Art by Stephany Torres
With the Moon being the closest celestial body to Earth, it’s one of the first things we learn about our skies. And that’s exactly why the moon, in astrology, is so important to our personal (and emotional) lives. In celebration of the first full moon of spring, which happened on April 12, (also known as the Pink Moon), we spoke with Narayana Montúfar, astrologer and author of the upcoming Written in Your Stars: Use Your Saturn Return, Pluto Square, and Other Planetary Cycles to Become Your Best Self. She helped us explain this placement in our birth chart. But she also what having each moon sign means for you and how each sign processes their emotions.
Don’t know your Moon sign? Use this link to create your birth chart (a snapshot of the sky at the moment of our birth that details every astrological placement). And don’t forget to check out our April tarot reading for the zodiac signs!
What does the moon represent in astrology?
In both folklore and astrology, the moon represents femininity, intuition, and motherhood. Because of that, the moon placement in our birth chart informs us of our emotional self. “Everything that the moon represents is what you hide,” Montúfar told Remezcla. “It’s where you’re at your most vulnerable. It’s what you show people once you feel comfortable.” Because of its connection to motherhood, it can also tell us how we nurture and were nurtured.
The moon doesn’t just change through its new-to-full-moon cycle either, it also changes Zodiac signs every two to two-and-half days. And just like how each sun sign season (which lasts every 30 days or so) impacts our lives and emotions in a specific way, so does the moon being in a specific sign. A moon in Aries won’t hit the same as a moon in Libra, for example — and how exactly it’ll impact you personally will depend on your own birth chart.
Why is it important to know our moon signs?
At first glance, you might not feel connected to your moon sign at all. You might feel like it doesn’t describe you at all, but that’s exactly what the journey of the moon sign is all about. Your moon is you. As you grow and learn more about yourself, you’ll realize that simple (but maybe complicated) truth. The sooner you’ll feel comfortable in your moon sign, the sooner you’ll accept yourself.
Another element that Montúfar emphasises is how important the moon sign is when it comes to relationships. “It’s how you’re going to find emotional fulfillment in your relationships. So, if your partner is not able to see that, or to give you whatever that moon needs, it’s not going to work,” Montúfar says. “The moon [also] rules the body, and so, that’s how your body speaks to you. According to that moon, I need this to feel better. If you’re not fulfilling your moon, you’re not going to feel good.”
Here’s how each moon sign processes their emotions and what it says about you:
Ruled by Mars, Aries is an explosive sign to have as a moon sign. “Fiery, impatient, and adventurous,” Montúfar says. “You’re quick to b*tch, but you’re also quick to forget. You can let go easily as well.” They also tend to process their emotions through anger first before any other emotion takes over. They need to be able to let that anger out somehow, then they’ll truly be able to let go of any situation.
Because of the earlier mentioned feminine and motherhood connection, any sign ruled by Venus will be very happy in the moon — and Venus-ruled Taurus is exactly that. The moon is exalted in Taurus, so this moon sign is easy, breezy, and beautiful here. “It’s super comfortable. It has food, nutrients, and life,” Montúfar says. “[Taurus Moons] are good at attracting abundance. They’re good at feeling comfortable in their own body, almost too comfortable sometimes.”
Ruled by Mercury, Geminis will talk your ears off about whatever is bothering them — and that’s probably how they’ll realize something is actually bothering them. “Very chatty,” Montúfar says. “These people struggle with relationships. Not always, but one day they like one person, the next day they like another one.” Geminis can never stay still, and that’s emotionally too. As air signs, they’re very intellectual about processing how they’re feeling — meaning, they use their brains before their hearts most of the time.
Cancer is truly at home in the moon. Why? Because they’re ruled by it, of course. Cancer is the sign that best represents the moon’s characteristics: nurturing, emotional, and ever-changing (a.k.a. moody). “These people have the most emotional intelligence,” Montúfar says. “There’s nothing superficial about them. They have this mothering [about them], and they’re very attuned to the moon.” Let those tears out, Cancer. You were born to feel.
Ruled by the Sun, Leos are creative, loud, and love being the center of attention. But opposed to Leo Suns, Leo Moons are a bit more subtle with it. “[They] definitely need attention and devotion from our partners and friends,” Montúfar says, a Leo Moon herself. “[For] Leo Moon people, it’s ‘I don’t want to be on a stage with many people, I like to have my small committee and be the queen in that group.’”
While Virgo is technically ruled by the planet of communication Mercury, Montúfar believes it should be ruled by Chiron, a small celestial body also known as the “Wounded Healer.” Because of this, Virgo can be a difficult placement for the moon. The moon is ever-changing, and Virgo is a rigid, routine-dependent sign. “It’s hard for them to express themselves,” Montúfar says. “With them, there’s a block. They’re always trying to control the emotional scenario.” The truth is that the moon cannot be contained or controlled, but a Virgo Moon will definitely try. They need to learn to let the moment breathe.
Another Venus-ruled sign, Libra is the sign best-known for its balanced and classical approach to everything — and that includes emotions too. “These people, besides being pretty, they’re just very well put-together, and people like them. They’re approachable,” Montúfar says. “They’re into all the beautiful things in life, like design and all these things, and they’re very feminine even if they’re men.” They’re also never alone: rarely single for long, and if they are, they have very close friendships. They need to attach onto someone, to use them as mirrors.
Ruled by Mars and Pluto, the moon is in fall in Scorpio — which means it’s an especially challenging placement to have. Scorpio Moons find being vulnerable and expressing their emotions to be extremely difficult. It doesn’t mean they don’t have emotions, it’s the exact opposite actually. “They struggle a lot with relationships, because they create this intensity for themselves,” Montúfar says. “They hide it really well, and then once you’re deep in them, then bam, this freaking telenovela.”
Because Sagittarius is Jupiter-ruled, the planet of expansion and luck, this Moon sign is incredibly open with their emotions. Maybe a little too open…“They struggle with excess. It’s the people who drink a ton, party a lot when they’re young. But they’re very giving and very loving,” Montúfar says. Sagittarius Moons might also have a bit of a lucky-girl syndrome emotionally, always the risk-taker without even considering rejection as an option. And honestly? I love that for you.
Ruled by Saturn, Capricorn is another difficult placement to have as your moon sign — and with Saturn being the planet of restrictions and boundaries, no wonder it’s all so hard. But let’s face it, Capricorn Moons, it doesn’t always have to be so hard. “It’s all about self-sacrifice for them, even if no one asked for that,” Montúfar says. “What I’ve noticed with Capricorn Moon people is that it’s really hard for them to be in tune with their bodies. They forget about themselves.”
Even though Aquarius is ruled by both Saturn and Uranus, Aquarius Moons in particular feel the Uranian pull harder. Its innovative and rebellious attributes are felt emotionally by Aquarius Moons — you’re always farther ahead than everyone else, and that might feel lonely (but a part of you loves a little solitude when it’s your choice). “It’s not as hard as some of the other ones that we talked about, but it’s not the most cohesive,” Montúfar says. “These are the people who are in open relationships. They just need to have emotional freedom.”
Ruled by dreamy Neptune, Pisces Moons are always lost in their own heart — the real yearners of the Zodiac, the hopeless romantics. “These people are a tribe type of people. These are the people who will never go alone anywhere. They’ll bring their besties,” Montúfar says. “Very mystical, very kind of lost. These are the people that are very out there.” They’re also more likely to express their emotions artistically, in whatever their chosen art form is.