~:|:~ The Boundless Path ~:|:~

The following is taken directly from Wikipedia.
The Moon has figured in many mythologies, often paired or contrasted with the Sun.
The monthly cycle of the moon, in contrast to the annual cycle of the sun's path, has been implicitly linked to women's menstrual cycles by many cultures, although rarely explicitly stated. Many of the most well-known mythologies feature female lunar deities, such as the Greek goddesses Selene and Phoebe and their Olympian successor Artemis, their Roman equivalents Luna and Diana, or the Thracian Bendis. These cultures almost invariably featured a male sun god.
It is worth mentioning the cult that appeared in the Medieval Milan at the end of the 14th century. Two women from higher society, Sibillia Zanni and Pietrina de' Bugatis, were brought in 1384 and again in 1390 before the Inquisition for having claimed that, together with others - both living and dead, they worshipped the goddess Madonna Oriente. Madonna Oriente is the Italian translation of the Latin words "Domina Oriens." It has been demonstrated that this name was used to denote the Moon (Lewis & Short). Those who worshipped her were the first Inquisition victims to be burned as witches, though not the first victims of persecution as witches nor the first victims of the Inquisiton.
A feminine lunar connection is easily overstated, however, for male lunar gods are also frequent, such as Nanna or Sin of the Mesopotamians, Mani of the Germanic tribes, Thoth of the Egyptians, the Japanese god Tsukiyomi, and Tecciztecatl of the Aztecs. These cultures usually featured female Sun goddesses.
While many Neopagan authors and feminist scholars claim that there was an original Great Goddess in prehistoric cultures that was linked to the moon and formed the basis of later religions, the Great Goddess figure is highly speculative and not a proven concept. It is important to note that most of the oldest civilizations mentioned above had male lunar deities, and it was only later cultures � the classical ones most people are familiar with � that featured strong female moon goddesses.
The bull was lunar in Mesopotamia (its horns representing the crescent). See Bull (mythology) and compare Hubal. In the Hellenistic-Roman rites of Mithras, the bull is prominent, with astral significance, but with no explicit connection to the moon.
The words 'lunacy," "lunatic," and "loony" are derived from Luna because of the folk belief in the moon as a cause of periodic insanity. It is a feature of modern belief that shapeshifters such as werewolves drew their power from the moon and would change into their bestial form during the full moon, but this feature is largely absent from older folklore.
The purported influence of the moon in human affairs remains a feature of astrology.

Moon Names Throughout the Year and From Around the World
Notice the similarities between the names of the moon from around the world:
January
Wolf Moon - Medieval English

Quiet Moon - Celtic

Cold Moon - Cherokee

Holiday Moon - Chinese

February
Storm Moon - Medieval English

Moon of Ice- Celtic

Bony Moon - Cherokee

Budding Moon - Chinese

March
Chaste Moon - Medieval English

Moon of Winds- Celtic

Windy Moon - Cherokee

Sleepy Moon - Chinese

April
Seed Moon - Medieval English

Growing Moon - Celtic

Flower Moon - Cherokee

Peony Moon - Chinese

May
Hare Moon - Medieval English

Bright Moon - Celtic

Planting Moon - Cherokee

Dragon Moon - Chinese

June
Dyan Moon - Medieval English

Moon of Horses- Celtic

Green Corn Moon - Cherokee

Lotus Moon - Chinese

July
Mead Moon - Medieval English

Moon of Claiming- Celtic

Ripe Corn Moon - Cherokee

Hungry Ghost Moon - Chinese

August
Corn Moon - Medieval English

Dispute Moon - Celtic

Fruit Moon - Cherokee

Harvest Moon - Chinese

September
Barley Moon - Medieval English

Singing Moon - Celtic

Nut Moon - Cherokee

Chrysanthemum Moon - Chinese

October
Blood Moon - Medieval English

Harvest Moon - Celtic

Harvest Moon - Cherokee

Kindly Moon - Chinese

November
Snow Moon - Medieval English

Dark Moon - Celtic

Trading Moon - Cherokee

White Moon - Chinese

December
Oak Moon - Medieval English

Cold Moon - Celtic

Snow Moon - Cherokee

Bitter Moon - Chinese

Moon Phases
The revolution of the Moon around the Earth makes the Moon appear as if it is changing shape in the sky. This is caused by the different angles from which we see the bright part of the Moon's surface. These are called "phases" of the Moon. Of course, the Moon doesn't generate any light itself; it just reflects the light of the Sun. The Moon passes through four major shapes during a cycle that repeats itself every 29.5 days. The phases always follow one another in the same order. What you see when you look at the moon depends on its location in relationship to the sun and Earth. We see a different fraction of sunlight being reflected from the moon to Earth.
Although this cycle is a continuous process, there are eight distinct, traditionally recognized stages, called phases. The phases designate both the degree to which the Moon is illuminated and the geometric appearance of the illuminated part. These phases of the Moon, in the sequence of their occurrence (starting from New Moon), are listed below
(1) New Moon - When the Moon is roughly in the same direction as the Sun, its illuminated half is facing away from the Earth, and therefore the part that faces us is all dark: we have the new moon. When in this phase, the Moon and the Sun rise and set at about the same time.
(2) Waxing Crescent Moon - As the Moon moves around the Earth, we get to see more and more of the illuminated half, and we say the Moon is waxing. At first we get a sliver of it, which grows as days go by. This phase is called the crescent moon.
(3) Quarter Moon - A week after the new moon, when the Moon has completed about a quarter of its turn around the Earth, we can see half of the illuminated part; that is, a quarter of the Moon. This is the first quarter phase.
(4) Waxing Gibbous Moon - During the next week, we keep seeing more and more of the illuminated part of the Moon, and it is now called waxing gibbous (gibbous means "humped").
(5) Full Moon - Two weeks after the new moon, the moon is now halfway through its revolution, and now the illuminated half coincides with the one facing the Earth, so that we can see a full disk: we have a full moon. As mentioned above, at this time the Moon rises at the time the Sun sets, and it sets when the Sun rises. If the Moon happens to align exactly with the Earth and Sun, then we get a lunar eclipse.
(6) Waning Gibbous Moon - From now on, until it becomes new again, the illuminated part of the Moon that we can see decreases, and we say it's waning. The first week after full, it is called waning gibbous.
(7) Last Quarter Moon - Three weeks after new, we again can see half of the illuminated part. This is usually called last quarter.
(8) Waning Crescent Moon - Finally, during the fourth week, the Moon is reduced to a thin sliver from us, sometimes called waning crescent.
CURRENT MOON
moon info

Those who wish to have something to track the phases of the moon offline and in their own home, may wish to get a lunar almanac, like the Lunaria Lunar Almanac 2007.

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