As we approach Mother’s Day, I wanted to dedicate an article to oneof the most dynamic and powerful meanings of the Moon in the birth chart – motherhood and nurturance. The Moon in a birth chart is symbolic of many things. It tells us about our most basic personality and habitual life patterns. It’s our instincts, our memory - where we are most comfortable. It represents our physical body as well as holding the key to our emotional well being.

Arianrhod, The Celtic moon-mother goddess, called the "silver wheel".

The Moon in Aries
You are the type of mother who wants her children to achieve great things. Perhaps not the most patient of mothers, you can always be counted on for your honesty and your courage. You may not be home baking apple pie all day, but you are sure to be involved and active in your children’s lives. Others may call you spirited, and rightly so – you are never afraid of a challenge or to tread over new territory. You may see “red” when it comes to protecting and fighting for your children and never hesitate to be the warrior in their life.

You feel most nurtured when cultivating your strong, independent spirit. Being in a position of leadership is where you feel safe.
You probably perceived your mother as a strong, dominant figure in your life – perhaps sometimes pushy but definitely vibrant!

The Moon in Taurus
You are the eternal “earth mother”, and meeting your child’s needs is your top priority. Patient and strong willed enough to follow through when it comes to the discipline involved in raising those little ones, your children will grow to see you as their rock. You are so steady in your nurturance, how can they resist leaning on you for support?
Despite being one of the most natural mothers in the zodiac, there is the chance you may not know how or when to let your children go. Possessive mothering may be your shadow.

You feel most nurtured when surrounded by creature comforts. I can see you now, sitting in your lush backyard on your garden swing, inhaling the delicate scents of nature after a light spring rain. A chenille blanket is wrapped around you and you have a box of your favorite chocolates near you. Now you feel safe.
You perceived your own mother as emotionally strong and devoted. She was practical, calm, and security conscious.

The Moon in Gemini
You are the mother who may never be home. Always running around, sometimes a bit scattered, it’s important for you to nurture your children by feeding their minds and giving them access to all sorts of knowledge. Your mothering strengths lie in your versatility and shrewd manner. It’s natural for you to possess the dualistic ability to “go with the flow”, yet at the same time, nothing will get past you!

You may be somewhat jittery as a mom – prone to nervous tension. You nurture yourself when you are talking on the phone with a friend, pouring over the daily newspaper, a best seller, or gearing up to take the latest adult education class.

You saw your mother as intelligent, mentally stimulating, but always busy.

The Moon in Cancer
The Moon is at home in this sign and it has been said that Cancer Moon (or Sun) makes the best mother in terms of ability to nurture. You are a sensitive mom, able to intuit your child’s every need and emotion – and have the instinct to usually meet these needs as well!
Protective, yet easy going and sociable, you are capable of creating a nest for your family that is the ultimate home. Your mothering “shadow” lies in the fact that you may be too much of a good thing. Yes, there is such a thing as “over-mothering”, and you may have perfected the art.

You feel most nurtured when free to express your ever changing moods, and when you can lead in nurturing anything – whether it be a person, a project, a career or a pet.
You probably perceived your mother to be the best one in the neighborhood.

The Moon in Leo
You are the mother who appears larger than life; generous, warm hearted and full of pride for your little ones. Although eager to nurture your child’s special talents (and of course your child has many), you should also be aware of the danger in trying to push your children into the spotlight in hopes to fulfill any of your own unrealized ambitions.

Nevertheless, you teach your children the value of leadership and respect as well as a love for the traditions in your family.
You feel most nurtured when you’re able to shine – when you capture the attention of a crowd and are recognized for your own many talents!

You probably saw your mother as extremely creative, and sometimes a real “drama queen”. She was also a woman of deep tradition and no doubt passed them onto you.

The Moon in Virgo
You’re the type of mother who is always serving and taking care of others. Perhaps also working outside of the home, you are orderly, efficient, and attentive to the details necessary to run a smooth household. You have high standards and expectations for your children – and constantly strive to make them the best they can be.

Because you have perfectionist standards regarding your own mothering ability, you can sometimes be too hard on yourself. You may also be a bit hypochondriac concerning your children’s health – perhaps even jumping at the slightest sniffle.

And yet, because you are self-contained, you teach your children the value of self-sufficiency and because you are so analytical, your children will learn to appreciate the details in life. And your need to serve can result in some of the most humble children – always willing to lend a helping hand.

You probably saw your mother as a bit critical and nagging at times. Proper and conservative, with a strong desire to care for the family, she may have gone unnoticed as one of the most devoted mothers. It would have been ok with her; her satisfaction comes from knowing she raised her children right.

The Moon in Libra
Libra Moon mothers are often the family peacemakers. Family harmony is of the utmost importance to you and those sibling rivalry squabbles between your children can drive you crazy! You may romanticize motherhood in some way and over pamper your children as well, but you are charming, calm and unsurpassed in teaching your children social etiquette.
You feel most nurtured when you are respected for your judgment, acknowledged for your fairness, and above all listened to!
You experienced your mother as somewhat over pleasing to everyone in her life to avoid conflict – perhaps even a pushover. She was however, very loving and emotionally vested in her children.

