The Moon in Astrology
Let’s Get To Know The Moon
In Western Astrology, especially in the modern, pop-culture vein of charts and signs and memes, much attention is given to your Sun. It is the easiest influence to know since all you need is your birthday. However, while the Sun is the core of your personality, and the influence around which the others orbit, it is only half of the central polarity that exists in us as humans. The Sun is the Yang, the masculine, the active, revolving around self-will and creativity. This would be an incomplete picture without the balance that comes through the Yin, feminine, receptive, and inner-focused Moon. Let’s first get acquainted with our celestial compatriot, and the relationship we have have with her, before discussing roles she plays in your birth chart.
It happened. Get over it already.
Despite the controversy and conspiracy that online groups and tinfoil hat types claim, we actually know quite a bit about the Moon. Before you say anything, yes, that includes actually going to the Moon in 1969. I know, I know, your crazy coworker Larry sent you a bunch of videos showing how it was all a big hoax. The problem is, there is plenty of physical proof of the Moon landing. If you need a more comprehensive claim-by-claim debunking of this conspiracy theory that won’t die, check out this great Associate Press breakdown.
Nasa has a fantastic page about the Moon that you should check out! We won’t go through all of the facts here, but there are plenty to be found on this page, authored by actual Astrophysicists, and not Larry.
When it comes to how we actually got the Moon, there are still some mysteries that science is working to untangle.
The vast majority of researchers who have - and continue to - contemplate the Moon’s origins hold to what is called the “Giant Impact Hypothesis.” This solution posits that the Earth was struck by a large asteroid sometime after, or possibly late in, its formation. This pulverized part of the earth, which was ejected into space, but then captured by the gravity of Earth, the debris from the impact spinning and eventually forming into the Moon we gaze upon today. However, even this theory has some issues and research continues with the launching of the Artemis missions in 2022. By the way, if we faked the first one, was that enormous rocket a trick pulled by Hollywood on some movie lot?
Others have suggested ideas such as “The Moon Capture” scenario which holds that the Earth “stole” our Moon from Venus. There are some major issues with that, however it is interesting to think about. The main evidence to scientists contemplating this solution is that Venus is very much like Earth in density and how we think it formed, however, it has no Moon. Why? Maybe it once did. What if our gravitational pull grabbed a Moon that was originally formed around Venus during a close enough pass of the two planets? Others believe that issues present in the Giant Impact Hypothesis are solved not by a Moon theft, but by the Moon forming alongside Earth as part of its protoplanetary disk, or possibly spun off as the early Earth whirled around early in its infancy, thus not requiring a giant asteroid impact. Who knows?
Drawing of the Aurignacian Lunar Calendar (1970) - circa 32,000 BCE
When it comes to ancient humans and The Moon, we find that she has played a significant role in our development, mythologies, society, religion, and, maybe most of all, very practical facets of human life. In fact, the oldest “calendar” ever found was a piece of bone carved with markings represeting the phases and positions of the Moon as they watched her change everyday. It dates to around 32,000 BCE and it appears such items were used by our early ancestors to track time, seasons, animal migrations, and make plans. The Moon makes the perfect marker for this. So much so, that our word “month” comes from the same root as Moon, as it was she, and not the Sun, who first divided our months, seasons and year, until the Julian calendar replaced the Lunar year with the Solar year.
You can read more about humankind’s history of observing, studying, and speculating about the Moon and how she affects us here, and here.
Solar Eclipses are possible on Earth only because the Moon, though 400 times smaller than the Sun, is 400 time closer to us here on Earth - thus both appear to us as the same size and the Moon can completely cover the Sun when the Earth passes between them in just the right manner.
Our Moon is highly unique as we gaze out into the heavens and survey other planet-moon characteristics. While our moon is almost 400 times smaller than the Sun, it also happens to be about 400 time closer to Earth. This means that even though the Moon is tiny compared to our Sun, the 1:1 ratio resulting from the size and distance calculation means the Moon appears to be the same size as the Sun, and can cover the entire Sun from our perspective - what we refer to as a Solar Eclipse. This seems to be the product of pure cosmic coincidence and is something not seen much out in the reaches we have been able to study and capture data on. Lunar eclipses - when a planet passes between a star and a Moon, thus blocking the light and eclipsing the moon - are common place out in the Universe as the planets around which moons orbit are larger than the moons. It is only due to our Moon’s unique distance and size relationship with our Sun that we experience Solar Eclipses. Wild, right? Here is a great page where you can find dates for solar and lunar eclipses in the coming years.
The Moon in Astrology
As I stated on the outset, when it comes to Astrology, much focus is put on your Sun sign. All the inane pop-Astrology memes in Instagram highlight this influence, often differing from each other wildly even when talking about the same sign.
Yin and Yang - a pictorial representation of the active-passive polarity represented by the Sun and Moon in Astrology
The Sun is the core of our Astrological profile for sure. Like the Solar System itself, the Sun represents that central part of you that everything else revolves around. However, this core is a polarity, not a solitary set of characteristics or traits. What I mean is, this core is made up of the Sun - the Yang, active, “masculine” pole - and the Moon - the Yin, receptive, “feminine” pole. Together, this balancing act forms the very center of our birth chart. Something we have symbolized through a variety of means. A very commonly known symbol demonstrating this connective duality is the Yin Yang.
What does the moon represent in my chart?
In Astrology, the Moon represents the inner, emotional, instinctual and subconscious components of our psyche. While the Sun is our creative will and vitality, the Moon is how we process emotion, nurture those around us, and operate when it comes to the misty, wordless world of feeling.
