The Moon has long been a subject of contemplation, controversy and wonder, both in scientific inquiry and esoteric traditions. MIT professor and geophysicist Nafi Toksöz once remarked:

“It’s far easier to explain why the moon shouldn’t be there than to explain its existence” (1981).

American astrophysicist Eric Chaisson even reached the point of scientific despair:

“The origin of the Earth’s Moon is a frustrating subject – so perplexing that some researchers have been forced, in desperation, to suggest that the Moon does not exist.” (1981).

From a scientific point of view, with a diameter a quarter that of the Earth, the Moon is considered too large for a satellite. No other planet in the solar system has a moon so proportionally oversized, and it is also impossible to explain its almost perfectly circular orbit.

Even more interesting and inexplicable is the ideal combination of size and distance from Earth, which results in the Moon perfectly covering the Sun during eclipses. It also stabilizes the Earth’s axis at an inclination of 23.5°, creating the four seasons and providing ideal conditions for the creation and development of life.

Even in ancient religions, myths, and folklore, the Moon has always held a dual aspect, varying according to culture and circumstance. It represented archetypes of protection, guidance, femininity, and fertility, but also those of imbalance, madness, danger, chaos and manipulation.

Astrology is no exception. The Moon is known as a symbol of maternal care, emotional security, empathy, compassion, receptivity, and everyday life, but also of unconsciousness, moodiness, attachment, and despair.

Its dual nature is directly connected to its astronomical function and how it is perceived from the human perspective. After all, the external world is nothing but a reflection of the internal.

The Sun’s orbit seems to follow a steady path with minimal variations, a behavior that instills confidence and safety in the human unconscious. The lunar orbit, on the other hand, seems more complex, with constant changes in size and color, as if in perpetual adjustment or instability. To the human eye observing the sky, it evokes a sense of mystery as well as erratic unpredictability.

While these insights have been known for centuries, the question remains: what is the true reason for the existence of this enigmatic celestial body, which no one can clearly explain?

The Sun

As always, the answer lies not in external observation but in inner meaning. In the words of Dane Rudhyar, we find perhaps the closest explanation that connects both realms:

“The Sun is not to be looked at, except by the initiated: it is to be lived by in an attitude of devotion and gratitude” (1967).

Through the four kingdoms of nature (human, animal, plant, mineral), the Sun is perceived as a source of life. Not only can we not look at it directly, but doing so would likely constitute sacrilege, leading either literally or figuratively to blindness.

Its role however, is not to establish a hierarchy between superior and inferior beings. This is merely the perspective of a human who still operates in terms of separation and dualism. The sole function of the Sun is to supply energy and life through unlimited service, in order to help his children grow.

The Moon

No one can look into the eyes of the Spirit of the Father without being burned. But the Moon can be safely observed, admired, and even gazed upon. It reflects the light of the Sun, just enough to be accessible, but not more than necessary  to be absorbed by the life of the planet.

This is her role, both on a physical and astrological level. She is the mother figure who manages paternal energy in such a way that, as a mediator, she distributes it to her children.

On a planet where the inhabitants are in the early stages of the spiritual path, light must be offered with care, just as a mother understands the needs of her child. The Moon fills wisely until the peak of the Full Moon, when the light is given abundantly to the world. It then gradually empties to allow time for integration and grounding, before the cycle restarts at the New Moon.

The creatures of Gaia do not possess the ability to remain in spiritual and physical alertness on a permanent basis. They require activity and rest, day and night, inhalation and exhalation, silence and speech, solitude and coexistence. It is the Moon that distributes solar energy in this cyclical form so that it can be accepted by the organisms.

The way in which this happens, smoothly or not, is revealed by the zodiacal positions and aspects, in combination with its nodes, and how they align with the astrological geometry and consciousness of each being.

The Human

The duality of the Moon, its different phases, tells us nothing about its nature. They only refer to its relationship with the Sun and how this is perceived by earthly eyes. In other words, it is the human perspective that needs these changes, which is why it perceives it this way.

The great planetary entities are well aware of their responsibilities. The question is, what is the position of humans in the midst of the solilunar relationship and its contribution to the planet?

In the text “Concerning the Face Which Appears in the Orb of the Moon” Plutarch affirms the dual nature of the Moon, assigning Persephone the role of overseeing the purification of souls as they pass through the ascending gate of the Moon to return to the higher realms of the Sun. Meanwhile, Hecate is entrusted with overseeing the passage of souls through the Moon after death. She delays and punishes those deemed ‘impure,’ ensuring that they do not ascend prematurely.

All esoteric traditions have the same Source, and the above are aptly translated through Astrology, where the Moon, in its raw form, symbolizes the emotional “impure” vulnerability that every person unconsciously carries from past incarnations.

Unrefined human behavior in relation to the Moon brings emotional attachments, difficulty in disidentifying from instinctual desires, susceptibility to passions, a constant sense of unease, and a continual search for something to cling to in order to feel temporary relief. In other words, an inability in the human being to stand on their own feet, seeking the solar light in external factors. An outcome of past wounds seeking healing.

The transmuted lunar behavior is one that has illuminated the unconscious sufficiently, to the point where the individual is no longer insecure but has transformed into a provider of security, without expectations. Instead of reflecting the light of others (as the Moon does), they transform into a guide, an archetypal parent and caretaker, a source of light.

Sources:

• Toksoz, Nafi. Science 81, March 1981.
• Chaisson, Eric. Cosmic dawn: The origins of matter and life, 1981.

• Rudhyar, Dane. The Lunation Cycle: A Key to the Understanding of Personality, 1967.

• Plutarch, Concerning the Face Which Appears in the Orb of the Moon.