The astrological Moon – soft, protective, sensitive, maternal, sentimental, moody, mysterious, evasive, programmed by the past, a seeker of comfort – has as many faces as there are different kinds of mothers.
In mythology the renowned mothers: Demeter for one is so possessive of her daughter Persephone she wreaks destruction on earth when separated from her. Hera, the ultimate tiger mother, intent on producing perfect children, ultimately damages them. The nightmare Medea becomes a family annihilator, killing her children because her lover/their father rejected her.
And then there is Gaia, the ancestral mother of earth. The second hexagram of the I Ching talks of the earth ‘in its devotion carries all things good and evil without exception’. Strength and swiftness combined with gentleness, straight, square, great and enduring. The archetypal mother who stands behind the often imperfect human variants which followed.
Which house the Moon falls in a chart, at a simplistic level, is what gives comfort because it feels either protective or carries familiar echoes of childhood. An afflicted Moon will tend to bring the negative end of the effects.
Moon in the 1st house – can project a soft aura of helpfulness and be sensitive to atmosphere, often shape-shifting to fit in with the prevailing influences and dominant people around. Keen to be well thought of. Changeable and moody, with a fondness for food. It does carry a hint of Moon in Aries which can be emotionally over-reactive.
Moon in the 2nd house of money – need their finances to be secure before they will be happy. Money and possessions bring comfort and they can be fickle, both savers and spenders. Emotionally fixed so dislike compromise and prefer a steady lifestyle without too much change, Can be stubborn and jealous.
Moon in the 3rd house of siblings, everyday routines, communication and thinking patterns – brothers, sisters, even cousins can stand in for mother in terms of providing emotional support. Emotional patterns from childhood may affect attitudes and thinking clearly not always easy since they tend to be easily influenced by those close. Prone to daydreaming. Curious and restless.
Moon in the 4th house of family, roots, childhood, the earth – a happy home life is a necessity, comfort gained from knowledge of the family lineage. Theoretically it should indicate as Moon in Cancer does a special connection to mother but I have known cases where the father was the one providing the stability and security. Moody, a tendency to brood rather than be upfront. Possessive of family members.
Moon in the 5th house of children, romance, entertainment and speculation – emotional connection to and fondness for children, in certain cases children are used as comforters, changeable in romantic relationships, attention-seeking and can be dependent. Impulsive where financial speculation is concerned.
Moon in the 6th house of work/service and health – physical energy is often affected by emotional state which can interfere with work. Fondness for small pets. Interest in food, diet and hygiene. A worrier and a perfectionist.
Moon in 7th house of close relationships (and enemies) – need the security of a one-to-one relationship. Can marry less for love and more for the offer of enduring support. Sensitive to others’ needs, dependent. Good at dealing with the public.
Moon in the 8th house of transformation, death and rebirth, confidential matters, sex and joint finances – intensely emotional, passionate, secretive, never admit being hurt, in touch with unseen forces that lie beyond reality, interest in the paranormal and spiritualism. Finances connected to family or close relationships for good or ill. A grandmother will be important childhood influence, an emotional support.
Moon in 9th house of travel, knowledge, belief systems, social customs – comfort in childhood often comes through books and in adult life through travel. Interest in foreign cultures, often lives abroad for a portion of life. Sustained by intellectual interests with a curiosity about spiritual and religious belief systems.
Moon in the 10th house of career and reputation – often aim for a public career where their ‘Lunar’ nose for social trends helps their ambitions. Politicians who interact with the general public and others are influenced by their mother. Women can be helpful in career.
Moon in 11th house of friends, group and social/community interests and long term plans – comfort comes from friendships rather than family. A knack of excelling in group activities. Dislike of being isolated or alone. Friendships may be superficial and not constant.
Moon in the 12th house of secrets, the unconscious and creativity – felt under-mothered early on with a tendency to compensate in adult life by staying emotionally introverted. Need peace and a protective space. Easily hurt. Hyper-sensitive, can be psychic.
That is a skimming of Moon in the houses – I am sure there will be lots of examples which may widen the meanings so do pitch in.
I would love to better understand my mother’s unaspected Sagittarian Moon in her 4th house. Its only aspect is a quincunx to Pluto in Cancer in the 11th. She lost a baby brother, born with spina bifida who died at only a few weeks old. From what my mother tells me, it is likely that her mother had multiple miscarriages. My mother was an only child.
