You Were Born for This
Page 8
The sign that your Moon is in, the house that your Moon is in, and aspects that your Moon makes to other planets in your chart will give you important information about how you like to live out your days, what activities you need to do daily, and how to best take care of yourself on a regular basis.
Sign of Your Moon
How Do You Meet Your Physical and Emotional Needs?
What Sign Is Your Moon In?
The sign that your Moon is in will tell you the style in which you emote, get your needs met, build connections, and live out your daily life. It also points to how you experienced your parents and caregivers. Even though there are psychological properties associated with each sign the Moon is in, it’s important to remember that the Moon doesn’t have the same strength in every sign. Some signs are more difficult for the Moon to be in, some neutral, and some lend it great comfort.
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CHECK IN WITH YOUR CHART
FINDING YOUR MOON
Look for this glyph in your chart.
This is your Moon.
What sign is your Moon in?
My Moon is in the sign of .
What house is your Moon in?
My Moon is in the house of .
ASPECTS TO YOUR MOON
When you pull up your chart on www.ChaniNicholas.com, you can see which planets are in aspect to your Moon. Remember, you may not have any planets talking to your Moon. Don’t worry about what the different aspects mean for now. Just note them, and we will dive into their meaning soon. Fill in the blanks below that are applicable to you.
The planets in the same sign as my Moon are .
The planets that are trining my Moon (four signs / 120 degrees apart) are .
The planets that are sextiling my Moon (two signs / 60 degrees apart) are .
The planets that are squaring my Moon (three signs / 90 degrees apart) are .
The planets that are in the opposite sign from my Moon are .
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Frida Kahlo had her Moon in Taurus, the sign of its exaltation. Here, the Moon needs to build something lasting, well-crafted, and sensually pleasing. Because the Moon is in a sign it does so well in, we know that it has the ability to bring about the life’s purpose with some confidence and recognition.
As a Venus-ruled sign, Taurus is known for have a penchant for jewelry. Venus loves to be adorned. The fixed earth sign is a lover of rocks, crystals, and all stones that catch the eye and offer grounding. Often laden with massive rings, necklaces (Taurus rules the throat), and earrings, Kahlo was clearly living out her Moon in Taurus (with a flair befitting of her Leo Ascendant). Kahlo used clothing and jewelry as a way to articulate, explore, and remind the world of both her indigenous and colonial ancestry, often mixing statement pieces from both. In addition, Kahlo’s body (the Moon) and what happened to it was more often than not the subject of her work and sometimes even her canvas. Because the Moon also represents the home, the fact that hers has been turned into a museum of her art seems fitting for a Taurus Moon that likes things that are built to last.
Now it is time to choose your own adventure. Skip ahead to read the section about your Moon sign.
FRIDA KAHLO’S BIRTH CHART
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Birth Date and Time: July 6, 1907, 8:30 a.m.
Location: Coyoacán, Mexico City, Mexico
MOON IN ARIES
The Moon in the cardinal fire sign of Aries is action-oriented. Daily life will most likely be adventurous. Taking action may be a form of self-care. Taking initiative may be a way of helping you feel safe in the world. Taking on challenges is necessary for you to feel vital and alive.
With this placement, independence and freedom are a must to feel emotionally centered, though the level of independence you need will vary greatly depending on the rest of your chart. Regular release of excess heat can be important for your emotional well-being. Feelings can flair but not permanently, as Aries is quick to change.
With this placement, it is common to have had a hot-tempered, independent, or courageous parent or caregiver. Someone who wasn’t reliant on others for their sense of self and encouraged you to be the same, or someone who felt a little too fiery to get close to in the ways that you may have needed.
Affirmations
I honor my need for independence.
I honor my need to compete with my personal best.
Reflection Questions
Is risk-taking and adventure part of how you live out your life’s purpose?
What did you learn about channeling, expressing, or working with anger from your parents and caregivers? What did you learn about being independent? What did you always want to do, or end up doing, on your own?
When does competitiveness get you into emotionally difficult situations or encourage more separation than you’d like? Is that usually coming from you or others? When does competition feel healthy and inspiring of your personal best?
MOON IN TAURUS
The Moon is exalted in Taurus, meaning it has extra strength here and is able to do its job well—nurturing, building bonds, conceiving, and birthing (literally or metaphorically). In Taurus, the Moon needs stable, reliable comforts. Taurus needs to build, and the Moon is good at doing so in relationships, at home, and in all things that bring a sense of security. Taurus isn’t a sign concerned with the abstract; it loves the literal. The Moon in Taurus needs sensual pleasures and will turn to them in times of insecurity and emotional instability.
Like all planets that are exalted, the Moon in Taurus helps you to become well-known for your ability to manifest your talents on the physical plane. Incredibly sturdy, here the Moon is on solid, fertile ground. Planets in their exaltation will tend to get attention for their ability to perform their duty. Here, the Moon is productive, giving, and generative. A Moon that others rely on. Lean on. Come to for sustenance. Flattering perhaps, but this Moon needs to learn not to be the feeding trough for every hungry heart.
The Moon in a Venus-ruled sign (Taurus and Libra) knows how to create connections. In Taurus, this is done through a slow and steady development of the partnership. Reliability never runs out with Moon in Taurus.
You may have experienced a parent or caregiver as strong, sturdy, stubborn, or controlling. Someone who was famous or infamous in their own right. Someone who prioritized security and consistency above all else.
Affirmations
I honor my need for stability, security, and consistency while encouraging myself to take thoughtful risks.
I know that my strength is something that others find soothing, but that doesn’t mean I have to give them more than I have to spare.
Reflection Questions
Do you often get the feedback that you are a support system for others? If so, is it ever at your own expense? Does being grounded, or perceived as strong, mean that others don’t ask you what you need?
Did you have a parent who was especially grounded, reliable, or stubborn? In what ways have you adapted or inherited these traits? Which work for you? Which hinder you? Why?
Do you tend to need to build something, work on something in a consistent way, or apply yourself to something tangible when you feel insecure or adrift? Is doing so a part of how you live out your life’s purpose? What are you currently working on that feels aligned with your Moon in Taurus?
MOON IN GEMINI
The Moon in Gemini needs to communicate, process, and exchange the facts and ideas that it is constantly gathering. It needs to access many different avenues of information. Needs to ask questions. Needs to be in a constant state of learning, moving, and transgressing intellectual boundaries.
The Moon in Gemini creates safety and belonging through being conversational, soothes itself through learning (this is the more introverted side of Gemini) or communicating (the more extroverted side of Gemini), and needs to tap into both intuition and logic. You need both introverted and extroverted experiences to regulate but may feel compelled to be constantly in contact with others as a way of feeling safe.
With your Moon in Gemini, you may have experienced a parent or caregiver as more intellectually expressive than physically or emotionally so. They may have been charming, intelligent, chatty, difficult to rely on, or inconsistent.
Affirmations
I honor my need for a wide variety of relationships.
I honor my need to intellectually understand my emotions while not dissociating from the feeling of them.
Reflection Questions
Do you find that when you feel uncertain, insecure, or ungrounded in any way, learning something or having a good conversation helps you regulate? If so, what kind of information feels the most soothing to you?
Do you often need to explore a diversity of options, relationships, and interests to feel like your needs are being met? How is that related to your childhood or upbringing? Is it part of how you live out your life’s purpose?
Was one of your parents especially curious, intellectual, sociable, or duplicitous? How has that impacted you?
MOON IN CANCER
In Cancer, its own sign, the Moon feeds the masses. Here the Moon is strong, extreme in its significations, and undeniable in its power. The Moon in Cancer needs to nourish others as much as others need its nourishment. To feel safe in the world, Moon in Cancer develops emotional bonds, in many cases ones that feel like family. Security comes through connection to others but can also come at a cost. This Moon can lose itself in the role of the caretaker, forgetting that its own needs are as valid as anyone else’s.
Extremely sensitive, empathic, and intuitive, you will pick up on, and most likely hold, the unprocessed emotions of others. Learning to release the energy that you have absorbed from others is a lifesaving tactic.
Moodiness is often the marker of having lost one’s emotional boundary. To regulate, you will likely need a safe place to call home, a shell to crawl back into, and a sanctuary in which to cleanse yourself of the residue of human suffering.
Since the Moon is in its place of power, there may be an experience of ease or abundance on the material plane, especially in regard to the house that it is placed in. Because this is such a dominant placement, you may also feel more resonance with your Moon than your Sun. Issues related to the Moon in general (feeding, caring for, caring about, bonding, writing, and moving about the world) may feature prominently in your life.
With this placement, it is common to have experienced a parent or caregiver as extremely nurturing, comforting, or emotionally suffocating. A Cancer Moon can indicate a parent or caregiver who was a very dominant figure in your development. We can say this about all caregivers, but if you have a Cancer Moon, you may feel particularly tied to the lessons and teachings you received from them.
Affirmations
My needs are just as valid as anyone else’s, and I take thoughtful care of my spiritual, intellectual, and physical self.
It’s okay to outgrow my past.
Reflection Questions
Where in your life do you feel you have the most confidence or natural talent? In the next section, see if it relates to the house that your Moon is in.
What care do you tend to give others? Is it part of how you live out your life’s purpose?
Was one of your parents an especially strong figure in your life? If so, how were they significant to your development? How were their emotional needs overwhelming to your system?
MOON IN LEO
The Moon in Leo needs attention, applause, appreciation, and acknowledgment in its daily life and experience. It needs to express itself creatively and take inspired action. It might be hard to regulate your own self-esteem in earlier life without an audience, but learning how to appreciate and applaud yourself is necessary.
Your Leo Moon needs to shine, making part of the learning process about finding the best stage for your star. There is a quality of being special to this Moon, and that is alluring to many, but not every kind of celebration is good for the soul. If you were shamed or made to feel that you were merely attention seeking in early life, you might have developed a complicated relationship to attention, attracting it unconsciously and being unsure of what it means when you receive it.
You might also feel guilty or uncomfortable for receiving the praise that you do, as it’s not something you necessarily have control over but is something that you need. Some with this placement can become addicted to the sensation and emotional stimuli of being praised. You may be good at garnering the attention, but without it you can feel a loss of self.
You live out your daily life with a confident style; even if you don’t feel confident, you will present with an emotional strength most times. However, you need to turn away from the audience occasionally and make sure that you are being true to your own story.
You might have experienced a parent or caregiver as exciting, glamorous, celebrity-like, overbearing, egomaniacal, or self-absorbed. You may need to reclaim your self from the overwhelming personality of your parent or caregiver, particularly if they had a fiery temperament that manifested as both creatively inspiring and too hot to touch.
Affirmations
Applause is something I need, but I seek my own approval first.
I am lovable and deserving of attention, no matter who is watching.
Reflection Questions
Are you someone who has a natural talent for making people laugh, putting them at ease, or getting attention for the things that you do? How do you feel when this happens?
Are you naturally open to leading and shining in the positions you take up? Is it part of how you live out your life’s purpose?
Was a parent or caregiver especially dramatic, glamorous, or in need of applause? If so, how did this make you feel?
MOON IN VIRGO
The Moon generally does well in Virgo. Comfortable in the coolness of this earth sign, in Virgo the Moon nurtures life and others through being of use. It creates safety and belonging by working hard, learning, developing its skills, being of service, digesting information, and analyzing data. Virgo needs to clean, clear, organize, purify, and have things in proper working condition as a way of emotionally regulating. A little decluttering of the mind, body, or home can go a long way for the Moon in Virgo’s nervous system. A Virgo Moon needs ritual. It may or may not need to be consistent, but the process of refining anything can be soothing to this soul.
Because this Moon is adept at critique, if and when that energy gets turned in on itself, or those around it, the results can be disastrous. Virgo distorted will tear things apart in search of a solution, ending up with nothing but hurt feelings and an overly scoured system.
You may be obsessed with trying to find perfection, denying yourself the right, and the beauty, of being human. Learning how to channel this energy toward skill development and the rituals that keep you cleansed of self-criticism is your life’s work. Since Virgo is so attuned to what doesn’t work, your Moon is especially adept at understanding the rhythms, systems, and ways in which healing naturally occurs.
You may have had a parent or caregiver who was health conscious, well-versed in the healing arts, introverted, overly critical, or unable to accept themselves. If the latter is the case, you may want to consider how this has impacted your own sense of self.
Affirmations
I am allowed to make mistakes, learn, and try again.
My emotions don’t have to be understandable to be acceptable.
Reflection Questions
Do you have a habit of trying to fix, adjust, or change yourself when something outside you isn’t working? Was there a parent in your early life who was critical of you, or were there others who made you feel like you had to adjust yourself to avoid their critique?
What special gifts do you have for understanding herbs, natural ways of healing, healing modalities, or different ways of cleansing the mind, body, or emotional system?
What do your gifts for editing, eliminating, organizing, writing, and communicating bring you? Is it part of how you live
out your life’s purpose?
MOON IN LIBRA
The Moon in Libra needs to create beauty, bring peace, or partake in the pursuit of justice daily. This Moon is acutely aware of when things are out of balance. The discord of injustice is felt deeply. Part of its self-soothing strategy is to put things back into a harmonious relationship. Be that with colors, sounds, textures, words, or in partnerships with others, this Moon provides the emotional temperament of a peacekeeper.
You are adept at establishing connections, making others feel witnessed, and extending yourself out to those in need. You get your needs met, in part, by being likable. However, when your emotional needs are reliant on being in partnership with others, you can experience a lot of anxiety when necessary and needed conflict arises. You might be so sensitive to disagreements that you contort yourself into all manner of shapes to compensate.