Moon
luminary · cycle 27.32 days
Dignities
Hellenistic tradition
The Moon rules Cancer by domicile, exalted in Taurus, in fall in Scorpio, in detriment in Capricorn. The nocturnal luminary; tied to embodiment and the receptive faculty.
Modern Western reading
Modern Western astrology reads the Moon as emotional rhythm, memory, and the inner life.
Questions
- How long does the Moon take to go through the zodiac?
- About 27.3 days for one full circuit as seen from Earth. That is the synodic figure this site computes ephemeris positions against, not a sidereal orbital period, and it is what determines how long the Moon stays in one sign: roughly one twelfth of the cycle, stretched or compressed by retrograde motion and by the eccentricity of the orbit.
- Which sign does the Moon rule?
- The Moon rules Cancer. It is exalted in Taurus. It is in fall in Scorpio. It is in detriment in Capricorn. Rulership is a fixed correspondence, so it holds in every chart; what changes chart to chart is whether the Moon actually occupies one of those signs.
- Is the Moon a personal planet?
- The Moon is classified here as a luminary. The Sun and Moon are treated separately from the planets in classical sources - they never go retrograde and they define the day and night sect of a chart.
- Does the Moon ever go retrograde?
- No. The Moon is a luminary, and from Earth its longitude only ever increases, so it has no retrograde period. Any source listing a the Moon retrograde is either using a different reference frame or is in error.
Reference, not advice
This is cultural and astronomical reference, not personal prediction or advice.
Cycle periods are mean orbital values. Traditional interpretations paraphrased from primary classical and modern sources. See sources.
Last reviewed .