THE MOON SIGNS AND THE EARLY ENVIRONMENT

Last updated on July 5th, 2024 at 06:18 pm

partyinthecookiejar:

The Moon indicates our emotional style. But equally important, it indicates how
we experienced our mother and our early environment and how that affected us psychologically.
Our early environment and the type and degree of nurturing we received are critical in shaping our
psychology and establishing a sense of security and trust. In this culture and in most others, the
father teaches the ways of the world and how to function in it. The mother’s role, on the other hand,
is to build the foundation of security, trust, and love necessary for healthy feelings about others and
ourselves. If this foundation is cracked or insufficient, we will not have the emotional resources to
face our task as an adult of providing for our own survival and that of others.

Our family and our early environment are selected by the soul before life and can, therefore, be
read in the chart. The Moon and its aspects, the ruler of the fourth house and its aspects, and the
planets in the fourth house and their aspects describe our early environment. They also describe the
mother and her attention to us. More accurately, they describe our experience of her and our early
environment. Although these aspects describe both the early environment and the mother, the
planets within the fourth house seem to describe the environment more than they do the mother.
And the houses of the fourth house ruler and the Moon describe the mother’s interests and where she
puts her energy. If we have been more influenced in our early years by our father or another
caretaker, the Moon and the fourth house will describe that individual.

Moon in Aries

The early environment of this Moon sign is likely to be colored by competition and conflict. The
conflict may be between the parents, the siblings, or any combination of family members. This
Moon sign also may signify animosity or anger on the part of the mother toward her family or spouse or in general. In any case, the home environment is often tense and competitive, and the
individual who grows up in it may be tense and angry as well. On a more positive note, the mother
may be strong, independent, assertive, and possibly athletic and encourages these traits in her child.
Some with this Moon sign have families who are involved in the military or athletics. In general, the
environment is more masculine and encourages the development of masculine traits even in its
female children.

Moon in Taurus

Unless the Moon is afflicted, the Taurus Moon’s early environment is likely to be peaceful and
stable and meet the child’s physical needs. The home is likely to be comfortable. The family may
even be well-off financially. The mother is often affectionate, dependable, and a good cook.
However, little attention may be given to emotional and intellectual needs. With this Moon sign,
security and material comforts often supersede emotional needs. Consequently, many with this
Moon sign repress or are unaware of their feelings. Children in such families often follow the model
presented them by finding comfort and satisfaction in material things rather than in people. Love
becomes equated with food and gifts. As a result, their relationships may be with toys, food, or
television.

Moon in Gemini

Gemini Moons are likely to be bright and intellectually inclined, and the mother fosters this. The
mother usually plays an educative role and happily meets the child’s intellectual needs. This is a
home where education is valued and reading and schoolwork are emphasized. However, the child’s
emotional and physical needs may not be attended to as enthusiastically. Although the mother may
be an intellectual role model, she may be less helpful in modeling other skills, such as intimacy and
managing in the world. She may not be very affectionate or emotionally demonstrative. In some
cases, the mother feels more like a friend, a peer, or an aunt.

Moon in Cancer

This Moon sign is ideal for establishing a solid foundation for adulthood. Unless the Moon is
afflicted, the mother probably enjoyed being mother and homemaker. She is likely to have met the
child’s physical and emotional needs. When our physical needs are met, we feel valued and
recognized; when our emotional needs are met, we learn to value and trust our feelings. Feelings are
important because they point to our needs, and only by having our needs met can we grow
physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually. So, recognition of our feelings is crucial in our early years. It is how self-worth is built and tantamount to being validated as an individual. The
Cancer Moon’s mother is someone who attends to her child’s feelings and makes herself available
physically and emotionally, which supports the development of self-esteem. On the other hand, the
ties with the mother can be too close. The mother is identified with her children and may be
possessive, smothering, and overly protective. This may make it difficult for the child to grow up
and establish an independent identity.

Moon in Leo

When it is not afflicted, the gift of this Moon sign is a firm sense of self and self-worth. Confidence
can go a long way in life. This gift of confidence instilled by the mother establishes a foundation for
the Leo Moon’s future successes. The mother’s warm, expressive nurturing style lends confidence to
her child. She is likely to have showered her Leo Moon child with attention and affection, so the
child comes to expect this from others. This may, in part, be a self-promoting act in that she views
her child as an extension of her own ego and love flows from this place of pride. Her child can do
no wrong because it is her child. She is likely to encourage her child’s creativity and self-expression
and may be creative herself. She is dramatic, forceful, and a show-stealer. The child learns to get her
attention by doing the same.

