My Pisces moon friend Ann told me that when people express interest in her after one of her shows, singing as part of a 70s cover duo in local bars and other venues, she knows they’ve fallen for a mask. They’ve latched on to something about her rising sign energy. “The people I have the deepest connections with,” she said, “are people who I don’t seem to have anything in common with on the surface, but we connect through our moons.” My connection with Ann was like that. My Aries and her Capricorn sun were an awkward fit, and I had a hard time figuring out how to spend more time with her or gathering the courage to make plans with her, but oh my god, when we did hang out, we had these deep, soul-shattering, profoundly affirming Pisces moon-meld conversations in which she revealed wisdom to me like what I’ve described here.
Ann’s observation that people connect with different layers of your energy struck a deep chord with me, and it’s a great way to think about how your sun, moon, and rising sign (in addition to other planets in your chart) draw people into your life. I really like this article‘s metaphor for the relationship between your sun, moon, and rising sign, but the short version is that your sun is the core of your personality, your rising sign (the sign your ascendant falls in) represents what you show to others or what others see in you first (which isn’t necessarily a mask or misrepresentation), and your moon sign is your emotional life or inner landscape. Because your moon sign represents such a personal part of your life, it makes sense, then, that connecting with someone at the level of moon sign rather than sun sign leads to a more intimate kind of connection.
When looking up your chart, it’s important to have an exact birth time. Rising sign changes every two hours, and the moon changes sign about every 2.5 days. So 15 minutes can make change your rising sign, and if you were born on a day the moon changed signs, a few hours could also change your moon sign (not to mention the fact that knowing the degree of your moon makes a difference for the aspects it makes to other planets/points in your chart). But knowing your birth time isn’t always easy, especially if you’re not in touch with your family of origin. If you’re trying to figure out your birth time and either aren’t in contact with your parents or they don’t know, you can try calling the Department of Health for the state where you were born and just asking them.
queer of cups 