The Moon and finding comfort
It is a Full Moon as I write today and I tend to find full moons a bit much. I was born just after a New Moon and I feel much more comfortable in the initiatory stages of something, rather than in the fullness of a moment. I like to feel grounded.
Our natal Moons can tell us a lot about how and where we can find comfort and grounding amidst excessive energy and overwhelm. There is a lot of different things we can look at to get greater detail (this is the kind of thing a proper reading with an astrologer like myself can assist you with) but in terms of simple do it yourself interpretation, we can look to the Moon’s sign and house placement. Combining the two and finding an activity that suits both at the same time will provide you with something that provides you with a feeling of being looked after and cared for, but depending on your own combo, this can look very different for different people!
So let’s get started with Moon signs and a few quick ideas as to how each Moon sign likes to feel at ease:
Aries Moons actually feel discomfort in traditionally relaxing environments. They need to stay active! The kind of activity changes from person to person but there is a tendency towards activities that feel slightly risky, as well as things that are quick to complete and get out of the way, using up lots of high-octane energy in a short space of time (HIIT routines are great for Aries folk)
Taurus Moons achieve comfort via means that are traditionally viewed as comforting (the Moon exalts here in Taurus so she is very much able to provide the maternal nurturing she wishes to bestow in this sign). Eating a lovely comfort meal, strolling in nature, stopping to smell the flowers (smells and the senses in general are a BIG thing for Taureans), and getting comfy in a big bed with soft, warm blankets. Anything that feels relaxing and luxurious in a natural kind of way, nothing false or fake!
Gemini Moons need mental stimulation, but nothing too heavy! Don’t get bogged down in a big chunky book, you are unlikely to feel relaxed doing that, but reading articles and anything similarly short-form is perfect. Also, chatting with interesting people that can teach you a thing or two is great too. (Remember, the key thing is that, whilst most people enjoy a natter or learning something new, a Gemini Moon depends on these things to feel safe and steady, so it’s really important to prioritise them, especially during difficult times)
Cancer Moons possess pure lunar energy as the sign of Cancer is the Moon’s home or domicile. This means that the Moon’s natural significations of caretaking and nurturing, especially of the body and of those areas of life that you most care about, are ways in which they can find optimum comfort.
Leo Moons find comfort through self-expression. They need to feel seen, heard, recognised, even admired by those around them and they feel most secure in entertainer mode.
Virgo Moons are like Goldilocks - they like everything to be just right. They will only be able to relax when the finer details are under control and their exacting standards have been met. Spending time organising or sorting through things is a great option, as well as focusing on looking after their health and keeping themselves (and their surroundings) clean. This is a very personal placement though as every Virgo Moon has their specific idea of what constitutes “correct” in their book, so this one can vary. Ultimately, it’s about meeting ones own standards.
Libra Moons need union with another. It doesn’t have to be romantic (although it often can be) but it does need to be harmonious and affirming of their own desirability. They could be chatting to the next-door neighbour but the difference between a Libra Moon and another social sign such as Gemini is the need to feel appealing to the other person and for the connection to be fair and balanced, rather than conducted purely out of curiosity like Gemini or to be enjoyed like Leo. Needing to feel wanted and desired is very different to needing to feel recognised or intellectually stimulated.
Scorpio Moons are unconventional in their comfort-seeking. They seek the deeper, darker, possibly more taboo areas of life. Only in the space between our world and the next do they feel at home. My partner is a Scorpio Moon and he relaxes every evening by driving to a supposedly haunted location on his own and filming it. It doesn’t have to be that on the nose but it could well be!
Sagittarius Moons need to feel free! Any sense of confinement or restriction will make them feel very uncomfortable indeed. Any Sag Moon should take themselves on an adventure every now and then in whatever way they personally feel most pushed out of their comfort zone. Paradoxically, that is where they will find true relaxation!
Capricorn Moons are comforted by tradition and connection to the past. Museums and stately homes are great for Cap Moons to get some downtime, as well as anything that helps them feel close to their own past. Avoid anything too showy or extragavant. A certain amount of minimalism and simplicity is required.
Aquarius Moons tend to feel comforted by tech and machinery. They also like to set themselves apart as an outsider. Something very comforting to an Aquarius Moon is to go out to somewhere with a lot of people or activity and find a little private nook to observe it all from.
