The Moon's natal sign shows how we instinctively react in overly emotional and stressful situations. Water sign Moons retreat, cry, or maybe cook; earth Moons endure, but clean the house or do the gardening; air Moons intellectualize and talk incessantly about the situation; and fire Moons get angry, shout, and throw things about. All action is expressed to get the emotions out. All action is expressed to get the emotions out. These reactions are all modes of behavior designed to make us feel emotionally comfortable again, so the Moon's sign indicates what we need to express to feel good about ourselves. Its natal aspects indicate whether this is easy or tough for us to achieve.

The progressed Moon's function is to act as a timer to the progressed chart events. An astrologer has to combine this with the transit triggers. Generally, the progressed Moon's aspects can be given a period of around two months to apply and separate from a natal planetary aspect (one month applying and one month separating). The conjunctions are the strongest then the oppositions followed by the square aspects. Easier aspects denote good feelings. The quincunx can be quite stressful and cause you to re-orientate certain feelings.

As the progressed Moon travels through the natal houses, it draws your attention to the affairs of that house. The following delineations are fairly general, but, hopefully, useful.

First House: A time to feel more optimistic and confident of what you want to do and where you want to go. You attract people and situations to you. There's a feeling of having eliminated a lot emotional refuse while the Moon was traversing the twelfth house, so there can be a feeling of being liberated for the period of this progression, which lasts around two to two-and-a-half years. Sometimes treatment for the body is necessary.

Second House: There's a focus on work and how you earn money. Values and what you want money for can be a concern, together with emotional security and how you achieve this. The extent to which your self-esteem is related to your income or what kind of home you own, or the quality of your style of life, can become a psychological issue for you. Laying foundations for obtaining whatever types of things make you feel secure occupies the thoughts and can be organized at this time.

Third House: Your daily environment is important. Your focus is on how you communicate, travel about locally, and interact with neighbors or people in your immediate environment. There's a need to have action in the daily life, and children's affairs, such as their education, can become important issues. Organizing your daily routine so that it is interesting and varied is important at this time.

Fourth House: A time when you turn inward to focus more on your own resources. A cycle ends and a new one begins as the Moon leaves this house. Old emotional habit patterns from childhood often emerge and, when examined, lead to adjustments. It can be deeply reflective time when you want to withdraw from the world and concentrate on your private life and home, which can be a place of retreat. You feel you want to be nurtured. Family is important. There's a need to develop an emotionally secure foundation.

Fifth House: An optimistic and confident two years when you feel you want to express yourself more creatively and take risks. You try out new hobbies or creative interests. Children can be important. It is time to "have a go" without the usual feelings of inhibition in areas in which you enjoy relaxing or expressing yourself.

Sixth House: A time when you realize your mind and body must balance in order for you to feel good. Diet, exercise, and healthy, disciplined work patterns therefore become the focus of your attention. You can judge yourself too harshly during this period and make heavy demands upon yourself. Self-analysis should be constructive and not involve undue recrimination. It is a time to learn about service without seeking accolades. Exercise certainly helps relieve any tendency to gloom and doom during this period.

Seventh House: A strong desire emerges to share—your life, creative interests, social occasions, and, sometimes, working partnerships. More energy is put into relationships, especially one-to-one encounters. You may have to deal with, or come before, the public. Shortly before the Moon progresses to the eighth house, a psychologically important event that has great emotional intensity and meaning can occur.

Eighth House: A "heavy" emotional time, often with power trips and struggles with others over emotional sexual issues and finances. Scorpio-type matters come to the fore, which bring confrontations many sorts, resulting in you have to refine, and sometimes transform, your basic emotional characteristics. The intensity can "get you down" as you search for deeper meaning and values on which to base your future life. It is often a very profound period.

Ninth House: The change is dramatic after the previous period. You become more extroverted and confident, more interested in expanding your thinking and your life's horizons. You can travel, both mentally and physically, or study or lecture. While the Moon travels through this house, it is common to question many previously accepted life philosophies. There is a search to find a code by which to live if you haven't already found it for yourself.

Tenth House: Very often your job or career becomes the focus. Ambitions are stimulated during this period. It is a time when you strive to achieve your goals. Security and family are sometimes neglected, as you can be quite detached and impersonal. People are seen as being useful in helping you achieve your ambitions. Somewhat ruthless behavior can emerge if the natal chart indicates such potential.

Eleventh House: During this period, you sometimes realize you have neglected friends too much during the previous two years. You can backtrack and become more socially involved and responsible. It is a period when you realize how you fit into other people's lives and strive to find your niche in the community. You want to assist groups of people in some way. You can be conscious of whether you are socially accepted or not at this time. Lecturing or talking to groups, such as Rotary Clubs and Toastmasters, or even embarking on a lecture tour can occur during this period.

Twelfth House: As with the fourth and eighth house lunar progressions, you are thrown back on your own resources and made to examine any emotional unfinished business. It is a time when you can feel your head doesn't belong to your body, as if you're not really "there" all the time. Somehow you can't reach out and do the things you previously did automatically. These feelings are best handled by making life as simple as possible and having time to your self. It is a period when everything that seems to be leaving your life should be allowed to do so. Organize quiet periods so that you can examine the essential structures of your life to see what you want in the future.

From Predictive Astrology: A Practical Guide, by Christine Shaw