"Am I Gonna Move?"
©2000 by Donna Cunningham

Moving to a new home may be part of what happens under a transit to the Natal Moon, the fourth house cusp (IC), through the fourth house, or to a planet in the fourth. As a certified Astro*Carto*Graphy interpreter over the years, I have observed such transits as primary triggers for changes in residence.

Relocation goes more smoothly under a trine, with Moon/Uranus trines being swiftest and the least hassle. A move under a Moon/Saturn trine, however, is more organized and more likely permanent. Under a Moon/Uranus or Uranus/IC aspect of any kind, you might as well keep nonessentials packed in their boxes, as you're likely to move more than once with repeated hits by Uranus.

Buying a home, especially the first one, is a rite of passage into adulthood. Having a home of your own gives you a greater sense of security, roots, and belonging--for lunar types, especially. Moon/Saturn and Moon/Pluto aspects are the most likely to involve actual purchase of real estate, although Pluto as often accompanies major remodeling efforts.

With Moon/Saturn or Saturn to the MH/IC, a home of your own may be the result of well-earned success. You may be conservative in your purchase. You may settle for something smaller or less luxurious than you'd like, because you are being realistic about not taking on too hard a financial commitment.

With some Moon/Pluto contacts, the new house may be financed by something other than your own efforts. The source could be an inheritance, a gift or bribe from your parents with strings attached, a trust fund, or a divorce settlement--or it may be a last-ditch effort to keep the marriage together. If you've suffered lunar losses during this phase, take time to mourn the end of one chapter in your life. The grief may be exacerbated by a period of isolation in the new location.

Under Moon/Neptune transits, you're probably not thinking things through carefully enough and may regret the decision. You're not so much moving to something as moving away from something because you've become disillusioned. Your fantasies about a wonderful new life tend to be unrealistic. If you buy property under a Neptune transit to the Moon or other points listed above, you probably haven't inspected the cellar or foundations. The Realtor saw you coming, and you may have a lemon on your hands for a good long time. Maybe you could donate it to the church, your guru, or some charitable organization. Or, hang in there for whatever deep spiritual lesson it may teach you--like the one about not signing anything you haven't read or understood.

While the planet involved shows the circumstances of the move, the real question is, why are you doing it? It is generally due to an important shift in the lunar areas of life. Often, the reason is that the womb has gotten too confining. As a young adult, you leave your parents' house to go on your own. Later, maybe you move to make a home with someone--or a home without someone.

Sometimes, because any aspect to the IC is simultaneously an aspect to the MC, either you or your partner finds a job in a new place. Maybe you have a family now and the house has gotten too small. Or, your family has grown up, and you don't need as much space. The Moon waxes and wanes, all within a life cycle. The pressure to leave the womb precedes the relocation.

There is a lunar realignment before the move, followed by a long adjustment to the new home. If you are moving more than 500 miles east or west of your birthplace, obviously, it would be important to get an Astro*Carto*Graphy map done. Especially if you have no idea where you want to live, this map can help you find optimal locations for business, love, home life, health, and travel.

It can also help you avoid really serious relocation mistakes, like moving to a place where Neptune or Pluto falls on an angle. You would also want to read about your chosen location in Places Rated Almanac, a reference book that belongs in any astrologer's library. (By Richard Boyer and David Savageau, it is published by Prentice Hall Travel, New York, and is periodically updated.)

When considering a move based on your map, it is important to refer to the birth chart for interpretation and timing. Suppose you are thinking of moving to one of your Venus lines, considered the best places in the world to find love. However, if your natal Venus has every bad aspect imaginable, your undesirable long-standing patterns in relationships would be not only active but also exacerbated there. You'd be better off picking one of the descendant lines, like Sun or Jupiter on the descendant, if love is a goal.

Timing is also important even when moving to a positive location. Don't move when nothing is happening to your Moon, IC, or fourth house planets, or when Neptune or Saturn is aspecting them. If you do, you could just sit and spin your wheels for a costly year or two.

As you can see, relocating isn't just a matter of packing boxes and calling a mover. You may find, however, that while packing, you take an intense trip down memory lane. Each object you touch has memories and feelings attached, which you may relive. The process of deciding what to keep and what to get rid of involves re-evaluating your priorities and values.

A move is an immense readjustment in many lunar areas of life, for what is more basic than a home? A crab goes through a period of vulnerability when it sheds its shell. We too may feel especially vulnerable for at least a year after a move--a complete cycle of lunations. There can even be strong somatic reactions, particularly to the stomach or menstrual cycle. Lunar types in particular can find moving distressing. A move is nothing to take lightly--give yourself plenty of space to feel the losses and insecurities and to lay down roots in the new home.

The foregoing is an excerpt from Donna Cunningham's book, The Moon in Your Life, which can be ordered from the publisher, Samuel Weiser, at (207) 363-4393. It is reprinted here with permission.

About the Author: Certified by Continuum, Donna Cunningham has a master's degree in social work from Columbia University and more than 25 years of counseling experience in health care facilities, psychiatric clinics, and the treatment of alcoholism. She began her astrological practice in 1969 and has been certified as a professional by Professional Astrologers Inc. and the American Federation of Astrologers.

Donna has written twelve well-received books, including such classics as The Consulting Astrologer's Guidebook and Healing Pluto Problems. She is the webmaster for Continuum and for the Astrologers' Memorial Web Site. Her own website is at: http://DonnaCunninghamMSW.com.

CREDITS: Web design by Donna Cunningham. The background tile came from ABC Giant. The twirling Moon is used with permission of Barking Spiders Web Design. The Victorian house is a design of Cool Archive. The little girl in the Moon is from Hobo's Country Graphics. The earth and Moon drawings came from the talented pen of the Rhymester. The Uranus animation was by Iband.