A s t r o l o g y - Mandala

Bron: Those Wild Out-of-Bounds Planets by Pamela Welch, first published in the June/July 2001 issue of The Mountain Astrologer, published here with her permission.

Individuals with an out-of-bounds Moon are usually very unique and independent people who enjoy their freedom and solitude. However, because the Moon represents the subconscious emotional imprint, its energy can be deeply felt by the native who has this luminary out-of-bounds. People sometimes suffer from the pressure of its turbulent effects and often there is a tendency to experience loss or unsettling conditions, especially within one's family. Due to the Moon's changing nature and association with emotions, there is an increased likelihood for extreme sensitivity, emotional instability or mood swings, and feelings of doubt, guilt or depression when it is found out-of-bounds. Also, the Moon's tendency toward insecurity can become a full blown paranoia. There may be an underlying sense that one's basic security is being undermined or threatened in some way. This is often accompanied by an instinctive and irrational reaction of fear or suspicion. (10) For instance, a client of mine with an out-of-bounds Moon in Taurus, desperately and tenaciously works for material success out of fear that she will end up like her father, a Pisces, who followed his dream but was financially unsuccessful.

Sometimes the insecure feelings will manifest physically as health issues. Frequently, this comes in the form of food compulsivity or weight problems because of the subconscious link between food and emotional nourishment. A larger size or the insulation of weight can also unconsciously represent protection from any perceived threat.

Linda Tripp, for example, has an out-of-bounds Moon (25°S28') conjunct out-of-bounds Venus (25°S12') in Capricorn. (11) Her political paranoia and maternal over protection of White House intern, Monica Lewinsky, led to extreme measures. Tripp taped intimate conversations that she had with Lewinsky about her affair with President Clinton for prosecutor Ken Starr. True to her out-of-bounds Moon, Tripp later said she did it for her own protection and because she felt it was her "patriotic duty." She claims to have received threatening messages from President Clinton via Monica in regards to testifying in the Paula Jones sexual harassment case. According to Tripp, she feared that she would lose her job or be charged with perjury because she was being pressured by Lewinsky to be a team player and lie for the president in the case.(12)

In Tripp's natal chart, the Moon and Venus are conjunct Jupiter in Capricorn. Tripp may have had big plans for political favors or money from a book deal in mind when she secretly taped her friend (Venus semisquare 12th-house Sun-Mercury), although she now says she's never profited in any way. Jupiter conjunct 2nd-house Venus-Moon and Venus quincunx Pluto in the 9th-house made the righteous subterfuge that much bigger. These planetary placements show the potential for zealous beliefs and a rigidly judgmental value system along with a subconscious desire for a powerful or prominent social position. In fact, in an interview in George magazine, Tripp admits to her judgmental inflexibility and states that she dreamed of working at the White House since she was eight years old.(13)

The ambition of a Capricorn Moon can be callous and many Americans considered Tripp's taping of private conversations with Monica the ultimate betrayal of a friend. Venus square Neptune in Libra often shows such deception in a relationship and Neptune's wider orb square to the out-of-bounds Moon added to Tripp's paranoia regarding her enemies in power. With Venus square 4th-house North Node in Aries as part of the t-square to Neptune, she felt compelled to use the deceit for her own safety and self-preservation. The quindecile between Venus and Uranus in Cancer in the 7th-house gave her the obsession with love life in Washington as well as the emotional detachment to perform such a breach of a friend's personal trust. The Venus trine to 9th-house Saturn and Mars in Virgo helped Tripp participate in the critical attack on the President who she felt was misusing both political and sexual power.

As is sometimes seen with an out-of-bounds Moon, Tripp's actions may have been subconsciously motivated by a need for security and love. This is especially true in her case with the Moon conjunct Venus. She admits to lacking a personal self-confidence (Sun in the 12th-house), although she's experienced it professionally (Jupiter conjunct the Moon in Capricorn). The New York Times reported that in her highschool yearbook she describes her pet peeve as "a certain fair-weather friend." (14) This is telling not only because of what she later did to Monica Lewinsky, but also because of the much earlier fear of betrayal it shows related to the out-of-bounds Moon.

Venus quindecile Uranus in Cancer indicates that these issues may be rooted in some disruption of the basic home life in childhood that affected her sense of emotional security with others. The Capricorn Moon often indicates a mother or caretaker who was more of a drill sergeant than a nurturer and Venus trine Saturn and Mars in Virgo can relate to a critical father. Linda's mother, who was staunchly German, was intimidated by her father who ruled the family with an iron fist. Tripp has stated that no matter how much she tried she couldn't get the approval of her strict father. He deserted the family for another woman when she was still in highschool and Linda suffered through the subsequent painful divorce of her parents. Tripp's obsession with bringing down the powerful philanderer, Clinton, may have been based on her need to rebel against her father's earlier actions of infidelity (Uranus quindecile Venus in Capricorn).

These emotional issues probably contributed to Tripp's weight problem and she was insecure (Moon) about her looks (Venus). She admits that she deals with the difficulties in her life through food, a symptom of her out-of-bounds Moon, and that she was horrified by how unattractive she looked. After being scandalized by the press and ridiculed by late night comedians, Tripp had expensive cosmetic surgery that was paid for by a supporter. Considering the extreme emotional sensitivity of individuals with out-of-bounds Moon, the constant derision about her appearance must have been devastating for her. I'm sure she suffered greatly. Consequently, she had two plastic surgeries to reconstruct her face, making her more attractive (Capricorn Venus trine Saturn-Mars in Virgo), along with losing 30 pounds and having a total makeover to change her entire look.