I come from a long line of disturbed mothers. My great grandmother hated and was cruel to my grandmother, whose lack of household skills and cooking my uncles said forced them to run away to sea and then get married! She lived in her head, could recite reams of poetry and suffered from depression. My mother, a highly intelligent but unfulfilled woman, was stopped from accepting a grammar school scholarship because of lack of funds. Nonetheless she joined the Queen Alexandra Nursing Corps, winding up in France and Egypt during the war, where because she married she worked as a decoder/decypherer. Only single women were allowed to be nurses.
She loved her remote mum but in turn was remote and distracted mainly due to constantly moving house and country, long term illness and dealing with my difficult, demanding often physically remote, emotionally unengaged Aquarian sun and ascendant father. Retrospectively, he may have been bi-polar. They both had Scorpio moons so life was tempestuous.
I have a 12th moon 25 degrees Aries opp Jupiter 27 degrees Libra in grand trine to Saturn in 3rd house 19 Cancer opp Sun in Aquarius 18 Aquarius. There are another couple of trines involving Jupiter in Libra in 6th Pluto in Leo in 4th, Sun in 10th and Neptune in Gemini in lst. The latter seems dodgy to me in light of all the Neptune influences at the moment. I do try very hard to keep my Taurus ascendant feet on the ground in a predominantly air/fire chart.
My brother and sister have never married or had long term relationships. None of us have had children although we all ostensibly wanted them. We used to say that at least we’d stopped the curse on my father’s family, which was riddled with depression, but in writing this, perhaps we also stopped the endless line of dissatisfied though talented mums. I married at 56 after 12 years of living together. He’s distills the personalities of my parents. I should have known better!
I loved my mum and have returned to where she lived her later years until she died at 103. For the first time I feel at home. She gave us the great gift of time to heal in those latter years. I miss her every day.
Using Placidus, my Sag moon is slap bang on top of my IC which is also slap bang on the 3rd/4th house cusp. Using whole sign, its in the 4th but still on the IC. I had a traumatic childhood – a highly dysfunctional family. Both parents were an utter nightmare. Its funny because my father was a Sun Cancer so I think of myself as being born into his house (the 4th) – he provided everything in terms of material security. My mother was a triple Gemini (!) with her Sun/Moon and Mars Gem all opposite my 4th house in my 10th house where I have Jup/Rahu. Needless to say, we did not get on; she was a narcissist and hardly motherly. My 10th house where she “was” as it were, is at the top of my chart and most of my other planets are below the asc/desc as I was born at night and I feel as if she was bearing down on me all my life – trying to dominate and control me. I only hit it off with one of my 3 siblings who passed away 16 years ago. I consider myself as essentially motherless.
My Cancer moon (conjunct ascendant) is in the 12th house, in opposition to Saturn in Capricorn in 6th house. Chronic health problems, and also work/employment issues. My mother was very competent and dutiful, but cold and harsh, and often violent. I loved her intensely but I also hated her somewhat, due to her vindictiveness and malice towards me. I also have Mars square Pluto, so that would account for the violence, I suppose.
My husband also has the Moon in the 12th, in Capricorn! Both of us were terrified of our mothers, and we are both damaged in similar ways. We also have similar deep seated father issues! Not ideal for a marriage, but hey ho.
On a synastry note. My Libra moon/uranus conjuncts my husbands Libra moon/uranus. Our moons are a degree apart. It’s definitely a meeting of strange hearts, we get each other. His moon is very well aspected so, by virtue of this, I too feel the benefits of those positive placements.
I have a 7th house Moon in Sag wide orb from my Neptune. I think all the issues I have with my mom came from her Mars conjunct my Mercury trine Moon. My mom married for less to have a physically present dad at all my maternal grandmother and aunties and uncles events/problems. When I was young all I wanted was to married young. But as I got older somewhere along the way I realised my personal freedom was so much more important. i don’t think I will eve want to marry for less. I also have Sun trine Uranus conjunct Jupiter.
My moon is conjunct Pluto in 2nd. My mother was indeed obsessed with money and security. I never really understood it as we lived in a big house in London and my father was a GP with a thriving private practice. We had plenty, although my father was pretty hopeless with said money. As an adult I have mostly worked in low pay fields but somehow always managed to live the good life on a meagre income. I seem to be able to manifest the resources I need just when I need them. The washing machine breaks down, I get a tax rebate. So I may not be rolling in it but I hardly worry about it. Generally, something will come along and indeed it almost alway does, sometimes in unexpected ways. My mother had serious undiagnosed mental health problems which I didn’t understand as a child, she was unpredictable and could be frightening which made me wary of trusting people. As I have grown older I have come to appreciate just how creative she was and see how much she must have suffered before she took the decision to end her own life. It was not until I read the Bell Jar as an adult that the penny dropped, so to speak. Understanding my mother became an opportunity for self healing.
