If all there was to astrology was “Sun Sign” stuff, you’d have to be a bit bonkers to be an astrologer. I mean, let’s be honest here: it’s not like every Gemini on Earth is going to have the exact same Tuesday, even though they’re all reading the same horoscope. And not every Gemini is overly chatty, has a far-ranging mind, or enjoys a good debate for the sake of having a debate (although you’ve got to admit it sure seems that way, sometimes). Fortunately for those of us who live and work in The Real World, astrology has the complexity and subtlty to describe our lives in this very complex world. That complexity starts with your Moon Sign.

If you’ve ever looked at the basic description of what a person with your Sun Sign is supposed to be like and thought something like “well, that’s somewhat true, but I don’t really _____” or “wait a minute, I’m not really _____ at all, and my arrest record for that sort of thing is totally based on circumstantial evidence,” you may need to take a look at your Moon Sign.

The Sun may be necessary for all life on Earth, but if you look back through the legends and lore of ancient cultures, The Moon gets at very least a strong second billing. If the Moon in the sky only shines because it reflects light from the Sun, in the hearts and minds of humans the Moon has taken on a life all its own. In astrology, the Sun represents the spark of life, the Ego, and (perhaps) the Soul. The Moon is the domain of your feelings, your gut instincts, and your emotional life… and you’ve got to admit that those things are all pretty central to one’s existence too.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the Moon lately. Between observing the astrological effects of the latest Solar Eclipse (where the Moon blocks the light from the Sun, and which are still in affect, by the way), to preparing for my upcoming course on The Moon in Astrology, I’ve been getting back in touch with that most basic and vital of astrological influences. It seems strange that I could have ever vetured far from it myself… after all, I was born at Moonrise.

If you’ve never really dug too deeply into astrology but have always suspected there’s a lot more to it, I strongly encourage you to learn about your Moon Sign. And if you are a pro who’s been doing it a long time… I urge you to go back and look again. The Sun Sign may be where you get your daily forecast from, but the Moon is your true Comfort Zone. The Sun may be the part of you that shines at work, but the Moon is who you really are when you go home and slip into your pajamas. In Vedic astrology (which I also practice), the Moon provides the basic timing for all of life’s major events as well as describing the foundation of the personality.

Understanding your Moon Sign and what it represents can be the difference between using astrology as a source of entertaining distraction and really getting a grasp on yourself, your life, and the world around you. Getting to know your Moon can be the beginning of a great voyage of self-discovery.

In future… here and there among the other updates, forecasts, The Compatibility Series, and the latest on whatever celebrity is making a fool of themselves and the astrological reason for it, I’ll be presenting some Astrological Moon Lore. I encourage you to find out what your Moon Sign is, and the Moon Signs of your friends and loved ones, and play along at home.