The Planets: The Role of the Moon in Astrology

The Moon, the planet of romantics and dreamers

The Moon It is undoubtedly considered the closest planet to Earth and has an extremely close relationship with it. Unlike the other "luminary," the Moon moves rapidly through the Zodiac, completing its entire cycle in less than a month.

It is quite clear that the Moon has much more profound effects on human beings, so much so that it has generated slang terms to describe people's character, such as “lunatics”.

The Moon's influence is particularly evident on planet Earth through the tides: Earth's natural satellite influences water in extraordinary ways, both physically and spiritually. The element of Water is, in fact, a very important concept. It's important to remember that the vast majority of our bodies are made up of fluids, and the lunar phases are, in fact, incredibly important for the female menstrual cycle.

Our emotions are often compared to fluids: hate rises like a wave, love flows through our veins… All expressions that bring to mind the profound connection between water and our emotions. It follows that mood swings, instinctual impulses, and our feelings are somehow connected to the Moon's action. In fact, a moody personality typically reflects a person with rather sudden mood swings.

Some say that the Sun gives us the spirit, but it is the Moon to represent ours. Fertility rituals were offered to the goddess who was identified with the alluring satellite: what was imbued with the fire of the Sun was then fertilized by the water of the Moon. If the Sun, which heralds the day, symbolically represents the awakening of consciousness, the Moon, which governs the night sky, symbolically represents the unconscious. The Sun looks toward the future, while the Moon looks toward the past. In some way, the Moon is linked as an archetype to the origins of the human being and is indeed sanctified as the embryo of life.

From a psychological point of view the Moon It represents, as already mentioned, the instinctive response to situations but it is also the bearer of all hereditary traits, of all the habits and models that come from our past.

The Moon and the Mother

The close relationship we find between the Moon and the concept of mother is simply extraordinary. This star, in fact, addresses women, and the feminine in general, in the precious and delicate sphere of education. It is linked to fertility, pregnancy, and birth. It is therefore quite clear how the connection between the luminary and the concept of motherhood is extremely close.

The sweetness of the moonlight symbolically recalls a mother's gentle touch toward her child. In many cultures, the moon has been associated with the great mother of humanity since ancient times. The emotion so strongly tied to the moon is what makes us human, what completes us, what makes us unique.

The position of the Moon

Within the natal chart, the moon's position takes on extraordinary importance and provides significant insight into the individual's natural reaction. Symbolically, the moon's position also highlights the individual's bond with their mother, and their psychological dependence on her. Indeed, the moon's power is particularly strong during childhood, when what we learn is assimilated through instinct, when the most basic habits are formed, and we are most influenced by our environment. To put it more simply, we could say that we are most influenced by the moon when we are most sensitive at a young age. The Moon , seen from this point of view, speaks to us of an extremely profound part of the human being, which completes it, which makes it particularly intuitive, but it is still a part that must be well balanced by the Sun.

To achieve significant evolution, it is important that the solar and lunar phases alternate and complement each other, and that the instinct driven by the Moon is supported by the reason represented by the light of the Sun.

From the perspective of planetary motions as observed by astrology, it's worth noting that the Moon spends only about two and a half days in each sign, and the dates change from year to year; therefore, to accurately determine your lunar sign, you'll need your exact time and place of birth.

The Moon in the Tarot

Even in the Tarot deck, among the select elite represented by the Major Arcana, the Moon card is found. In almost all graphic representations of this Arcanum the Moon It has a humanized face. Drops of light fall from its sphere and are absorbed by what appear to be dogs. It's clear that this card contains occult meanings, belonging to very profound esoteric knowledge.

The Moon in the Tarot expresses imagination, dreams, and everything that is part of the subconscious. It is a card strongly linked to the intuitive power that each of us gathers within us. When this Arcanum works within us in a functional way, we feel encouraged to surrender to primal impulses and our own inner strength.

The Moon It should not be considered a negative Arcana, also because the Arcana are neither positive nor negative, but merely express difficulties or facilitations that one may encounter on one's path. This card therefore speaks to us of everything that remains behind the situation, but which sometimes has a decisive impact on what we clearly see. The Moon is therefore an element that clarifies everything that is constructed in secret, underhandedly, manipulatively, quietly, or even merely adjusted.

When this card appears in the spread, we are reminded that what we don't see is at least as important as what we think we see: this characteristic becomes particularly important when this card is paired with other Arcana. The Moon card alongside another Arcana immediately suggests that the other card's appearance is not its true appearance. It therefore invites the fortune teller, and consequently the querent, to look more carefully at the situation being analyzed.

See also the meaning of other Planets in Astrology