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Your relationship with your parents is your partnership template. When examining relationship patterns, parents are often the first subject that comes up. How you experience Mom and Dad is indicated in the natal chart. Your Sun (and Saturn) describe your father, and the condition of your Moon describes your mother. Note the phrase “How you experience…” While the natal chart reveals facts about your childhood (the love or abuse you received will show up very clearly) it is also a subjective filter.
Moon
Your Moon describes baseline needs and emotional expression, but its natal condition also describes your perception of the care and comfort received from your mother. Sign placement alone will have something to say about this, although it’s just the tip of the iceberg. Your Capricorn Moon can describe a cool, controlling mother. When siblings have Moons in different signs, it indicates their different experiences of mother. For example, Capricorn Moon has a Pisces Moon sibling. Mom may have failed to set boundaries with Pisces; the rules she insisted on for her Capricorn child somehow dissolved with Pisces Moon.
But Moon sign is only one indicator, and it paints a very simplistic picture. For a full description, you need to look at house placement and aspects to other planets. A 10th House Moon in Pisces, conjunct Neptune, suggest that you found Mom to be domineering. This is due to the Moon’s placement at the top of your chart. But she was not domineering in a typical way. The conjunction to Neptune in Pisces suggests she may have been weakened due to illness. Maybe she was an alcoholic, or suffered from depression. She may or may not have been codependent, but you felt that she needed your care. Her issues dominate your life. Any corresponding habits you have — involving surrender, helplessness, depression or addiction — will dominate your relationships. Looking at the positive side of this, perhaps you learned a tremendous amount of compassion and empathy from your mother, and these qualities rule your life.
A trine between your Moon and Pluto suggests a powerful mother. The harmony of the trine can indicate a supportive relationship with her. Let’s say you have a 2nd House Taurus Moon, trine 6th House Pluto in Virgo. Perhaps she enabled your self-esteem and security (2nd House) through her determined and insightful approach to your medical issues. Moon/Pluto in any aspect is transformative — there may have been a crisis in your childhood. Maybe you were quite ill and almost died, but she stayed by your side in the hospital, and then gently but relentlessly nursed you back to health once you came home. The resulting impact on your future relationships can be seen, as you approach them with a stability (Taurus) born from having survived the worst.
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Related: Moon Square Venus in a Woman’s Chart: Conflicts at the Heart of Being Female
Thanks Nadia. Any thoughts of Pluto representing Mother (controlling/devouring/transforming)?
I’ve seen Sun (H10) opposite Pluto (H4) where there was tension between parents who subsequently divorced.
@Mel;
Pluto does not represent the mother. If it’s placed in the 4th House (as in your example) it may describe her issues and/or the situation surrounding her. Even then, Pluto in the 4th is not specifically about the mother, it represents whatever parent displays those qualities (could just as easily be the father).
how about sun inconjunct moon?
@Jen;
This can suggest parents with extremely different personalities – incompatible.
This is very accurate in my experience. Thanks Nadia. Its come just at the right time. When I am out growing the difficulties of my debilitated moon which is at the Apex of a Yod with my very independent Ceres sextile my AC! Thanks to a progression of my AC DC axis I am able to outgrow the difficulties of this Yod. Also thanks to TR Uranus transiting my Ceres and TR Mars transiting my moon simultaneously. This Yod supeeimposes my partner’s inconjunct between her NN Anti vertex Conjunction and her DC! This is all so freaky. TR Pluto doing repeat Conjunctions with her sun and our composite Mercury the AC and SN ruler is another layer to this clearing past life saga. There should be some resolution of this when in September there is an eclipse on our Composite Node!
I have sun “bi quintile” moon. My parents have been married for over 40 yrs. I’ve always wanted to be the opposite of my parents, never wanted to marry or have children. I have memories of being 7 or 8 yrs old and “picking up on” the co-dependency my mom had with my dad. I knew at that very age that I wanted to be “the exact opposite” of my mom and nobody was going to “ever tell me what to do” LOL!! Would this aspect contribute to those feelings?
Thanks!
