The Moon in Astrology

Even more than the sun, the moon is the fundamental astrological force in our lives, for good or ill. Here are books about her, her relationship to the sun, her phases & mansions:

Planets:

The Moon

Mercury-Saturn

Uranus-Pluto

Leftovers!

Indicates a book on our Top Ten list. If you would like to find more books like it, click on the star.

Part 1: The Moon herself:

	THE HADES MOON: Pluto in Aspect to the Moon - Judy Hall, $19.95 From the back cover: "The story of Pluto-Moon contacts is the eternal saga of birth, death, and rebirth; abandonment and rejection; karma, transformation, and new life....Judy Hall explains why Pluto-Moon aspects are so important, and gives a description of the Hades Moon through the signs. She explores the Pluto cycle, Pluto from incarnation to initiation, Pluto in the houses, and Pluto in transits and the Hades Moon....She also explores the archetype of the dark mother and shows how to trace enmeshed family patterns." Contents: By the light of the slightly tarnished moon; The mythic moon; The devouring moon; The rejecting moon; The raging moon; The karmic moon; The cathartic moon; The sacred moon; The renascent moon; Afterlight. Appendix: The Pluto Moon dialogue. 316 pages including endnotes, bibliography and index. Weiser, paper.

	THE MOON IN YOUR LIFE - Arlene Robertson, $19.95 From the back cover: "This book is a well written and very comprehensive study of one of the basic elements in the chart." Contents: The moon in each sign through the houses; Aspects and transits - conjunction, square, trine, and opposition. 233 pages. AFA, paper.

	NEW MOON ASTROLOGY: Using new moon power days to change & revitalize your life - Jan Spiller, $19.00 Contents: Part 1: Rules of the road, Maximizing results, Tables of the new moon through 2050 Part 2: What to wish for when the new moon is in each sign Part 3: Releasing past karma through the power of wishing Part 4: Ongoing wishes, an alphabetical list of topics, each covered briefly: (Abuse, addictions, assertiveness, authority, brothers, business, career, cars, change, children, communication, confidence, courage, creativity, depression, discipline, exercise, father, fear, food, friends, fun, habits, happiness, health, home, honesty, integrity, job, legal issues, love, management, marriage, meditation, money, mother, organization, parents, partnerships, peace of mind, pets, phobias, play, prayer, procrastination, profession, relationships, reputation, romance, school, security, self-confidence, self-control, self-esteem, self-respect, self-worth, sex, siblings, sisters, sleep, social status, spiritual help, stress, success, thoughts, travel, trust, vitality, weight loss, work, world peace) Part 5: Conclusion - Living in a new land. Comment: The premise of this book is that when you first see the new moon, the thin crescent low in the evening sky, you should make a wish on it. The premise of this book is that such a wish, based on the sign of the new moon, is more likely to come true at this time than at any other time. This is really more low grade magic than astrology. An example wish, from the Sagittarius new moon: Sample wishes to inspire freedom: "I want to easily find myself taking a trip to ___________ at a price I can afford"; I want to easily find myself taking trips & traveling on a regular basis"; I want to experience the freedom & enjoyment of living my life"; I want to have more positive adventures in life".... (pg. 107) Bantam, 313 pages.

