Lunar Calendar for Friday, January 17, 2025
Moon in Virgo · waning gibbous · lunar day 18
- 87% illuminated
- Element Earth
- Cold day
- 246,262 miles (396,321 km)
Virgo days favor logic, order, and small careful steps. “Measure twice, cut once” describes the mood well. Criticism sharpens too, toward yourself as much as toward others.
Waning gibbous
The Moon is still mostly lit, but the edge that brightened first is now fading. It rises later each evening and lingers into the morning sky. In lunar tradition, the waning weeks favor finishing, clearing, and letting go rather than starting something new.
On its monthly path across the sky, the Moon is now descending: seen from the Northern Hemisphere, each day it crosses the sky a little lower than the day before. In planting tradition, the descending Moon draws strength toward the roots—a time for planting, transplanting, and pruning.
Element of the day
- Element
- Earth
- Day character
- Cold
A cold earth day in Virgo lends itself to practical, exacting tasks; hands and mind both work reliably.
Lunar day 18
The eighteenth lunar day is a mirror: take an honest look at yourself and give the body a lighter routine.
Lunar days are counted from the new moon: day 1 begins at the new moon, and a cycle has 29 or 30 of them. Tradition gives each day its own character.
Health by lunar tradition
In lunar tradition, extra care goes to the digestive tract, small intestine, colon, nerves, spleen, and pancreas.
Under a waning Moon, the digestion appreciates rest: a light meal and an early night.
Virgo days belong to the digestion and the nerves. Tradition also counts them as skin-care days: masks for the face, hair, and body are said to work well now. Keep portions small.
After a meal, take a short walk instead of lying down.
January is short on daylight: step outside at midday for at least a quarter of an hour, since even a gray sky is far brighter than indoor light. Keep a regular sleep schedule, and look to food for vitamin D; the winter sun is too low to make much of it.
Food by lunar tradition
- Favored today
- Salts and minerals
Virgo days are mineral days. Root vegetables are the traditional stars: carrots, potatoes, beets, radishes, onions, garlic, and parsnips. Reach for mineral water and go easy on added salt even if the appetite for it grows.
With the Moon waning, tradition skips sweets in favor of fiber, vegetables, and fruit.
In lunar lore, the body switches from storing to spending after the full moon.
January cooking rests on the stored harvest: cabbage and sauerkraut, root vegetables, winter squash, apples, and nuts. Citrus is at its best now, and fermented vegetables add vitamin C of their own.
Reach for seasonal foods that suit the day: sauerkraut, beets, and apples.
Tip of the day: steam vegetables or cook them in little water, so more of their minerals stay on the plate.
Garden by the moon
- Plant part
- Root
January in the garden belongs to planning: draw up the planting plan, order seeds, and check stored produce, discarding anything that has started to rot. Keep the bird feeders full. Prune apple and pear trees only on frost-free days; cuts heal poorly in a hard freeze.
Virgo days are root days, and in lunar gardening lore the most reliable of them: whatever supports root growth is said to work better now than on other days. Herbalists gather herbs for the digestion and the nerves on Virgo days.
For fresh parsley and celery leaves in winter, plant a parsley or celeriac root in a deep pot on the windowsill.
Leafy vegetables taste sweeter after a frost, but tradition waits for a leaf day to harvest them; today the energy sits in the roots.
A waning Moon in winter favors houseplants: repot them, remove dry leaves, and in the cellar you can prepare rootstocks and scions for grafting.
Harvest time: this month belongs to crops such as Brussels sprouts and kale.
Seasonal advice is for the Northern Hemisphere’s temperate zone; south of the equator, swap the seasons. For the best days of the month, see planting by the moon and the lunar hair calendar.
Frequently asked questions
What moon is January 17th?
On January 17, 2025, the Moon was waning gibbous, 87% lit, in the sign of Virgo. It was day 18 of the lunar cycle.
Is January 17, 2025 a full moon?
No. On January 17, 2025, the Moon was waning gibbous. The nearest full moon after that date was February 12, 2025.
What day is the full moon in January 2025?
The full moon in January 2025 was the Wolf Moon on January 13, 2025, at 10:27 PM UTC.
The whole month day by day: lunar calendar January 2025; the whole year at a glance: lunar calendar 2025. Full moon in January 2025 · New moon in January 2025