The Moon is the storehouse of what I like to call out “biological karma”. On exoteric and psychological levels, she is literally and figuratively our mother. She thus represents the nature of the most basic of all of our relationship. The Moon in our natal horoscope therefore speaks to us of our primary needs: food, shelter, material and emotional security. The position of the Moon by sign, house, and aspects to the other planets in our chart, tells us a great deal about our instinctual relationship to such needs.
How do we fulfill these primary urges? What constitutes for each of us our instinctual pattern of response when deprived of these basic elements of personal security? In a man´s horoscope, the Moon indicates our relationship to women and to our own inner feminine nature. The lunar position will often indicate the kind of women we seek out for relationship and the nature of the emotional dynamics within such relationship. In a woman´s chart, the placement of the Moon is fundamental. It indicates a woman´s basic health as the Moon regulates her 28-day cycle as well as her ability to express her urge to nurture, to be supportive, and literally, to mother. In the horoscope of both men and women, the Moon reveals the scope and quality of our primary emotional nature, its drives and instinctual patterns.
The Moon has two other major functions in the exoteric horoscope of the personality life. She is first and foremost the representative of the past. With her is locked the memories of all of our biological ancestors, and thus in this way holds an important key to our past lives. Who and what we are has a great deal to do with the biological matrix out of which we came. In this respect, all of our ancestors can be said to still be “alive” through each one of us and we pass on that life (and those racial/family memories) to our children. It will be your Cancer (ruled by the Moon) grandmother or grandfather who will have the deepest and clearest memories of the family tree and its history!
The memories of your forgotten ancestors do indeed live through you, only we do not remember their experiences. What we do have within us is the second major lunar factor, instinct. So many of our patterns of behavior, our likes and dislikes, our tastes in food and home environments, are conditioned not only by our parental background but by the collective history of earthly experience of our progenitors! The Moon therefore governs the entire scope of this biological history (firmly locked within the molecules of DNA in our genes and chromosomes) and is thus the source of our instinctual responses to life.
The process of spiritual evolution requires that we move from instinct to intuition; from unconscious patterns of response based on the biological past to a conscious participation in the creation of Life. This is not such an easy task as it requires us to leave the womb of our mother and be born again through the Heart of the Mother. And leaving home can be a very fearful process! As we examine the more esoteric dynamics of the “lunar landscape”, we will see how this process unfolds. Please remember that the nature of Soul unfoldment, i.e. the awakening of consciousness, is accomplished through synthesis, Thus we do not abandon our mother (nor any of our ancestors for that matter), we take the entire family with us as we journey to the Heart.
The nature of the Soul-centered, esoteric energies of the planets does not negate their personality-centered, exoteric meanings. A blending is taking place—one which gives rise to an ever-increasing inclusivity. It is the path to inclusivity which is also the Path to the Mother. The Soul-centered individual has neither forgotten nor abandoned the past nor is one forgetful of the responsibilities we have in our ordinary, daily life. The effects of the Moon and its sign placement, as we understand them to be from the angle of traditional, psychologically oriented astrology, are still valid. But there are other, more refined or highly evolved lunar influences which the Moon “veils”.
We can start our own voyage to the Moon by first examining ourselves. Where is the Moon placed in our horoscope? Where are we still attached to its influence as a storage place of past karmic imprinting? Where does the focus of our own attachment reside and most importantly, were is our resistance to its release? Once we enter the Path, we will be continuously confronted by such situations until we are able to break through the “lunar maya” which holds us enthralled in illusion. We struggle with the past, bringing our instinctual memory patterns to the surface of consciousness. The battle then ceases to be one of subjective, unfocussed inner, emotional turbulence. The battle becomes more objective and we face our own shadows as we set forth to break free into the higher life.
Esoteric astrology tells us that the Moon at this point is loosening its hold on our emotions. In its place another planetary force appears. This is the energy of Vulcan, esoteric ruler of the sign Taurus, and the planetary energy which helps us break free from the past. (For a full explanation of the effects and nature of Vulcan, please refer to Article V of this series in the April, 1996 edition of Dell Horoscope Magazine). It is energy of Vulcan, now working through the position of the Moon in your horoscope, that severs these ties with your biological karma. A greater inclusivity begins to appear in your attitude towards life and those emotions connected to the instinctual nature of the personality are replaced by feelings and urges more in keeping with the loving will of the Soul. You have entered the battle for emotional freedom leading to our release from those compulsions and attachments which no longer serve our higher good.
