The Moon is the beautiful and fascinating part of the night sky, worshipped by primitive people who had noticed the influence of its phases on their lives. For example, the Moon Goddess of ancient mythology, Diana, ruled nature and fertility, so pregnant women made offerings to her in the hope of an easy labour and a healthy child.

The gravitational pull of the Moon on the Earth creates tidal movements and determines the feeding habits of sea creatures such as oysters. The menstrual cycle in women is strongly affected by the Moon, naturally occurring at either the New of the Full Moon and rarely in between.

Accident and crime rates and admissions to mental institutions all increase at the time of the Full Moon. Hence the term 'lunatic' which stems from the obvious lunar influence. The Moon transits through one sign in two to two-and-a-half days and its progression through each sign will result in marked changes in the mood of the masses and public opinion. We are perhaps more aware of the Moon's movements than those of any other planet.

We can see, very obviously, the waxing and waning phases of the Moon as it grows progressively larger and smaller throughout the month. The relationship between the Sun, the Moon and the Earth is called the Lunation Cycle. As the Moon moves around the Earth, it will reflect varying amounts of the Sun, depending on the angle between the two as we look from Earth. At New Moon, the surface of the Moon is completely dark and at Full Moon it is completely lit up. In astrological interpretation, our Moon sign tells us everything we need to know about how we work on an emotional, intuitive level.

The Moon describes our childhood, our roots and what helps us to feel safe. Our Moon sign shows us what will be our first, instinctive reaction to new events or people. The Moon tells us a great deal about our mother, or chief nurturing parent, and our domestic situation in childhood and in adult life. The sign in which the Moon is placed even tells us something about our food preferences.