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I finally received a request from a reader. Hey hey! Things are looking up. Well… at least I have a few readers <grin grin>. The request from Sachin Pednekar was to write something informative about the Moon signs. It was mentioned that occasionally Sun sign descriptions do not fit and, rather, the Moon sign seemed to be much more accurate in describing traits. (I hope I got that right). The final paragraphs of this article begin to answer this question, where the meat of the text is context for doing so.
In astrology, the Big Three are known as the Rising Sign or the Ascendant, the Sun and the Moon. If you know all three, then you can tell them to an astrologer and s/he can get a basic sense of your chart (just from these three pieces – hence their importance). The Rising Sign is an important feature in the chart as it sets the template or the framework that one’s planets fall into. It also determines what energy (planet) is manifesting in what area of life (the houses). Without the birth time, it is challenging to get a really accurate interpretation because the Rising Sign is determined using the time of birth. For instance being born at sunrise vs. midnight would make a significant difference in the chart. The Sun, of course, is the primary energy in the chart, the impulse to be, to take action and to progress through life. The Sun is basically the driver behind the other planets as well – for example, Venus takes the Sun’s energy and transforms and molds it to manifest in her silky, sensual, artistic manner. This is the case with the rest of the planets as well. [Jupiter is the only planet that technically gives off a little of its own energy.] The way in which we interact with the public, with strangers and our primary purpose for being here is colored by the Sun’s sign, house placement and aspects. And finally, the Moon: It is my intention to describe the Lunar orb first, as this is such an integral and personal planet – having much to do with our form, physiological and emotional functions (among many other attributes).
I want to mention as a disclaimer, that one of the reasons we have astrologers in the world is that the art of choice-centered, frequency-based astrological interpretations is a very complex process. It takes years to learn and even longer to master. There are many, many factors to take into account when doing someone’s chart, therefore, when you read the following paragraphs, please, please(!) don’t say – “Oh, he says <blank> about that Moon sign, I have that in my chart, therefore <blank> must be true about me.” Nope! Before jumping to any solid conclusions, go have your chart done by a professional (like me).
Among astrologers, it is common knowledge that the Sun rules the male body and the Moon rules the female body. Upon hearing this, someone might assume that the Sun is stronger in male’s charts and vice verse. Actually I believe we often come in with a stronger polarity in one direction – for instance, someone might have had many lives as a beautiful woman, and then they take a male rebirth. I would say there is a good chance you would find that particular man to be more sensitive, receptive and more in touch with his inner feminine than the “average male.” The same goes for women – sometimes you find a woman’s chart having a preponderance of fire and air signs, often leading to a strong, outspoken woman; and thankfully so – with fiery women come the progression of women’s rights and liberties. So, without a more in depth analysis of the chart, one cannot tell which planet – Sun or Moon will be stronger. Overall there might be a tendency for Sun to be stronger for men and the Moon for women.
In my limited experience, the Moon is one of the strongest indicators of where we have been in recent past lives. Another way of putting this is that the Moon sign, house placement, its aspects and its sign’s ruler reveals what we have been working on the most in recent incarnations. This makes sense when you consider that the Moon rules our instinctive reactions, our defense mechanisms and our gut feelings. Basically the essence of the Moon (sign, placement, element, etc) is so deeply ingrained within us that we now react in its manner without needing to be conscious of the decision / re-action. For instance, an Aries Moon in the 9th house (that did not have significant hard aspects) may show an increased devotion to political or social progress – most likely indicating the individual is an activist and participant in protests and social movements, there would be a definite camaraderie with those of lesser fortunes – empathy for the underdogs of the world. If there was some strong Saturn, 11th house planets, a strong Uranus, or Sun in Aquarius for instance, this Moon placement would blend very well for a desire to be involved in progressive movements and non-profit, benefit-others groups, maybe even being a manager or organizer within them.