My little Taurus daughter has moon conjunct pluto on her Capricorn ascendant. And she has mars conjunct Saturn in the 12th house Sagittarius. Do you think the moon conjunct pluto could be the same as the trine? Or would I be seen as too controlling or possessive and obsessive? Because I feel that way towards her lol. Also my pluto opposes her sun. My mom has moon and Pluto conjunct her Virgo ascendant, and uranus, too. Her mother is very strong and very outspoken and not given to taking crap from anyone. They have a pretty good relationship, too.
I cant agree much with this article.
I have a pluto sextile moon exact, and an extremely unsupportive uncaring mother who is out to stifle my progress in life.
My best friend has a sun trine moon exact. Her parents quarrel and fight EVERYDAY!
In my opinion and experience with charts, the sun-moon mid point is what usually indicates the marriage or divorce of parents, not sun and moon itself.
I am increasingly becoming aware these theories that link individual planets or a few aspects to some phenomenan too strongly, cannot be relied on.
Astrology works only when whole chart is analysed. Infering anything from indvidual planet/aspects is futile.
Nadia, do the signs the sun and moon are in add any dimension to the sun/moon aspect? My sun trine moon are in earth signs (virgo and capricorn).
My parents definitely did not get along. My father was abusive and critical, my mother co-dependent. They both had strict gender roles, as per their generation. I definitely felt all of it – even as a young girl. I promised ,myself 1. I would never get involved with an abusive man, and 2. I would not be trapped into a “traditional” female role. I kept my promises in both cases.
They had a great need for physical security, as they both grew up during the Depression. They were what I’d call working class, definitely not professionals. Also not interested in education, culture or hobbies, just in their home and gardening. They lived pretty spartan, basic lives.
I have the sun and moon in the 5th and 9th, have lots of cultural interests, and love learning and traveling!
H3 Balsamic Moon in Leo sq H12 Ceres in Taurus opp H6 Venus in Scorpio..could this be someone who’s mother’s needs are “eclipsed” out by th father needs?
Hi Nadia,
Interesting post!:) I have two questions.
What do you think of the possibility of actually an loving, easy mother – daughter relationship (not just seen by the mother but perceived by “the child” despite not many “easy” say moon aspects in the natal chart of the child? My case: I have two daughter, one with very well moon, a lot of easy sextiles/ Trines and one with her virgo moon been the apex of a yod, and part of a grand cross. I know you can not say in details without the chart and this is not the forum for that, but in general?
I often wundered the very loving, strong, easy relation, in her worlds “my mom is my confortzone and the best I could wish” – with this moon? The “only” easy aspects going on is a exact Trine from her moon to Pof.. and the yod been on my desc/asc axis…
The other question (maybe a topic for a post): in the synastry this energys of father/ mother/ child shown in the natal is – can one say, given an aditional layer or a kanal?
Maybe this is not a question but just a wish for a blogpost:) In my own case, my moon is part of a T-square, and my mothers Sun fx is filing the empty place, with the daughter with the virgo moon my 4 planet stellium fx is trining her stellium in her grandcross.
Thanks for al the inspirering posts Nadia:)
@SagRising;
difficult for me to say without seeing your entire chart. Also, I don’t work with minor aspects.
@Richelle Smith:
Moon conjunct Pluto is much stronger than the trine. But I can’t comment on how your daughter would perceive you.
@Aries Rising:
The article described the influence of signs…
@fiinyx
difficult to day without seeing the chart. But in the example you gave me, there are only female energies (Moon, Ceres, Venus). Moon is in Leo, but it’s still the Moon. Dad doesn’t show up in this example. 12th House Ceres square 3rd House Moon suggests unacknowledged nurturing issues or secrets about losing someone.
@Shanta;
you’ve given me a very detailed example, and I can’t respond with a general comment. I’m sorry but I don’t understand your second question.
@Liz;
thanks for your feedback and examples!
@Rajesh;
thanks for sharing your examples.
No problem, if it’s not possible saying a general thing to that, it is still a very interesting post!
