by Amanda Owen

When I am anxious, nothing calms me more than trimming sections – ¼ inch at a time – from the bushes in my back yard. By the time I have gathered one hundred or so of these tiny specimens, my view of the world is righted and I feel confident in my ability to manage whatever is bothering me. Born when the moon was in Aries, activity is my soothing mechanism. For a person born with the moon in Gemini, information would bring about the same result. Who ever invented the term “comfort food” must have had the moon in Cancer!

You probably know your Sun Sign along with a few of the characteristics that describe how you behave and what is important to you. And I imagine you have read your daily horoscope at least once. But astrology is much, much more than Sun signs and daily horoscopes. Based on your date, time and place of birth, the positions of the planets, the sun and moon, form your own personal map. This birth chart tells a story about you and your life-journey.

The sign the moon occupied when you were born colors your emotional temperament and shows what makes you feel safe and secure. It explains what brings contentment as well as the quickest and most effective way to relieve anxiety. And, while you may not have thought that how you take care of yourself is connected to your life purpose, in astrology the position of the moon at the time of birth describes both.

Doesn’t it make sense that it would be difficult to know your life-purpose if you ignore your body, mind and spirit? A commitment to yourself allows your purpose to unfold, just as a commitment to being in college allows an education to unfold.

Because self-care is linked to destiny if you do not know your life-purpose—and if you are like most people, you have more than one—the easiest way to find out is to invest in a self-care program. Your Moon Sign provides information about a tailor-made program just for you.

How Do You Know Your Life Purpose?

Why is it, do you think, that a healthy, balanced level of self-care—especially for women—is in such scant evidence? Rather than investing with gusto, many people do not treat themselves very well at all. They overextend themselves to meet other people’s needs, ignore their own desires, and exhaust or even deplete their energy reserves.

There is little that demonstrates a greater kindness than taking care of your physical body, your emotional and mental health, and nurturing your spiritual life. And the benefits are huge. When you are doing what you feel like you are “supposed to be doing” there is nothing quite like it. You are energized, your mind is sharp, you feel a “rightness” about your life. “This is what I was born to do,” you think.

If you are like many people, you may wonder where you would find the time to discover, let alone invest, in your life-purpose! And the reality is, “life-purpose” is such an abstract concept that it can be hard to know where to start—difficult to wrap your mind around.

But making changes in your self-care program is doable. Even a minimal investment will open up pathways you couldn’t see before, stimulate your imagination in ways that could not happen before, and give you the energy that was not previously available to you. Once that ball starts rolling and gaining momentum, you will reach a point where you will not consider sacrificing your health and emotional well being; you will not put yourself last on your list. Why? This is what you would think:

• I want to get good nights sleep because otherwise I won’t be sharp tomorrow.
• I want to make sure I get enough protein today in my diet so I will be at my best.
• I want to make sure I make my yoga class so I will feel flexible, renewed, and centered.
• I want to arrange for some down time so I can replenish myself.

If you include you as an integral and important part of your vision for your relationships, family, and the world, your self-care program will be at the center of your life rather than an after-thought.

4 Self-Care Strategies to Instantly Reduce Stress

If I see your birth chart I won’t know your specific life-purpose, but I will know the path that will lead you to it. For those of you who do not know your Moon Sign, I have information at the end of this article where you can find out. Moon ¹ But first, no matter what your Moon Sign, you will benefit by adding the following to your self-care program.

1. Mental health: Commit to a Complaint Fast. Complaining prevents you from connecting to your life-purpose. Complaints push away, rather than draw anything toward you. Complaints discharge energy without changing anything. Complaints are about a story rather than about your feelings. When you stop complaining, you transform your and other people’s perception of you from a victim to someone who carries herself with dignity and self-respect. You stop insisting that other people take care of you and become someone who is in charge of her own destiny.
2. Emotional health: Compliment someone every day. Receive compliments graciously always. Those who regularly express gratitude speak of it as actually changing the way they look at life. How could something seemingly so little yield such tremendous benefits? Research suggests that the more you focus your attention on gratitude, the more you notice what you are grateful for and, subsequently, the greater your feelings of contentment and well being. For any gratitude-practice, remember to receive as well as express appreciation.
3. Physical health: Move, Bend, and Breathe. Move your body so you get everything circulating. That way you will have the energy to commit to your life-purpose. Bend so that you prevent your body from stiffening and to help you maintain a flexible outlook overall. Breathe. Fill your lungs with air and breathe the air out all of the way. You will cleanse your lungs of stale air. Plus you will oxygenate your blood and calm your nervous system.
4. Spiritual health: Inspire others; inspire yourself. What inspires you? Integrate into your daily life whatever expands your soul and opens your heart. Watch the sun set, listen to beautiful music, sit quietly without distraction, read poetry or inspirational quotes. Blog

