How to Work With Different Phases of the Moon

Working with the different phases of the Moon can change your life. That’s a bold statement that comes from studying the Moon, her cycles and phases and the impact on the test subject (me) over the past 4 years. 

When we work with the Moon, we naturally align with nature and the states of being that we are meant to embody in these physical meat suits. Currently, we are Solar focused, yang or masculine-energy-outputting-and-doing machines. Unless of course you’ve experienced burnout like me. Then you’re probably a little trepidatious and seeking a new way of doing things in your life.

I’d like to introduce you to an alternative way of being—syncing with the Moon and her cycles.

By syncing with the moon and nature, we can feel more peace, ease and flow in life. We have more space, time and capacity for the hard things, as well as experiencing more joy and gratitude in our daily life. It’s a more feminine, lunar or yin way of being. Balance that with the Solar drive and you have a more complete human being! Yay!

Let’s look at how to work with different phases of the moon in our day to day activities.

Why Does it Matter if We Work With the Different Phases of the Moon?

The moon goes through her phases each month like clock work. New Moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, Full Moon, waning gibbous, last quarter, waning crescent and then dark again. Nature has synced with the lunar and solar cycles as indicated by their mating and hibernating patterns. 

There is evidence that Ice Age hunter-gatherers developed a sort of lunar calendar for hunting purposes. People have been using the moon as their calendar for a long time now. Anecdotally, the Old Farmer’s Almanac’s origins stem from astrology and managed to stay mainstream due to the information to help with planting and harvesting. Though, I suspect that the colonialists’ deviation from the European tradition stems from the rebellion energy that the United States was brought into being in. 

The Moon goes through her phases in specific zodiac signs too, just like the Sun visits each sign every 30 or so days. I love working with the moon and her cycle because:

1. It’s quicker than the Sun’s cycle.
2. She visits all the signs of the zodiac and in turn all of the planets in a chart in 29 days.
3. Studying her cycle helps us understand the longer cycles that all of the planets go through within the scope of astrology and our own lives. 

The Moon’s influence on our subconscious allows us to see things we normally would repress or ignore on our developmental journey. Knowing which sign (and house in your own birth chart,) that the moon is in helps you understand why the fuck you’re so moody today, or can’t seem to concentrate, or have an intense desire to lie about and eat bon bons. For the record, that would be Cancer, Pisces and Taurus moons respectively.

How to Work With the Different Phases of the Moon 

These are my favorite ways to work with the phases of the moon.

Daily Tracking

I track the Moon and her movement every single day by just noticing which sign she is in. And after having tracked it this way for 2 years now, I know which days are better for which activities. I used to think it was due to my personal cycle, but have since debunked that with this round of data collection. I use the Moon Play Moon Journal to track the sign for future reference. 

Weekly Moon Rituals

I sit down every week at the 4 big phases to honor the moon and my journey with a ritual and journaling. If you’ve been tracking the moon for awhile now, you’ll notice that her lunations all appear in the same modality as the Sun. For example, when the moon is in Pisces, we experience mutable lunations until the Sun moves into Aries and we experience cardinal lunations. The other cool thing is that each month, the same lunation is in the next sign in the zodiac, e.g. first quarter moon in Taurus in February means a first quarter moon in Gemini in March.

Lunar Gestation Cycle

This cycle has become near and dear to my heart. I have seen the evolution of myself and my worldly manifestations over the past 4 years in amazing ways. An astrologer named Dietrich Pessin noticed the pattern of lunations happening in the same sign and around the same degree over a 36 month period which she calls the lunar gestation cycle in which each quarter happens every 9 months, like clockwork. It’s a brilliant cycle to track longer manifestations and chapters in your life.

Tracking the Moon’s Movements in Your Chart

Once you get into the rhythm of the Moon, you can start to see how it plays with each planet in your chart every month. This is quite simple if you have a copy of your birth chart and this handy dandy little worksheet that I created for you.

There’s space to write the dates of the lunations that will hit those houses so that you can be ready for it. I like to know ahead of time so I can prepare, mentally and psychically, for the time. 

For instance, this month I learned why Taurus moon’s have been sucking for me lately. I was especially sensitive one day and looked at my chart to see what was going on since I didn’t experience any specific triggers and it turned out the Moon was sitting right on my natal Chiron, the wounded healer.

I gave myself some grace, switched my tasks around and did some Taurean-style work that felt productive but that didn’t rub the wound more raw, so to speak. I ended the day feeling successful and full of wisdom. I share this to help you with those tough days.

Below is the chart for the rest of the lunations in 2024 so that you can fill in the chart based on your own houses and be aware of what the Moon wants you to notice during those particular lunations.

How to Use the Moon in the Houses Worksheet

1. Pull up your birth chart. You can get your free one on Astro.com, or book a reading with me and I’ll get you set up.
2. Identify the signs on the outside of the houses and determine which sign goes in the 1st house or rising sign and fill in all of the signs based on your own birth chart.
3. Go down the list of each lunation and fill in the date for each lunation in that sign.
4. You’re ready! Now you have a cheat sheet to help you know which house the Moon will be showing up in at each lunation.

Moon Phases Worksheet

Download your worksheet by clicking the link below. Create a visual reminder of which houses in your birth chart are affected by each lunation with this Phases of the Moon worksheet. 

Yes, Please!