This Aries energy would show an ability to stand on their own two feet, possibly having been in a warrior / guardian / mercenary position in the past – leading to quick reactions and rapid, instinctive actions. And to bring this warrior energy into the body, an individual with an Aries Moon would need to do some work to relax their adrenals – call it what you will – karma, birth trauma, childhood wounds, social conditioning, etc, but something would be making their adrenals and sympathetic nervous system run on overtime. The “fight-flight-or-freeze” mechanism may not ever turn off completely, until an authentic healing regimen has been adhered to (see other posts on this blog for further info here). Their natural (without a lot of healing work) stance would be tense, rigid and ready to spring into action.
As the Moon is an indicator of where we have been, it is a deeper, often subconscious influence. In general the Moon sign and placement is referred to as the manner in which we relate with ourselves. Where the Sun generally represents how we react and display ourselves to the public, the Moon is often more secretive. Its nature only comes out when you get to know the person better. Or, if you know what you are looking for, and you know the person’s Moon sign (and chart), then you can see this lunar influence flavoring their lives and their reactions. There are exceptions to this rule, but the Moon is generally a quieter influence in a chart until you gain the individual’s trust. This is the case because the Moon rules the home, domestic needs and attitudes, that which is deep below the surface, and the mother; along with having a strong familial association. Therefore if the person starts to treat you like a family member, then their Moon sign and placement will be much more obvious.
In conclusion, I would recommend having an open mind to chart analysis – get information from many books before coming to any major conclusions. Preferably, get a professional astrologer to interpret your chart, as there are many factors which go into having a quality interpretation conducted. Regarding the Moon, it plays a role in our instinctive reactions, our moods, intuition and defensive mechanisms, as well as physiological functions (some hormone production, fertility, the womb, the skin and other influences come under its lunar rulership). The Moon has a lot to do with what we want in a home and regarding domestic affairs – how big, how stable (do we like to roam while having a solid place to return to), who else is in our home with us, do we want a family at all? How big a family?
To answer the question which was posed by a reader – why does it seem that some people’s Moon signs are readily evident, even when compared to their Sun signs? – well first, it is complicated. I know, what a cliche! But it is true – the Sun enjoys being in certain signs and certain houses (known as its Rulership – Leo or Exaltation – Aries or Joy – 9th house) and it would rather not be in others. The same is true for the Moon (Rules Cancer, Exalts in Taurus, takes its Joy in the 3rd house) and the Moon has signs where the energy is very cold or dry, not typical lunar traits. Remember what I said above, about our Moon signs being more personal and maybe even secretive. If you are really open minded, tending to offer unconditional loving-kindness to those around you, then guess what? Those people will probably open up really, really rapidly and their Moon sign will be available for public viewing. And finally, I have another theory which we will add to what I have mentioned above.
This alternative or supplemental theory is this: hard (major), strong (close orb) aspects play a significant role in what psycho-spiritual issues we are dealing with in life (especially in this particular incarnation). To describe this in brief, the hard aspects are the Conjunction, the Square and the Opposition. In general the Square and the Opposition aspects tend to lead to challenges or obstacles which we must overcome, and the same can be true of the Conjunction depending on the planets involved (certain planets work really well together, others not so much). If we have our Natal Saturn making an exact Square (e.g. Saturn at 9 degrees of Virgo, Moon at 9 degrees of Gemini) to our Natal Moon, then I would posit that the Moon’s sign manifestation will be grossly restricted. In this case, it might be difficult to tell which mutable sign their Moon is in. There might be a Saturnian, stern, dutiful attitude which travels with this person until they have undergone some personal growth work (bringing awareness to their defense mechanisms and their personality structures, etc). It might seem like they have days of stern pessimism blended with other days of incredible productivity.
To continue this theme, its seems to me that the Moon is especially susceptible to significant aspects (close orb). This makes sense when you consider it is the primary emotional and possibly even the primary reproductive impulse in the body / mind system. It is associated with so much which we take for granted – moods, reactions, instincts, etc. Therefore, having the Moon conjunct Pluto or the Moon opposite Neptune begins to play an even larger role in our lives, and in the individual’s psycho-spiritual make up. So… in taking up the question, again, we find there are many variables, and maybe, in your case, most of your friends have Natal Moons that are making close aspects and therefore this dynamic colors their life and their personality more – making the Moon sign more obvious, maybe even more so than the Sun.
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