A Case Study: Moon Sign Self-Care Program

Sandy’s moon is in sensitive, psychic Pisces. I call this the Sanctuary Moon due to its empathetic, imaginative, and contemplative traits. Because these individuals are like a sponge, soaking up everything around them, they need to pay extra attention to their surroundings. Pisces moon people should be in a peaceful environment as often as possible.

When Sandy contacted me with the specific request of wanting to discover her life-purpose, I knew her self-care program needed help. As I soon learned, Sandy’s life was as hectic as many people’s are. She ferried her child to school, piano lessons, and sports activities. She felt fortunate that she was able to work from home as a customer service representative where she answered calls for a national company. But she received little support from the company and most of the time her work felt stressful. In contrast her husband worked part-time at a job he loved although his financial contribution to the household was minimal.

Sandy bent over backwards helping her customers and, more often than not, she skipped lunch so she could get in as many calls as possible before the end of each day. She was sincerely thrilled that her husband had work that he loved and she felt grateful that she could give her children opportunities that she did not have in her childhood.

In her mid-fifties now, Sandy had developed health problems along with a deteriorating outlook on life. Exhausted at the end of each day, she wondered if there was anything specifically for her that would bring happiness, contentment, and a feeling of purposefulness. She was dreading the upcoming year when her child would be leaving home to go to college. The empty-nest loomed, and she knew she would need to turn her attention toward herself and she worried that there would be nothing there to see or cultivate.

Pisces Moon people are sensitive to the needs of others. It is a sign that embodies the We Are All One principle. In one’s spiritual life this comes in handy. But, with all of that sensitivity, they have a notoriously difficult time setting boundaries and frequently don’t consider or include their own needs.

You may recognize some of these traits in your life since women culturally have been “assigned” a caregiver role. If you relate to Sandy’s story, consider adopting the Pisces Moon self-care program outlined below.

Sandy’s Pisces Moon Self-Care Program

• Create a sanctuary: a place where you can go to be alone even if it is your bedroom with a Do Not Disturb sign on the door.
• At least three times a week, go out for a walk by yourself without your phone—and without multitasking or taking the dog with you!
• Practice and become comfortable with saying the word “No.”
• If you are in a room with angry or stressed-out people, remove yourself for a while. Walk around the block, go to the restroom—just get out!
• What gives you spiritual sustenance? Whether you prefer sitting in a church or nature’s cathedral, spend time each week connecting with your spiritual center—the spacious place that is outside of your day-to-day activities.

Initially, Sandy wasn’t sure if she would be able to commit to finding time to be alone. And because much of her life had been devoted to helping others get what they wanted, she wasn’t sure if she even wanted to focus on herself. But with the empty nest just around the corner, she began to set time aside each day to devote to herself and she became more cognizant of how often she automatically said “yes,” when she wanted to say “no.” She also committed to a Complaint Fast.

By the time her child left for college, she had already been online, exploring classes and causes that were of interest to her. She felt hopeful about her future.

12 Self-Care Strategies for the 12 Moon Signs of the Zodiac

Below I present a central concept of self-care for each Moon Sign. A qualified astrologer can give you a comprehensive analysis of your Moon.

