The Sun and the Moon

Of primary importance is the relationship between the "lights." The Moon, "Queen of the Night," and the Sun, "Lord of the Light" symbolize the unconscious and the conscious, intuition and logic, anima and animus, yang and yin, mother and father. They reflect the balance or imbalance in our own character between the feminine and the masculine, irrespective of our gender in this current incarnation. This Sun/Moon relationship indicates our perception of the relationship between our two earliest role models -- our parents, or those who acted in their stead. What was happening between Mum and Dad when we were children models our future adult relationship environment. An important distinction should be made when examining the chart from a relationship point of view. In a woman's chart, the Sun will be more relevant than the Moon. Its placement, by sign and aspects, will describe the father; also the type of man to whom she'll be attracted. Conversely, look more closely at the Moon in a man's chart, since it will indicate the mother, and describe the characteristics of the woman to whom he'll be drawn. If you were born with a square or opposition between the Sun and the Moon, bet on the fact that there was tension between Ma and Pa when you were a babe. You've probably grown up with more than the usual dose of self-doubt about forming close relationships. Add to that a near-guarantee that you'll attract tension into your adult relationship life. No-one in their right mind would consciously invite such stress, but psychologically, it's what we're used to; it feels comfortable. Another common manifestation of the Sun/Moon conflict is this: our professional life (solar self-expression) is at odds with our domestic life (emotional satisfaction). Either our family (childhood or adult) does not support our career goals, or we have the classic home vs. career conflict: when the professional life's going well, our home life's falling apart, or vice versa. It's a constant balancing act. When the Sun/Moon affliction is considered in terms of the modality it occurs in, the conflict may be better understood. Cardinal Signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) take action to resolve the conflict, whereas Fixed Signs (Taurus, Leo, Aquarius, Scorpio) learn to cope with it, and Mutable Signs get on the bus! The fixed afflictions are the most difficult to work with, even though they give determination and staying power, since they are deeply ingrained in the personality. Mutable afflictions can be nipped in the bud, since these character imbalances are in the infancy stage. Positively, they can help one develop versatility and flexibility -- "Let go, let God!" Cardinal afflictions add dynamism to the personality, but these souls could learn to balance the positive effects of "taking charge" with "letting life run its course" by delaying action, at least some of the time. Let's imagine someone born with the Sun in Aquarius opposite the Moon in Leo (fixed modality). Aquarius Sun is intelligent, original and eccentric, but wants acceptance by its peers. In other words, they want to be accepted for being different. Leo Moon is very creative, proud and wants attention, approval and respect from others. The opposition mirrors the struggle between the parents: eccentricity vs. approval and personal love vs. universal love. Perhaps Dad was a humanitarian who chose to make his living as an astrological counselor. Mum was embarrassed by his choice of occupations. Additionally, her ego was wounded because Dad preferred to help humanity rather than give her the attention she (felt) she so richly deserved. The Leo/Aquarius polarity is about heart vs. mind, personal vs. universal will, self vs. the collective. Since Aquarians are father-dominated, the father's influence will reign supreme. Male or female, the Aquarian will most likely internalize Dad's behavior, and Mum's will be projected onto the partner, who will act it out. If Mum and Dad are still together when the child grows up, we hope it means they worked out their differences. If they divorced, it will harder for the native Aquarian to resolve this conflict. In direct contrast to the view of the Western Astrologer, Vedic (Eastern) Astrologers consider it a most auspicious omen to be born on a full moon (the opposition). Perhaps this is because these souls are born with the potential of achieving an awareness and balancing of opposites. This would be a gift indeed! Obviously, a favorable aspect between the Sun and the Moon would indicate the best possible start in life toward eventually attaining harmony in marital relations. It means that the spiritual self is in sync with the emotional self. The trine or sextile between the Sun and Moon indicates that the parents got along quite well with each other; there was little tension in the early childhood environment. Voila! When the child matures, she/he has the necessary psychological tools to develop relatively easy interpersonal relationships, and qualifies for a happy adult home and professional life. The conjunction, always the most potent aspect, indicates a blending of female/male, but is not always an easy mix. Objectivity is hard to attain when the Moon conjoins the Sun. If you have this aspect, you tend to take everything personally. You are a lunar/emotional type in a solar/ego-centered world. Again, there's a difference between a Sun/Moon conjunction in a woman's chart (easier in my opinion) and a Sun/Moon conjunction in a man's chart. Of equal importance, is determining which of the two lights is stronger in the conjunction. For example, if it occurs in Aries, the sign of the Sun's exaltation, the Sun will dominate. Hence, the identification will be with the father, or male role model. This would be easier to integrate if the native were a male, since psychologically, he is supposed to identify with his male counterpart. The conjunction aspect usually indicates that your childhood experience went like this: Plan A: Mum and Dad are a team, for good or ill. They're comfortable in their respective parental roles and work together as a unit; it also means there's no reprieve! Dad says No. You can't stay up late, so you run to Mum, hoping Old Softie will reverse Dad's decision. Sun/Moon conjunction says she's going to back him up, and your little bottom is going to end up in bed -- on time! Well-defined boundaries and a united parental front lend a healthy psychological hand to a child. If, however, your parents were undeveloped or abusive, you're in for a rough ride. Plan B: One parent acts as both Mum and Dad: the single parent syndrome! Perhaps one parent was ill, addictive or absent -- physically or emotionally, so the other one had to provide for you, as well as nurture you. Psychologically, this could mean that, as an adult, you can't always clearly distinguish between male and female roles. There's a good chance you'll repeat the single parent theme, because it's second nature to you to take on both roles. If you work it out, you're the kind of partner I, personally, would appreciate having.