The Moon Is My Mother…Part 2 continued
When an astrologer does a chart analysis, much is devoted to the Sun and the Moon both on their own and as a pair. The Sun signifies the visible part of the persona while the Moon represents the shadow side of that same persona. Sometimes this can be the reason why a person might read a description of their Sun Sign and feel that it is not quite on the money. Try reading the description of whatever sign your Moon is in and see if that fills out the picture a bit.
All of the bits and pieces of the psyche are linked in an intricate web to one another even if there are no obvious aspects between them. They all come together to form what we call the personality. If the Sun and the Moon are in very different types of energies this makes the way that they work together more complicated. For instance, someone with the Sun in Aries and the Moon in Virgo, has to consciously bring these very different forms of expression together somehow. Aries doesn’t understand caution and planning while Virgo can’t live without it. It takes personal commitment to inner work to find a coherent way to get this type of pair to work in harmony. And sometimes, harmony is not actually the mode. It might just be a matter of compromise. Aries must learn to exercise some patience while Virgo gets all of her ducks in a row. Virgo must learn to relinquish control so that Aries can fly free. Not easy but absolutely doable and wow, what a combo once the strategies are acquired. Obviously the rest of the natal planets will contribute to the overall plan of action.
In Virgo, the Moon has the most adaptability of all of the three earthy signs. That’s because Virgo is the Mutable Earth Sign, the modality that has the most movement built into it. This adaptability and movement adds itself to the already changeable energy of The Moon. By essential nature lunar energy is quicksilver.
At the highest level of function, this is the Moon of ‘practical magic’. I associate this energy to that of the Ritual Worker, the one who knows what to do, how to do it and when to do it. On an emotional level, this is the person who will make the warm cup of tea just in time to be there when the tears are flowing. She will make sure that your needs are met when you are under stress. A clean soft pillow, a bowl of soup, a warm blanket to stop the shivering. Emotions translate in physical ways and Virgo Moon instinctively zeroes in to these things and has practical ways to address them.
This is an energy that can get to the root of the matter through careful consideration. Analysis comes easily and once the analysis has been made, solutions are easy to formulate. It’s when we don’t understand something or feel confused by all of the contradictory data that solutions seem impossible. But every problem has a solution and every situation can be altered by a reasonable strategy. Virgo Moon knows this.
When under stress, this is the type of person who will throw herself into some kind of task to find safety. The joke is, ‘What is your favourite weekend pastime?—Cleaning my closet, of course!’ says Virgo. Creating order around her facilitates a return to sanity when under emotional pressure.
What you have to watch for, Virgo Moon, is not seeing the forest for the trees. Don’t get lost in the bits and pieces. Keep reminding yourself to look for the big picture. Be careful of setting that bar so high that no one, including yourself can ever reach it. Perfect is what is real and not what is imagined. The danger is that nothing will ever be good enough. That’s why, sometimes, this energy can devolve into the critical and sarcastic. It’s disappointment manifesting in the only way that it can.
The pathway into full actualization on an emotional level for this energy is forgiveness and compassion. (That’s reflected in the Pisces partner sign, always the counterpoint in any evolutionary process.) It’s challenging. To forgive emotionally is not easy, sometimes seemingly impossible. To exercise true compassion seems simple enough until you start to get lost in the bits and pieces of the situation. Virgo Moon must practice how to move beyond the doing and into the believing. To do is not enough and to have faith is not enough, what is necessary is to do from a place of faith. Easy to say, not so easy to do.
In past lives, the Virgo Moon person has acquired a vast amount of skill and know how in the area of the application of emotional energy. She has learned how to manage her emotions, how to control then and how to put them to good use. Probably, she has experienced some degree of hurt along the way. Boundaries were crossed, she may have been used badly and thus the retreat into the functional. In this life, she won’t easily let her true emotions show for fear of being hurt again. The challenge, of course, is to move into trust and faith, to believe in something beyond the literal physical reality, to really embrace a spiritual perspective. That doesn’t mean that she has to throw out her tool bag of functionality.
It’s a complicated energy. But at the root of it, this is a healer Moon, a nurturer Moon, a caring Moon, the Florence Nightingale of Moons. Once true forgiveness is fully integrated into the pattern of behaviour, this is an emotional energy that knows no limitations and has any number of useful practical strategies to use when under stress. The key is to mindfully move into a state of grace in all things and incorporate a keen a sense of both the physical and the spiritual into the emotional syntax.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
The Moon Is My Mother: Part 2
“the earth beneath your feet”
The Sun is the future. It shines in the sky and draws growth from the earth. Without that sun, nothing can live. Astrologically, this is a very apt analogy. In the natal chart, the Sun represents the destination that we pursue as works in progress. It is the thesis that we are exploring in any given life. We gain as much from exploring what not to do as we do by exploring what to do. As we gain more and more experiences we acquire a certain amount of skill in how to actually live through our solar energy as represented by the Sun in the natal chart. Life is evolution and change while a static state is what we call death.