Pisces Moons need to be able to let it flow and let it all go. They need to feel at one with the world and will find reassurance in anything that makes them feel that deep sense of unity with their surroundings. Art of all kinds is often a popular choice and spiritual or charitable endeavours - shapeless entities that nevertheless bring us together.
If the sign alone feels a bit vague, the house that your Moon resides in can help you work out where your energy goes to be nurtured and sustained:
1st house Moons must prioritise self-care! They need to spend a lot of time caring for their physical bodies as well as their porous energetic bodies as they tend to be very sensitive to their surroundings.
2nd house Moons need to focus on gathering a lot of physical stuff in the shape of money and possessions to feel safe and comfortable. They also may feel comforted through buying, selling, and earning money.
3rd house Moons need to stay busy and keep to a daily routine. Their day-to-day structure keeps them steady, as well as fostering a connection with their local area and their neighbours. They also need to stay in regular contact with others and will often use the internet for these purposes.
4th house Moons require time at home and with their families in order to feel fully comfortable. Lots of private time is absolutely essential!
5th house Moons tend to enjoy spending time with children, but always enjoy playing like a child and spending time on creative endeavours and hobbies.
6th house Moons are always looking for something to fix and feel most at home sorting out the kinds of practical issues and irritants that others might try to swerve! They feel at their best taking care of their health and preventing bodily issues from developing or continuing.
7th house Moons never feel 100% comfortable alone and need partnership to feel secure, romantic or otherwise. They may also find comfort by making their partner comfortable.
8th house Moons need depth, nowt surface-level about an 8th houser! This means there is comfort to be had through digging deep into something (or someone? intimacy belongs in the 8th house too!) This is also definitely what I would term the Proserpinian house, so there is comfort through transformation and honouring of the cycles of life. You may also find comfort through the dark and strange, as my own 8th house Moon does. You are lucky to receive a lot of support from others which assists you in feeling safe and secure too.
9th house Moons find comfort through growth. This could be through an exploration of unknown land, gathering of new knowledge, or even the comfort of a set of religious beliefs or practices. Spending time with people from cultures that are very different to your own is a great way to feel more like yourself.
10th house Moons care a lot about their vocations, professions, and public achievements and so you tend to find that people with this placement feel much more comfortable in a workplace or in a public setting than in private. Ensuring that there is always the opportunity to continue work on a particular work goal is a great way to nurture this placement.
11th house Moons feel most comfortable on the stage, either metaphorically or quite literally! Comfort is derived from spending time with groups of people, either communities of peers or adoring fans, and basking in the sense of belonging it gives you.
12th house Moons can never underestimate how much alone time they need! They can only achieve true comfort from complete isolation and so they need to factor that into their approach to life and must keep that particular boundary strong, as the 12th house can make things muddy and undefined. The 12th is a strange place so this will be highly specific to the person, but there needs to be a way to connect with the inner self, whether that is through visualisation, meditation, esoteric practices like the tarot, etc. This will be likely shown through the Moon sign also. A 12th house Aries Moon will likely pursue something like yoga or another form of physical activity in order to hear that inner voice, but a 12th house Pisces Moon might be a bit more traditionally spiritual in their approach.
To help you think a bit more about how these placements can work in combination, I’ll tell you what got me thinking about my own Taurus Moon in the 8th house. This morning, after I’d dropped my big girl off to school, I felt the familiar urge to walk with my baby in her pram up to the local cemetery. It’s a beautiful place, on a little hill next to the train tracks, very liminal, peaceful but not too isolated, just slightly removed from daily life in the town. It is wooded along one side and it is full of beautiful trees and plants. It reminds us of the connection between green fertile life and silent soft death. It is the perfect place for an 8th house Taurus Moon like me to find some comfort at a turbulent full moon time and I always feel more me when I come back out of the cemetery gates at the end of my walk. Something else I like to do to relax is watch horror films or ghost shows which satisfies my spook-seeking 8th house. Halloween is the most comforting day of the year for me! But my Taurus needs it to feel cosy, comfy, and ideally smelling spooky - I’m missing my incense at the moment with having Baby Magenta around but that’s a particular little comfort of mine, it reminds me of the musty smells we used to use inside the haunted house I used to work on. When I was little, I’d get my Dad to tell me ghost stories over and over and it was like I could physically feel the stories as they were told. I feel cosy and safe just typing all of this out.
So the question is: what is that makes you feel cosy and safe? Once you find it, hold onto it with both hands and never let go. To make it through life successfully, you’re going to need it.