Moon in Virgo

The early nurturing that Virgo Moons receive may be dedicated but dry. The mother is likely to be
efficient, orderly, hardworking, and responsible but emotionally inexpressive. She is educated and
thorough in her approach to motherhood, studying all the latest manuals about raising children. This
care and attention is noticed by the child and makes up in many ways for the mother’s lack of
warmth and playfulness. Nevertheless, Virgo Moons may struggle with expressing their emotions,
having not had a model for this. Although they may not learn to be emotionally expressive, the
dedicated care given to them is often sufficient to build their self-esteem. They, in turn, make
dedicated and efficient mothers. On the other hand, the child’s self-esteem might be undermined if
the mother is hypercritical and fussy, as is often the case with this Moon sign. In that case, the
individual is likely to become self-critical or critical of others too.

Moon in Libra

When not afflicted, this Moon sign represents a beneficial home environment. The early home life
is likely to be harmonious and peaceful, and the mother takes pride in providing a home that is both
aesthetically pleasing and emotionally supportive. The absence of conflict and argument in the home is often apparent with Libra Moons, for they mirror this non-confrontational style in their
relationships. They are likely to have learned how to negotiate and compromise in this early
atmosphere, which can later serve them well in their own family relationships and work. The
mother might be artistically inclined, refined, and well-versed in social etiquette. Culture and the
arts might be emphasized in the home.

Moon in Scorpio

The early environment of Scorpio Moons is often difficult and intensely emotional. Abuse or
misuse of power and authority are a possibility, leaving the individual angry or repressed. The
mother or another family member may be domineering, manipulative, possessive, or controlling.
There is often an undercurrent of hostility and resentment in the home and a sense of deep, dark
secrets that no one is allowed to speak about. The secrets could include such things as violence,
sexual abuse, addiction, criminality, psychological problems, or illegitimate children. On the other
hand, the mother may have been highly attentive to the child’s emotional needs and bonded deeply
with him or her. This is fine for the infant, who needs this bonding, but as the child matures, this can
feel overbearing and possessive. Since identification by both parent and child is so strong, Scorpio
Moons often have difficulty breaking the tie with their mothers as adults. The emotional intensity of
this relationship often continues over the years. This deep psychic connection between the mother
and child may, in fact, originate in a former lifetime.

Moon in Sagittarius

This Moon sign often represents a less traditional nurturing experience. The mother’s nurturing style
is easygoing and liberal. Freedom is important to her and this attitude is conveyed to the child by
allowing him or her freedom to explore, ask questions, and investigate life. However, there may be
too little responsibility expected from the child and too few rules to allow the child to develop the
inner discipline necessary for adulthood. Or, the mother may be off having her own adventure. So,
although the mother may be a model of independent action and adventure, she may not be available
to provide the security and stability that a child needs. She might lack responsibility and behave
more like a friend than a parent. It is common for those with this Moon sign to live in a foreign
country or be influenced by foreigners when they are growing up, perhaps by traveling a lot. The
military family is an example of this. The family values freedom more than they do stability. They
often move or travel a lot.

Moon in Capricorn

With this Moon sign, something may be lacking in the early environment. The mother may be ill
and unable to care for the child, absent from the child’s life, depressed, repressed emotionally, over-
worked, or unable to cope with the duties of motherhood. Sometimes the mother dies. Harshness is
another possibility. The mother may be unloving, overbearing, strict, rigid, and restrictive, allowing
little leeway for the child to act like a child or express his or her emotions. In any case, the child
receives insufficient mothering. On the other hand, the early home life may be stable, secure,
orderly, and attentive to responsibilities, supplying the child with the structure and discipline needed
to function effectively in the world as an adult.

Moon in Aquarius

The Aquarius Moon’s early home life and mother are likely to be unique or unusual in some way.
The individual may grow up in a household with progressive ideas about child rearing and
considerably more freedom than most children. This free and tolerant atmosphere exposes the child
to ideas that other children might not encounter. However, although this is an advantage
intellectually, the child may have difficulty getting his or her need for closeness met. Aquarius,
although tolerant and altruistic, is not known for its emotional warmth. Young children, however,
do need close emotional interactions with adults to form a solid foundation of trust and a sturdy
sense of self. As a result, Aquarius Moons may learn at an early age not to expect others to meet
their emotional needs. Consequently, as adults, they may have trouble addressing the emotional
needs of others. When afflicted, this Moon sign may indicate a chaotic home, inconsistent nurturing,
divorce, or a disrupted home life, which can leave emotional scars and affect the individual’s ability
to form intimate relationships later on. Several moves or changes in the early years are common.
These can either cause insecurity or teach the individual to make the best of change.

Moon in Pisces

Pisces Moons may undergo some loss or hardship in relation to the mother. She may be
psychologically incapable of caring for her child, mentally ill, addicted to drugs or alcohol, or
neglectful. On the other hand, she may be artistic or musical. She is often religious, kind, and
selfless. Religious or spiritual activities may be carried out in the home. In either case, Pisces Moons
learn compassion, either through their own suffering or their mother’s compassionate care. When
they are cared for lovingly, they learn to care lovingly for others. If they have been neglected,
however, they may grow up with the same psychological damage as their mother and be prone to
drug abuse and mental illness.

I find the Aquarius moon to be pretty accurate for me.