	THE CRYPTIC CYCLE: Astrology & the Lunar Saros - Murray Beauchamp, $32.00 Contents: Acknowledgements Preface: A heavenly cycle Introduction: The Emerald Tablet 1. A short history of the Saros: Babylonian beliefs, Early theories, Ptolemy's Earth-centered system, Copernicus' solar system, Galileo's support, Newton's theories, Halley's influence, Van den Bergh's recognition system 2. The mechanics of the system: What is an eclipse?, The solar eclipse, The lunar eclipse, The lunar saros, Following the evolution of a lunar series, The astronomical birth versus the astrological birth of a series, Does a lunar eclipse trace a path?, What happens before a series begins?, Identifying the individual series 3. What's it all about? 4. Using the lunar Saros series: Basic principles of use, Lunar saros in utero, The lunar saros in transit, The anomaly of the penumbral eclipse, The nodes of the moon, Practical steps, Eclipse interpretation 5. The hidden power: The 2004 tsunami, Cyclone Tracy & the destruction of Darwin 6. The discovery of DNA: The arrival of the lunar saros, The discovery, The participants: Watson & Crick, The January eclipse & the discovery, The birth of lunar saros series 123, The discovery & the birth of the lunar saros series 123, Watson, Crick & the saros birth, The composite Watson & Crick, What can we make of all this? 7. Two very distinct series: Lunar saros 122, Lunar saros 123, Group connections 8. Historical lunar eclipses: The siege of Syracuse, The fall of Constantinople, The Christopher Columbus lunar eclipse, Masters of destiny? 9. Back to the future: The Bali bombing, The London terrorist attack, Carl Gustav Jung, Sri Sathys Sai Baba 10. Conclusion. Appendices: A. 250 years of lunar eclipses B. Lunar saros series birth data for series 100-150 Abbreviations Sources of chart data Glossary References Comment: The Saros Series, an evolving means of classifing eclipses, says that a total eclipse will be followed by another total eclipse in 223 lunar (synodic) months, where such a month, from full moon to full moon, is equal to 29.53 days. Two hundred twenty-three of them is 6585.32 days, or 18 years, 10 or 11 days (depending on leap year) and about 8 hours. Because there are 223 months in the cycle, there are, potentially, 223 different Saros series, but because human observation, ie, numbering, started with eclipses in the Second Millennium BC, we have only counted 150 Saros series so far. Each of the lunar saros, the subject of this book (as apart from the solar eclipse saros) starts with a penumbral eclipse. Successive eclipses in an individual series (ie, eclipses 223 months apart) progressively become darker & darker, more and more total, until they start to fade out on the other side. A single saros cycle, from initial penumbral eclipse, to total lunar eclipse, and back out to penumbral eclipse, takes about 1300 years. As penumbral eclipses are invisible to the naked eye, and as the Earth's penumbral shadow is not well defined, it was only in the 20th century when the lunar saros was reasonably well-defined. These are preliminaries. Now we have the astrology, ie, what saros means. When a lunar eclipse occurs, it activates the series to which it belongs. It remains active until the next eclipse (similar to the prenatal eclipse). This is compared to the first eclipse in the particular saros series, and both are then compared to the natal or event chart in question. Beauchamp uses both traditional wheel charts as well as the 90 degree dial & midpoints, finding many close aspects between sets of charts. He also shows the overall tenor of a given Lunar Saros - no. 132, the one Lady Diana was born under, which is described as unfortunate. She was born four months before a Saros 132 eclipse, and died 5 months after another Saros 132 eclipse. Find your lunar saros. In the back of the book are 250 years of lunar eclipses (1800-2050), each with their identifying Saros number. After that, for each series, there is the initial eclipse, with date, time (UT), and planetary positions, which include the node & Chiron. There is nothing else available on the Saros series, and this is an excellent book. Madding Crowd, 208 pages.