The Moon itself does not carry any characteristics or qualities - just like the Sun and planets. Alone, they represent containers that are filled with the traits and characteristics of the Sign that it occupies on your chart. Think of them like an empty jar with labels indicating the part of your personality they represent.
The Moon and The Signs
Like I mentioned above, the Moon itself does not provide any “meaning” or interpretation in your chart alone. To understand what your Moon brings to your overall chart reading, you need to know the sign which the Moon was occupying at the time of your birth.
This is the Heretic Astrologer’s chart. You can see that my Moon is in Aquarius, in the 7th House, with aspects between my Ascendant, Neptune, Saturn, and Jupiter. It’s also sitting right at a point on the chart that is referred to as the Descendant. While the Ascendant is about how you operate with Yourself, the Descendant (the “cusp” of the 7th House of Marriage & Partnerships) is how you operate with others.
The Moon, being so close to Earth, moves through the signs very quickly. Approximately every 2.5 days, the Moon moves into the next sign on the wheel of the Zodiac. Twelve signs, 2.5 days in each sign, and you get 28 days. Boom. That is where the Lunar month originated - the time it took for the Moon to move through the entire Zodiac, only to begin the cycle again in a new “month.”
The signs are what fill the empty containers - representing the Sun, Moon, Ascendant, and the Planets. The sign that fills the jar brings the traits, characteristics, motivations, elemental qualities, and communication mode (i.e., cardinal, fixed or mutable) to give meaning to that particular influence. So, having your Moon in Aries, for example, will be very different than having your Moon in Cancer.
Let’s talk a little about Cancer, as this is the sign which the Moon “rules.” The fourth sign of the Zodiac, Cancer is the cardinal water sign and ushers in the Summer as it begins on the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year. Planetary rulerships do not mean the Moon and Cancer are the same. Remember, the Moon represents a part of your pysche ready to be defined and filled with qualities, the sign you Moon is in defines what those qualities are. Everybody has that empty Moon jar, but those jars become very different from each other as a sign defines it. The Moon represents our inner world of feeling, emotions, and instincts. It is connected with Cancer because this sign is defined by a heavy dose of feeling, intuition, motivations to nurture, and moodiness that matches the changing face of the Moon itself. So, they are not the same, however they are tightly coupled in Astrology because the qualities of Cancer are focused around what the Moon represents.
This makes it possible for a huge array of different ways of being as the jars of your chart are filled with these differing, and often contradictory, influences. For instance, my Sun is in Cancer. The masculine, active pole of my inner duality is defined by a feminine, receptive set of qualities as Cancer’s element is water. Cancer may be associated with the Moon, but it happens to be filling the jar of my Sun. My Moon is in Aquarius, meaning my inner world, emotional nature, and instincts are defined by a masculine, intellectually motivated air sign. In fact, it is often considered the least emotional of the signs. So, my masculine, self-will half is populated by very feely energy, while my emotional core is defined by very thinky energy. It’s a weird place to be, trust me on that ;)
In addition to the traits and characteristics brought to your Moon by the sign it is in, the House it occupies also plays a significant role in figuring out what your Moon means on your chart. The Houses area static projection on the sky from earth that humans came up with. Unlike the wheel of the Zodiac itself, the houses do not change or rotate around the night sky. If you are having trouble identifying what the Houses are on your chart, they are the pizza slice looking things. If you imagine it as a clock, the first house begins at the 9 o’clock position. Moving counterclockwise, 8 o’clock is the “cusp” (the dividing lines between the houses and signs) of the second house, 7 o’clock the third house, and son on, all the around to the twelfth house at 10 o’clock. The Houses represent areas and arena of life. The House your Moon is in shows where your emotional nature is most focused, engage, triggered, or utilized. For example, Cancer’s (the sign associated with the Moon) natural house is the fourth House of Home and Family. This house contains areas of life such as your childhood, rearing, memories, history, home, traditions, and motherly energy such as nourishing and nurturing. Each house contains different aspects of life and the different places and situations that act as the stage for the planet-sign combos found within them.
how to interpret your moon in your astrological chart
Locate your Moon on your chart (see my chart above to spot the Moon glyph - hint: it actually looks like a Moon ;)
Identify the sign of your Moon - if it is close to the cusp of a sign, pay attention to the little numbers next to the symbol for the Moon; these are degrees and minutes that mark how far into the sign the Moon is. For example, on my chart above, you can see that my Moon is at 22-degrees, 47-minutes of Aquarius. Each sign is 30 degrees, so it is on a line between signs, the numbers will let you know which sign it is technically in. Lower numbers indicate being at the early part of a sign, larger numbers toward the end of a sign. So if you are on the line between Cancer and Leo, say, and it shows something 0-degrees, 12-minutes, your Moon is in Leo.
Identify the house your Moon is in.
Take note of any aspects (those red and blue lines) that are formed between the Moon and other elements on your chart.
Get some help from a professional! It can be challenging developing some meaning out of your chart without some help from experts who understand the myriad components, relationships, and meanings of an Astrological profile. This is maybe one of the best ways to learn Astrology, through your own chart being read by someone competent and knowledgeable from which you can glean some familiarity.
No need to worry! Get your Moon sign reading today. You will learn a lot about how you operate when to your emotional nature, your subconscious world, the instincts you fall back on when reacting, communication in parental and romantic relationships, and more.
Yours, The Heretic Astrologer 🤘🏽🌙🤘🏽