My Moon is in the 8th house at 27 sagittarius close to my south node at 25 degrees. It sextiles Saturn in the 11th and it rules both my 3rd and 4th houses in Cancer. It is at the apex of a yod with Jupiter and the IC and it also near the Galactic centre (not sure what this means). In my 50s I decided to find out who my true grandad was as it was a family taboo and this led me to learn about my ancestry roots and my identity.
My Moon is in the 8th house at 27 sagittarius close to my south node at 25 degrees. It sextiles Saturn in the 11th and it rules both my 3rd and 4th houses in Cancer. It is at the apex of a yod with Jupiter and I and it also near the Galactic centre (not sure what this means). In my 50s I decided to find out who my true grandad was as it was a family taboo and this led me to learn about my ancestry roots and my identity.
What if there is no moon placement in any of the houses?
Not possible. It must be in one of the houses.
?? not Harry angel, with apologies…
I have Moon Saturn in Cap too. Really horrible when young, gets better on maturity, as Saturn will tend to do. Moon in 9th, foreign travel, reading, art, music a big bonus for me..
Thanks Marjorie
This made me think. I have a 7th house moon in Aquarius. Rather important in my chart as I have a sun Uranus and Mars in Cancer. The moon is in opposition to Jupiter.
By rights I should have settled down earlier than my marriage at 37 would indicate. I do find that the moon progressions often herald different phases of life.
My impression from comments like yours and below are that aspects to the Moon and from other parts of the chart can dilute/hide the moon influence. In your case a Sun Uranus conjunction is not inclined to settle quickly to a committed relationship. Also Sun and Moon inconjunct (in signs) would also hint at a clash between head and heart.
Agree with Marjorie and I think the fact that Uranus is in a mutual reception with the Moon makes the relationship stronger.
In fact you are very modern. People married by 30 are in the minority now and have been for some time. Getting married in your mid 30’s is pretty common (at least in the UK).
My moon in pisces 1st house, hubby 10th house cappy, daughter moon in cancer 9th house.
Idk what this means tho. Tv
My moon is in my fourth house in Gemini. Difficult childhood–my mother repeated what was dealt to her. She apologized for her bad mothering a few years before she died which is huge! As a child I loved her but found her difficulty dealing with her own hurt very frustrating.
We were a family that loved (still loves) the arts, especially literature! Movies and music too. And, in reading about knowing the family lineage. I’m the eldest sister–two younger sisters, we are a year apart over 3 years–I’m the one, amongst the three of us to have worked out the family tree (mostly to great-grand parents). My moon is sextile Uranus in my 6th house and trine my Ascendant, which is in late degree of Aquarius. I’m retired now–consider myself “self made” (not as a business person, but I was a teacher after studying journalism–put myself through school while working.) I value independence and, as a teacher, hoped that my students (& my own children) would have the skills they need to have successful independent lives.
Since this was about the moon I left off my dad and my stepmother. Bunch of drama there!
Which house deals with the father?
I have Moon Leo in 5th house along with Saturn, Jupiter, Mars and North Node in the same house. Tough childhood, was raised in abusive environment with hardly any support from parents. Still struggling to understand life.
Maddy, Moon Saturn Mars is tough even with Jupiter added in but Saturn does get easier the older you get. Good luck.
Hi Marjorie
How does the moon in the 1st house affect the person’s physical appearance? Thank you for your assistance.
Has a tendency to weight gain – it will soften image.
Cancer Moon in the 1st house—well-aspected. My mom also has her Moon in her 1st house in Virgo. We are both soft-spoken and everyone comments on how polite we are. One fun fact is that Mom and I are a little hypochondriacs:) and I always thought this was due to our first-house Moons.
My kid’s Moon is in her 12th (like my husband’s). They both have well-aspected Moons, and my husband adored his mom. I read really negative things about the 12th-House Moon and tense mother-child relationships. I guess aspects are as important as the house placements.
I have a child with a 12th house Moon as well, in Gemini. She has a mild disability and due to underfunding and waiting lists I was effectively her therapist for a long time. I taught her to read and she loves to experience the world through literature and express herself through art, which I encourage. Standard interpretations sometimes seem lean to the negative side but there is light and shade to everything.
A 12th house Moon can indicate something about the pregnancy – I recollect one woman with Moon Mars in the 12th whose mother was caught up in the tail end of a war in a dangerous situation. The mother’s attention was no doubt focused elsewhere, not for any deficits in her maternal instincts – just stressed circumstances.
