About the Moon

The Sun and Moon are the two most important bodies in your chart, but they are very different. While the Sun is the center of our Solar System and shines all day every day, the Moon is much closer to us—so close that it's the only place beyond Earth that humans have set foot on. It's also changeable, going through a monthly rhythm of phases.

While the effect of the Sun on us is obvious—letting us see, growing our crops—the Moon is also crucial to life but its effects are more subtle. The moon creates the ocean tides, it stabilizes the earth’s tilt which helps create consistent seasons, it is responsible for the length of the day, and it provides light when there is no Sun to see by. And, unlike the Sun, we can actually stare at it as long as we want to without burning our retinas. Where the Sun is distant, the Moon is close.

The Moon in our natal chart represents:

• how we process and express our feelings
• our inner world and moods
• our subconscious mind and instinctive reactions
• what makes us feel secure, comfortable, and "at home"
• how we process and integrate new experiences
• our adaptability and how we respond to change
• our capacity for self-care and how we nurture others
• our capacity for empathy and sensitivity
• our emotional needs, alone & in relationships
• our relationship with our mother or primary caregiver
• our early childhood experiences
• the feminine aspects of our psyche (regardless of gender)
• our connection to the past, our family, and ancestral patterns
• where we are the most instinctual and habitual

The sign, house, and aspects greatly affect the expression of the Moon, and some energies are just a lot more difficult to combine with the moon than others. Difficult planets for the Moon include Mars, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. Difficult signs include Aries, Aquarius, Virgo, and Capricorn.

The Moon by Elements

Every element has its particular strengths and challenges with the Moon, and knowing the Moon sign of your partner or family members is really useful to be able to understand each other’s emotional needs and comfort zones.

Air Moons (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius):

• Strengths: ability to remain objective and discuss problems rationally, generally good at communicating
• Challenges: detachment or emotional unavailability (esp. Aquarius), intellectualization of emotions, becoming overwhelmed easily with others emotions, can be superficial

Earth Moons (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn):

• Strengths: grounded, stable, practical, patient, able to hold space
• Challenges: rigidity or stubbornness, being emotionally reserved (esp Virgo & Capricorn), being critical (Virgo), less expressive overall

Fire Moons (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius):

• Strengths: passion, confidence, courage, spontaneous, emotionally honest and authentic, don’t hold grudges
• Challenges: emotions tend to flare up or be explosive, can be self-absorbed or self-centered (often without realizing), can exaggerate or dramatize, need validation & attention (esp Leo), can be insensitive

Water Moons (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces):

• Strengths: empathy, sensitivity, tend to be nurturing and protective, comfortable with intimacy, connect instinctively
• Challenges: easily hurt, emotions can be overwhelming, difficulty detaching or being objective, moodiness, can be emotionally manipulative, sentimentality

Moon challenges

Emotional Immaturity

Moon-Saturn, Moon-Pluto, and Pluto in the 4th house (which corresponds to Cancer and the Moon) can all lead to challenges taking responsibility for the emotional self.

• Moon-Saturn: This can indicate emotional repression in childhood and feelings of inadequacy around your emotional self. You may struggle expressing your needs, fearing rejection or belittling. You may have had early life circumstances that required you to grow up quickly, leading to difficulties in acknowledging or nurturing your emotional self.
• Moon-Pluto: This can indicate intense, overwhelming emotions. The life-or-death intensity of Pluto connected to the Moon can lead to a perpetual sense that the world is not fundamentally safe. You may struggle with a deep fear of vulnerability, which can manifest as controlling behavior or emotional extremes.
• Pluto in the 4th house: This placement can indicate early emotional abuse or neglect within your family or early home life. It may lead to unconscious patterns of emotional dependency and a feeling like you will never receive enough nurturing. This can lead to imbalanced relationships & being emotionally demanding.
  People with these placements often require conscious effort to develop emotional maturity. This might involve therapy (especially attachment therapy), self-reflection, and deliberately practicing healthy emotional expression and self-nurturing.

Emotional Unavailability

Air Moon signs, particularly Aquarius Moon, can struggle with emotional connection and expression.

• Aquarius Moon: This creates a tendency to process emotions intellectually rather than feeling them deeply. They may appear detached or aloof, struggling to empathize with others’ emotional experiences. Their natural inclination is to analyze feelings rather than simply experience them.
• Predominance of Air: Charts heavy in Air signs (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius) with little Water influence may also struggle with emotional depth and expression. These individuals often prioritize mental connections over emotional ones.
• Lack of Water: A chart with few planets in Water signs (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces) can indicate difficulty in accessing, understanding, or expressing emotions.
  People with these placements may need to consciously work on developing their emotional intelligence, practicing empathy, and learning to stay present with others' feelings without immediately trying to problem-solve or intellectualize.

Emotional Unpredictability

Certain Moon aspects and placements can lead to volatile or unstable emotional expression:

• Moon-Mars or Moon in Aries: This combination can result in quick-tempered, impulsive emotional reactions. You be impatient and be prone to emotional outbursts. Your feelings are often expressed forcefully and immediately, which can be overwhelming for other people.
• Moon-Uranus: This aspect can manifest as emotional unpredictability or unexpected emotional reactions. There can be an inner emotional conflict between needs for stability and a need for change. Traditions that most people find comfort in can feel confining or inauthentic.
  It can help to develop a clear and conscious awareness of your needs and feelings and be able to communicate them without intensity.