Astronomically, the Moon is an extension of Earth, it is its natural satellite and because it is very close to Earth, its gravitational force influences the tides and life on the planet as a whole. In Astrology, however, it is an archetype with many symbolisms and in its astrological glyph, the crescent lines are doubled, indicating the high level of receptivity, perception, and sensitivity involved. While the physical Moon orbits the Earth, in astrological schemes it immediately follows the Sun as a priority. The Sun and Moon are like Father and Mother.

The star reflects sunlight to our planet at night, illuminating us as we rest and restore our energy for the next day. Due to the high degree of receptivity involved, in astrology, the star symbolizes our emotions, intuition, habits, our immediate reactions to events (those that are displayed quickly with no time to think straight about what happened) and more unconscious side, just like our first years of life. It also symbolizes people and women in general, older sisters, aunts, someone who helped take care of you, your wife, and your mother.

The Moon moves between 12 and 13 degrees a day and to complete its entire cycle in the zodiac, it takes an average of 29.5 days, staying two and a half days in each sign. House 4 is associated with the Moon, which rules the Cancer sign and the day of the week is Monday - or “Moon day”. It has its exaltation in the Taurus sign and its fall in Scorpio.

Our inner power

The Moon is basically an emotional factor, not a rational one. Its influence on our personality tends to be instinctual, it is given to the whims of the sign it is using to operate. It represents the left side of the body, controlled by the right hemisphere of the brain. It is connected to the cycles of nature as well as the cycles of our body and our ingrained habits, being the selector key of our emotions.

The sign where our Moon is shows what makes us feel emotionally nourished, secure, satisfied, and the things we do in our eagerness to satisfy ourselves and others. It is the side of our personality that expresses a taste for the little things in everyday life.

While the energy of the Sun shows others our self-assertion, who we are in the world, the energy of the Moon touches our inner self, gives us sensitivity and intuition, shows who we are internally. It represents everything we do without reasoning, all non-verbal communication made through our emotions, intuitively or instinctively. It is a fact that much of what we express through our emotions ends up building our view of the world. Therefore, understanding the influences of the Moon in relation to our psychological mechanisms is fundamental for us to know ourselves.

The Moon is a female archetype and that is why it also works with the concept of motherhood and everything that involves this issue. Not only portraying the actual relationship between mother and children but also addressing a psychological side in which you promote self-acceptance, the act of holding yourself as a way to heal emotional wounds or nourish yourself.

In addition to this healing role, it is also responsible for the deep-rooted emotions, which is why what will prevail in its analysis are the individual’s emotional desires and needs, not reason. And in that case, we need to accept these feelings and deal with them accordingly to maintain our emotional and psychological balance.

As a symbol of our inner world, the one that only the closest and most intimate people can have full contact with, is the side that reveals itself behind closed doors. It is also the so-called “Unprotected Self”, which has to act on instinct and which usually appears when we face a crisis. Because of this, some people may not feel comfortable with their full expression. In times of great stress, the features of the moon are often exposed and make the person feel a little out of control or not, depending on its aspect in the birth chart.

One of the main mottos of the Moon in astrology is the habits we have, everything we do intuitively, almost without reasoning. It is called the “state of mind” and how we react to each situation: whether we become happy, sad or angry more easily.

As queen of the night, it is also one of the symbols of our sleep and dreams, of the past and the memory we have of it. It directs our sense of belonging, of being a part of something, or having more appreciation for one type of behavior or another. It sharpens our sense of aggregation, our need for safety, comfort, and well-being.

What the Moon can influence on your birth chart

The Moon can be considered as one of the most important factors in a birth chart, often saying more about a person than the Sun’s position itself. In order to be more successful in life and to have strong and balanced psychological and emotional equipment, which will handle the many situations that affect our psyche in our daily lives, analyzing and understanding the Moon’s mode of operation on the chart is really important.

Understanding the Moon can also provide information about your experience with the birth mother and/or also help to describe how the person acts when being its own mother. That is, how you are sensitive to your emotional state when dealing with your own needs. Our moon sign is valuable information to understand how the inner life of our family members, friends, and potential love partnerships is like, and how much the other’s emotions are akin to ours.

Just as by analyzing and taking care of your Sun you ensure your sanity and creativity, by taking care of your Moon, you ensure the maintenance of your state of happiness and nourishment. Some astrologers more connected to karmic astrology say that the positioning of the Sun in a birth chart, when well developed in a previous existence, becomes the Moon in the current existence. That is, the sun sign becomes the lunar sign.

The positioning of the moon may explain why two people with the same sun sign can be so different. If you were born with your sun and moon in the same sign, the effect is increased, which can create both harmony and an amplification of the signs of the sign. This is a key relationship in astrology and if there is a tug of war between the essential will to act and the emotions, there may be a conflict between the propositions of the sun and moon in the birth chart.