The Moon is the past. It governs the tides and other cycles of this earth we inhabit. It soothes and nurtures us after a long hard day’s work. Just as the Sun beckons us to all that we could possibly become, so does the Moon secure us to all that we already know and understand. It is the safety net that we hold within ourselves, that which we instinctively cleave to when times get tough or incomprehensible. It is the life habits that we don’t have to think about but that just kick in when necessary. It is the things that bring us comfort under duress. We can hide in our Moons, tucked away from the glare of the noonday Sun.
If you like the idea on ongoing incarnations, then think of the Moon as the container of all that you have ever experienced. And the operative work is experience rather than understanding. Understanding comes only after some pretty intense work on the part of the psyche to integrate experiences into some sort of coherent form. This could be after one experience or it might be after several repetitions of the same kind of experience. Learning is never simple or straightforward. (More on this in upcoming blogs.)
I have a friend who, when asked about the general condition of people’s mental health, says, everyone is f@#*ed because we all have a Moon. She’s only half joking. What she means is that we are just as prone to develop bad habits as we are to develop good habits. It’s the bad ones that can really mess us up. Because the Moon is the seat of our emotional body, things don’t follow a straight line or a logical order. Once those emotions get involved, the sky can turn green and the grass can grow down rather than up. Perception, as they say, is everything and perception can absolutely play tricks on our poor little logical mind.
There is an intimate relationship between the Sun and the Moon, both literally, in the solar system, and astrologically, as they demonstrate how the psyche operates. Literally, the Moon has no light of its own but merely reflects light, the light of the burning Sun. And astrologically, the Moon holds (or reflects) all that the Sun has lived through. It ‘contains’ the sum of the parts and again, once you embrace the concept of ongoing incarnation, that sum can be quite massive. She really is our Mother and it’s where we came from in a very lyrical and poetic way.
In Part one of this Moon blog series, I talked about the Fire Moons with their impetuous and adventurous nature. Here we go with the Earth Moons.
By the way, there is an immutable order when it comes to energy. Wherever you begin, it never varies. Fire, Earth, Air and Water. Always. Its one of the basic things to understand when you are starting to learn astro-speak. Fire, Earth, Air and Water. Always and forever. And in that beautiful wheel that I call the mandala of the soul, aka, the natal horoscope, this sequence of elements repeats itself 3 times. (More about that in a future blog, as well.)
So Earth follows the Fire. Which is good. After all that activity, a rest period is always welcome. And that’s kind of how the Earth Moons feel in the persona. Calm, steady, grounded and solid. Not Moon-like at all if you think about it.
There’s a thing in traditional astrology that classifies the weight and, I guess, a good word would be power, of planets in signs. It’s called the ‘dignities’ if you want to google it for yourself. Interestingly, The Moon finds both her exaltation and her fall in two of the Earth signs of the Zodiac. I don’t particularly like those words since they carry a certain assessment by their attachment to the position but I understand where the traditionals were going when they came up with this system. They wanted to establish the way to describe the manner that the lunar energy as represented by the Moon in the chart, might act in any given zodiac sign. There is potential in all placements, of course. And my teacher, Jeffrey Wolf Green, used to repeat rather emphatically, that the reason anyone was born with whatever horoscope they had was because the soul that is behind the ego chose it for purpose. Nothing, absolutely nothing is haphazard. The essential nature of each individual’s experiential process is what contributes to the evolution (or not) or the soul. (Evolutionary Astrology absolutely encompasses an acceptance of the concept of ongoing incarnation.) So, no judgment for any given lunar energy. The words associated with the dignities, however, imply a ‘better than’ and a ‘lesser than’ state of being. So, I have long felt that we need to come up with a more inclusive kind of language when we talk about these positions within the wheel.
Never mind all that, however, and let’s just look at the earthy Moons.
Moon in Taurus people can often experience what the rest of us might call ‘luck’ when observed from the outside. This is truly the ultimate in ‘receiver’ energies. This placement is one of those ‘dignities’—the exaltation. What this really means is that the Moon finds total ground in Taurus. The normal changeable and erratic lunar energy is steadied and can be extremely focused and calm. Taurus is, after all, the ultimate earthy energy. It is all things organic and growing. It is the symbol of gestation, the creative force taking form. Do you know the Tarot? The Empress is a great depiction of all that Taurus can be. So when the skittish, moody Moon lands in Taurus, it suddenly becomes a force to be reckoned with.
