On the meaning of moon signs

In conversation with astrologer Lisa Stardust for Pan & The Dream, New York

It begins with a crash landing on the Moon. A spacecraft loses altitude, colliding forcefully against Luna’s pearly skin. There is one casualty, a young woman wearing a golden helmet who is thrown from her galactic vehicle. She regains consciousness in the dust of the uninhabited planet, unsure of where she is. Her spacecraft has been damaged beyond repair, and so she begins to explore the surface of the Moon alone. Soon, she discovers all the body parts of what appears to be a giant metal man. Overcome with the desire to repair him, she reassembles his skeleton one piece at a time, pulling up his heavy body with a giant piece of string. Finally, he stands by her side, but he does not speak. Soon, the woman realises she needs something to start his heart. Inspired by hope, she falls to her knees and digs through the Moon’s star-lit surface until she finds a golden key, returning to the man and igniting the metal box inside his chest. Slowly and gently, they dance until dawn, their bodies bathed in iridescent light, before it is time for the mechanical man to show the woman her way home. She asks him to go with her, but he is held by himself and his cosmic incarceration. Teary-eyed, she hugs him goodbye then runs off towards the haze-drenched horizon. The story ends with the mechanical man falling to his knees in despair, destined to sleep alone in the moon dust until the end of time.

The story is called The Mechanical Man of the Moon, a short film about learning the mechanics of love with Italian supermodel Mariacarla Boscono;  shot by British photographer Tim Walker for Vogue Italia. Arguably more about agalmatophilia than astrology, it still reminds us of the wisdom that awaits us amid the stars. Just as Boscono rises lost from the ashes to find her way home after falling in love on the Moon, so too can we find ourselves by opening our hearts to the ever-elusive Luna. More than merely a planetary satellite, the Moon teaches us the often untold truths of our inner-selves, whispering to us always in the language of the sky.

 Most of us know our Sun sign, the one we read about in the daily horoscopes section of the newspaper. Few of us are as familiar with our Moon sign, the one omitted from mainstream astrological reportage. Where our Sun sign represents our zodiac personality, our Moon sign symbolises the essence of our inner being. By understanding the limitless layers of both, in conjunction with the details of our personal natal chart, we are able to know ourselves in ways that may at first feel necessarily unfamiliar. One woman who helps us to see and understand our cosmic cores more clearly is Lisa Stardust, a New York-based astrologer who acts as an astrological guide for her clients, providing the golden keys they need to ignite their inner-knowing so they too can learn the mechanics of love, and dance until dawn.

KATHRYN CARTER: Where were you born and raised?

LISA STARDUST: I am born and raised in NYC.

KC: What first piqued your interest in astrology?

LS: I have always been interested in the cosmos. Ever since I was a little kid; I was stargazing at constellations and had an interest in mythology. I just never understood what the planets meant until I started studying astrology.

KC: And how did your journey lead you to become an astrologer?

LS: My amazing mentor and teacher Annabel Gat helped me to find my passion in life—astrology. We met serendipitously in a clothing store in NYC, where she was giving astrology readings for a private party. We connected, she gave me a reading, and the rest is history. That encounter changed my life.

KC: Describe a day in the life of an astrologer?

LS: I look at the transits of the day and write my daily horoscopes for Instagram. I also respond to every direct message I receive, to answer any questions people send through on astrology.

KC: Thousands of years ago astrology was the science, but over time the acknowledgment of its value fell a little by the wayside. In your opinion, what prompted this pushback on a system that was once so crucial to the lives of human beings of numerous cultures worldwide?

LS: I [just] think trends come and go, and now we are having a renaissance of astrology.

KC: Despite this renaissance, the art of astrology is still quite a mystery to many, and yet there is such a romance to it. What is it about reading the stars that is so captivating and enchanting, do you think?

LS: I think it’s the fact that the stars tell a story; our story. A birth chart is a map to the soul and our inner desires. Astrology makes a lot of sense, if properly assessed, that is.

KC: It is evident that organised religion has lost a lot of its significance in society in the past century, and yet more and more individuals are turning their eyes back to the sky for a different kind of guidance, the kind that was once so intimately trusted by ancient civilisations. Do you think there are particular sociological circumstances that have fuelled the resurgence of astrology in contemporary culture?

