Making Characters Human – Part 5

~ By the light of the moon
Up to now we’ve gone over the basics of character building, using a Sun Sign to develop inner personality and potential and a Rising Sign to see how a character will present him or herself to the world. In this article we’re going to delve deeper and focus on what is called the Moon Sign. For this you will need the character’s ‘birth certificate’ and a way of attaining the Moon Sign. There are plenty of places on the internet where you can plug in the date, place and time of birth to learn this information, just type astrology charts in your search engine and voila. Or you can find what sign the moon was in at the time of birth by using an ephemeris. An ephemeris is an almanac of the daily motions of the planets and stars. This too can be found pretty easily on the internet. Should you not want to go that route, feel free to choose a sign from the lists provided and work from there.“By the light of the moon”What’s a Moon Sign, you ask? It’s the placement of the zodiac sign and the moon at the exact time of your birth. Most experts in the field will say Moon Signs indicate one’s feminine side. Moon Signs also disclose one’s maternal, nurturing nature as well as emotions, habits and patterns. Please note, planet and house placements also play a part in how the natal chart works in developing a person, but for the sake of ease this article will only focus on the basic parameters of Moon Sign. Again, these lists are not comprehensive and should only be used for sparking your creative juices.
Key words/phrases for ~
~ Moon in Aries – directness and spontaneity; energetic and excitable; daring and independent; self-confident in love; feels with its head; impatient; live in the moment; possess inner passion and fire; can take things personally; said to enjoy trouble and confrontations; instinct is to react quickly; quick temper; need excitement and adventure in and out of the bedroom; can be selfish
~ Moon in Taurus – conservative and conventional; determined, self-absorbed and can be stubborn; can be warmly affectionate; must be comfortable in and out of the bedroom; sensual; earthy and strong-willed; persevering; romantic; sentimental; have reliable instincts; rarely spontaneous; need stability, steadiness and security; trustworthy; artistic; can be rigid and obstinate; feels with its senses
~ Moon in Gemini – has lively, inquisitive, curious nature; quick to laugh and to flip to a dark mood; needs constant stimulation; quick to reveal feelings to others and analyze own; feels with its mind; versatile; loves reason; pleasant, witty, and charming; can be moody and irritable; prone to nervousness and worry; generally dislike housework; can be bored by routine, constancy; sociable and friendly
~ Moon in Cancer – has self-protective tendency; emotional and intuitive; can be overemotional; imaginative and creative; can be touchy, moody; feel with its feelings; can be wrapped up in themselves; like security, familiarity, peace and quiet; dislike superficiality; can be devoted and accommodating; can be manipulative and creatures of habit; may act irrationally; can be extraordinarily funny
~ Moon in Leo – has strong emotions; affectionate, charismatic and outgoing; can be easily hurt if not paid attention to; hearty lover; feels with its heart; has positive energy; has happy enthusiasm; can be dogmatic, stubborn and want to be in charge of everything; thinks they know best; can be insecure at heart; has quick acting sense of determination; enjoy entertaining others; may take on the role of comic
~ Moon in Virgo – can react quickly to situations; can have lack of self-confidence and tend to worry; highly rational; talent for debate; intelligent and practical; logical and efficient; can be frustrated by the less methodical; feels with its logic; can enjoy running errands, paying bills, balancing the books; like to feel useful and needed; appreciate simplicity; when unhappy can be fussy and complain
~ Moon in Libra – like harmony and coming together; social; naturally gracious; feels through others; peacemaker; not likely to panic; likes to put others at ease; sympathetic; revel in a good debate; charming; diplomatic; like to argue until they win; flirtatious; gentle and refined; need to exist in partnership to feel truly happy; mental rapport is important
~ Moon in Scorpio – has powerful emotionality; enthusiastic; can be jealous, intense; can be suspicious; quick to judge; holds grudges; intuitive; feel with intense emotions; may attract emotional upheaval, drama; want all or nothing in relationships; fears betrayal; can be loyal, protective partners; radiate strength; can size up people and situations quickly; understands human nature well; intelligent and astute
~ Moon in Sagittarius – always out there, likes to make friends and experience life; love adventure, discovery and a good time; love to be free; feels through its experiences; optimistic and enthusiastic; love challenges; can be restless and impatient; happy and easygoing; helpful; can forget appointments and be considered irresponsible; cheerful and upbeat; love the outdoors
~ Moon in Capricorn – reacts coolly and thoughtfully; tends to be undemonstrative with feelings but that’s because feelings are well managed and handled in an efficient manner; strong need to impress; natural instinct for self-preservation; reserved; remote; thrive on challenges; self-controlled and cautious; disciplined and determined; feels through control; competent; often quite hard on self; need to feel respected and secure
~ Moon in Aquarius – independent; likes to be different, unique; intuitive; can seem to be unattainable; feels through individuality; emotional nature is cool and impartial; charming and magnetic; can have brittle response to others; can be stubborn; extremely observant; often loners at heart; can be emotionally blocked, detached; willful; though not flighty can be unreliable
~ Moon in Pisces – dreamers; sensitive, compassionate, loving; can be easily hurt; can feel sorry for themselves; can confuse dreams with reality; creative; feels through imagination; intensely romantic; can lie not to hurt others; has addictive tendencies; humor tends to be silly and a bit odd; can be absent-minded; soft-hearted, sweet, accepting; seems to know things without actual experience

Sources:
http://www.astrology.com/
http://www.cafeastrology.com
Gerwick-Brodeur, M and L. Lenard. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Astrology, 2nd ed. Indianapolis: Alpha Books, 2000.
Parker, Julia and Derek. KISS Guide to Astrology. New York: Dorling Kindersley, 2000.