In Astrology water has always stood for the unconscious mind, the emotions and the feeling nature of humans and all sentient beings. The Moon’s influence is equivalent to the qualities of water, even though astronomers have considered it to exist without any of this element in its physical make-up.

In practical research by our scientists, efforts to understand the Moon stem from a more materialistic standpoint.

Back in 1972 astronaut Harrison Schmitt in the Apollo mission retrieved tiny beads of lunar ‘glass’ that were thought to be a sign that water is within the Moon’s interior as we have within our Earth. This caused serious flurry in re-thinking the scientific attitude that previously had prevailed and invited regrettable imaginative schemes for exploiting potential mineral resources in the greed schemes rather than respect for the celestial bodies.

NASA announced in 2009 that two spacecraft sent crashing into the lunar surface had discovered frozen water on the moon for the first time, a dramatic revelation it hailed as a giant leap forward in space exploration.

Now after considerable analysis it has been found by a research team led by geochemist Erik Hauri of Carnegie Institute of Washington, that the sample of orange coloured beads contain microscopic bubbles, or melt inclusions.

It is now concluded by scientists that the Moon may in fact possess as much water as within it as our own Earth and even pose that the two bodies – Earth and Moon have a common origin. This thought has been held in spirit lore for millenniums, giving rise to the symbolism and well known legends relating to the Moon in our cultural heritage often hinting that our Earth is the progeny of Moon and Sun.

That the Moon in one’s Chart represents our human emotions and tides is easy to accept and that it is as important as the power of the Sun. Both contribute to our understanding of our conscious and our unconscious nature and help us to focus upon our need for both, just as we depend upon our physical parents.

The Moon remains the spiritual symbol of femininity, of motherhood, of nurturing, of gentle power in a magnetic sense. Its force is great as we all know and witness in the tides that occur throughout the globe but it also has a subtler effect upon us psychologically.

In the case of our well known Sun Sign there is no doubt that basic analysis will show that  our emotional nature, say in the case of Taurus, will be of strong attachment to people and to material affections but in the extreme can become a possessive tendency in relationships. Also, that an Aquarian finds it easier to love the whole world, impersonally, than to cope with specific needs of a particular friend.  There are many features common to others who share your zodiacal sign.

But seeking further, look to the placement of the Moon in your birth chart, one drawn up by a professional astrologer. The zodiacal sign where the Moon was located at your time of birth is a good indicator of how you really feel.

The Moon has a direct relationship to human feelings and our emotional tides and moods. Like the Moon, our feelings easily change and are of a different quality from our thoughts. Women have an even closer correspondence with the moon’s energies. It’s cyclic patterns are reflected in the female monthly menstrual cycle as well as the waxing and waning quality referred to both in jest and in earnestness as the female trait.

Whether you are male or female, if the Moon is found in one of the zodiacal signs that is related to the natural element of water, such as Cancer, or Pisces for instance, it will point to an abundance of emotional energy, either latent, or expressed already in your nature. It will explain why your reactions are extremely sensitive to hurt in the former, and why you may tend to have vague yearnings of a mystical nature as in the latter.

If the Moon is found in a sign such as Aries, or in any other fiery sign such as Leo, it will in turn suggest differently. The first would tend to have strong and passionate feelings and not be inclined to sensitivity of others. The latter in Leo would be influenced to be more generous and outgoing with affection. The science is confident in knowing that all general traits and resources of all the zodiacal signs are well proven.

The Moon is the planet (so-called for convenience in astrology) that sets our emotional reactor going. It has the power to activate our emotional resources and help us to feel loving or antagonistic, peaceful or angry, and hopefully, in the main to feel optimistic and happy. It represents the magnetic power that is associated with all that is female and gentle in contrast with the masculine strength of the Sun.

Few of us are capable of exploring the controversial issues that concern astronomers about the origin of the Moon and its relationship to our planet. It would seem enough that we recognize its influence for good and that it is indispensible to life on earth, as we know it.

But from time immemorial humans have understood it to be the preserver of life and the nurturer – the Mother of all life on earth. It was accorded equal spiritual status as the Sun and revered as a Goddess, in contrast with the casual attitude so many people hold today.

We are to some extent aware of it influence in our practical lives. Some gardeners depend upon the phases of the moon to achieve best results with the germination of seed or with the health of their garden vegetables. Fishermen consider its importance in determining their catch. Some choose to consider the moon’s phases when fixing the dates of outdoor social occasions.

We are aware that animals respond to the moon that controls their mating seasons and we know that many pet dogs tend to get excited at times of the Full Moon.

It can affect humans too, and many are familiar with mood changes at different phases, and a certain mental stimulation and inner excitement at its full.  In mental hospitals, before drugs were used for the purpose, extra staff were allotted at Full Moon to help control patients who became violent and disorientated at this time.

The Moon asserts its power and influence over women and regulates their monthly menstruation cycle upon which new life depends. We know how it pulls the waters of the oceans and affects the tides and the movements of water as it draws up the sap in plants and the blood towards the brain in humans. The subtle power is unseen but we can best recognize its strength by the part it plays in nature and the environment when destructive rain downpour, flooding and tsunamis occur.

But to most of us the Moon is the symbol of the subtleties and romantic aspects of life and the focus of all ideal female qualities.  It can hold our interest as a magnet and intrigues us with its mystical, somewhat mysterious nature in spite of what astronomers are beginning to discover of its physical character. Whatever is our limited understanding of the influence of the Moon over natural life, we must prepare to discover through the traditional wisdom of Astrology how the Moon affects human nature and events.

Once the deeper, spiritual symbolism of the Moon is realized we are ready to look at the placement of the Moon in our Chart to learn the effects of its position in a particular zodiacal sign, in a particular House or section of the Chart, as well as its relationship with the Sun and planets.

The Moon reigns over the subtleties as the Sun rules the obvious. Being sensitive to both the electric energy of the solar power and the magnetic force of the lunar we all share the common task to harmonize these energies in our nature and in our lives.