The next step along the evolutionary road Home to the Mother involves the planet Uranus. After Vulcan (who as we may recall was the “Blacksmith of the Gods”) has forged those tools of greater awareness in his fiery oven (signified by our emotional battles!), we may now step forward with a greater sense of our individuality and a firm hand on our creative will. In this respect, Uranus begins to work through the position of the Moon in our horoscope. Uranus, the planetary revolutionary seeks to replace outworn ideas and doctrines with new concepts, thoughts, and structures, that permit our participation in the larger, collective life of humanity. Whenever we are actively engaged in service to humanity in general, we can be sure that our connection to the Soul is secured. This is one of the greatest blessings that Uranus may only reveal when acting through the Higher Self as the esoteric ruler of Libra.
Finally we come to that stage in life when the real “higher octave” of the Moon appears. This is Neptune, the bringer of the veil of emotional illusion on the personality level but the Initiator into the Mysteries of the Heart on the level of the Soul. Neptune is the Soul-centered ruler of the sign Cancer. When Neptune removes the lunar veil we stand before the Mother. Our lesson is complete. Whether we are a man or a woman in the present incarnation, we have learned how to nurture all and everyone. Our love is boundless, totally inclusive, and unconditional. We have come Home.
Let us now examine the position of the Moon from an esoteric perspective in each of the twelve signs and determine its Soul-Level Purpose:
Moon in Aries: Mercury, the esoteric ruler of Aries is on the same Ray of Manifestation as the Moon—the Fourth—and greatly influences the Moon when in this sign. In this case, Mercury helps to reorient the emotional nature of the Moon in this so that a greater contact is made possible to the mental body. Thus our feelings and emotions will become a better vehicle for “the birthplace of ideas”. Aries gives a fiery impulse to our emotional nature. From the level of the personality, this means that an individual is apt to be very impulsive in their self-expression, increasing the intensity of feelings into fiery outbursts of passion. On the Soul level, such fire is the fire of mind, allowing the person a much greater scope of creative self-expression.
Moon in Taurus: A very potent placement usually indicating a struggle between the creation of forms for one´s own pleasure and personal security or allowing oneself to be a vehicle for the collective well being of all. Abundance is the keyword to this position as the individual on the Path with the Moon in Taurus will lack nothing in the way of material substance, providing that the use of that substance is for the service of others. The Moon in Taurus need not worry about not having herself, but true happiness connected with material flow is only possible through the transcendence of personal desire. Vulcan is the ruler here and its First Ray energy brings out the Will-to-Good which can be expressed through the Law of Right Human Relationships, embodied by Venus, exoteric ruler of the Bull.
Moon in Gemini: This combination provides a tremendous potential for the communication of harmony and Right Human Relations through the written or spoken word. Venus is the esoteric ruler of the sign and joins with Mercury the ruler of Gemini on the personality level. Gemini is a Second Ray sign (Love/Wisdom) while Venus activates the Fifth Ray of the Concrete Mind (science and technology). The Soul-level purpose of this position is very much involved with the creating of patterns of relationship and communication which break down outworn models of social interchange so that new ways of relating may be brought forth for the greater good of humanity.
Moon in Cancer: On the personality level, this position indicates the strongest link a person may have to the past. It certainly allows an individual to be very nurturing but it does not necessarily provide an opportunity for evolutionary growth if the level of personal attachment to the familiar is too strong. On the esoteric level, Neptune emerges as a power of real opportunity as it is the Soul-centered ruler of this sign and is energetically connected with it. The Sixth Ray of Devotion acts through Neptune and combines with the Third (Active Intelligence) and Seventh (Synthesis, Order) Ray influences of Cancer. This allows the individual to create those environments that sustain a strong level of support for the collective. Such a person would be very willing to foster those social circumstances that serve to support any and all humanitarian efforts that nurture and sustain.
Moon in Leo: On the personality level, the Moon in this sign may birth an individual who is the epitome of emotional egocentricity. On a higher level of exoteric expression, this position can result in a highly gifted and abundantly creative person. The difficulty comes with one´s attachment to this gifts and the compulsion to be recognized for them. The test coming through Vulcan in this position will require the individual to reorient their fiery feelings and natural talents for the good of the collective, thus bringing in Leo´s opposite sign, Aquarius into play. Leo and Aquarius are both signs of the Fifth Ray, making this one of the easiest polarities to handle on esoteric levels. Thus the Moon in Leo gives one amble opportunity to invoke that great Fifth Ray lesson—the Law of Right Human Relationships—and the beautiful energies of the Fifth Ray planet, Venus.
Moon in Virgo: As the Moon is the esoteric ruler of this sign, its placement herein gives an individual a strong potential for world service work. The Soul-level purpose is to reveal the indwelling purpose within the various forms of life. This is of course, Love. The Virgin is the Holy Mother who births the Christ, symbol for the Soul of Humanity. The Second and Sixth Rays are very potent in this sign and lead to a deep sense of devotion to those life pursuits that evoke and increase consciousness. The effects of Vulcan when acting through the Moon in this sign would serve to break down patterns of selfishness and the manipulation of matter towards one´s own, personal ends.
