In natal Astrology, the Moon represents how an individual absorbs and interacts with their environment on a subconscious and intuitive level, including their emotional nature. It is important to remember that this contrasts with the very conscious and logical analysis of the environment that are handled by the planet Mercury. The Moon represents the ways we care for and protect ourselves psychically and emotionally; it’s how we empathize with others and the things that we find comforting and safe. The Moon is also representative of the Mother, or nurturing parent, and how we subconsciously learned to address our emotional needs in early life. As such, the Moon is the natural ruler of the sign Cancer, which is assigned the activities and themes of the 4th House.
Aquarius the water-bearer, is co-ruled by its traditional ruler Saturn and its modern ruler Uranus. It is a masculine, fixed air sign with natural dominion over the 11th House of the Horoscope. The Saturnian side of its nature focuses on conservation, structure, authority, restriction, discipline, and governing bodies. The Uranian side of its nature involves innovation, rebellion, revolution, liberation, enlightenment, and large communities. The 11th House is commonly called the collective conscious which succeeds the 10th House or MC (naturally ruled by Saturn and Capricorn) where the individual has reached their peak within the collective. The 11th House also precedes the 12th House, where all things go to dissipate and become one with the collective unconscious. If we contemplate Aquarius from the perspective of 11th House processes, it represents the individual transcending it’s highest point within the collective by using their individual influence to contribute to the elevation of humanity. Aquarius is the iconoclast that understands that when the liberties and well-being of the individual within the collective is nurtured, it encourages a symbiotic relationship between those individuals and their community. They are not afraid to challenge accepted ideals or demolish old structures that are not working efficiently. If we contemplate Aquarius from the angle of its ruling planets and modal qualities, other keywords that help to define this energy are: egalitarian, unconventional, inventive, progressive, intellectual, communal, stubborn, contrary, constructive, transcendent and uncommon.
What do we see when the Moon comes into the sign of Aquarius? These energies, in their sign and house form, are inconjunct. They do not understand each other. Aquarius is much more concerned with creating a space where the individual can express themselves freely and subsequently contribute towards society in a constructive way, where Cancer is in a space where it is already comfortable to express itself within the limited confines of its habitat. The individual with this placement will feel different from the most people, because they understand that their emotional needs and expression vary greatly from that of others and that those needs are not likely to be provided for or supported within the structure of the world in its current state. This can spark subjective outrage that leads a person on a life-long mission of rebellion; inciting chaos and dissent everywhere they go, or it can serve as the foundation that makes someone determined to influence innovation and progress in whatever environment they find themselves in. Regardless of the myriad of ways that this will manifest, the one thing for certain is that there will be a unique attitude towards the emotions and how they choose to reconcile them. For these people to be emotionally secure, they must feel understood and their individuality respected. They enjoy being in environments where things are productive and progressing and never remaining stagnant or oppressive. The Saturnian side of their nature desires construction and utility, while their Uranian side calls for them to be innovative and abstract. They will not stick around for long in work environments that demand unquestioned adherence to established processes or where their opinions and voices are not heard or valued. In relating to others, they need to understand what makes you different from others and how you respond to differences in others. They will challenge your perceptions of others and society and may at times exhaust you with their exacting nature. Their emotional expression will often be subdued, not necessarily just because they restrict it but rather that they tend to understand and accept their subjective emotions for what they are, enabling them to feel things without being judgmental towards them. If they do outwardly become upset, it will typically be in response to others who lack this same approach with their own emotions or those who act without consideration of the effect their actions have on others. They will become indignant against any perceived attempts at depersonalizing them or witnessing the devaluation of others because of differences in opinion.
The early childhood would have been either unconventional or extremely restrictive. The person with their Moon in this sign may have moved a lot or lived in environments that they perceived as radical in comparison to rest of the world or how their ideal environment would function. world. The environment could have also been one that did not foster or value uniqueness and enforced uniformity that failed to address or discounted the individual needs of the child. The mother could have been quirky, unconventional and very liberal. She might have been an activist towards humanitarian causes or constantly in uproar over the state of the world. This mother would have treated her children equally while supporting and encouraging the development of qualities within each child that made them different. If she did not provide enough guidance or structure, the person with this placement may have looked at their Mother as scatterbrained and rebellious without a cause and sought out meaningful structure as they matured. The mother could have also been cold and detached, with expectations that her children fall in line with established societal norms and accepted paths of life. She would have discouraged special treatment of the child, potentially preventing them from developing or pursuing their individual talents and dreams. This person may have eventually grown to rebel against the demands of the mother or even eliminated contact with her completely, in order to live a more self-actualized existence.
On the positive side, these are the innovative engineers of the new world. They seek to find new things to do and new ways of doing old things, which is why Aquarius is known as the trend-setter. They are the first people to stand up to social injustice and come to the defense of others. Their objective view towards emotions allows them to be able to healthily experience a variety of emotions without suffering the side effects of repression that many others experience. When something isn't working in their environment, they will act to change it by experimenting with different things or proactively collaborate with others in order to achieve a more desirable result. They are communicative, accepting, giving and are the people that can find the clarity and resolve within chaos. In friendships, they are the friends who will introduce you to many different varieties of other people and can be counted on to think outside of the box in any situation. In relationships, they prefer to not let things get stagnate and are always initiating new projects and activities to keep the relationship exciting and blooming. At work, they are the co-workers that always have new suggestions and find innovative and efficient ways of completing day-to-day tasks.
On the negative side they can be rebel-rousing anarchists that are hell bent on overthrowing any structure that conserves the status quo. They are cold, impossible to satiate and can always find something that needs to be improved. They will impose their individuality on others and castigate those they feel have ignored or violated their personal liberties and entitlements. They can be opposed to suggestion and collaboration, preferring to arrive at their own conclusions than consider those of others. Contrary and critical, they will rebuke all forms of established authority in order to assert their own superiority. In friendships, they might feel impossible to become too close to and will make you feel like just another face in the crowd. At work, they would be the coworker that challenges authority at any chance and incites conflict between others to achieve their own objectives. In relationships, they might require too much distance and freedom to the point that their partners question if they are even in a relationship.
Sociological and Anthropological studies would suit them well, as they seek to understand and develop ideas surrounding the mechanics behind society and different cultures. An education in Political Science would aid them in infiltrating the government to affect change in the areas they are most passionate about. Moon in Aquarius would be the perfect activist, so working towards humanitarian or political causes in any capacity would be fulfilling to them in large degree. The Engineering arts and Software Development would satiate their need to develop and create new structures. Marketing and Social Media Influence would provide them an outlet in which to impose their brand of individuality into the masses. Aquarius rules Astrology and Astronomy, so these would be fields that they easily find longevity in.
Written by Cameron ©
