Moonwave guide

How Moonwave turns cycle check-ins into a moon mandala

A step-by-step look at how daily period, mood and symptom entries become a 28-day moon mandala in Moonwave, from first check-in to a completed wheel.

By the Moonwave team · Updated July 15, 2026 · 5 min read

A Moonwave moon mandala is not a template you fill in once - it is built gradually from your own check-ins. Here is what actually happens between logging a day and seeing it become part of the wheel.

1. A 28-day wheel is laid out

Moonwave divides a cycle into a 28-day circular wheel. Each day of the cycle has a fixed position on that circle, the same way each date has a fixed position on a calendar page - except here, position 1 and position 28 sit next to each other, closing the loop.

2. Each check-in adds a mark

When you log flow, mood, pain, symptoms or a custom signal for a day, that entry is drawn onto the wheel at that day's position. Different signals use different colors and shapes, so a quick glance at the wheel shows not just that something was logged, but roughly what was logged.

3. Moon phases sit alongside the data

The moon's phase for each date is shown as context around the same wheel. This is a visual anchor, not a claim - Moonwave does not assert that moon phases influence flow, mood or symptoms. It simply gives every cycle a recognizable, repeating backdrop to sit against.

4. The wheel fills in over the cycle

As the days pass, more of the circle fills in, and the shape of the current cycle becomes visible before it is even finished. This is different from a spreadsheet or list view, where you would need to scroll back to compare early and late entries - here they are already next to each other on the same shape.

5. Past wheels build a pattern view

Once a cycle completes, its wheel is kept, and Moonwave's pattern views can summarize signals that repeat across multiple wheels - for example, a symptom that tends to cluster around the same position cycle after cycle. These summaries describe what you recorded; they are not medical predictions or diagnoses.

6. You decide what happens to it

A finished mandala can be kept privately in the app, exported as a PDF, or shared as an image - only when you choose to. Because a mandala can contain sensitive information, Moonwave leaves that decision entirely with you rather than syncing it anywhere by default.

For the underlying idea behind the shape, read what a moon mandala actually is, or see the feature in context on the moon mandala page.