What Is My Moon Sign, and Why Does It Matter?

This month, VICE launched Astro Guide, an astrology app for horoscopes and cosmic wellness. In addition to compatibility breakdowns between any two signs, insights on how the stars impact your friends and crushes, and freakishly accurate horoscopes, our app also offers self care horoscopes based on your moon sign. We sat down with astrologer Annabel Gat to understand a bit more about moon signs and what you should know about yours.

Gat: Your moon sign is the sign the moon was in at the time of your birth! You need to know what time of day and where you were born to calculate this, although if you don’t have this information, a qualified astrologer can do something called “chart rectification” to figure out your moon’s placement in your natal (birth) chart. The easiest way to calculate your moon sign is to use a chart generator (unless you’re committed to learning the math, which is totally worth it if you’re invested in your astrological studies!). Our app, Astro Guide, can calculate your moon sign (and your rising sign) if you know your time and place of birth.

Your moon sign symbolizes how you go about self care, how you approach nurturing, and also how you hold memories and emotions. The moon sign is very much your inner self. Our weekly lunar horoscopes examine the lunar cycles and give self tips based on astrological aspects in relationship to a given moon sign, while our sun sign horoscopes focus more on the atmosphere for the day.

The moon is all about how we nurture ourselves. We live our days from a very sun sign-centered place: making goals, taking action. We don’t always pause to check in with how we’re feeling, and we often bottle up our emotions. All of these factors can make it difficult to figure out how to deal with emotional issues. The moon sign is a lens through which we can look at these issues more closely.

Well, your moon sign can’t do anything, but you can! And if you’re stuck on what to do, your moon is your guide.

The shape of the moon in the sky (new, crescent, full, etc.) is literally shaped by its relationship to the earth and the sun, so the connection between the sun and moon is really rich. Throughout history, many cultures have seen the sun and moon as partners. In astrology, the two work together to show your inner and outer self: your emotional history and your potential.

Totally! The whole chart matters, but the moon sign points to how we get cozy with people. Any relationship that’s more than a one-night stand—where you and your partner rely on each other for emotional companionship or even share a home—will find the moon coming into play. The moon is all about our needs and how we take care of ourselves. Knowing your partner's moon is in Gemini, for example, could tell you that they need plenty of verbal affirmation, while a moon in Cancer shows that action will really speak louder than words for them.