In past lives, the Taurus Moon person diligently pursued the gifts of the spirit. He worked hard to manage his emotional energy. That’s why, in current life, he seems doubly blessed. But it isn’t by accident. The partner sign to Taurus is Scorpio so we know that this energy was somehow relevant to current life experience. Scorpio is, in part, the loss of what makes us secure, transformation, rebirth and all that sort of thing that can actually look pretty challenging at first glance. Taurus is the end result of the metamorphosis, the respite that comes after the storm.
If you have Taurus Moon, your challenge is to MOVE. Don’t just sit complacently in all that you have so far received. Be open to ongoing change and transformation. The contribution that you can make to the greater collective is much like the rudder on the ship. You have an almost palpable etheric energy that can be used to steady and steer through the waters of life. Your connection to the intrinsic cycles of life gives you the ability to trust and believe that ‘this, too, will pass’ when times get tough. Your intuitive sense of order and structure often can put you in exactly the right place at exactly the right time. You instinctively can ‘smell’ when to make that critical move. If you can harness the energy of powerful Scorpio, that shadow part of the Taurus/Scorpio partnership, to motivate yourself, you really can become an unstoppable force of nature.
When you feel threatened, Taurus Moon, you flee to nature; you surround yourself with tangible, physical comfort. It could be a long aromatic and warm bath in a candlelit room; a delicious and extravagant meal accompanied by wine and chocolate; a luxurious spa day where you feel pampered and stroked and don’t forget TOUCHED! All things organic draw you. And this is exactly what you can give to others; warmth, comfort, support, a sense of security. People might often say to you, You make me FEEL so safe and you don’t even know just exactly what it is that you have done! Just keep doing it!
I have a funny story that really illustrates the seeming serendipity of Moon in Taurus. A young man with this placement was moving house in L.A., a kind of a scary sort of city in many ways—and really, really big. He couldn’t find a truck to make the move and there he was on the last day that he had to do this. Without really thinking about it, he walked outside and made his way to one of the many freeways that criss-cross that city. He stood there at the side of the road for a bit watching the traffic speed by him. Then he saw a moving truck coming towards him. He flagged it down. What do you think happened next? You got it, he was soon moved into his new place. Chance? Luck? Maybe. But what really happened is that his natural wisdom kicked in, he intuitively made his way to the place where he would most likely find a moving van, he absolutely believed that he would find one and that whoever was driving it would help him. And that is exactly what happened. Taurus Moon—gotta love it.
“the earth beneath your feet”
The Sun is the future. It shines in the sky and draws growth from the earth. Without that sun, nothing can live. Astrologically, this is a very apt analogy. In the natal chart, the Sun represents the destination that we pursue as works in progress. It is the thesis that we are exploring in any given life. We gain as much from exploring what not to do as we do by exploring what to do. As we gain more and more experiences we acquire a certain amount of skill in how to actually live through our solar energy as represented by the Sun in the natal chart. Life is evolution and change while a static state is what we call death.
The Moon is the past. It governs the tides and other cycles of this earth we inhabit. It soothes and nurtures us after a long hard day’s work. Just as the Sun beckons us to all that we could possibly become, so does the Moon secure us to all that we already know and understand. It is the safety net that we hold within ourselves, that which we instinctively cleave to when times get tough or incomprehensible. It is the life habits that we don’t have to think about but that just kick in when necessary. It is the things that bring us comfort under duress. We can hide in our Moons, tucked away from the glare of the noonday Sun.
If you like the idea on ongoing incarnations, then think of the Moon as the container of all that you have ever experienced. And the operative work is experience rather than understanding. Understanding comes only after some pretty intense work on the part of the psyche to integrate experiences into some sort of coherent form. This could be after one experience or it might be after several repetitions of the same kind of experience. Learning is never simple or straightforward. (More on this in upcoming blogs.)
I have a friend who, when asked about the general condition of people’s mental health, says, everyone is f@#*ed because we all have a Moon. She’s only half joking. What she means is that we are just as prone to develop bad habits as we are to develop good habits. It’s the bad ones that can really mess us up. Because the Moon is the seat of our emotional body, things don’t follow a straight line or a logical order. Once those emotions get involved, the sky can turn green and the grass can grow down rather than up. Perception, as they say, is everything and perception can absolutely play tricks on our poor little logical mind.
There is an intimate relationship between the Sun and the Moon, both literally, in the solar system, and astrologically, as they demonstrate how the psyche operates. Literally, the Moon has no light of its own but merely reflects light, the light of the burning Sun. And astrologically, the Moon holds (or reflects) all that the Sun has lived through. It ‘contains’ the sum of the parts and again, once you embrace the concept of ongoing incarnation, that sum can be quite massive. She really is our Mother and it’s where we came from in a very lyrical and poetic way.
In Part one of this Moon blog series, I talked about the Fire Moons with their impetuous and adventurous nature. Here we go with the Earth Moons.
