One of the cycles of the moon that is rarely talked about when discussing manifestation with the moon is the Lunar Gestation Cycle. While most of us know that the moon cycle is 29ish days due to the length of time it takes the moon to complete her trek through the zodiac, there’s more than this one moon cycle at play.
It’s important to acknowledge and understand this longer cycle because it allows more time and space for larger creations such as creative projects with longer timelines as well as life events. In this post I’ll define the term Lunar Gestation Cycle, and the astrologer who discovered it. I’ll also share real-life examples of how the cycle has shown up in my life and give tips on how to use the cycle for creation and manifestation in your life and business.
What is the Lunar Gestation Cycle?
The Lunar Gestation Cycle is a longer lunar cycle of 36 months that reveals a longer story in our lives. Discovered by Boston-based astrologer, Dietrich Pessin, the Lunar Gestation cycle follows the moon through the four main phases. The major lunations: New, First Quarter, Full and Last Quarter occur in the same sign, around the same degree every 9 months.
In her book, Lunar Shadows III, affiliate link, Pessin outlines as the moon goes through each phase, a part of the story is illuminated in the experience of the person. The basics of the traditional moon cycle suggest that seeds are planted at the New Moon, a point of decision happens around the First Quarter Moon, manifestations or truths are revealed at the Full Moon and another point of decision to release happens at the Last Quarter Moon.
With the longer Lunar Gestation Cycle, those same points happen every 9 months.
Below, is an example of how the Moon shows up at these particular points in the Moon Cycle.
At the New Moon, the Moon Family is defined. The Moon Family is the set of lunations, New, First Quarter, Full and Last Quarter, as determined by the sign and approximate degree the entire cycle will occur.
Once the moon goes into the First Quarter phase as part of this longer cycle 9 months later, events and circumstances evolve and allow the person to make a choice or a decision regarding the rest of the cycle.
By the time the story is fully illuminated during the Full Moon, another 9 months has passed and it has been 18 months since the New Moon seeds were planted. Nine months later, it’s time to make another choice within the story and release what is no longer needed, as are the recommended practices at a Last Quarter Moon.
It’s actually pretty fantastic to see this longer cycle at play. It can get a bit overwhelming when you realize that you are living life within dozens of cycles layered on top of each other. Every New Moon, a new cycle begins, and each phase of that month, is a point in the longer cycle. But you are also living within the longer 9 months of each point of each cycle.
One of these days, I may actually sit down and figure out just how many cycles we are experiencing in one day, but it’s overwhelming to even think about!
Why is the Lunar Gestation Cycle Important?
As a creator, I had a hard time aligning with the monthly moon cycle. I could not understand how planting seeds at the New Moon (the inception of a creative spark of a creative project) could culminate (be completed and ready to release to the world,) in 29 days at the 3rd quarter moon. Some projects take longer than 29 days!
I knit, sew and am a general maker of pretty things, so 29 days seems like too short of a time to follow. When I was introduced to this work by my mentor, Bronwyn Simons, it changed my life. All of a sudden, I felt so much time and space within my life and for the projects and to dos on my list.
I could plant seeds and allow the project more space to bloom over the next 9 months. Wow! It has been a game-changer for this baby witch for sure!
Adopting this longer cycle into life and business has been a bit of a challenge though. Not every Moon Family will affect you the same as others. Below, I’ll share some examples of how the cycle has been working in my life.
A Real Example of the Lunar Gestation Cycle in Action
I’ve been tracking my life in a daily tracker since autumn of 2019. I had forsaken a physical planner/notebook years ago for my Trello board, but I had been using a physical daily tracker to make sense of my menstrual cycles and energy, so the data was there and ready to be analyzed.
Part of adopting this cycle as a means to live life more cyclically and spaciously is tracking life’s events. I intended to align my life with the natural cycles in order to have more time to be creative and play.
