Here I offer a continuation of my exploration of the Moon through the signs, and what that signifies in terms of your child’s astrology and the conditions of his or her life, specifically from birth to seven years old. I should add, though, that these conditions don’t change as we grow older, but life experience and self awareness will give us a better handle on them as the emphasis of our life moves away from the dependence upon mother and home towards a more independent and autonomous way of living.
As with all these placements, we need to look to the individual chart: which House the Moon is in, and how it aspects the other planets in the chart, to work out what specifically is likely to threaten or bolster our child’s sense of emotional security.
This time, we are going to be looking at Moon in Leo, Virgo, Libra and Scorpio, and the next article will cover the final four: Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces.
Moon in Leo:
Leo is ruled by the Sun, which in turn describes our identity; how we see ourselves, who we project onto the world. Moon in Leo, therefore, is likely to produce a little one with a strong sense of the importance of his or her feelings, emotions, security. In times of distress, don’t be surprised to see the little drama king or queen make an appearance! Leo likes to look good, to be admired, so when a Leo Moonchild is in trouble, the situation is exacerbated by their own sense of having failed to make the grade: they will really struggle if they feel disappointed in themselves.
The very positive side of this placement is a child who is very openly and effusively warm and affectionate. Think of a pride of lions (even the collective noun is a very apt description here!) and the cubs tumbling over one another, the lion and lioness calmly, indulgently and proudly looking on. Those are the perfect conditions for your Leo Moon. The more secure and loved the child feels, the fewer dramatic episodes.
Parental tips:
- Whilst it is important to your little Leo Moon to feel adored, be careful not to over-pander to it – precociousness can definitely be a drawback for this placement.
- There can be a tendency towards ‘big’ talking, exaggeration that can adversely affect credibility. “He threw a boulder at me!” could, in reality, be “A pebble hit me when he walked past…”
- Be aware too of the image consciousness of this placement: if your little one is playing up, what is he or she afraid is making them look bad?
Moon in Virgo:
Next we come to our Virgo Moonchild. Ruled by Mercury, Virgo is a rather meticulous, analytical sign. This is a willing little helper, a child who is happiest just getting on with the task at hand: “If a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well…” – the most likely to be Mummy’s right-hand man / woman. This is the ‘neat freak’ type, whose home as an adult is always in order and spotless.
In our practice, we tend to believe that Virgo is ruled more by Hygeia than by Mercury (which is a theory that can prove a little controversial), but Virgo is less about communication (that would be Gemini) than neatness and healthy habits, which is much more the domain of Hygeia. That aside, the point is that your Virgo Moonchild will want to eat the right kinds of foods, clear the table afterwards and be sure to wipe his or her mouth. The pyjamas will be neatly under the pillow before breakfast is had.
This is a very unassuming child, too. Where Leo Moon is more than happy to be the centre of attention, Virgo Moon would rather melt into the scenery. That analytical spotlight can be turned rather harshly back on itself, so that self-belief can suffer.
Parental tips:
- Your Virgo Moonchild will need some help from you to develop a healthy sense of self-worth.
- They will need to learn to value their own wishes, feelings and desires too ,as they are much too likely to subjugate their own wishes, feelings and desires to others’.
Moon in Libra:
Even those who know very little about astrology are aware of the sign for Libra: the scales. It’s all about balance, and the placement of the Moon here denotes a little person who likes things to be fair. Not only that but, ruled by Venus, this child’s security depends on harmony, too; all things beautiful, harmonious and pleasant. The world looks considerably less safe to them as soon as a dark cloud threatens their sky.
This is a sociable little person, too; not in a loud and forthright “Where’s the party?!” kind of way, but in a more sedate “Let’s sit in the garden with a nice piece of cake” fashion.
Parental tips:
- Your Libra Moonchild may have a tendency to submit to others’ wishes too readily, due to their deep need for peace and harmony – they’ll probably need some help to develop a healthy method of gentle assertion.
- Venus (ruler of Libra) doesn’t have a lot of drive, so you may need to encourage the knack of getting on with it, rather than smiling sweetly and trying to talk him- or herself out of it!
Moon in Scorpio:
Sorpio is ruled by Pluto, which is the big, brooding influence in astrology. Pluto supercharges all that he touches with immense intensity, so this is a little Moon that really feels it; I mean deep down feels it. And that brings its own complications. This little person is unlikely to sit on the fence about anything much and, with Pluto being what he is, may not really even understand why they feel so strongly. As the parent of a Scorpio Moonchild, be prepared for a bit of a bumpy ride; not that the ride is bumpy because of any kind of malice or naughtiness, but because it is as unfathomable to your child as it is to you.
Because Pluto operates below the surface, the eruption when the feelings come out is often so shocking to those around your little one, that they learn that their feelings aren’t safe. What they need to try to learn is a way to express them before they get so out of hand. Time and experience, along with gentle guidance, will ease the way considerably.
Parental tips:
- The intensity of a Scorpio Moonchild’s feelings will obviously spill over into friendships, which can make the school playground a bit of a life and death experience at times! Try to reassure your little one to loosen the ties a little, to allow their best friend to have other friends, too, and not to be distraught when they invite someone else to tea!
- In order to help your little one not to learn that feelings aren’t safe, as a parent you will need lots of patience with the outbursts until such time as he or she has managed to find a less explosive way of expressing them.
AliceStrology Junior 