I went into hospital a couple of times with extreme morning sickness – which wasn’t pleasant, but I was never in any danger.
The example I gave was fairly extreme but the 12th house points to what the foetus absorbs on the way through pregnancy in terms of emotional atmosphere – more is registered than you would imagine. Thinking of other 12th house Moons – there is one where the mother had a tricky marriage so was not wholly focused on the growing baby inside though she is a devoted mother in real life. Another left her fairly maternal husband to do the changing nappy chores after the baby arrived. So there are different ways of it working out.
Tara and Marjorie,
Very interesting. My child has anxiety and ADHD. I always worry about her and make arrangements so she can learn coping mechanisms through therapy.
Another interpretation would be that I became a mother late. Perhaps the 12th house Moon can mean an older mother (my mother-in-law also had my husband quite late).
I forgot to say, my Moon in Gemini is in the eleventh!
Thank Marjorie for this interesting piece on the Moon, and for everyone’s contributions. I have Moon in Gemini as my chart ruler and as the most elevated planet. It’s also very strongly aspected by no less than nine planets and points. Moon is closely conjunct Uranus and Mars, all in Gemini. It’s also the apex planet in a Yod, inconjunct Venus in Scorpio in the fourth and Mercury in Capricorn in the sixth. In addition it’s in a tight trine to angular Neptune conjunct the IC and sextile the Midheaven. And it sextiles Pluto and North Node in the first in Leo. I had a very difficult childhood continually moving from country to country in various war zones as a refugee with my parents and two brothers, and so was unable to make lasting friendships with other children. My mother, an orphan, suffered from mental health problems and later committed suicide. (Moon conjunct Uranus and Mars). So I turned to groups where I made many lasting friendships and had great happiness and satisfaction from working with community projects of various kinds, mostly cultural, spiritual and therapeutic, for which I was given awards. I used the Gemini influence to also become a writer. I was blessed to become a mother myself to four children and together with my husband, was able to provide a stable childhood for them to the extent they are still in close friendships with people they met at school. So I feel even if you have challenging parts of your birth chart you can work with them, this is the great help astrology can give us.
What a life story Rohana of triumph over adversity. You sound like a wonderful person.
Thank you so much for your kind response, Lorrylau. In my case, my reaction to my adverse early circumstances was sink or swim! Later I spent years working as a therapist in psychiatric units which helped me to understand my mother’s problems. Like other patients I met there, I saw how brave she’d been despite everything she’d been through.
Rohana, Thank you for your story. You’ve done exceptionally well after such a fraught start and with a hyper-active/sensitive Moon – it probably helps that is is in Gemini and not in a water-laden sign.
Thank you for your empathy, Marjorie. I see what you mean about having all that Gemini in my chart. I also have Saturn in Gemini in the twelfth to complete the four planet stellium, which helped me to use it in my therapy work in closed psychiatric units. Both my parents were over-intense watery Scorpios, so I was glad of all my air and other mutable planets. Plus having Mercury in Capricorn in the sixth which grounds me.
This brings up a question that I’ve had for a while about house calculations and which one to use. I’ve always used placidus which puts my moon in the 11th but if I use koch it puts the moon in the 12th which Marjorie’s current reading fits more than it does in the 11th. What’s a good rule of thumb about which house calculation to use?
If the 12th house moon placement resonates more with you, I’d use it.
Use which suits your own understanding of your life best.
I’m have a Libra sun/uranus/moon stellium in the 10th.
I’ve never related to the public career or status/reputation themes.
Does anyone else share a 10th house moon? How does it work for you?
10th House moon doesn’t work for me either, though 9th house would. My career is not in the public domain. I have had a difficult relationship with my mother, overly critical, and also with female bosses.
Wendy, What are your Moon aspects? They may – certainly will – affect your relationship with women bosses.
Marjorie, my 10th house moon in scorpio is square 7th house Uranus, also wide trine Aries sun and quincunx Jupiter,
Lorrylau, It is difficult on a public forum but would you be willing to share a little about your life – not intimate details but what you do in general terms.
Years ago I knew a woman who had a strong 10th house that she seemed to me not to have lived out at all – quiet, housewife life apart from (I think) amateur dramatics at one point.
Hi Marjorie, I lost my mother at a young age and don’t feel like I knew her. Moon is conjunct uranus, not tightly, and is otherwise completely unaspected.
Career wise, I run my own bookkeeping business from home (Saturn in Taurus in 6th). I was certainly into drama as a youngster and had grand ideas of being an actor or to work in PR. But, the rupture in my early life forced me to put financial security above dreams. I often wonder if it’s a pattern I should unpick.
