In the pantheon of gods and goddesses, just as the majority of gods are Sun gods, so the goddesses are largely associated with the Moon. Because the stories cross the boundaries of countries and religions many of the goddesses are much the same personages with a different name and in a slightly different guise. They all had the power of life and death and expressed the extremes of their goddess-like natures from the deepest compassion and love to the ultimate in hatred and cruelty. These are not human beings but represent in composite imagery the qualities good and bad that exist in all of us. In ascribing Astrological signs to each of the goddesses we move through the year as the Sun and Moon cycles move annually around the zodiac. So the young initiating White Goddesses move in spring from March Pisces through Aries, Taurus and Gemini. The Mature sustaining Red Goddesses move through the summer from the sign of Cancer, through Leo, Virgo and Libra. The destructive Black Goddesses commence at Scorpio and, move through the signs Sagittarius Capricorn and Aquarius.

THE LUNAR MANSIONS
The lunar mansions feature in the astrology of many parts of the globe. It is the author's opinion that they developed from the earliest astrology which was Moon rather than Sun based. There is evidence that the astrology of Babylon and Egypt was Moon orientated and even in Roman times the Emperor Augustus used not his Sunsign but his Moonsign, Capricorn, on his coinage. The journey of the Moon around the 360 degrees of the Zodiac was an important part of early astrology and there is new interest in these divisions, which approximate the moon's daily period through 28 segments of the zodiac during a lunar month. As the zodiac circle is 360 degrees each mansion of the moon covers 12 degrees 52 minutes of the wheel. See the illustration below.

The 28 lunar Mansions
The inner ring shows the 12 signs of the zodiac
The middle ring shows the 3 decanates in each sign with their ruling planets
The outer ring shows the 28 Lunar Mansions.

Traditionally each zodiac sign is divided into three decanates of ten degrees. Each decanate is ruled by the planets of the three signs of the element concerned. For example in the sign of Aries the first decanate is ruled by Aries itself and the planet Mars. The second decanate is ruled by Leo and the Sun. The third decanate by Sagittarius and the planet Jupiter. Each of the mansions takes on the qualities of the zodiac signs and the planetary rulers of these decanates and signs that they pass through. Most carry the natures of two signs combined. The meanings of each mansion are defined by the astrology.
Whatever phase the Moon is in, it is also in one of the mansions. This combination of Moonphase and Moon Mansion gives us the multitude of meanings that are possible in any reading.

THE MOON PHASES

The Moon orbits the earth and takes 29.53 days to go through its cycle from one new Moon to the next. This is a lunar month. The Sun lights only one half of the Moon and the other half is in darkness. How we see the phase of the Moon is governed by the position it takes with regards to the Earth and the Sun. The diagram below shows the orbit of the Moon and the position of each phase.

 -The Moon circles to the East and after three or so days we begin to see a tiny area of the sunlit side showing as a thin delicate crescent to the right of the Moon. As the moon grows in light we call this Waxing.
2) First Quarter Moon - Over the next three and a half days the crescent grows until the right half of the disk is lit. The Moon has moved ninety degrees and has now covered the first quarter of its journey.
3) Gibbous Moon - The Moon continues to wax until three quarters of the moon is light. This we call the Gibbous Moon.
4) Full Moon - Each of the following nights the Gibbous Moon grows fatter and fatter until the moon is exactly opposite the sun and it's full disk is illuminated.
5) Disseminating Moon - We are now in the second half of the lunar cycle and this is called Waning. Three and a half days later the disk begins to lose its perfect circle of light and we have the Disseminating Moon.
6) Last Quarter Moon - After a few more days the Moon is again half-light and half dark with the lit half to the left this time. The Moon has arrived at the last quarter.
7) Balsamic Moon - And so the Moon's journey continues, less and less of the reflected light showing until it is just a thin crescent to the left side of the Moon. This is called the Balsamic Moon.
8) New or Black Moon - The Moon is in line between the Earth and the Sun. The side of the moon facing us is black and we see no Moon at all. When the lining up of Earth, Moon, Sun is exact, this causes a total eclipse of the Sun.

The Moon orbits the earth and takes 29.53 days to go through its cycle from one new Moon to the next. This is a lunar month. The Sun lights only one half of the Moon and the other half is in darkness. How we see the phase of the Moon is governed by the position it takes with regards to the Earth and the Sun. The diagram below shows the orbit of the Moon and the position of each phase.

1) Crescent Moon - The Moon circles to the East and after three or so days we begin to see a tiny area of the sunlit side showing as a thin delicate crescent to the right of the Moon. As the moon grows in light we call this Waxing.

2) First Quarter - Over the next three and a half days the crescent grows until the right half of the disk is lit. The Moon has moved ninety degrees and has now covered the first quarter of its journey.

3) Gibbous Moon - The Moon continues to wax until three quarters of the moon is light. This we call the Gibbous Moon.

4) Full Moon - Each of the following nights the Gibbous Moon grows fatter and fatter until the moon is exactly opposite the sun and it's full disk is illuminated.

5) Disseminating Moon - We are now in the second half of the lunar cycle and this is called Waning. Three and a half days later the disk begins to lose its perfect circle of light and we have the Disseminating Moon.

6) Last Quarter Moon - After a few more days the Moon is again half-light and half dark with the lit half to the left this time. The Moon has arrived at the last quarter.

7) Balsamic Moon - And so the Moon's journey continues, less and less of the reflected light showing until it is just a thin crescent to the left side of the Moon. This is called the Balsamic Moon.

8) New or Black Moon - The Moon is in line between the Earth and the Sun. The side of the moon facing us is black and we see no Moon at all. When the lining up of Earth, Moon, Sun is exact, this causes a total eclipse of the Sun.