LS: Astrology has always been relevant, and still is, in most religions, as it acts as a celestial clock for certain religious events. Some holidays occur before and after luminaries, for instance, as the Moon tells the time. So, based on that fact [alone], I think astrology has always been relevant.

KC: In a world that mostly values doing over being, do you think part of the appeal of looking to the stars is the immediate reconnection we feel with the cosmos?

LS: I think the answer to that really depends on the type of person you are.

KC: Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung developed the concept of the shadow to describe those aspects of the personality that we reject and repress. Do you think we, in the West, tend to do the same with certain aspects of our birth chart? Unaware of or unwilling to dive deeper into how our planetary placements may have an impact on our present existence?

LS: Pluto is the planet that represents the shadow side of ourselves in astrology. Owning and honoring our [deepest, sometimes hidden] desires will always help our present circumstances because it enables us to live out our passions.

KC: French author and humanist astrologer Dane Rudhyar once said: “Astrology is a language. If you understand this language, the sky speaks to you.” Do you feel as though contemporary culture would benefit if we were all to learn this language, at least to some degree, both individually and as a collective?

LS: I think the job of an astrologer is to explain the information they see [in the skies] to others. Astrology should be for everyone. And yes, I [definitely] think we would understand ourselves on a deeper level [if we all spoke and understood the language].

KC: Most of us have read astrological reports on our Sun signs in magazines and newspapers. But less focus is placed upon our moon sign, the sign that symbolizes how we tend to and love ourselves, how we approach nurturing, and also how we hold our memories and emotions. Can you tell us more about the importance of knowing our moon sign, and what it can teach us about our own inherent nature?

LS: The Moon, and our Moon sign, represents our memories, our emotions, and the relationships we have with our maternal [feminine] side, as well as our interests.

KC: And how does getting to know our moon sign help us to navigate the chaos of contemporary culture?

LS: It helps us to [better] understand our emotional motives and our [emotional] triggers.

KC: Our sun sign represents our zodiac personality, whereas our moon sign symbolises the essence of our inner being. Do you feel that our focus on the sun sign in the West is thus an indication of our preference of the health of the ego over—and often at the expense of—the inner desires of the soul?

LS: Personally, I think that our moon signs carry more weight for us as individuals, because they are a reflection of our more personal emotions.

KC: In terms of learning more about the patterns of our astrological makeup, so to speak, can you tell us more about birth charts, and what we can learn from them regarding our past, present, and future?

LS: Understanding angular houses can help us understand our upbringing and purpose. For instance, our 1st house is the mask we wear to the world, our 4th house represents our family and home, the 7th house is to do with relationships, and the 10th house is all about our public image. We can also look to planetary and house placements in order to take a deep dive into our past and present, and even our future, by looking at planetary progressions.

KC: Can you explain to us why the full moon phase is such an optimum time for meditating, recharging our energy fields and healing?

LS: Full Moons are a time of honouring the Moon. It’s a moment in which we relax and let go of old outdated views because the Moon is bright, and therefore sheds light on our emotional truths.

KC: Do the phases of the moon impact us on a daily basis, emotionally and physically?

LS: Yes, definitely. The gravitational pull of the Moon controls the ocean’s tides, which means it controls the movement of water. Therefore, it controls all of us on many different levels because we are [all] mostly made of water and stardust.

KC: In traditional Shamanic astrology, the Moon and its position in our chart is thought to symbolise the lineage of the soul, representing your own personal historical mythology, and what you came into this world with when you landed Earthside. Do you feel our current (largely materialistic) culture allows the freedom and space for exploring the meaning of our Moon sign within such a spiritual contextual framework?

LS: Yes. The Moon is the part of us that we cannot express, [the aspect] where our souls shine the most.

KC: When you hear astrologers mention conversations that planets are having with the moon, what does this really mean?

LS: How we will emotionally react and our triggers, based on our memories and sentiments.

KC: What are some of the benefits of engaging in full moon rituals?

LS: I don’t really do Full Moon rituals, to be honest. For me, the Full Moon is a time to rest and honour one’s emotions. So I would recommend taking a bath with Moon water and letting your anxieties melt away.

This story first appeared on Pan & The Dream