The Moon

Key Concepts:

Luna is our instinctual nature. Her energy is primarily female, magnetic, and receptive. Both our primary fears as well as our sense of our personal comfort zone are totally conditioned by the position of the Moon. She is the conditioning factor of our “biological karma” for she represents cellular memory and the force of the DNA that flows through our genetic make-up.

The Moon is, therefore, not just the symbol for our physical mother; she is also the unit of synthesis that represents all of our ancestors, our tribe, race, and accordingly, our inherited (biological) history. She is the expression of our “automatic response network,” our mode of receptivity to external and internal life circumstances, as well as the conditioner of our sense of belonging or alienation from what is most familiar or unfamiliar.

It is through her sign in our natal chart, that we express the form of our nurturing abilities while her aspects to the other planets condition the way we support others and allow ourselves to be supported in return. The Moon in Taurus for example, comforts and is comforted by material security, sensual treats, and other “goodies.” The Moon in Sagittarius nurtures much differently. She helps us grow through providing experiences that widen our horizons and help us to rise up out of our challenges and super-subjectivity by showing us the larger issues of life. The Moon in Aries is an “uncomplicated creature” and tells the world exactly how she feels in any given moment, while the Moon in Scorpio waits for you to uncover her secrets, which more often than not, are also secrets to her.

Whatever sign the Moon is in will describe your mother as well as your own sense of mothering. The Moon will always point to the important women in our lives. In the case of a man (or a gay woman), it will describe the type of women (i.e. the nature of the emotional field and the kind of nurturing we seek to secure) to whom we feel most attracted. (Keep in mind we are not always attracted to the people who nurture us correctly—it all depends on the lunar position!) For more information, click here.

The house position of the Moon tells us where we are most likely to search for and find these important women in our lives. In the chart of men or women, the house position of the Moon is indicative of where the nurturing dynamics of our lives are found in their most natural state. A well-placed Moon in Leo in the 5th house will give a natural orientation to be with children or young people. It will also indicate the urge to be with highly creative women and/or be a powerfully creative woman yourself. A poorly aspected Moon in the 11th house, will reveal a person who does not feel nurtured by society in general or his or her social group in particular. They will thus tend to socialize (whenever they do socialize) with other people who do not quite “fit in.”

The Moon is the Soul, while the Sun is the Spirit. The Moon indicates our personality ~ the many-faceted vehicle through which Soul expresses itself. In the horoscope, it’s important that the Sun and Moon be in balance so we can effectively navigate life’s experiences. It doesn’t mean you can’t be successful, it simply means you will have to work harder to achieve your life’s purpose.

The female principle; our emotional responses, moods, changes, fluctuations. Our ability to give and receive nurturing; the nurturing parent, the home, how we seek security. Our habits, conditioning and unconscious behavior, what we do instinctually; how we take care of our physical needs, our eating habits in particular.

The Moon represents the feminine, Yin polarity and stands in equal power to the Solar masculine Yang principle. The Moon offers a receptive container for the Solar masculine Yang energies. We actualize the potential of our Sun’s purpose through the vehicle of our Moon personality.

The Moon is a symbol for the mother, family, domestic life and our emotional needs. The Moon signifies how as adults we define security based on our experiences of being nurtured, supported and protected.

The Moon represents the nurturing matrix and is most influential in the earliest years, prior to the development of the rational mind. As children, we are emotional sensors, unconsciously absorbing many of our parents’ assumptions and attitudes – the beginnings of our psychological patterns, arising from our earliest life experiences.

The Moon represents the past through memory, feeling sense, habits and our early conditioning through our earliest experiences. The Moon does not recognize separateness, but is inclusive and identifies. It shows how our early conditioning affects the way we nurture ourselves and also how we absorb what life throws our way.

It is important for the Sun and Moon to be in a harmonious relationship in the chart ~ there needs to be cooperation between the will of the Higher Self and the desire of the Personality to face life’s challenges and opportunities. Study the relative strengths or weaknesses of their relationship in your chart to Understand where compromise may be necessary.

Generally: The Mother ~ Soul; form-giving aspect of life; the Personality; receptivity and magnetism; fertility ~ the desire to produce life

Symbology:

The symbol of the Moon as a crescent represents the “container of life.” In essence, it is the fertile womb, open to receive the Sun’s seed energy.

Plants Associated with the Moon:

Cabbage, melon, cucumber, pumpkin, endive, lettuce, mushroom, watercress, white lily, white poppy, white rose, rosemary, chickweed, iris, all night-blooming plants, maple, olive, and sap-bearing trees