In astrology, the Moon represents emotions. In this article we are going to talk about how we can attune with this planetary energy, in order to better understand them; we are also going to see how to find out our unmet needs through their help.
First of all, most people consider emotions as a pain in the neck. They think that if anxiety, anger, fear, etc. didn’t exist the world would be a better place. They would like to switch them off, so they believe they can “get back to normal”—whatever it means. Substance abuse is the new “don’t think about it”, and it has become the main cause of emotional illiteracy in the western world. Instead of looking at emotions as a resource, we anesthetize them—throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
Why? Because they carry precious information we should at least consider; because emotions are on our side and are trying to tell us something; because they are like a second brain, thinking for us for free (interestingly enough, the Moon rules both the stomach and the brain).
The Emotional Message
Let’s have a look at the top three unpleasant emotions that usually go unheard, and let’s see what they are trying to say.
| Anxiety | Anxiety is telling us that something bad might happen. If your second brain intuitively perceives a threat maybe it’s right. Maybe you should pay attention and check it out. Sometimes you are right—there is nothing to be afraid of. But other times—unlike you—your second brain gets the bigger picture, so it is rightfully trying to warn you. Learn to trust your gut. |
| Anger | Anger is the emotion of injustice. It’s telling you that “this should not be happening” or “that’s not right”. This is definitely the best emotion we’ve got to explore our belief system. Basically, by paying attention to your anger you can discover your unconscious morals and ethics (what’s right/wrong for you) which have been encoded by your education. Anger can become a way to know yourself. |
| Anguish | Anguish is a form of suffering, grief, or pain. Some people use it as a synonym for anxiety—I personally don’t. I think that anxiety is mainly anticipatory (the possible danger is lying ahead). On the contrary, we grief for something that has already happened. In my opinion, anguish is the emotional perception of death—which is essentially change. Anguish is telling us that things have changed: what gave us life once, no longer exists. It’s a request to go on—turn the page—and start looking for that life we have lost, but elsewhere. |
As you can see each emotion bears a message—they always do. If you listen to them you can use them to your advantage; if you don’t—well—you risk to go to war with yourself. Emotions are just like a sonar—or a litmus paper: they enable you to perceive the world on a deeper level. But if you pay them no attention they are going to increase the volume.
It is literally like having to do with a baby: the only thing they can do is to cry louder until you don’t understand what they want. In other words the archetype of your inner child—again, the Moon—has been triggered. This is critical, especially for emotional people.
Meeting your needs
The word emotion comes from the Latin emovere, “to move out”. This means that emotions require you to do something about it. Once you have understood their message most of the work is done. You now know what you have to do to meet your needs. Anxiety is asking for caution; anger is asking for justice (balance); anguish, that you need time to grief and to move on, and so on.
They are always a request of some kind—I can’t stress this enough. Mastering emotions is a long journey and sometimes is difficult to understand them. But in the end I think it is the only way to fully achieve happiness in life. In fact if you leave behind the weakest and most sensitive parts of yourself—your inner child—you will never feel truly complete.
I consider myself a free researcher in western spiritual disciplines, in particular Rudolf Steiner’s Anthroposophy and the Neoplatonic Hermetic tradition. I have a three-year training in Astrology at the CIDA delegation of Trieste, the Italian Center for Astrological Disciplines. I graduated in Computer Engineering from the University of Trieste.
