The Sun/Moon pair is the first of four planetary “departments,” as described in the work of Marc Jones. The aspect between the Sun and Moon is of great significance in the chart, for it set the tone for how the individual’s energy is used in the world. In Jones’ system, there are six possibilities of aspect: conjunct, sextile, square, trine, opposition, and no aspect. When it comes to looking at planetary departments, no aspect between the two planets has a definite significance, which I will speak of in each of these four essays on the departments.
Sun/Moon conjunction: This has an all or nothing feel to it. The person plunges into experience with the whole of his being, focusing on the moment rather than thinking much about how his or her acts will affect the future. The individual tends to feel vitally connected to activity, or rather completely disconnected.
What is needed to fulfill the potential of this aspect is for the individual to become aware of his/her own energy flow, then to go with it, working when the mood strikes him/her, or waiting for the right time when his/her energy is down or out of sync.
The extremes of this aspect can manifest as extreme mood swings. These can be minimized if the person will not try to push themself, not try to go against their own energy. Joy of being comes to the person when they wholeheartedly go with their own energy surges, and when their energy is at a low, allow themselves to rest or float free until the next wave of energy comes to them.
Sun/Moon sextile: This individual is highly affected by whatever they are exposed to, in terms of either positive or negative reinforcement, and so they need to find people who will bring out the best in them, and encourage them to rise to their highest potential. Without having this, it can be difficult for them to grow and unfold. They are natural assisters — helping and benefiting the process of whoever they come in contact with.
My friend Sandra has a Sun/Moon sextile, and she has assisted me tremendously in being more focused and productive. I want to emphasize here that its not just what she says to me, or the way she encourages me, but the very energy she emanates that I pick up on that automatically motivates me. Our Sun/Moon aspect is a force we radiate, not just the acts we perform or words that we say.
Sun/Moon square: This person has a tremendous amount of energy that spills out of them. If they don’t guide it, it manifests haphazardly, causing all sorts of problems. If this person is not in attunement with their spiritual core, they can be a trouble maker and a source of discord to the life around them. With some meaningful structure to follow, and just the right sort and amount of discipline, they can be real power houses, using their energy constructively and stimulating all those around them to higher accomplishment.
Sun/Moon trine: This individual easily falls into patterns, structures, and routines. They are a creature of habit. They can become so entrenched in the momentum of their everyday life that they fail to ever look deeper or go further. At worst, life for them can become merely a quest for comfort, a well-lubricated machine that, in the end, takes them nowhere.
Of course, the habits they adopt could be bad ones, and in that case they can also become quite comfortable with those, and have a great deal of difficulty ever overcoming them.
Sun/Moon trines need to get outside themselves. If they think of doing something, but it seems like a lot of trouble and inconvenience to do it, they need to overlook the hassle, and JUST DO IT! Jump in there and let your life become messy and chaotic for awhile — it will do you good, it can teach you new ways of looking at things!
Whenever structure and regularity are needed — say, in the setting up or maintaining of a business, for instance — the Sun/Moon trine people are great at doing so. They just need to beware of becoming imprisoned by their own ruts.
Sun/Moon opposition: One of the most basic theories of astrology is that we want to GO WITH THE ENERGY in our chart, for through flowing with it we learn from it, and become increasingly more in harmony with the universe. The opposition is the greatest separation between two planets, so this person’s job, if they are going to go with their chart, is to keep their Sun and Moon energy apart from each other.
What does this mean? It means: don’t let the conscious and rational part of your self (your Sun) inhibit or repress your emotions. Let your enjoyment of the moment (your Moon) be free and full, rather than dampened by considerations about the future (your Sun). By the same token, when you are taking care of business (Sun), don’t allow intrusions by your private life (Moon) or personal feelings (Moon) or distractions of the moment (Moon). In other words, when you are taking care of business, take care of business, and when you are indulging in pleasure, keep business out of the way.
Marc Jones’ keyword for the opposition is AWARENESS. The Sun/Moon opposition is certainly aware of much, but YOU CAN ONLY DO ONE THING AT ONE TIME. IF YOU TRY TO DO EVERYTHING AT ONCE, YOU WON’T GET ANYTHING DONE, YOU WILL BECOME STUCK. So go ahead and be aware, but then go from thing to thing as needing, focusing on the activity at hand, rather than allowing yourself to be pulled apart by all the conflicting needs of life.
Sun/Moon no aspect: When one gives a 17 degree orb to the Sun, which one should do when employing this technique, there are actually more people with a Sun/Moon aspect than with no aspect. The Sun/Moon aspect is psychologically free to use their energy any way they want to. How they interact with the world is up for grabs — they are a free agent. The problem is, are they going to just float around aimlessly and randomly, or are they going to anchor and focus themselves enough to be able to make a significant and viable contribution to life?
The Sun/Moon no aspect can make tremendous strides in life, accomplishing a tremendous amount, but first they have go get all their horses galloping in the same direction, rather than just being a roaming herd. And of course, even when they do coordinate their efforts, there is always the potential of reverting to a state of randomness.
I have Sun/Moon no aspect. People are often surprized about how much I get done, but can be equally surprised when suddenly my current effort stops and once again I’m floating free, or off to another thing.
In later postings we will look at the other three planetary “departments,” and then I will tell you of the technique with which to synthesize them.