The Moon

The Moon acts in partnership with the Sun. The fact that it is the closest body to the Earth gives it a personal quality in the chart. Its influence in the chart is very noticeably changed by its continually changing relationship to the Sun. The Moon itself remains the same but it presents a changing picture as it reflects the Sun’s rays from constantly changing positions. The Moon rules the oceans, whose tides are also continually changing in harmony with the Moon’s movement. Even though the tides change and the surface of the oceans are in constant flux, the depths of the oceans remain under constant, steady pressure, unmoved by what is going on at the surface.

In the horoscope, the Moon represents the reflective side of our nature; the emotional side which is always changing and yet springs from deep within. The Moon represents the long line of traditional and ancestral achievements by which the individual is rooted. The Moon rules Cancer, the natural 4th house cusp, where the Earth is always located in any chart (since the earth is always beneath our feet). From the dust of the earth we are formed with the nourishing water of the ocean. We return our bodies again to the earth at our death. The Moon rules this physical reality of our being. It rules the raw material of our emotional makeup which forms our physical needs. The Sun, representing the driving force and spirit, forms our destiny. The Moon, by our actions, forms the fate we bring on ourselves and must endure in order to learn and mature into what destiny promises. It forms the structures through which spirit expresses itself

The Moon rules all containers, first of all the womb filled with water, through which we all enter into a physical existence. It represents the passive material substance which holds, nourishes and sustains life. It regulates all body fluids, including glandular secretions. It is considered feminine, passive and emotional. People with the Moon strong in the chart are often pulled into a public life. They are somewhat shy and evasive but love publicity. The Moon governs public tides, as well as ocean tides. The Moon on the Ascendant usually indicates that the individual will give assistance to all forms of life. Usually, it is only temporary help. Since they are restless and changeable, they find it difficult to hang onto people. As well, others find it difficult, if not impossible, to hang onto them. The Moon expresses itself through domestic activities. It always indicates a great deal about the individual’s relationship with the mother. This relationship forms the basis for the individual’s relationship with other women, as well as their relationship to the culture in which they grow up. The Moon and the 4th house cusp, where the earth is located, indicates the background of domestic, cultural, heritage which form the foundation of what we believe instinctively; the way we spontaneously feel about life. The Moon’s relationship to the Sun shows our contribution to the growing cycle of life. If born at New Moon or shortly past, one is seen to be breaking away from past heritage in an effort to make new beginnings in the culture. However, it will be necessary to spend considerable energy making a break with the past, although not necessarily in a destructive, total way but only in order to develop a personal uniqueness. If born at Full Moon, there is an attempt to solidify and maintain what is at hand. There is little concern for beginning anew. Instead there is an anxious desire to conserve what has been produced in order to see that nothing is wasted.