Eons ago, 93,000,000 miles from the Sun, two forming nuclei of gas and dust began to differentiate into distinct spheres. As these two planetary bodies solidified and separated, the body with the greater mass and gravity (Earth), stripped and therefore deprived the smaller body of its atmosphere and ability to nurture and sustain life (Moon). As the Moon moved further from its counterpart Earth in their shared and dual orbit, its chances to ever recoup this life giving nurturance disappeared.
Like the child's unconscious, the Moon retains the trauma and impact of this deprivation in the form of unconscious overcompensation, and carries this archetype and reflects the light of the sun with it. Its dispersonalized potential for development as the receptacle of that light remains in the limbo (unconscious) state. It reflects the reigning psychological need to nurture as the effect of deprivation of conscious participation in active (conscious) nurturing.
In life on Earth as a physical being, this nurture/deprivation schema is provided by the parental structure. Physically, and therefore most notably, through the mother. The sign and house placement of the Moon in the horoscope is where we will find this sense of nurturance deprivation belief as the effect of maternal interaction. The version of the mother projected upon her by the child. This archetype (sign and house placement of the Moon) then establishes for the astrologer the reigning psychological need of the personality. The aspects to it tie in and bring other planets as parameters of fulfillment of this reigning need. All factors within the horoscope, including the Sun, work to fill this deprivation void. The identity then finds emotional security through the fulfillment of these needs, which continues with the parameters rising to higher and higher levels (Please see Needs, Volume 5, Principles and Practice of Astrology, by Noel Tyl). Where Saturn is we are satur-ated with the archetype involved (crystallized in belief patterning), and give power to the external from habit patterning of coping structures. Where the Moon is we need to absorb, create a coping mechanism and nurture the archetype. Deprive means to "remove or withhold something from the enjoyment or possession of". The condition of the moon in the horoscope, reflects the belief structure of how we feel deprived, the archetype which we believe our mother failed to nurture us with. This corresponds in psychological practice to The response deprivation theory of reinforcement proposed by William Timberlake and James Allison (1974: Timberlake 1980), e. g., that behavior becomes reinforcing when the organism is prevented from engaging in it.
The more self-empowered an individual believes themselves to be, the less negative will be the expression of the reigning need. Self-empowerment is defined as holistic or integral functioning recognizing the power to create comes from within. Knowing that one creates their reality completely, follows the recognition of the complete ability to create whatever is desired by the identity without having to act out of integrity. The developmental process through acting on inspired thought is the fulfillment (self-actualizing) of the reigning needs that brings forth the nurture and development of the deprived archetype. The Moon serves the Sun by drawing the light in to allow growth in the sign the moon is in (the deprived function), and acts as a filter through which the Sun sign is distributed. This distribution finds fulfillment and support through sextiles and trines, because they reflect the positive aspects of belief maintained by the identity--the resolved aspects of the belief system. The need to resolve aspects of other archetypes and beliefs (other planets and signs) is brought into developmental need fulfillment and resolution through the squares and oppositions because these are the areas of negative or dis-empowering beliefs maintained by the identity. Tension (negative aspects) as well as resolution (positive aspects) are required for growth. This is why we teach best what we are learning (exploring).
The following definitions indicate the individual's overcompensatory reigning need in response to perceived maternal deprivation (issue).
Fire Moon signs (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius, The Trinity of Identity) reflect the need for energetic ego recognition and a fear of being ignored; Earth, The Trinity of Physicality: functional and practical efficiency and adequacy, with a fear of losing control; Air, The Trinity of Ideation: social acceptance and a fear of being unappreciated; and Water, The Trinity of Belief Momentum or emotion (energy-motion) reflect a fear of being taken advantage of or not receiving empathy. There is no such thing as "just feeling" a certain way, a feeling is a reaction to a belief. We must believe a certain way before we have a feeling about it. A fear therefore is a belief. We create our reality by what we believe. Fearing something will happen, heightens the probability that it will, until trust that it may not be necessary, replaces the fear. Understanding the self on all levels, and knowingness that the ALL would not create "no way out scenarios" leads us to this trust. We create our reality from the strongest belief (most trusted) we have of what is most likely to happen. Our reality then reflects this most trusted belief, which may be unconscious or permeate several levels of consciousness.
Cardinal sign moons (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) believe action and assertion has been deprived. Fixed (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius) believe structure and accumulation (some form of power) has been deprived. And Mutable (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces) believe that they have been deprived of change and learning.
Moon in Aries With the moon in Aries the reigning need is to be ego important and self reliant. To nurture the pioneering sense. To trust natural aggression and self-assertion. Bette Davis, Marlon Brando, Jaqueline Onassis.
Moon in Taurus The moon in Taurus' reigning need is to build and maintain a structure--to have stable access to resources. To nurture stability and accumulate security. Bill Clinton, Shakespeare, Mick Jagger.
Moon in Gemini In Gemini the need or feared deprivation is of the intelligence and the application of ideology--hence strong is the need to be thought of as diverse, knowledgeable and intelligent, as an effect of (perceived) diversity deprivation. Farrah Fawcette, Sigmund Freud, Fred Astair.
Moon in Cancer In Cancer the reigning need is for emotional security itself. To establish an inner base for the identity to access. This may be the sign of adoption or the loss of the mother at an early age, or in some other way she was exceedingly important in the identity's development. Dr. Benjamin Spock, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Ross Perot.
Moon in Leo The Leo moon has a reigning need to be dramatically ego important--to validate the identity through demonstration of creative extension. The performance of the identity is believed to have been ignored. Peter Ustinov, Barbara Streisand, Mahatma Gandhi.
Moon in Virgo To be discriminating or correct and "proper" on a less aware level (proper is a subjective value judgment), or to be analytically correct through discernment on a more expanded level, is the reigning need of this moon and believed deprived-- Or correct in practical terms. John F. Kennedy, Joseph Stalin, Jack Nicolson.
Moon in Libra Social acceptance is the reigning need of the moon in Libra. Appreciation through popularity. Validation of the identity because others "like them." There can be a superficial focus on the acceptability of behavior. Sylvester Stallone, Billy Joel, Katherine Hepburn.
Moon in Scorpio A strong need for emotional significance or to make an impact can lead to obsessive behavior. Intensity can lead to emotional insight as well. The fear of being taken advantage of is strong in this sign. Harry Truman, Elizabeth Taylor, Julie Andrews.
Moon in Sagittarius To have the beliefs, opinions, intellect and ideas accepted by others is the way this moon seeks ego importance. To validate the identity through key concepts blending with and "fitting into" an overall scheme. The identity's fears of being ignored may be too close to the opinions it holds. Pablo Picasso, Albert Einstein, Johannes Brahms.
Moon in Capricorn To manifest the self fully in physicality, physical expression and accomplishment. Strategic effectiveness, and an impact on the world and physical reality, is believed to have been denied. Overcompensation ensues in this direction as the reigning need. This position is usually associated with some early environmental limitation that deprived the identity from full expression. Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Adolf Hitler.
Moon in Aquarius Needs are fulfilled through being recognized for ones unique attributes and contribution to society. Co-creative interaction believed denied. Needs appreciation for helping humanity or being a good friend, or for having "invented something" that elicits a "new" appreciation for life. Richard Wagner, Richard Nixon, Marilyn Monroe.
Moon in Pisces The reigning need of this moon is to be recognized as compassionate, sensitive, and self-sacrificing. The concept that was believed taken advantage of was the sensitivity to self. Martin Luther King, O.J. Simpson, Benjamin Franklin.