Yes true, the second is not a question:)
The second question was if you could say somethong on the mix of the parents In the natal chart in relation to synastry between mother and child. Maybe that is either to specific or to big a topic.. Anyway thanks for the post, it is really interesting :)!
Thank you for such an insightful article, Nadia.
Two of my brothers had natal Sun square Moon, as do I, all in different signs. A third brother (the youngest), has Sun conjunct Moon, and has probably the most compatible marriage of any of us. I wonder now what might have changed in my parents’ relationship by the time he was born? The other two bros were both divorced, and one separated from his 2nd wife at the time he died. Or maybe he just experienced them differently, they probably relaxed a little by the time he came along.
My wife has natal Sun opposite Moon, both square Saturn on her Ascendant. This dynamic has played out with a lot of drama over the years, in our relationship and with her family in various ways. Her Sun also conjunct her father’s Sun, she was born on his birthday. With his recent passing she’s feeling she lost an ally in the familial skirmishes. We have been together 35 years despite the combo of Sun-Moon square & opposition, I think other compatibilities in our charts afford a structure for understanding and support through the tough times.
My children (twins) have a close Sun-Saturn conjunction. Never thought of myself as a disciplinarian, although being an older parent (my oldest niece has a son my kids’ age), I think their perspective is that I’m more strict than their friends’ parents, which is probably true. And since the natal chart shows one’s experience of the parents, maybe that’s the way they see me.
Yes..there has definitely been loss of a child (boy) and relationship.H3 Sun is cazimi Mars trines H11 Chiron Rx in Aries..prog Moon is conj Chiron Rx ryt nw..the timing of this article is perfect.Thks Nadia.
Thanks, Nadia, this is an interesting article. I’ve always been fascinated by parents in the natal chart, because my own father died a week before I was born. My mother had to be both parents. She was domineering at times (Leo Sun conjunct Pluto), but a hard worker. I have Moon in Leo, and Sun in H1 Aries – same as your example, but opposite Pluto instead of Saturn – with Ceres squaring the opposition.
What an interesting and informative article. Thank you again for your concise analysis of a subject, Nadia.
I have an unaspected Leo moon in the 8th house.
Lifelong mother relationship can be summed up like this: either completely intertwined or completely estranged.
I have Sun in Pisces, opposite Saturn Rx in Virgo – I had 2 fathers (adopted) but both have been absent as father figures – one is chronically ill and suffers from depression, while biological father was never there as was focused on his other kids, he passed away after my Saturn Return at 30. Lots of father issues…..we just don’t get alone. Strangely, biological father’s Sun is conjunct my natal north node in Virgo 8th House and other father’s Sun is conjunct my natal South Node in Pisces 2nd House – opposites. Natal Moon at anaretic degree in Sagittarius 12th House (mother was depressed as was against my being given away for adoption), also Sagittarius is a dual sign – 2 mothers – real mother at the moment has turned into a religious fanatic.
How about Moon in Scorpio conjuct Mars Rx in Scorpio – a relative had a baby on Friday 17th. Chart is very interesting as she’s born under the Grand mutable cross…but during Moon conjunct Mars Rx in Scorpio (Moon is VOC) – does this indicate a troubled relationship with the mother?
Nice article. It makes a lot of sense. What is your opinion on people who have no aspects to their Sun? My Sun is peregrine in Libra in the 10th. I do not see many articles online about people who have peregrine Suns and how this shaped their view of their fathers. Thanks!
My daughter has her moon in aquarius in the seventh, near the eight house cusp and her aspects are : sun square moon, moon sguare mercury, moon square mars, moon square saturn, moon trine jupiter, moon sextile uranus.
I am aqua sun, pisces moon. I am wondering about the heavy aspected moon and how it can manifest?
Hello, I have mars square Saturn, AND mars square moon, AND moon square Venus.
Saturn in 7th house, having my 1st house being Gemini. ASC It is conjunct Venus that is also Gemini.
I have to say though – my sun is sextile to moon and Jupiter, and trine mars.
Also, Mars sextile Jupiter, and moon trine Jupiter.
Help?
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