In order to use the Lunar Gestation Cycle most effectively, I had to know a bit more about astrology. I already knew my big 3 signs, my Sun, Rising and Moon signs. But I also needed to be aware in which house each lunation was happening. Here are some examples of Moon Families that have affected me.
New Moon Solar Eclipse December 14, 2020
This Moon Family was at 23° in my 1st house. I tend to tie my work with my identity because of my Chiron and Midheaven placements. So this story is actually about my work in the world.
At the New Moon, I was struggling with my identity as an entrepreneur and doing gig work to pay the bills.
At the First Quarter Moon, September 13, 2021, the gig work suddenly became less lucrative and unable to support me and my family, as my passion project business was failing to produce any revenue no matter what I tried to do.
By the time the Full Moon came around on June 14, 2022, I was working as a server at a restaurant and hating the work, but trying to get caught up on debt payments. I was also rethinking the entrepreneurial life and how I could better serve the world.
The Last Quarter Moon on March 15, 2023 revealed to me that I needed to get back into serving the world through my healing skills, not a toxic workplace like the restaurant, and began making moves towards becoming an astrologer.
The cycle continues.
On December 12, 2023, a New Moon in Sagittarius at 20° will plant seeds for the next cycle in my 1st house.
Pessin’s book, Lunar Shadows III, has so many examples of actual client’s lives unfolding through these Moon Family Stories. Her book helped me understand how to apply this to my life and start planning my life and creative outputs based on these longer cycles.
5 Tips to Use the Lunar Gestation Cycle
Use Your Chart
I already knew my Big 3 signs and which houses they were in, so I started really noticing how those times were affecting me, or had affected me in the past. I was lucky to have the data from my daily tracker that went far enough back to understand the wisdom I was to glean from the themes that were playing out.
Look to Your Past
Even if you have not been documenting your life, you can look back to big moments and see at which lunations they occurred around, and then track the family back and forward to see if you notice any other parts of that story that played out. Pessin’s book has the Moon Family Ephemeris in the index so you can travel back in time to do this work.
Once you get the hang of layering the cycle over your past by looking back at the big events of your life, you can begin to use this tool to start to plan and manifest more effectively. Know which lunations and families will affect you the most and really dig into documenting those times.
Track Life
There are plenty of planners, BuJos and notebooks out there for you to begin using the Lunar Gestation Cycle in your life. I created one, the Moon Play MoJo, where you can choose to track the moon phases and/or daily life.
I tend to get quite granular when analyzing these kinds of things, so I like the daily pages to look back upon at each point of the longer cycle. It helps to have the 2-3 days before and after the lunation point documented for later analysis.
Start Small
I was overwhelmed when I realized that I was living in the middle of dozens of cycles that had specific vibes and necessary actions for them.
“If the 1st quarter of one family is happening soon, did I do the work the past 9 months in order to manifest the most ideal circumstance to make a decision for this particular time of the cycle? Shit, what do I do?!”
What I had to do was step back and look at the bigger picture and TRUST. I added a weekly Moon ritual to my self care practice and began noticing what was happening in my life as each phase went by. And then, when a New Moon happened, I really focused on setting intentions based on the house of my chart the moon was in.
You can begin even more simply by tracking the New Moons and Full Moons, and layer the other two points later on.
What if I mess up?
The beauty of this work is that it’s cyclical, and you can’t really mess it up. You are supported by the Universe and even if you don’t pay attention and track all the things, you will still manifest the lessons and wisdom at each point of the cycle.
Closing
Using the Lunar Gestation Cycle to create and work in the world can be a game changer in your life. If you’ve been struggling to make sense of how to manifest with the Moon because her cycle is too short, this can feel like a more spacious solution for you.
Remember, the Lunar Gestation cycle outlines a 36 month cycle in which the moon moves through the same sign around the same degree at each quarter lunation every 9 months.
Use the tips and examples above to guide you as you embark on this journey. If you’d like more guidance, let’s have a chat! I offer one on one Moon readings to help you understand your natal moon placement, and how to manifest with the moon.