The Moon in Scorpio
You are intense! This Moon placement often signifies a deep emotional nature that is difficult for others to read – you simply won’t allow access. As a mother it could translate into you always knowing what is going on in your child’s mind. You may be two steps ahead of them – no one can fool you.

Your children will learn great emotional strength from you and you teach them the value of inner strength and fortitude. Your shadow may be in your need to control your children too much and perhaps even manipulate them emotionally (this may even be unconscious).

You will not feel nurtured until you learn to trust and this is often a very difficult lesson for Scorpio Moon. You can tell yourself that you feel safe only when you keep your wall up and don’t allow anyone into your world of deep emotions, but I don’t buy it. I really believe that to experience true nurturance you might have to transcend this “safety net”. Perhaps your children will teach you this lesson. And if you do learn this lesson, it must be learned at your own pace – no one can force you to do anything.

You may have perceived your mother as abandoning you in some way – either physically or emotionally. You may have even felt unwanted as a child. If you had a positive experience of your mother, she may have still been somewhat mysterious to you.

The Moon in Sagittarius
You are a fun mother – no two ways about it! You understand the value of children playing, yet at the same time have an unsurpassed love of knowledge for its own sake and you’re eager to pass this love onto your children. An eternal optimist, you teach your children the value of believing in themselves and having faith in the world as well as a higher power. You love to travel and may travel often with your little ones!

You may however, have such a great need for your own freedom, that it creates difficulty in your mothering – especially during those early years when the little ones are always with you. Yes it’s easy for you to let your children go, and encourage them to attain their own independence bur be aware that this must happen when they are ready for it – not when you are.

You feel most nurtured when allowed to roam about and this is why motherhood can sometimes be difficult to balance for you. During the times you feel your freedom is restricted, you can nurture yourself in other ways: perhaps by learning about a subject matter that helps you answer some of your deep, philosophical questions about the universe. You also feel nurtured when acknowledged for your wisdom, so teaching your children anything will give you great comfort.

You perceived your own mother as adventurous and fun as well as spiritual and philosophical. She always had questions – and she didn’t stop searching until she found the answers.

The Moon in Capricorn
You are certainly serious about mothering! Practical and no-nonsense in your approach, you take your role as an authority figure to a level some other Moon signs can never attain. You are a hard worker and your children will grow to look up to, and admire you in many ways.
The shadow here is that you may have little patience for the childish antics, and sometimes miss out on your child’s need for love and companionship because you are too busy fulfilling your “responsibilities” as a mother – which are, of course, never-ending.

You may also be prone to depression or pessimistic thinking, perhaps having even experienced restrictions or limitations in your ability to mother in some way.

You feel most nurtured when you have clearly defined boundaries, and when you are recognized for your accomplishments, and when your feelings are received by others in a practical manner.

You probably experienced your mother as somewhat restricting – perhaps she suffered from depression or had restrictive life experiences during your upbringing. She was a hard worker and responsible, able to wait for life’s rewards and certainly not afraid to earn them.

The Moon in Aquarius
You are not the typical soccer mom – that’s for sure! Maybe you’re not weird, but you are unusual in some way. Definitely liberated and not one to be “barefoot and pregnant”, you will teach your children the value of independent thinking, freedom and your children may grow to see you as more of a friend than the usual, mother type.

Because you are ahead of your time, you open up a world of possibilities for your children that more traditional moms haven’t even considered. Your cool, emotional detachment doesn’t mean you can’t express love for your children (although it may be an issue), but it does mean you inherently value your child as an individual and aren’t caught up in children being an extension of yourself. Since smothering is so detestable to your character, your shadow may lie in recognizing that children do need to be treated like children from time to time – they aren’t miniature adults!

You feel most nurtured when you are appreciated and respected for your intelligence and individuality.
You saw your own mother as a bit strange, or she may have been a genius. She was certainly fixed in her temperament and whatever she believed in, she will always believe in.

The Moon in Pisces
You are a sensitive mother, absorbing your child’s every emotion and wound. This is the most emotional placement of the moon and while your compassion for your children is unsurpassed, there is the possibility that you are over sensitive and take things too personally. You may fall into the victim or martyr role, depending on the rest of the chart and your children are either born to be saved by you, or to save you. You are mystic and often psychically sensitive as well with a rich imagination so you are usually creating wonderful bedtime stories for your children, or games of make believe in some fantasy world. The shadow lies in your ability to actually come out of this world and take on the real responsibilities of motherhood that are more practical.

You have a tremendous gift of teaching your children to develop their imagination and spirituality and you feel most nurtured when you are allowed access to your dream world, and treated as the fragile person you are.

You probably never really saw your own mother very clearly. She, like you, was either the rescuer of the family, or needed to be rescued in some way because of mental illness, or an addictive behavior.