	MYSTERIES OF THE DARK MOON, The Healing Power of the Dark Goddess - Demetra George, $18.95 Contents: Dedication Acknowledgements Part 1: Revisioning the dark: 1. The dark Moon 2. The dark goddess 3. A lunar her/story of the feminine Part 2: Goddess of the dark Moon: 4. Nys, goddess of the night, and the daughters of the night 5. The serpent-haired queen Medusa 6. The dark maid Lilith Part 3: Rebirth: 7. The dark goddess as the muse of menstruation & menopause 8. The initiation mysteries of Demeter & Persephone 9. The healing power of the lunar darkness Index Comment: From page 12: The dark phase of the moon, not to be confused with the dark side of the moon, occurs each month in the three days immediately preceeding the new moon. At this time the waning crescent dissolves into blackness, and the moon disappears from sight. Because the light that we see as coming from the moon is the sun's reflected light, the dark moon is in a sense the moon's true face. Thinking about it, Demetra is right. Of all the many bodies in the solar system, we can only see the true faces of the Moon, Mercury & Venus, and only when they are passing between the Earth & the Sun, and so "dark" to us. Our understanding of all the other planets, all the other asteroids, is corrupted by the sun's illumination of them, as we know them only by the sunlight they reflect. If we could just switch off the sun, the true nature of the solar system would stand revealed. Need I say more about this nonsense? On the front cover, the obligatory plug by Michael Lutin, whom I once overheard saying he did not read any of the books he was asked to review. Of this book, he wrote: Brimming with insight, information & mystery... For everyone with thirsty souls & inquiring minds. Maybe if I mention this often enough, I might shame him into reading a few of them. Harper San Francisco, 298 pages.

	FINDING OUR WAY THROUGH THE DARK - Demetra George, $24.95 Contents: Acknowledgements Invocation Introduction 1. The lunation cycle 2. The lunation phases workbook 3. The twelfth house 4. The dark goddess asteroids & the dark moon 5. Pluto, south node of moon, void-of-course moon, eclipses Appendices: A. Keywords B. Ephemeris for the dark goddess asteroids, 1935-2051: Atropos, Hekate, Lilith, Medusa, Moira, Nemesis, Persephone, Prosperina, Pythia C. Instructions to determine natal & progressed lunation phases Comment: Extracted from the Introduction, a paraphrase: This is a companion book to the author's Mysteries of the Dark Moon. In this book, astrological techniques where you can apply the philosophical concepts presented in the earlier book to your own life. This book is written primarily for the astrological community. The story the moon tells is of birth, growth, fullness, decay & disappearance, followed by rebirth & another growth cycle. The new, full and dark phases of the moon are prototypes for the emergence, fulfillment & completion of any life process. (pg. ix) The first chapter is an introduction to the lunation cycle & the eight major phases of the moon. The second chapter is a workbook. Sun sign, moon sign, sun/moon phase. In places you fill in the blanks, using self-selected keywords found elsewhere. With phases, you answer questions, such as, Who or what are my "ghosts of the past" (family of origin imprints, fears, insecurities, dependices, addictions)? - a question only those with a semi-square to square waxing new moon need bother with. Then there are progressed phases, which is defined as progressed sun to progressed moon. At the moment, my progressed phase is balsamic. According to the text, I should be making adjustments to everyday reality, I should be attempting new techniques, I should note strugges on my path, I should be asking "why" & looking for a revelation. (pg. 47). In the third chapter, on the 12th house, we go dark. Which is, after all, the theme of this book. Which is that period of time when the moon is lost in the blaze of the daytime sun. Among the subheads, Twelfth house as closure, Twelfth house & karma, Twelfth house & our hidden life, Twelfth house & psychological dimensions of the unconscious, Hidden enemies of the twelfth house, Twelfth house & healing the soul, Healing power of the lunar darkness, Twelfth house & hidden treasures. There are lots & lots of keywords, and a workbook section, in case you didn't "get it". Chapter 4, The dark moon goddesses in astrology, are a selection of asteroids & other points, chosen, first because they are all female (or reputed to be) and, secondly, as they are said to represent fate or other things over which we have no control & to which we must offer worship or fear their wrath. This is the crux of the book & I can't put a better spin on it than that: Moira is the goddess of fate (pg. 88) The asteroid Lilith is oppression (pg. 92) The Dark Moon Lilith is exile (pg. 93) The Black Moon Lilith is the Hindu god Kali (pg. 94) On pg. 90, the Black Moon Lilith is defined as, the energy vortex of the empty focal point in the Moon's orbit around the Earth. (my ephasis) Because the Moon's gravity displaces the Earth a tiny bit, it is not exactly true that the Moon orbits the Earth. It is more true that Earth & Moon orbit around a common point, called a baricenter or barycenter. This is the energy vortex, aka focal point, that has been identified, by George & others, as the Black Moon Lilith. Given the relative sizes of the two bodies in question (Earth & Moon) and their distance from each other, this point IS NOT EMPTY. This point is WITHIN THE EARTH ITSELF. As such, it cannot be listed in an ephemeris. It basic position varies according to the sign of the moon, and its final position in the natal chart depends on the ascendant, ie, time of day. From there, the author goes on to other dark & forboding females. One of the Journal questions for Medusa is, for men, Have I had experiences where I felt sexually manipulated or psychologically castrated by a woman? (pg. 99). The book notably lacks a conclusion, but the implied solution, hammered home again & again, is The Ancients were smart. Smarter than we are. Smart enough to worship these females as gods. Maybe we should, too. The other conclusion, similar to Rudhyar's (to whom the author gives credit) is that the progressed new moon is a time of crisis & new beginnings, while the progressed full moon is a time of achievement & triumph. I tried that in my chart. This business, AstroAmerica.com, was three years old at my last progressed new moon. Fourteen years earlier, my progressed full moon was a time of reorientation & destitution after my return from London the year before. If we prove astrology by proving it to ourselves, then so far as I am concerned, the lunation cycle fails. AFA, 211 pages.