• Aries Moon—Take a risk. The moon placed in the first sign of the zodiac loves to start something new. Here, comfort is tied to activity and courage. Take care of yourself by being adventurous, taking risks and advocating for yourself and others.
• Taurus Moon—Count your money. Since this is the earthiest, most grounded placement for the moon, comfort is tied to the material world. Take care of yourself by having a solid financial plan and making sure your material circumstances are secure.
• Gemini Moon—Get informed. In this communicative air sign, comfort is tied to information. Don’t be left in the dark. In this age of the Internet, information is everywhere. Take care of yourself by getting the data you need and communicating with those who will tell you what you want to know.
• Cancer Moon—Nurture. Cancer Moon sign people need to have someone or some thing to watch over, protect and nurture, whether it’s children, pets, plants, stuffed animals, patients, clients, or employees to name a few. Take care of yourself by strengthening your emotional connections with those that matter to you.
• Leo Moon—Have fun! Cyndi Lauper sang “Girls just want to have fun!” She could have been singing about Leo Moon people. Comfort is tied to entertainment. Take care of yourself by making fun an integral part of your life whether you invest in a hobby, go out to the movies, or teach your dog to catch a Frisbee.
• Virgo Moon—Be productive. Virgo Moon people are the antithesis of couch potatoes! In this sign of the Practical Idealist, comfort is tied to doing something that matters, that is useful, or that makes a difference. Whether you organize your office, help someone out, build a business, or invent a product, take care of yourself by making a tangible contribution.
• Libra Moon—Socialize. In this sign of relationship, people are important. This is not a loner placement! Comfort is tied to the quality of your relationships. Fairness is one of your top values and one that should be integral to your relationships. Take care of yourself by cultivating close relationships with people who inspire you.
• Scorpio Moon—Express your passion. Scorpio Moon people don’t feel lukewarm about anything! Make sure you know somebody to whom you can express the depth of your feelings. Comfort is tied to being passionately engaged. Take care of yourself by pouring your heart and soul into something that matters to you.
• Sagittarius Moon—Explore. In this optimistic, freedom-loving sign, traveling physically and metaphorically—seeking knowledge and deepening your understanding—brings contentment. Comfort is tied to movement. You are a seeker. Take care of yourself by traveling beyond your own backyard.
• Capricorn Moon—Move up. The animal symbol for Capricorn is the mountain goat climbing a mountain. This is a fitting image for your need to feel that you are moving up in the world. Comfort is tied to tangible improvement. Take care of yourself by engaging in activities that enhance your reputation and standing in the world and further your goals and dreams.
• Aquarius Moon—Make friends. Aquarius shares the social, communicative traits of the other two air signs Gemini and Libra. But Aquarius is also group oriented. Comfort is tied to the quality of your friendships and to your involvement in groups or organizations. Take care of yourself by investing in your social life.
• Pisces Moon—Follow your bliss. When Joseph Campbell said “Follow Your Bliss,” he could have been talking to someone with a Pisces Moon. Comfort is tied to peace and quiet, a sanctuary, a place to be alone with your muse. Take care of yourself by seeking something that is transcendental, something outside of the mundane. You make it hard for yourself to see, hear, or be inspired if you have disruption, chaos, or ongoing unpleasantness in your day-to-day environment.

This life is a test. It is only a test. Had it been an actual life, you would have been given further instructions on where to go and what to do.

Sometimes we behave as if our life is a “test life” with no instructions. The beauty of astrology is that it provides us with our own personal life-book. It doesn’t tell us the decisions we will make. How we choose to exercise our free will is up to us. But the birth chart does describe our personality components and our journey over time. I hope this article about destiny and the Moon Sign has given you a glimpse of what makes astrology so remarkable and, most importantly, so useful.

Amanda’s astrological studies began in 1974 and she has maintained a private practice serving an international clientele since 1985. Amanda is the author of Lucky Stars: Use Astrology to Get the Scoop on Life, Love and Friendship (Three Rivers Press, 2001), countless articles and is currently a featured writer for the world’s largest astrology Web site. She is the author of the forthcoming book The Power of Receiving: A Revolutionary Approach to Giving Yourself the Life You Want and Deserve. Her websites are http://www.amandaowen.com/ and http://www.thepowerofreceiving.com/. She also has a blog where she posts her photographs accompanied by inspiring quotes. You can follow her on Twitter to receive daily astrological information.

Learn More — Additional Resources

• Lucky Stars: Use Astrology to Get the Scoop on Life, Love and Friendship by Amanda Owen

References

1. To find your Moon Sign, visit www.astro.com and enter your date, time and place of birth to get a free chart. Or consult with a professional astrologer.
2. To read inspirational quotes, visit Amanda Owen’s blog, where she posts photographs accompanied by inspiring quotes.