Tripp was indicted by a grand jury for illegal wiretapping on July 30, 1999 when her solar arc directed Moon in Pisces opposed natal Saturn.(15) Contacts involving the progressed or directed Moon are particularly important for people born with it out-of-bounds. They can often signify pivotal events such as this in the native's life. These felony charges have since been dropped. However, Tripp is currently suing the White House and the Defense Department, her former employer, for leaking information to the press from her personal file for purposes of discrediting her.

Oprah Winfrey is another woman with an out-of-bounds Moon (24°S59') who has struggled with her weight. Her Moon in Sagittarius on the 12th-house cusp quindecile Jupiter in the 6th shows both the subconscious compulsion to eat, accompanied by the expanding physical size, and also the obsession with diet. The sometimes wildly erratic nature of the out-of-bounds Moon contributed to the changing fluctuations in Oprah's weight. Often a native with an out-of-bounds Moon will resist any thing that even feels like a limitation or restriction, an inconvenient trait if you're dieting. Oprah admittedly prefers the freedom of spontaneity and even refuses to set future goals because she feels it is too confining.(16)

Influence of the Mother

The out-of-bounds Moon often reveals an overachiever who is unconsciously seeking success, prominence or material security as a substitute for the love and attention that was not received from the mother during childhood years, something that may have plagued both Oprah and Linda Tripp.(17) Oprah was born illegitimate and poor in the Deep South. At a young age, she was abandoned by her mother who went North to work and left to live with her grandmother. Oprah has tremendous drive and does the job of four people as she hosts a TV show, acts, spearheads a magazine, and runs her own production company, Harpo. She has also taught a "Dynamics of Leadership" class at Northwestern University and served as a philanthropist providing over five million dollars in scholarships through her Angel Network (benevolent Jupiter in the 6th house of service). In addition to the weight issue, Oprah's Moon-Jupiter quindecile can indicate a compulsion to overwork (6th house). It is no secret that she works long hours, sometimes 16-hour days, and that she can be a hard driving worker obsessed with perfection. Oprah also admits that an inability to say "No" in former years was due to wanting to be liked by others. Part of Oprah's drive to succeed may be due to the hidden emotional wound resulting from the earlier abandonment by her mother.

The 12th-house Moon in Sagittarius gives Oprah the need to tell the truth and an impetus to nurture and educate society spiritually. Anyone who watches Oprah's TV show, reads her magazine, or has attended one of her personal growth summits is familiar with the emphasis she puts on the spiritual aspect of life. She says a prayer before every show. Oprah is a truth seeker who listens to an inner voice and she has the ability to uplift and encourage others with her spiritual philosophy. On the boundary between the 11th and 12th houses, the Sagittarius Moon helps her to be a bridge bringing spiritual ideals (12th) to many diverse groups (11th). She is an inspirational teacher to many.

Not surprisingly, Oprah got her first talk-show job in Baltimore as co-host of WJZ-TV's "People are Talking" when her solar arc directed Moon conjunct her Ascendant in 1978. This was especially momentous in Oprah's case since her Ascendant is at 29°42' Sagittarius and close to the 0° Capricorn winter solstice point. Directed to this point, Oprah's out-of-bounds Moon was announcing that her career success was just beginning to germinate and would soon be on the rise. Interestingly, the Sabian symbol for 30° Sagittarius is "The Pope, blessing the faithful," and she has since been accused of trying to start the "church of Oprah" with segments like "Remembering your Spirit" on her current television show.

Moon and Ascendant in Sagittarius as well as Jupiter in Gemini gives Oprah the ability to expand the dimensions of other people's lives, to educate them, and communicate broader philosophies of life to society. 6th-house Jupiter can work hard at the truth and Oprah has made this her job. She has said that it is the educational aspect of her TV show and the ability to change lives that she most enjoys. Jupiter in Gemini indicates the communication of faith and optimism and Oprah's out-of-bounds Moon in Sagittarius amplifies this to the maximum. This belief in something better has been a foundational part of Oprah's own life and a motivation for others. Characteristic of her out-of-bounds Moon, she never recognized or even considered that any of her challenging life circumstances might limit her in any way. She started her public speaking career reciting inspirational sermons in church at the remarkably young age of three and a half years old, part of the atypical expression of the out-of-bounds Moon in Sagittarius. In fact, in the fourth grade Oprah was known as "preacher." Her out-of-bounds Moon is also quintile Mercury, resulting in the extraordinary intellectual gifts and talented abilities as a child orator and adult talk-show host.

Jupiter also represents one's inner teacher and with this planet in a quindecile aspect to her out-of-bounds Moon, it has been a life long process for Oprah to trust hers. After years of codependence seeking to please others, a symptom of her childhood abandonment and the victimization of sexual abuse, she has learned to speak her truth and listen to her inner voice as well as her lunar instincts. The Novile (40°) aspect between her Moon and the often codependent Neptune in Libra provided the creative inspiration that enabled her to find a spiritual rebirth out of the captivity of this old pattern. 18 Oprah's life definitely shows how the energy of the out-of-bounds Moon can be used to overcome great obstacles.

Transiting planets can be significant activators for a natal out-of-bounds energy. When transiting Pluto completed its long conjunction to her natal Moon in 1998, Oprah was devastated and depressed by the public's negative response to her movie, Beloved. This film project was her baby. She nurtured the movie's unfolding and then, at its birth, the product of her labor was rejected. Perhaps, the grief of a much older and deeper rejection linked with her out-of-bounds Moon was surfacing for her at that time. On the other hand, when transiting Jupiter opposed her out-of-bounds Moon, Oprah's new publication, "O," went over the top to become the most successful magazine start-up ever.

Part 4: Working with Out-of-Bounds planets