2. Sun & Moon through the Signs

	THE SUN & MOON POLARITY IN YOUR HOROSCOPE - Robert A. Hughes, $15.00 Written in 1953, all 144 combinations of Sun & Moon in signs are explored in this book. One of the few authors to attempt this comprehensive survey, Hughes focuses on the psychological interplay between these two bodies. 168 pages. AFA, paper.

	MOON BUBBLES: From Cradle to Grave - Diane & Rudy Flack, $4.00 Contents: Preface Moon bubbles from cradle to grave Moon phases (chart 1) Solar/Lunar aspects (chart 2) Solar/Lunar aspects (keywords) Sun/Moon conjunct About orbs & aspects Sun/Moon semi-sextile (30) Sun/Moon sextile (60) Sun/Moon square (90) Sun/Moon trine (120) Sun/Moon inconjunct (150) Sun/Moon opposition Sun/Moon inconjunct (210) Sun/Moon trine (240) Sun/Moon square (270) Sun/Moon sextile (300) Sun/Moon semi-sextile (330) "There is a tide..." (progressions) What about transits? Comment: A "Moon Bubble" is how much personal space you need around you, as defined by your Sun/Moon aspect, with the Sun as "me" and the Moon as "you", but the authors focus more on psychological issues than personal space per se. These are sign-to-sign based aspects, rather than actual degrees. For each aspect, the authors give a complete list of Sun/Moon sign combinations. For example, Sun square Moon, from Aries to Cancer, is a tendency to be too argumentative, while the square from Gemini to Virgo is a tendency to be a know-it-all, both from the waxing square list on pg. 13. On pg. 25, the reverse: Sun/Moon square, from Cancer to Aries, is a spend-thrift, though they don't use the term ("turn away from stock-piling & saving everything"). Aside from one of Sophia Mason's books, we rarely see this kind of detail with aspects. A is A Publishing, 35 pages, comb-bound.

3. Lunar Phases. See also Dane Rudhyar.

	MOON PHASES, A SYMBOLIC KEY - Martin Goldsmith, $16.95 From four lunar phases, this book shows 28. Your exact lunar phase reveal a great deal about you, your abilities, motivations & perceptions. Combines visual imagery & verbal explanations. Accompanying the text are elegant illustrations to inspire intuitive understanding. Meditation on them provides deeper insight into the moon's many phases. This book, and the next, below, were inspired by clairvoyant messages received by William Butler Yeats & his wife. 237 pages including bibliography and recommended reading. Whitford, paper.

