Here's How To Find Your Moon Sign

So, you already know your zodiac sign, but it still doesn't explain why you prefer a movie night in with the girls over a night out clubbing. What's the deal? Well, chances are that if you still haven't taken the time to understand your birth chart, you're missing out on a much larger piece of the puzzle. "Many people born under the same sun sign will have a different moon sign. This means that even though you may have the same willful attitude, depending on your sun sign, your emotional responses will totally be different," astrologer Kristin Magaldi tells HelloGiggles.

In astrology, the placement of your moon sign provides the clearest snapshot into the emotional motivations of an individual. It represents your inner self and the emotional nature with which you navigate the world, and heavily influences your interpersonal relationships. Your moon sign might hold the key to your true nature and innermost thoughts — and it can also show why you might feel disconnected or different from people who share your same zodiac sign. "Though they're sometimes rather hidden, our moon sign impacts how we react to things that are happening in the world around us, including things we're thrilled about as well as circumstances that stress us out," astrology Elocin Rose writes for StyleCaster. So, let's dive into what moon signs really mean.

In a natal chart, the moon indicates the kind of person you are on the inside, and how you react emotionally and intuitively to life experiences and the people around you. Along with influencing our emotions, the moon represents the subconscious side of your personality that lingers below the surface and may also indicate the parts of yourself that you might keep hidden from other people. "In astrology, we look at the moon sign—the zodiac sign that the moon was passing through at the exact time of your birth — as a guide to deciphering a person's emotions and innermost nature," astrologer Lisa Stardust tells Vogue.

In other words, imagine your sun sign as the whole of you or the core of your ego energy, while your rising sign is the energetic signature that others pick up on and your moon sign is the innermost part of you. Each piece of the puzzle adds another layer to the overall composition of your aura, energy, and personality. "Astrologers call these three placements (sun, moon, and rising) your big three placements because they have a big impact on how you express yourself. Your sun, moon, and rising signs are the most important for learning about your birth chart as you start your astrology journey," Sanctuary Astrology explains.

While it's easy enough to determine your sun sign based just on your birthday, you'll need a bit more information to find your moon sign; you'll need to know your exact birth time, birthday, and birth location in order to calculate it. "The moon only stays in each sign for around two days, so it's a much more variable aspect of your birth chart. It largely explains why you are so different from the other people you know who share your sun sign," astrologer Kerry Ward tells Cosmopolitan. In order to get the most accurate reading of your moon sign, experts recommend getting a copy of your birth chart from apps like Sanctuary Astrology, TimePassages, or Chani.

These apps offer users a free copy of their planets and placements, including the houses and zodiac sign your moon sign occupies. Knowing things like which astrology aspects affect your moon sign or even the house in your birth chart it's in will give you additional insight into how your moon sign influences your moods — and reveal how and where you express your emotions. And through acknowledging, seeing, embracing, and sending love to the shadow, you can experience positive growth and transformation of self. It's an incredibly healing astrological placement as it can indicate how we emotionally cope with challenges or setbacks (via Byrdie).