Moon Sign Astrology: How Your Moon Sign Shapes Therapy and Healing

It's confession time. Believe it or not, I spent most of my life thinking that astrology was just a bunch of made up woo woo stuff. I know, right? How the heck did I get from there to combining astrology and therapy as my way of making a living, you might ask? The answer – or at least the beginning of it – was that I discovered my moon sign. Slowly over time, this became a cornerstone of my method of using astrology in counselling.

What is a Moon Sign in Astrology?

The moon sign governs our unconscious, our first 7 years of life, the way we perceive our mother and – perhaps most importantly – the way we experience and respond to emotion (and therefore the key to how we use astrology for emotional healing). My sun sign is Aquarius, and people would often tell me that because of that, I must have a certain detachment from my emotions. I would always laugh. If crying was an Olympic sport, I would have so many gold medals by now. Pair that with the fact that my rebellious streak, which is characteristic of us water-bearing suns, didn’t show up until I was almost 30 and you can see why astrology just never felt like it accurately described who I was.

When I started becoming more interested in spirituality in my late 20s, I became more open-minded and astrology was something that seemed to be coming into my orbit more and more frequently. So I followed my Gemini-rising curiosity (though I didn’t know that’s what it was yet) and did a little research. One of the first things that I read about was the moon sign and when I looked mine up, it clicked a lot of things into place. I have a Scorpio moon, which is not just a water sign, but arguably the most intense sign in the entire zodiac. There it was. The missing puzzle piece. Of course I started to wonder what other pieces of the puzzle may have been missing and the rest is history.

Why Your Therapist Should Understand Your Moon Sign

As a therapist, the moon sign is one of the first things I look at in my clients’ charts. That probably comes as no surprise that knowing how someone processes their emotions is one of the most important things for me to know and for me to help them understand. Just by getting a basic understanding of the element that your moon sign is in, you can start to recognize some of the strengths and potential pitfalls in the way you naturally process your feelings, to help you become more effective in the world. Want to find out yours? Astro.com is one of the best free resources to look up your birth chart online to find out your moon sign and lots more about your natal chart.

Moon Signs and Emotional Well-Being

The Moon in Air (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius)

Ait Moons - feeling through the intellect

Air signs benefit from a rich ability to describe, dissect and understand their emotions from a theoretical perspective. They may find it more comfortable to keep their feelings at a distance by talking about or around them.

• Strengths:

  • Quickly pick up conceptual understandings around emotion

  • Often have a keen interest and curiosity towards their feelings

• Growth edges

  • Tendency towards detachment from the embodied experience of emotion

  • Difficulty interrupting the process of talking about emotions for the purpose of feeling them in the body

The Moon in Earth (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn)

Earth Moons - Stability and Stoicism

Earth signs typically exhibit emotional stability and a steadiness in their expression - they are unlikely to act out impulsively or reactively. They tend to focus on material existence and reality over abstract concepts, remaining practical and solution oriented.

• Strengths

  • Highly grounded, with the ability to stay regulated through almost any situation

  • Not prone to emotional outbursts or reactive anger

• Growth edges:

  • Can find it difficult to express emotions

  • A tendency to jump straight into "fix-it" mode in situations that may call for more presence and emotional attunement

The Moon in Fire (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius)

The Moon in Fire - Passion and Creativity

Fire signs are creative and playful, with emotions that can both spark and fade quickly in reaction to triggers. Fire moons may be described as the most passionate and intense of the elements, often excelling in artistic pursuits that involve conveying emotions or evoking them in others.

• Strengths:

  • Ability to move beyond emotions without too much processing, even those that appear strong in the moment.

  • Little difficulty with the open expression of emotion

• Growth edges:

  • Learning to slow down the process of more reactive or impulsive expressions of emotion

  • Understanding that others may need more time to process than they do

The Moon in Water (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces)

Water Moons - The Deep Intuitive Feelers

Water moons are the deep feelers of the world. They are highly intuitive and most have the ability to tune into the emotions of those around them; indeed, they may even find it impossible not to. These are the people most likely to get labelled as sensitive or be criticized as too emotional.

• Strengths:

  • An uncanny and at times almost psychic ability to sense into the emotions of another person or the general emotional climate in the room around them

  • The ability to fully feel and be with emotions at a level of intensity that others might find overwhelming

• Growth edges:

  • Difficulties with emotional boundaries

  • Can become stuck in big emotions and have a hard time letting go

Of course, there is only so much that can be conveyed about moon signs within one short article. Each sign has its own unique characteristics, and we can get into even more detail by layering in the house placement (which determines what area of life the moon is more connected to) and any significant relationships with other planets in the chart. If you’re interested in learning more, and diving into what your personal moon placement says about you, let’s explore this together!

Ready to understand yourself on a deeper level? Book your free 15-minute consultation and let’s uncover what your moon is here to teach you.