The experience of raising a child brings unmeasured joy along with unexpected challenges. There’s simply nothing like it! Each child is different, and as every parent will attest, sometimes figuring out what your child needs is like solving an ever-changing mystery. Your child’s personal horoscope – the astrological chart calculated from the precise date, time and place of birth – provides marvelous clues to solving the mystery of your child’s needs and can be a helpful guide to understanding the best ways to nurture each child. The horoscope shows the positions of the Sun, Moon and planets at the time of birth, and each chart is unique.
During the early years of childhood, the Moon is an especially important factor. In fact, a child’s Moon Sign is much more significant than the Sun Sign when it comes to personality drives and needs! Childhood is the time when each person develops the basic matrix of the personality, and each quality in the horoscope develops or unfolds at a different period during childhood. The Moon is the first noticeable quality of the personality expressed by a child.
In astrology, the Moon signifies how an individual needs to be nurtured, and represents the space in the psyche where each person stores all feelings. The Moon operates from a subconscious level, and we know from our study of psychology that the experiences stored in the psyche from this impressionable period of infancy and youth form the matrix of an individual’s emotional make-up. In fact, the Moon is a key factor in identifying what we’ve come to know as the “EQ” – or “Emotional Intelligence” of an individual A child’s Moon Sign (the astrological sign the Moon is in at birth) shows how these early feelings and experiences are filtered in that young psyche. In addition, the Moon illustrates what feels good and what might be especially important to help a child feel secure, safe and what he or she needs most when comfort is required.
The intuitive link between parents and children, especially that between Mother and Baby, has long been established – and it is this link that helps guide through the stormy waters of upsetting moments and sharing simply pleasures. Another significant quality of the Moon in your child’s chart is that it illustrates what your child may need from Mother and others who nurture him or her to strengthen that intuitive connection. The Moon also shows how a child is likely to perceive Mother – even if Mother does not think that’s who she is! It will help if you think of this as the unconscious drive that needs to be fulfilled from Mom. Also, if you have more than one child, you’ll be likely to see the differences in the way each child relates to Mother by exploring the meaning of the Moon in the chart of each child.
As part of personal spiritual development, the Moon is strongly linked to the soul, and for many, the Moon represents what the Soul seeks to develop over the course of a lifetime. Moon also resonates with the unconscious drives that seem to echo the needs for personal spiritual evolution. Of course, a child may not be conscious of this process, but for the parent guiding a child, understanding that the Moon’s significance in the chart represents these needs can help the parent to choose experiences and opportunities to further enhance the spiritual elements of personal growth. Children have not yet developed the many blocks that can get in the way of the unitybetween self and spirit. Feeding the “lunar” nature will help a child maintain this strong connection.
Since the Moon is the most outstanding quality seen in the personality of an infant and toddler, the qualities represented by the Moon and her sign will overshadow the qualities of the Sun sign during these early years. As a child matures, other energies, drives and needs begin to emerge – all part of the developing personality. Even though the Moon is prominent in the first few years, it’s always there – like the heartbeat of the personality. In fact, you might think of the Moon as the strongest indicator of the inner child still present throughout the life of each individual! (That includes all us grownups!)
From the Moon’s Sign, you can learn several significant things about your child. The astrological sign tells a lot about the way the Moon works. Your child’s strongest emotional sensitivities and most prominent needs will be reflected through the Moon, and the Moon’s sign provides important clues about what your child is likely to need first and foremost! Think of the Moon as the representative of your child’s most “pressing” needs. Once you understand the basic quality of these needs, you can then create an environment and daily routine that might be most comfortable for your child – plus you’ll have an inside track when it comes to understanding his or her personal preferences! Don’t forget – The Moon also shows you what a child looks for in his or her Mother.
NOTE: This article originally appeared in the 2003 Llewellyn Moon Sign Annual and is reprinted here with their permission. Interpretations of all twelve Moon signs and how they apply to children are given in the full version, which you can download to read here.
