In ancient times, all holiday celebrations were born of natural cycles, a phenomenon that continues to influence celebrations and festivals even today. Mother's Day, for example, is aptly held close to the Pagan Beltane celebration, during the earthy and fertile time of Venus-ruled Taurus, when the lushness and splendor of Mother Earth is in full bloom. Though for an even better alignment, I might encourage congress and greeting card companies to shift Mother’s Day to a Monday (moon-day, named for the feminine moon, which represents the receptive divine feminine principle) or a Friday (named for the Norse goddess of love and beauty Freya).
Understanding the cycles of nature and astrology is also key to understanding and appreciating your mother as well as your own mothering style; contemplate both mom’s and your astrological sun and moon sign. While sun signs are key to comprehending the themes central to you in this lifetime, the placement of the moon describes how you experienced your mother and what you require to feel safe, secure, and grounded in the world.
Many spiritual disciplines (especially Eastern religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism) believe that we choose our parents and that our parents choose us prior to our birth. If that's so, perhaps the fifth commandment, "honor thy mother and father," can be interpreted an encouragement to honor and make the most of our pre-natal choices while we're here. Many astrologers (including this one) believe that we choose our charts as well as our parents before we’re born. Knowing the position of your planets is an invaluable tool for deepening your understanding of all of these dynamics. You can get a quick, free chart at KarmicRelief.com to learn the position of the moon (and all of your planets) at your time of birth. You can do the same for your mother's chart for added insight.
Who are the "best" mothers? What kind of mom are you?
Sure, some signs are more maternal than others, but all signs offer their own mothering gifts. To celebrate Mother’s Day this year, here’s an astrological primer for you and mom:
Aries Sun:
Strength: Bold, energetic, and empowering
Weakness: Impatient, not always able to appreciate another’s feelings, may feel too responsible for own mother’s happiness
Aries Moon:
To feel safe needs: Aliveness, action, and ongoing activity
Mothering style: Exciting and stimulating
Taurus Sun:
Strength: Steady, warm, dependable, affectionate
Weakness: Stubborn, self-indulgent, and ‘dense’
Taurus Moon:
To feel safe needs: Consistency, Good food, many creature comforts, a substantial, steady income
Mothering style: Grounding, comforting, sensual, soothing, reassuring
Gemini Sun:
Strength: Very bright, playful, funny, and resourceful
Weakness: Crazy-making, immature, distracted, pulled in many directions
Gemini Moon:
To feel safe needs: Mobility (some Gemini moons are more at home in their car than anywhere else), language, words, self-expression
Mothering style: Communicative, educational, loves through literacy
Cancer Sun
Strength: Sensitive, psychic, emotionally present
Weakness: Emotionally demanding, dependent, maudlin, a drama queen, easily feels abandoned
Cancer Moon
To feel safe needs: a safe haven, emotional connection to loved ones
Mothering style: cradling, enveloping, loves to provide the basics—food, shelter, and love
Leo Sun
Strength: Radiant, joyful, proud, and loyal: her children have a strong sense of belonging and of being important
Weakness: May need too much attention, or be too concerned with appearances and what others think, the stage mother who needs to be the star herself
Leo Moon
To feel safe needs: Creative expression and recognition (Barbra Streisand has a Leo moon), expensive, ‘royal’ surroundings, to brag a little, spending money
Mothering style: doting, indulgent, wants the best of everything for her "cubs"
Virgo Sun
Strength: Health comes first, practical, attentive, observant, can see what the doctor missed
Weakness: Critical, intolerant, over-analytical, demands perfection of self and others
Virgo Moon
To feel safe needs: A good work routine, cleanliness, order, time and space to process
Mothering style: Thorough, efficient, caring, reasonable
Libra Sun
Strength: Pleasant, Fair, inviting, social, and welcoming
Weakness: Unstable, demanding (perfection from others), can be emotionally distant and detached
Libra Moon
To feel safe needs: Objectivity, distance, tranquility and beautiful surroundings
Mothering style: delicate, cultured, refined, cool
Scorpio Sun
Strength: Powerful, can handle anything, a healer
Weakness: Overwhelming, possessive, mistrusting, interrogating, controlling, vengeful
Scorpio Moon
To feel safe needs: Alone time, emotional boundaries respected, time to learn to trust you—once they do, you’re theirs for life
Mothering style: Deep psychological-orientation, consuming, intense, can be a very good provider,
Sagittarius Sun
Strength: Upbeat, optimistic, curious
Weakness: Preachy, pedantic, annoyingly cheery, intolerant, judgmental
Sagittarius Moon
To feel safe needs: Room to expand, emotional freedom, frequent travel
Mothering style: Inspiring, encouraging, will do anything for child’s education (Aquarian Oprah has Sagittarius moon)
Capricorn Sun
Strength: Wise, responsible, seasoned, a huge heart that has "been there," emotionally mature
Weakness: Cold, gloomy, depressive, uncommunicative
Capricorn Moon
To feel safe needs: Structure, work, an ongoing sense of accomplishment, many Capricorn moons like working at home and sleep near their desk
Mothering Style: Organized, assigns chores, likes employing kids in the family business
Aquarius Sun
Strength: Encourages kids’ individuality, innovative, tolerant, you can be who you are
Weakness: Cranky, unpredictable, inconsistent, ‘out-there’
Aquarius Moon
To feel safe needs: Freedom, variety, extended families, community
Mothering style: Avant-garde, futuristic, progressive, all encompassing (Cancerian Princess Diana had the moon in Aquarius)
Pisces Sun
Strength: Empathetic, compassionate, sensitive, great coping skills, the consummate multi-tasker
Weakness: All over the place, frantic, over-extended, worried
Pisces Moon
To feel safe needs: Emotional validation, spiritual foundation, a sanctuary
Mothering style: Gentle, aware of other realms, psychic attunement, sweet, lyrical