	PHASES OF THE MOON, A Guide to Evolving Human Nature - Marilyn Busteed & Dorothy Wergin, $18.95 Contents: Acknowledgment Introduction Part 1: Cycles, phases and modern astrology 1. Cycles and phases 2. The elements of the lunar mandala 3. The skeleton of time 4. In and out of phase Part 2: A round of 28 phases 5. Phases of the youthful body 6. Phases of the proud heart 7. Phases of the creative mind 8. Phases of the emerging spirit 9. Some ideas on diachronic astrology 10. The moon phase in a birth chart 11. Examples Appendices: A. Phases of well known people B. Symbols used in this book C. Division by symmetry D. How to figure the moon phase E. Glossary of terms F. Bibliography. Comment: How to read a chart based on the phase of the moon, day by day. Rudhyar toyed with the idea - and the authors give him credit - but they say the idea actually goes back to William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) & his book, A Vision (1925). Yeats was far more than a poet, but I digress. Each of the four Phase chapters (see above) covers one week of lunar travel & is divided into seven discreet phases phases. The first is from new moon to first quarter (youthful body), the second, from first quarter to full (proud heart), etc. These are allotted to the various signs. The first phase is to Pisces, the next three to Aries, then the final three youthful bodys to Taurus. In the second quarter, the first phase goes to Gemini, with Cancer getting the next three & then Leo the final three. (This is how you divide 28 by 12.) In addition to the sign, each day's phase has a planetary ruler & co-ruler. Each day's phase represents a two-year age. The first phase (new moon) is 0-2, the next day is 2-4, day three is 4-6, etc. Here is a typical delineation: Speaking of Phase 14 (my own), did you know that I receive everything at the hands of others-? That people willingly take up the burdens & responsibilities which [I] drop-? And that many people find the native [me!] incredibly beautiful & act out of infatuation with him-? (Girls! Where are you!?) Phase 14 continues, Unimpressed by hero-worship, or even by confessions of love, the native is prepared to drop everything at once if a vision or a feeling directs him elsewhere. As a result of this fidelity to purpose, he projects his ideas upon civilization so strongly that others come to identify his will with their own deeper desires. It wouldn't be unusual, either, for the native to live his entire life without noticing his expanding influence. But time will bear full witness to his excellence, even posthumously. (all from pg. 102) My Sun/Moon phase? I was born six hours ahead of a full moon. A lot of people are born on full moons. Find your unique phase. AFA, 209 pages.

	EVERYTHING HAS A PHASE - Bernice Prill Grebner, $18.00 Contents: The phases of timing; Mansions of the moon; Observations about the moon; The phases of the moon; New moon, crescent moon, first quarter moon, gibbous moon, full moon , disseminating moon, last quarter moon, and balsamic moon through the signs; Rulers, progressions, comparisons; Interpretations of the house meanings; The planets; Signs on the cusp. 209 pages including glossary and references. AFA, paper.

4. Moon Mansions

	MOON MANSIONS - Mohan Koparkar, $6.95 More sophisticated than Yeats' vision of 28 phases are the ancient 27/28 lunar mansions, which can be traced from Arabic to Greek & Hindu sources. The difference between the two is that phases show an angular relationship of the moon to the sun, while mansions are much like zodiacal "signs". They start at a fixed point in the sky & the moon passes through one of them every day, taking a month (or one lunar orbit) to complete the journey. These 13 degree chunks of sky are said to have the same kind of qualities that we associate with the 12 signs of the zodiac. Vedic astrology makes dazzling use of these, which only makes us regret their comparative rarity in western astrology. This book uses the sidereal zodiac & gives descriptions of sun, moon & planets, including Uranus, Neptune, Pluto & the North Node, in each of the mansions. 127 pages. Mohan Enterprises, paper.

Planets:

The Moon

Mercury-Saturn

Uranus-Pluto

Leftovers!

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