The Moon also guarantees our ability to react and deal not only with our emotions but with those of others. As far as the astrological houses are concerned, House 4 is the strongest position to have the Moon, along with the Cancer sign. Other good houses for the Moon are 2, 5, 9, 10, and 11. Houses 6 and 8 are not considered good places for lunar positioning. In houses, it indicates the area of life where we feel most emotional and fluctuating. It also gives clues about what happens in the home environment.

If the Moon is in conjunction with any planets, its mode of operation will be modified, especially if they are aspects with very close orbs. For example, if Mars is conjunct the Moon, Mars qualities such as aggressiveness, courage, assertiveness, and others will be more likely to be part of that person’s visible personality, where such attributes will also be charged with emotional energy.

In the birth chart of men (or of people with very pronounced masculine energy in their personality), it indicates the type of woman or feminine energy that the person feels most comfortable with, that they would choose as a partner. In this sense, the Moon does not act like Venus, in the sensual and erotic sense of desire, for example. The Moon acts towards what we need, not what we want.

The scope of the moon on the chart can also say a lot about our interests, hobbies, and things that make us feel good, where we can automatically be attracted to.  For example, a Moon in House 8 can make a person more interested in occult things, secrets, mysteries, and even occultism and astrology. Just as in House 9, it can bring a greater passion for absorbing knowledge and valuing optimism, exploration, and freedom. In House 10, our career, reputation, fame, and life goals. The astrological house where the Moon is placed in the birth chart is also the area of life where a person can be most secretive.

The moon (along with house 2) is also a guide to eating habits and preferences. If we take the characteristics of the Moon, the Sun, and our Rising sign, mix everything together, we have the most basic essence of our personality.

The balanced side of the Moon suggests increased sympathy and affects our ability to better understand our feelings and reactions as well as those of the other person, adding to our empathy. It awakens our desire to help others, to dedicate ourselves, nurture and protect, in addition to sharpening our affection, intuition and instincts. It brings more satisfaction with our emotions, with who we are internally, as well as providing more tranquility, security, well-being, and comfort. It also helps in a better adaptation to the environment around us.

Its negative or tense side can bring vulnerability and emotional instability, usually in the form of psychological dependence, lack of self-esteem, feeling of inferiority, variable mood, lack or the need to always have someone or some process taking care of you, giving you affection, attention, and security. The person can become shier, more passive, neglectful, depressed, irritable, or immature, with a tendency to behave on a whim. It also opens doors to fear, leaving the person with the feeling that they are unprotected or unloved. They then play the victim, feeling sorry for themselves or immersing themselves in victimhood fantasies and daydreams. All of this will depend on how the Moon is walking and interacting with other forces in your birth chart. House 4 is also important in this type of analysis.

Analyzing the Moon (just like house 4) also shows how we function inside our home, in our intimacy, and isolated from the outside world. In a relationship, as we become more intimate, we end up leaving shields aside and showing more and more our true emotional side. Thus, achieving trust in a relationship depends a lot on knowing and understanding the influences that the Moon exerts on each individual.

Revealing our lunar side to others is a show of trust. As we become more intimate with someone or become very comfortable with their presence, we tend to reveal the facets of our birth moon and also use its characteristics to please the other person. This act will expose parts of our personality that must always be nurtured and respected, being increasingly exposed naturally and automatically within the relationship as we feel protected and confident that the allowed intimacy is being fluid and respected.

The sign where the Moon is shows what else can make us satisfied and happy, but also what hurts and affects us, therefore, a very interesting astrological tip is...

Never hurt your moon.

This is a phrase/tip with many chances to be confirmed by most people: having the mode of operation of their moons thwarted or pressured can result in extreme discomfort and a lot of reactivity. A Moon in Taurus, for example, makes the person calmer, not easily irritated, dealing well with crises, and having a greater aversion to emotional fluctuations (although there is an abrupt explosion after a long period of annoyance). It can make the person really appreciate tranquility, security, and stability. A Moon in Aries can do the opposite, with the person having their emotions always on the surface, feeling more restless and valuing movement, competition, and not feeling so attacked if there are immediate changes in their condition.

Life is often difficult, exhausting, and hits hard. Rest, comfort, and recovery are psychic needs that are inherent in all of us, and we periodically need to reenergize and comfort ourselves. Taking care of these needs is the task of the Moon in our birth chart. It is the Moon we turn to restore our sense of emotional security. For some, this means keeping an active social side and communicating their feelings, for others, it may mean a solitary refuge for the body and mind. When we understand our lunar essence, we come out of the automatic and move to greater emotional intelligence.