Fire In The Sky

We all love the Sun. We adore it. We even worship it. It shines boldly in the brilliant daytime sky of our soul. And that’s as it should be. In astrology, the Sun is what holds it all together within the psyche. Everything finds its way back to this central energy of self. Everything is fed by the vibrancy of this part of the psyche or debilitated if it is not operating as it should…confidently, proactively, hopefully, positively. You get the drift, right?

But then the night comes and wraps itself around us. We drown in the darkness and we wonder where the light has gone. We look up into endless waves of indigo and black. And there she is. Floating across the nighttime sky of our soul…the Moon, Luna, She who Sees the Unseen, Mother to us all.

In astrology, the Moon, Goddess of the Silver Song, represents that part of the psyche where we need comfort, security and warmth. We can learn about our real Mamas by studying the Moon in our charts. We can understand our basic survival needs and what exactly makes us feel safe and secure. How we connect to our community of choice is another thing the Moon in the chart shows. Do we fit in or are we always on the sidelines trying to find the fit. Oh, lots and lots of aspects of the inner, personal, secret self are stored in that part of the psyche.

In Roman times, astrology was sort of commonplace—different than today in many ways. Their society was much more regimented and thus, the devices of that society operated somewhat differently than those of our society. That’s another topic, however, on which I’ll ponder at a later date. Here’s the thing, people were much more tuned into Moon Signs back then than we are today. The Emperors identified themselves by their Moon sign rather than their Sun Sign. Why, you wonder. Well, it’s a much more specific identification, that’s why. Your Sun Sign is established by being born in a roughly 30 day period of time. That’s a lot of days and you actually belong to a rather wide group of babies all born in that time period. But the Moon! She travels around the zodiac really, really fast. While the Sun lolls about for that month period, taking his time to get through a single sign (energy) of the zodiac, that frisky old Moon gets through ALL 12, yes, the whole zodiac, in the same time period.

What this means is that every 2 ½ days, the zodiac sign of the Moon changes. Ever wondered why that cousin of yours who was born just a few days after you were, is so darn different than you? Same Sun Sign, yes that’s true but, hey! Totally different Moon sign. So there you are, bold and courageous, a risk taker and an explorer and there she is, timid and cautious, careful and just a little critical. You know you are both Aries but what you don’t know is that Your Leo Moon makes you even more fiery than your Sun Sign indicates you would be and her Virgo Moon totally puts on the brakes when her solar energy gets wild and crazy. The thing is, most of us actually operate from that place in the psyche that the Moon represents, the emotional, reactive self. 

So…do you know your own Moon Sign? If you use astrology, you probably do or at the very least, you could find out, either from your astrologer or from some source material that you use to study astrology. Any student of astrology will find out where the Moon was when they were born first thing! Astrologers use something called an ephemeris which basically lists the position of all of the planets along with the Moon and some other things for every single day of the year. Practicing astrologers mostly have software that instantly finds where each planet was and comes up with a horoscope or chart for the person in question. So, today, it is pretty easy to just look up where any of the planets were when you were born and, if you are someone who plays around with the tool of astrology, you know that each planet represents a different aspect of the self. Actually, it is pretty specific and once you know how to ‘read’ the map, (the natal horoscope), the amount of insight that you can get is pretty overwhelming. I’ve sat in a room with strangers and discussed their natal chart only to see their eyes get wider and wider in some cases, more and more guarded, in other cases, as I unfold the chart and tell them things that only they know. That’s why this is sacred work. When someone gives you their birth data, it is something even more intimate than anything else two people can share. That’s why anyone who undertakes the discipline of astrology must approach it with integrity and reverence.

But the thing is this. Why learn about any of this stuff? Why find out what the Moon sign is, or any of the other planets for that matter? Simply answered, it is to be able to move through your experiential journey with acute consciousness, with an understanding and an awareness so that you can get a maximum experience rather than a minimal muddled one. Is it about learning? Ugh! Let’s find some other language to classify this process. Let’s call is absorption. Let’s be like vessels that are being filled with each and every thing that occurs in our lives and once we are full to the brim, then we can move along on that spiral of becoming that ultimately takes us home to source—you know, that big guy in the sky, the goddess of goodness and grace, the stars of wisdom and knowing—whatever you want to call it. I call it home, the place that I came from some-when, somehow, somewhere.

So, the Moon. Because she represents reactive energy within the self, it is really important to understand those mechanisms. You can’t always change negative or unproductive mechanisms overnight but you’ll never change them if you don’t become aware of them!

So, there are 12 zodiac signs, 4 elemental categories (Fire, Earth, Air and Water) and 3 modal categories, (Cardinal, Fixed and Mutable). Just knowing in which one of these your own Moon falls will reveal a huge amount of info about the way you seek security and interface with your community of choice. I’ll begin with the Fire Moons, Aries, Leo and Sagittarius. In my next posting I’ll talk about the Earth Moons.

Aries Moon gives courage in the face of anything. How do you behave when under threat? You fight back, that’s how. Pretty independent emotionally, you like it fast and furious when it comes to those warm and fuzzy moments. This is leadership energy. And if it can be used to inspire others to step up to the plate and take their own swing at things, you’ve learned to use it rather well.

The past life skill set is about a true grit deep within the soul, the ability to survive even when totally on your own, a hunger for the open road and the next mountain waiting to be climbed. In this life, find ways to include others in what you feel and need. Open up and try to remember that you aren’t here on your own.

Leo Moon loves to be loved. This is an energy of joy. When you’re under threat, your Leo Luna turns the tables on whatever is causing the insecurity. You have the ability to create mirages that obscure unpleasant realities. And boy, do you ever love DRAMA. In fact, it’s your middle name. This is a truly expansive energy that, at the optimum operating mode absolutely sizzles up any situation. Oh, don’t we all love that Leo energy!

In past lives, you experienced the feeling of being central to any situation that you were in. You felt the love that others gave you and came to believe that it was rightfully yours. In this life, work on the ideas of sharing and giving to others since you have so much love deep inside of yourself.

Sagittarius Moon is the seeker. You probably don’t even recognize that sense of insecurity that others might because you are always in exploration mode. But, in fact, your answer to fear is to push yourself beyond your limits whatever they might be. Feeding your needs might look like thrill seeking to others but to you, its all about the unknown and finding a pathway into that vast undiscovered country of the heart. You will need a partner who understands the gypsy in your emotional make-up.

In past lives you experienced emotional freedom to the max. You know how to detach and live in full faith. This time around, focus on connection rather than singularity. Dialogue with those around you and share that natural emotional wisdom that comes so easily to you.

Keep watching for the next set of lovely Luna energies—the Earthy group, Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn.