The Moon:
Your Nurturing Parent

One hundred years ago, it was pretty much a given that your mother was your nurturing parent, while your father was the breadwinner and the more authoritarian parent. That meant that astrologers could look to the Moon in your chart to interpret your relationship to your Mom, and Saturn to interpret life with Dad. This convenient division of responsibilities is no longer true in a vast majority of households.

One big reason is the number of single parent homes. In 1900 divorce was extremely rare. At that time there were as few as 1000 divorces per year. Now the number is more in the range of one million each year.

Two income families point to the necessity for a division of parental responsibilities between Mom and Dad. Day care means that children are in the hands of other caregivers for many hours each day. The nurturing of children is shared by necessity, as well as desire on the part of both parents to participate in their children's lives. The disciplinary role can no longer be delegated to one parent either.

Astrologers still look at the Moon to determine your potential relationships with your nurturing parent (s), and they look to Saturn to identify the disciplinarian. The blurring of parental roles means that both the Moon and Saturn reflect qualities of father and mother. As you read about your own Moon sign, think about your parents. Did their roles change during your childhood and young adult years? How did illness, injury, and other major events affect their nurturing roles? Which of your parents had a greater impact on your beliefs about nurturing style and responsibilities?

The parent represented by the Moon in your birth chart has the main responsibility for nurturing other family members. Traditionally this parent accepted a secondary position in terms of leadership outside the home. In contrast, the Moon parent takes on most of the responsibility in matters that relate solely to home and family. The Moon parent may be endowed with natural parenting skills, or develops these skills through experience. The rhythms of daily life tend to flow according to the Moon parent's tempo. Clothing and decorating trends, dance fads, the condition of the stock market or the weather-anything that has a rhythmic pattern of behavior fits within this parent's perspective.

The signs modify the qualities of the somewhat emotional Moon and indicate how nurturing takes place. Here is a general description of your parent who is most closely related to the Moon.

The Moon Through the Signs
Aries

The Aries Moon parent is a study in contradictions. Impulsive tendencies cause this parent to make rash purchases, change plans at the last minute, and take the path less traveled if the mood strikes. All this makes for lively, exciting times. It is not the stuff of comfortable, stable daily life. These qualities in a parent come across as quick to anger and quick to forgive.

Because of the inconsistent behavior, you may have feared this parent's anger that came seemingly out of nowhere. Even if physical punishment was never part of the picture, you probably developed a cautious approach in your relationship. At the same time you experienced this parent as taking a secondary role to the other parent much of the time. The contradiction between awesome power and willingness to follow a leader may have confused you at times.

This is the parent to go shopping with. He or she understands individuality and is able to furnish your room or buy clothes that suit you well. You will never look like a carbon copy of your siblings, unless you are wearing costumes or uniforms. You each get your own hairstyles too. The Aries Moon parent allows you to express your individuality, as long as you don't harm yourself in the process. He or she may even encourage you to try things that are edgy or futuristic.

Taurus

Consistency could be your Moon in Taurus parent's middle name. You sometimes feel that this parent was predictable to the point of being dull. You could guess what supper would be by the day of the week, and you could count on having the house cleaning and laundry done on schedule.

Just when you were sure you had this parent figured out, he or she would throw you a curve, forcing you to rethink your relationship. The rules that seemed comfortable and flexible suddenly became rigid when you crossed the line. The Taurus Moon person didn't intentionally spring new things on you, far from it. You knew the rules all along. You just didn't know that your normally appreciative parent would crack down so hard.

Your Taurus Moon parent appreciates value. This means that clothing had to be durable first, then attractive. You were not encouraged to wear frills, and probably everything tended to coordinate, except for dress up attire, which may have been distinguished.

Whether father or mother, your Taurus Moon parent helped you through the toughest crises, and still does. This parent may experience serious ups and downs in life, not only financial, but also regarding career, health, or other matters. He or she knows how to handle difficult turns of events, and can teach you a lot about managing your life.

Gemini

Your Gemini Moon parent shares some of the qualities usually associated with siblings. You get frequent flashes of a younger person living in this parent's body. There is a lively curiosity that takes you along on adventures into new, exciting territory, either in the physical world or in the realm of imagination. You may take day trips to explore the area surrounding your home, explore antique shops or the mall together, or share an interest in a particular author's work. You also enjoy the same games, television programs, and classroom subjects.

The Gemini Moon indicates a rather moody emotional life for your nurturing parent. Sadness will sometimes be apparent, yet he or she carries through to take care of business is spite of difficult emotions. Sudden expression of ideas and feelings convinces you that this parent has deeper, stronger undercurrents of feeling and imagination than you can see on the surface. Develop a close relationship and you get to share in that depth of mind.

The Gemini Moon indicates a life full of dreams that may never come to fruition. Your parent may feel sad about opportunities not taken, or events that caused a change in direction away from an important goal. You sometimes find yourself cast in the role of fulfilling your parent's dreams-dreams that you do not share.

Cancer

The parent represented by you Cancer Moon is adept at identifying the emotional content of any family situation. This parent consistently balances the needs and desires of each family member, creating a sense of fulfillment for each person individually and for the family as a whole. You discover that if this parent is fulfilled and happy, then so is every member of the family. You learn to go along in situations where you are not sure what to do because this parent has turned out to be right so many times where feelings are concerned.

Comfort is a foundational principle in this parent's approach to life. Home is a place where you should feel comfortable, and this parent makes that comfort Job One. Understanding the physical environment as well as the emotional ambiance, this parent arranges the rooms, the furniture, and the décor to suit each person. The house doesn't have to have a consistent look from one room to the next. Instead, each area reflects the emotional flow associated with that room's activities.

Life has not been easy for this parent. There have been dramatic highs, matched by equally dramatic low points. As an adult this parent benefits from every effort to maintain balance. At the same time he or she appreciates the rhythmic movement of life and knows that everything cannot be static-balance is a constant flow of energies. You probably tested this parent's sense of balance on more than one occasion, and you experienced the inevitable emotional response.

Leo

Leader or drill sergeant? Your Leo Moon parent sometimes acts like king or queen of the world, demonstrating very little interest in your perceptions or desires. While this attitude can feel harsh at times, you develop a sense of trust in the security of knowing that there is a plan for each day. You don't have to create the plan so much as execute your role competently. Eventually you seek independence, and the Leo Moon parent may try to hold on a bit longer than you want.

The Leo Moon parent desires comfortable, even luxurious surroundings. Significant amounts of money are spent on furnishings and other possessions. However, you also learn the value of quality from this parent. For example, you only have to purchase the oriental rug for the living room once every 100 years or so if you buy high quality in the first place. Of course, you want to get the rug that you will still like twenty years from now. This parent can create an entire décor around one or two heirlooms.

The Leo Moon parent can tech you a lot about leadership style. You may not feel as confident as this parent, but you can emulate the appearance of style and confidence in your actions. You also learn how to make and keep friends.

Virgo

Your Virgo Moon parent is mentally thorough and methodical. Yu get the sense that he or she has given substantial thought to any project before ever making the first move. When you ask a question, this parent doesn't just toss back an instant response. Instead, you may hear several questions to clarify and explore the situation. In the process, you often come to your own conclusion. This parent teaches you how to approach problem solving by helping you to develop choices and make decisions.

Sometimes it seems like this parent misses good opportunities by holding back a bit too long. You may want to jump in, metaphorically speaking, whereas your parent explores the depth and temperature of the water first. Generally you discover that your parent has been ahead of the curve all along. He or she has held back to allow a situation to play out before committing to a specific course of action, not because of hesitation, but because foresight suggests that shifts will occur in the playing field. While this approach may not work for you, this parent pulls it off time and time again.

You sometimes feel that this parent is super critical of your behavior. You may feel that your schoolwork brings nothing but criticism, or your appearance is scrutinized constantly. Even your feeling life is open to criticism. Unfortunately, this kind of criticism is remembered long after any praise is forgotten.

Your Virgo Moon parent has the capacity to study any subject deeply. If you share an interest, expect to delve deeply into the subject. Years later, you parent may continue to come up with adaptations or considerations relating to the subject. From this person you learn how to get a broad overview and then gather data to flesh out every area of the subject.

Libra

Your Moon parent began to treat you as an equal when you were quite young. At first this alternated with parent-child interactions, but as you grew up, the two of you eased into a more balanced relationship.

This balance is not consistent. For one thing, your parent has the heart of a general of the army, and you may play many roles during your life-lowly private, trusted lieutenant, or major in charge of just about everything. To keep the relationship running smoothly, you must remember that your parent is the general in this army. You may not like it, but it's true. Follow orders. Provide information that you think is necessary to making good decisions, and relieve this parent of duties little by little as aging demands.

At some point you may have to take a stand. Do you resign from the Moon parent's army and go your own direction? That may be necessary. However, you may also find that the general can listen to reason. You could get things your way if you are prepared for the fight.

Your Moon parent is the one who taught you about consistency, and about the benefits of harmonious relationships. You learned by example of how to-and how not to-accomplish balance.

Scorpio

Your Moon parent probably had a secret emotional life that was rarely shared with anyone. The emotional undercurrent was probably always present, but you didn't know the reasons behind any emotional responses. This parent could hide in a corner, waiting to see what might happen. Or there could be aggressive outburst that may have been frightening to you as a child. In fact, you still may be a bit timid around this parent.

If you had a secre6t, you could always tell this parent. Once you got past the initial reaction, hot as it might have been, you knew this parent would not only keep your secret, but would also do everything possible to help you solve the problem.

This parent had a way of getting what he or she wanted. Not enough money? A way would be found, or a bargain located. There was always a sense of wanting to look the very best, perhaps just a step above the income available. Your parent gave keeping up with the Joneses a whole new meaning.

The truth is a central part of this parent's core beliefs. The frame for the truth, however, might not have matched up with the real world. For example, all those secrets add up to a way of withholding useful, even vital information. In addition, you were supposed to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, whereas your parent would sort and filter the truth to suit the specific situation. Or the truth might come out in the most awkward moments.

Both fearless and tenacious, this parent may have clawed his or her way to success, dragging you along for the ride. You learned how to go after what you want, and more importantly, how to decide if something is really worth the effort.

Sagittarius

Your moon parent has a whole life that goes on inside the mind. You sometimes know when he or she is far away, thinking about something else. You may have to address this person by name to get through, as Mom and Dad are relatively new titles compared to John or Marsha. This parent is definitely moody, whether you can tell it or not. You sometimes only find out when you have pushed way to far at a time when your parent needs personal space.

This parent is the one who is always planning for the future. As a child you may have thought he or she was omniscient, as you were told so often how things would turn out, and then they did. Your parent may not understand why you can't divine the future for yourself. If that is not your strong suit, you can at least learn how to think about the future as part of your planning process.

From this parent you learned values and ideals that you have carried with you for years. You may have changed your thinking, but you probably still value the mental training you received.

Capricorn

Your Moon parent is a hard-working individual. Family and financial security are driving forces, with the focus on personal effort to attain high goals. It may seem there is little time for you in this personal process because career interests are so important to him or her, this parent is likely to push you to achieve as much as you can, and to pursue a career that holds the promise of financial ad social success.

This parent may soften with age. Once you enter adulthood, your parent may become more of a friend or mentor, or even your personal cheerleader. This parent may enjoy life more after age sixty. This happens because career issues are no longer the main concern. Family matters assume a larger share of the attention, and he or she becomes more patient, especially with grand children and other young people.

From this parent you learn to assess realities and cultivate a practical, goal-oriented approach to life.

Aquarius

The Moon parent is a good observer of the human condition. He or she is able to consider the facts in a situation and arrive at logical conclusions. Always a champion of something, this parent can be your most ardent fan. Because of a deep understanding of human nature, this parent may identify your weaknesses and focus on them in order to help you gain balance and power. Sometimes you will feel that he or she only sees the weaknesses. Just when you feel sorriest for yourself, there will be a surprise that shows exactly how much this parent really cares for you.

Later on you may discover areas in which this parent rebelled against authority. He or she appreciates the unusual and the new, and is willing to study a new subject or undertake the development of new skills.

From this parent you learn the importance of helping others with no expectation of direct return on the investment.

Pisces

Your Pisces parent is reserved and rather quiet. Seldom the first person to jump into a conversation or argument, this parent often is the one who comes up with the ultimate solution to a problem. He or she can demonstrate great patience in working through most difficulties.

This parents keeps secrets. This can be a source of great irritation, as the information may be essential to family unity and calm. You become skilled in anticipating when information has been withheld, and may develop great investigative and logical skills in an effort to compensate for the lack of essential information. By holding back, this parent can seem negligent or ignorant in some situations.

From this parent you learn the value of reserving information that does not show you in your best light or suit the immediate situation.