I did a stint as a stay at home mum and went round the bend very quickly.
I wonder if my 10th house focus still needs to reveal itself? I’d love to know your thoughts.
Lorrylau, Definitely. Do not leave old ambitions to fester in a dusty corner.
Gauquelin’s study of charts (I think) indicated the most successful people were the ones who lived out their chart’s potential most fully – not that success is the be all and end all. But knowing yourself and not living a one sided life is important. As you get older you start to regret not the things you have done but the things you haven’t.
“If I had my life to live over – I would take more chances. I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers. I would eat more ice cream and less beans.” Nadine Stair.
See where you can honour those buried hopes in however small and realistic a way. You can’t go back and become Judi Dench but you can live out your need for an audience in some other ways.
Thanks so much Marjorie for covering this.
What does Moon in house say about the mother, i.e. 1st or 9th? I recall you once did a write up and mentioned that the person’s natal Moon in x house indicated a mother who was xyz – that raised my interest greatly but i could never find any write up about that particular concept.
Hmm, not sure I remember that. Lost in the mists of ? A 9th house Moon could relate to a religious mother. 1st house is identity and image so a mother who more than most was invested in how things appear? I’m guessing here and will ponder further.
Thanks Marjorie, yes it was quite some time ago. You used to mention that theory from time to time then. Not so much these last several years.
I have been reading your write ups for many years now.
One thing I forgot to mention is that my Moon-Pluto conjunction in Leo is exactly square Algol.
In my natal chart Venus, r1,r8 wills, North Node and Mamuna, are all conjunct
at 5 Sagittarius, in the 2nd House of money, financial support. My mother
supported me financially in my early life. Sagittarius? she was foreign born
and I was university educated, Sagittarius, higher education.
So true of my Moon in Leo at the cusp of the 9th house. I was attracted to high culture, particularly literature, encouraged by my mother, one of the few interests we shared in a difficult relationship. She read Dostoevsky in her youth, so I did as well. My Leo side manifested in doing some theatre during my teen age years, which overcame my timidity and lack of confidence, and causing my children to do so as well to develop their personality. My daughter showed talent in dancing and theatre and almost made a career of it, but is now completing a PHD in psychology. My Moon is conjunct Pluto in the 8th square Saturn in Scorpio but exactly sextile Neptune in the 10th. Moon also exactly inconjunct Chiron in the 2nd. Mother was a drama queen but a survivor of a failed marriage with my alcoholic father. Only now in my late sixties do I begin to feel compassion for her suffering. She told me before she died she was bad because she was in pain. She was toxic and destructive, and gave me an intimate knowledge of evil. She was a bad person with good qualities, and my father was the opposite. My Capricorn Sun is in a T-square with both of theirs in Aries and Libra, all at 20 degrees or more. A final point, interest in foreign cultures did lead to extensive foreign travel in my youth, but later manifested in a deep professional and personal interest for aboriginal peoples, of pre-Buddhist Asian origin, in my own country. They have brought me as many exotic experiences as could be found elsewhere. These professional and personal relationships live on to this day and have brought deep satisfaction, spiritually included.
Natally I have Moon-Saturn in my 6tth, giving work-aholic….but this Moon position
didn’t reveal my career choice….so I went to my Prenatal or Epoch birth chart which
revealed my occupation….Moon in this chartt was in my 5th House….”nurture children”
….yes, the prenatal chart revealed my occupatioon…elementary school teacher.
ooh, that’s interesting. I’ve never looked at my prenatal in that context. I’ll have a look!
Where”s your Mumma? Asteroids Ceres, Demeter, Mamuna, Mumma are synonyms
for “mother” as is the Moon. In Winston Churchll’s chart, Demeter, Moon and Mumma
all fall in his 1th House of Parliament. Click on his chart link below and click magnifier
to enlarge. https://ibb.co/JnV0V71
To find where Mumma is in your chart ….go to http://www.true-node.com/eph3……when
there fill in your birth data. Then delete Sun, Moon where it appears and in
that blank type in “Mumma”. Click OK up pops the House location of your Mumma.
in the ephemeris.
I have Ceres in Taurus, it makes up a Grand Trine with Saturn and Venus. It also exactly conjuncts my husband’s NN. He likes his food, so that’s all good.
I have a moon-saturn conjunction in Capricorn in my second house. I had a very harsh childhood. I’m absolutely hopeless with money.
Moon in Capricorn in 2nd House.
I used to gear money. Now I have a firm control of it, I don’t allow it to control me.
But( there’s always a but) I don’t do emotions, I cannot surrender myself to them.