiritual, or relational.
She is the radiant power, the one who gives and sustains. The ancients saw this lunar phase as a time auspicious for rituals of protection, love, and prosperity . The full moon, associated with the Mother, is the time of blossoming, when projects reach their zenith.
The Old Woman: Wisdom and Transformation
The final phase, the waning moon , is that of the Old Woman . She is the wise woman , the healer , sometimes the witch . She embodies the time of withdrawal, memory, and transmission.
In myths, the Old Woman represents both old age and renewal , as she prepares the ground for the next cycle. Her strength lies not in growth, but in stripping away the superfluous and embracing the essential.
For a long time in patriarchal societies, this figure was devalued: old age, magic, and femininity were marginalized, relegated to the shadows. But the Triple Moon rehabilitates the witch and ancestral wisdom . It reminds us that the end of a cycle is never an absolute end, but rather the preparation for a rebirth.
The lunar cycle as a sacred rhythm
The Triple Moon offers a different temporality than modern linear time. It follows the rhythm of the seasons , menstruation , tides , and emotions . It teaches that life is not a straight line toward a goal, but a succession of phases of expansion and contraction, of flowering and rest .
In this sense, the Triple Moon embodies a spirituality rooted in the body and nature , a reminder that cycles are sacred. For neo-pagans, honoring this symbol is to honor the intimate, the invisible, the biological, and the cosmic all at once.
She invites us to recognize that each stage of life is precious: the beginning, the peak, the decline. Nothing is useless. Nothing is fixed. Everything contributes to the balance of the world.
Triple figures in mythologies
The Triple Goddess has her roots in multiple traditions.
- Among the Greeks, Hecate , goddess of crossroads and passages, was represented with three faces, symbolizing the multiple paths and decisions.
- In the Celtic world, Brigid , goddess of the forge, poetry and healing, appears in a triple form.
- The Greek Fates (Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos) spin, measure and cut the thread of destiny.
- The Nordic Norns (Urdr, Verdandi and Skuld) watch over the past, present and future, weaving the fabric of life.
All these figures remind us that power can manifest in several forms simultaneously . The Triple Moon is part of this universal tradition of triple goddesses and multiple feminine forces.
The Triple Moon as a psychological archetype
While the Triple Moon primarily belongs to the realm of the sacred and symbolic, it can also be understood as a psychological archetype . The Maiden represents creative impulse, the Mother represents fulfillment, and the Crone represents wisdom and surrender.
These three facets coexist within each of us. In daily life, we go through these stages again and again: the initial enthusiasm, the energy of the middle, and the wisdom of reflection. This cycle is universal, and recognizing it allows us to accept transitions without fear.
An invitation to reconcile with the cycle
Because old age, magic, and the feminine have long been devalued, the Triple Moon is an invitation to reconciliation. It teaches that true power evolves, grows, radiates, diminishes, and is reborn.
In a world obsessed with eternal youth and endless productivity, the Triple Moon reminds us that life is made of metamorphoses . It celebrates beginnings, peaks, declines and rebirths, offering a vision of time profoundly different from the one we have of it on a daily basis.
The changing face of the Goddess
The Triple Moon is a lunar symbol , a miniature cosmology , and a spiritual map that connects the body, nature, and the cosmos. It teaches that life is cyclical, that every ending is a beginning, and that power manifests in every stage of existence.
It is one of the major emblems of the sacred feminine , a key to understanding natural rhythms, inner cycles, and the profound connection that unites us with the moon. By contemplating the Triple Moon , we also contemplate our own transformations.