The Moon sign is that subtle second astrological layer that reveals the perfection of Astrology. It is the hidden facet to understanding the psyche, and provides a great story of how psychology truly became a mainstay within our society. Most people don't even realize that psychology is a fairly new science in comparison to Astrology.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, doctors (scientists) were becoming interested in understanding emotions, thought processes and behaviors. This was an area that had very little "scientific" research. Scientific research was coming into its own during this time. Concepts of research were being scrutinized and assessed for validity. The fear was that too many scam artists were using here say and myths to bamboozle or hustle unsuspecting individuals. The world of "science" was going to fix this problem (hahaha) and make the world a better place to live. The science community basically felt that Astrology had no "place" in this research world. That Astrology was a bunch of mumbo jumbo voo doo occult magic making ideas and that there simply could be no validity. Despite the history of Astrology, the analyticals were going to leave Astrology in the dusty past with scientific methods. Or so they thought.
There was the need for researchers to understand why people do the things that people do. Why do some people shriek when they see a spider while others could care less? Why do some people lie when the truth would not cause any harm? These types of mysteries needed some investigation. People who called themselves psychologists wanted to turn away from using Astrology to explain these behaviors. Interestingly enough, their research never quite did away with Astrology. As time passed, the concepts of Astrology have waxed and waned very much like the cycle of the Moon. With each new answer, more questions arose.
Psychological research did not leave Astrology in the dust. Instead, in many ways, psychology confirmed that each individual has his/her own unique traits and temperaments. Similar to the concepts of Astrology, we have learned that some of what people do is instinctive, some of it is survivalistic, and some if it is free choice or free will. Research basically confirmed that people seemingly fall into basic trait categories with "extra" characteristics on the side. What we may be discovering is that individuals are a combination of traits borne out of nature and nurture and that Astrology may not have been all that far away from contributing to each unique trait, temperament and instinct.
So where does the Moon fit in to Astrology. Where solar astrology (sun signs) "fails" is where lunar astrology picks up. There are only 12 solar signs (or zodiac signs). How can all of humanity fall into these 12 categories? The fact is that they can not. When we consider the number of Sun sign and Moon sign combinations, we discover that there are 144 categories. Is that enough? Well, it's better than 12 categories. It is better because it helps define a person's basic outlook and his/her emotions. Western-based Astrology can also add more layers (characteristics) by incorporating the Ascendant or Rising sign. Based on the time of day that a person is born, it is possible to have one of 12 zodiacal signs on the "horizon" or the Ascendant that helps define the person's personality or persona.
Oh my goodness, now this really is getting complicated. When factoring in the Sun Sign and Moon Sign along with the Rising Sign, there is the possibility of 1728 categories. There are too many levels and the complexity is difficult to break out into isolated characteristics. When it comes to scientific research, it is hard enough to get a quality representation of population to do the research for 144 distinct categories, let alone almost 2000 categories. Well, any good psychologist is going to throw up his/her hands at this point and say "This is out of control!" Yet, to the astrologist, this is just the beginning! After the Sun, Moon and Rising, other facets to be looked at are communication style and relationship style. Yes, there are more layers to think about. These are what seemingly leaves psychological research in the cold. We are not a mere 6, 8 or 12 basic characteristics. Humans are way more complex than that. And Psychology has a long ways to go before catching up with Astrology.
To move on past the Moon sign and Rising sign, basic astrology uses at least five planets to help describe a person's "make up." The planets that can be factored in are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Yes, there are more planets, but those are considered "generational" because they move so slowly around the solar system.
When a person is born, the Sun, the Moon and the Ascendant can be in any of the 12 zodiac signs giving us the possibility of over 1700 combinations. However, that is not the case for the planets of Mercury and Venus. Mercury is never more than one sign away from the Sun's transit and Venus is never more than two signs away. So we can't do the standard 12 * 12 type of math to compute the number of variations possible. And this is where my math skills fail me. I can't even begin to comprehend whether to multiply or add or what? Regardless, it becomes obvious that psychology can not even begin to really touch all the facets of a person's personality in the same way that Astrology can. And, as any individual who has any understanding of Astrology knows; the more planets, the more layers.
Astrology may not be the perfect resource for helping to explain all human behaviors, attitudes and thought processes, but it stretches well beyond the single layer (Solar Signs) that gets routinely criticized by the "Scientific Community." Even if we only add in the Moon's placement within the individual's chart, we begin to see the complexity and the possibilities that are lost on Solar Astrology. Hence, Moon Astrology plays a significant role in Astrology (and possibly in psychology) in explaining human nature and "where" it comes from.