Moon in Libra: This combination is very geared to the expansion of human relations from the more personal dynamics of Venus (exoteric ruler of the sign) into the more collective an impersonal realms of Uranus (esoteric ruler). The lunar focus for the creation of forms is centered on the harmonious blending of all human resources. Uranus, the Seventh Ray planetary expression is very much involved with the principle of synthesis. Thus when the Moon is in Libra and brings into play the energies of Uranus, the individual is very much oriented to the principle of “unity in diversity”. When this combines with the energies of Venus and Right Human Relations, we see that a Moon in Libra person can be very instrumental for the working out of many types of humanistic plans and projects.
Moon in Scorpio: Whenever a planet is in Scorpio there is always a sense of tension. Scorpio and the Moon are both connected to the Fourth Ray (Harmony Through Conflict). The Fourth stands as the transforming gate between the energies of the ego-self and the Soul. On the personality level, a person with the Moon is Scorpio is always required to transmute the energy of the lower emotions of selfish desires into a more refined feeling nature. The Moon is said to “fall “ in Scorpio as the nourishing qualities of the Moon are often severely restricted in this sign. But from the Soul-centered perspective, this “fall” relates to the death of the personality which is “felled” by the energies of the Soul. Thus the Soul-level purpose for this position is to use one´s outer, form life as a total expression for the healing properties and unifying qualities of the Higher Self. The tests are often severe (Scorpio is not a light-weight sign!), but the rewards are very lofty.
Moon in Sagittarius: The duality of this sign on the personality level often manifests as the struggle between personal desires and one´s more altruistic ideals. This duality is resolved esoterically when the Earth and the Third Ray dominate this position from the esoteric perspective, and one seeks to bring practical solutions to humanity’s needs. Idealism merges with realism, personal desires are geared for the release of people into a wider understanding of life. Once again the Fourth Ray is a very potent influence, yet the Moon in Sagittarius Soul-centered individual is ready to ride forth into the battle for the good of the collective. Vulcan´s work through the Moon in this sign involves the break down of the belief, so common to personality.centered Sagittarians, that their understanding of life represents universal truth. Once this humility is achieved, the Moon in Sagittarius may nurture through her wisdom.
Moon in Capricorn: The restrictive energy of Saturn, ruler of Capricorn lessons on the Soul level so that the individual, instead of feeling emotionally constrained, experiences the joy of true emotional responsibility. This means that the Soul-centered Moon in Capricorn person has come to the realization of where their real work resides. He or she may embrace this task as it has been well earned! The urge to control others (so very present with the Moon in Capricorn on the personality level) has given way to the awareness stated in this line from the Mantra of Unification: “Let the Soul Control the outer form and life and all events, and bring to life the love which underlies the happenings of the times.” The ability to structure the form side of life is then used by the person with the Moon in Capricorn in order to harness personal and collective resources for the benefit of group purposes.
Moon in Aquarius: From the level of personal emotions, this is not the warmest nor the most nourishing of lunar positions. It brings forth a tendency for a sense of impersonality which may not be necessarily very loving, just detached. Yet the quality of detachment is absolutely essential to the Soul-centered individual. Such coolness however does not indicate a lack of feeling nor the absence of love. On the contrary! Passion is replaced by compassion, self-absorption is transformed through absorption into the Self, and detachment from personal desires becomes a vehicle for world service. Uranus’ natural association with this sign allows it to function on the Soul level as an instrument for the invention of new processes of social interaction and communication so that the sense of the unity of humanity may be expressed to others. It should be remembered that Aquarius is a Fifth Ray sign and is thus intimately connected to Venus (Uranus is the esoteric ruler of Libra) and the Law of Right Human Relations.
Moon in Pisces: On the personality level, the mutable nature of this sign and the unstable quality of water may lead to an unending mutation of desire, thus perpetuating a life of hungering after something that can never be achieved. Yet this very same lack of fixity and the connection which Pisces has to the ocean of all human experience, makes it the sign with the easiest entry into the universal truth of love. The Fish function through the same two Rays (II and VI) as its polarity, Virgo. The First Ray quality of Vulcan when working through this matrix serves to harness the Will (Ray I) of the Pisces individual towards devotion (Ray VI) to the Plan of Love/Wisdom (Ray II). This occurs through the gradual release of Pisces from his or her attachments to the sensation of emotion on the personal level so that he or she may sense the Presence of the Soul. Once achieved, the First Ray will point to the Way Home.
Source: http://www.alanoken.com/index.php?page=the-soul-purpose-of-your-moon-sign
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