By the way, there is an immutable order when it comes to energy. Wherever you begin, it never varies. Fire, Earth, Air and Water. Always. Its one of the basic things to understand when you are starting to learn astro-speak. Fire, Earth, Air and Water. Always and forever. And in that beautiful wheel that I call the mandala of the soul, aka, the natal horoscope, this sequence of elements repeats itself 3 times. (More about that in a future blog, as well.)
So Earth follows the Fire. Which is good. After all that activity, a rest period is always welcome. And that’s kind of how the Earth Moons feel in the persona. Calm, steady, grounded and solid. Not Moon-like at all if you think about it.
There’s a thing in traditional astrology that classifies the weight and, I guess, a good word would be power, of planets in signs. It’s called the ‘dignities’ if you want to google it for yourself. Interestingly, The Moon finds both her exaltation and her fall in two of the Earth signs of the Zodiac. I don’t particularly like those words since they carry a certain assessment by their attachment to the position but I understand where the traditionals were going when they came up with this system. They wanted to establish the way to describe the manner that the lunar energy as represented by the Moon in the chart, might act in any given zodiac sign. There is potential in all placements, of course. And my teacher, Jeffrey Wolf Green, used to repeat rather emphatically, that the reason anyone was born with whatever horoscope they had was because the soul that is behind the ego chose it for purpose. Nothing, absolutely nothing is haphazard. The essential nature of each individual’s experiential process is what contributes to the evolution (or not) or the soul. (Evolutionary Astrology absolutely encompasses an acceptance of the concept of ongoing incarnation.) So, no judgment for any given lunar energy. The words associated with the dignities, however, imply a ‘better than’ and a ‘lesser than’ state of being. So, I have long felt that we need to come up with a more inclusive kind of language when we talk about these positions within the wheel.
Never mind all that, however, and let’s just look at the earthy Moons.
Moon in Taurus people can often experience what the rest of us might call ‘luck’ when observed from the outside. This is truly the ultimate in ‘receiver’ energies. This placement is one of those ‘dignities’—the exaltation. What this really means is that the Moon finds total ground in Taurus. The normal changeable and erratic lunar energy is steadied and can be extremely focused and calm. Taurus is, after all, the ultimate earthy energy. It is all things organic and growing. It is the symbol of gestation, the creative force taking form. Do you know the Tarot? The Empress is a great depiction of all that Taurus can be. So when the skittish, moody Moon lands in Taurus, it suddenly becomes a force to be reckoned with.
In past lives, the Taurus Moon person diligently pursued the gifts of the spirit. He worked hard to manage his emotional energy. That’s why, in current life, he seems doubly blessed. But it isn’t by accident. The partner sign to Taurus is Scorpio so we know that this energy was somehow relevant to current life experience. Scorpio is, in part, the loss of what makes us secure, transformation, rebirth and all that sort of thing that can actually look pretty challenging at first glance. Taurus is the end result of the metamorphosis, the respite that comes after the storm.
If you have Taurus Moon, your challenge is to MOVE. Don’t just sit complacently in all that you have so far received. Be open to ongoing change and transformation. The contribution that you can make to the greater collective is much like the rudder on the ship. You have an almost palpable etheric energy that can be used to steady and steer through the waters of life. Your connection to the intrinsic cycles of life gives you the ability to trust and believe that ‘this, too, will pass’ when times get tough. Your intuitive sense of order and structure often can put you in exactly the right place at exactly the right time. You instinctively can ‘smell’ when to make that critical move. If you can harness the energy of powerful Scorpio, that shadow part of the Taurus/Scorpio partnership, to motivate yourself, you really can become an unstoppable force of nature.
When you feel threatened, Taurus Moon, you flee to nature; you surround yourself with tangible, physical comfort. It could be a long aromatic and warm bath in a candlelit room; a delicious and extravagant meal accompanied by wine and chocolate; a luxurious spa day where you feel pampered and stroked and don’t forget TOUCHED! All things organic draw you. And this is exactly what you can give to others; warmth, comfort, support, a sense of security. People might often say to you, You make me FEEL so safe and you don’t even know just exactly what it is that you have done! Just keep doing it!
I have a funny story that really illustrates the seeming serendipity of Moon in Taurus. A young man with this placement was moving house in L.A., a kind of a scary sort of city in many ways—and really, really big. He couldn’t find a truck to make the move and there he was on the last day that he had to do this. Without really thinking about it, he walked outside and made his way to one of the many freeways that criss-cross that city. He stood there at the side of the road for a bit watching the traffic speed by him. Then he saw a moving truck coming towards him. He flagged it down. What do you think happened next? You got it, he was soon moved into his new place. Chance? Luck? Maybe. But what really happened is that his natural wisdom kicked in, he intuitively made his way to the place where he would most likely find a moving van, he absolutely believed that he would find one and that whoever was driving it would help him. And that is exactly what happened. Taurus Moon—gotta love it.
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