Editor's Note:  Eileen Grimes is a regular contributor to About.com/Astrology, the author of Titanic Astrology, and has a professional astrology practice.  To follow her work and book a reading, find her at Eileen Grimes.com.

Perhaps you already know your Moon sign (from your natal chart) -- this is the one on your chart that's a snapshot of a moment in time.  The progressed Moon advances that Moon sign as you progress in years.

  You can ind your progressed Moon by going to Astrodienst and in the free horoscopes section, scroll down to Extended Chart Selection.  Choose the option for natal and progressed -- this shows you the progressed planets on the outside of your wheel.

 

From Eileen:

What is the Progressed Moon?

Here’s an interesting thought:  Are there subtle or not so subtle events that happen right around the time of the progressed Moon’s ingress into a new Zodiac sign?  And what is this progressed Moon business anyway?  

The progressed Moon is considered a point of evolution.  This astrological sign post isn’t technically what we call a “transit.”  It's a larger, more broad scale of measurement, which seems to determine the level at which we’re at, at any given time.  The progressed Moon, is therefore, our emotional evolution, since the moon directly represents feelings and how they manifest. 

Further, as Steven Forrest says in his book “The Changing Sky” - the progressed Moon is not only the evolution of the feelings aspect of us, but it is also what “engages our heart.”  This is an important thing to pay attention to -- anything, and I mean ANYTHING that engages our heart, and fills us with warmth -- stays and feeds us, on a deeper level.

 

The deepest most powerful emotional undercurrents, and as the needs of the sign that the progressed Moon is moving through surfaces.  The person becomes tuned into what that sign “feels” like doing, and how that manifests in the daily life, and ever so subtly guides the person into full levels of emotional experience.  

 

IN other words, we follow where our hearts lead.  Truly an affaire du coeur.  

 

Shift of "Reigning Needs"

When someone does what they feel, according to the natal Moon, they become tuned into the “reigning needs” (astrologer Noel Tyl’s term) - which essentially means the needs that are absolutely necessary for one’s feeling safe and comfortable, and are not negotiable. These are needs that have incredible importance to the person.  We are talking about the essence here -- the things/feelings/ associated with the natal moon sign validates the human emotional experience, resulting in the feeling of completion.

 

However, with the progressed moon, the needs will shift, according to the sign that it's in.  During that time, we are guided to find comfort within ourselves, and integrate the basic needs of the sign the progressed Moon is in.  These are lessons of evolution that have yet to be learned.  Or perhaps taking the lessons to a higher, more efficient level, within the context of the progressed Moon and the Zodiac sign that it's in.  In a word - the “reigning needs” of the sign of where that progressed Moon is at the moment, and will become as important as the basic needs of the natal Moon at that time.

 

Important to realize that this process of the progressed Moon isn’t as fleeting as moving the Moon through a sign in 2-1/2 days.  Those days are ephemeral, and shift and change with the tides.  The progressed Moon, however, stretches this time into 2-1/2 years.  The experiences associated with the progressed Moon may seem more subtle, because of this undercurrent, or underlying sine wave - but are deeper and become more permanent in nature.  And where the greatest emotional emphasis in our life, is.

On a Personal Note

I write about these things now, because in just under two months, my progressed Moon will move into Capricorn.  Its been a fun, more light 2-1/2 years with my progressed Moon in Sagittarius - playing, not working that hard -- but now I can feel the sands shifting.  Things are starting to feel more serious, and “Capricornian.”  (I have heard that one starts to feel the shift about 2 months before the actual sign change, and I concur with that - that is truly what I am feeling at I write this).  

 

To get some more information on what might happen during this time, I decided to look at the last time my progressed Moon was in Capricorn, and I was happy to see that at that time in my life, it was very exciting, because I had just quit a normal job, and started a new business.  I don’t think I ever worked so hard during that time, and, in the end, discovered that I actually had ambition!  This Pisces was completely surprised by that!

 

My own evolutionary process does require, at some level, that I become self-employed -- which I have been, in one form or another, for the last 30 years.  It is in the area of business that I have to find not only ambition, but passion and drive, as well as being a pioneer. 

It seems I’m returning to the scene of the crime, and am going to refine and re-birth my own business, but this time it's definitely feeling different.  What is different is feeling like this business must be streamlined, become more efficient, and do it at a higher level.  Conveniently, I have a roommate who has Capricorn rising, and has fantastic business skills -- seems like we attract what/whom we need to learn the lessons!  

 

This time it is about doing a better business, as well as looking at this as a long term investment in myself.  

 

Its time to get busy.