There’s no such thing as “the moon in the fifth house means X.”
There are no static meanings in astrology.
There is only the story you are hearing — the story the stars are telling.
To start hearing the story, first know the basics — the definitions and archetypes in the wheel below — then, you can start to see how every little piece is woven together within a chart. This is where it begins:
click the wheel to enlarge/zoom in
While the archetypes are connected, they are different:
PLANETS tell you what is being affected.
SIGNS tell you how that thing is being expressed.
HOUSES tell you where it's happening in your life.
Applying the Idea
First, with your birth chart in hand, locate a planet. (If you don't know how to get your chart, start here.) Once you've located a planet, note what sign it's in. Then, note its house. I’ll be using my chart as an example of what you can then do with this information.
For example: My sun is in Scorpio in the 10th house.
But what does this mean? To begin, I located each of these in my chart — the planet (sun), the sign (Scorpio), and the house (10th). Next, I will blend the archetypes together based on what they represent above, but mainly, to interpret a chart, use your storytelling skills and intuition.
So: My sun is in Scorpio in the 10th house. This basically means that my identity (sun) — how I see myself in this world and also, a big part of who I am — is expressed through my work (10th house). I identify strongly with my career. My work is an extension of who I am, and if anything is off in my work, I feel personally off. I'm not someone who can easily work for just money’s sake because for me, I am my work. My work is me. So who am I? And how do I express this through my work? For this, I look to the sign: Scorpio deals with vulnerability, truth telling, and alchemy (aka magical transformation), and my work just happens to be all about embracing your vulnerability, telling the truth, and practicing magical transformation.
Of course, that's not all it's about because that's not all I'm about. All of the planets (and asteroids and more) are working together to tell a larger story. My sun placement is just one tiny piece, so the story continues....
Next, I look to my moon. It’s in Gemini in the 5th house. Go ahead and locate the moon, Gemini, and the 5th house in the pictures above. Read the descriptions in the archetypal wheel and come up with your own story about what this placement might mean.
Next, compare your story to my story below — note that it’s okay if they’re different! Everyone brings a unique perspective through their astrological interpretations, so when you read my story, simply notice what overlaps and what doesn’t. Though do pay special attention that you at least got the archetypes right and were using the wheel correctly:
My Moon Story: My moon is in Gemini in the 5th house. This means that I am emotionally driven by words and ideas. I often think my feelings — like "I am sad" — versus just feeling my feelings. I express my feelings and my experiences through words. I love to share, and I find my greatest emotional fulfillment and enjoyment through following my curiosity, talking about ideas, and creatively expressing myself. All of this shows up in my life through my art and writing.
Together, my sun and moon tell a story. How would you tell that story — the blending of the sun and moon?
I'll tell it simply now: My work is about magical transformation and getting to the truth by exploring information with curiosity. I am most fulfilled when I accomplish this by using my words (writing), and it's no wonder that a highly intuitive friend once told me: "I just figured it out! You are The Magic Guide. Like, you are the guide, guiding people to magic." Because I identify so strongly with my work that I am my work. I am The Magic Guide.
The story continues...it continues...it continues...
With every planet and every asteroid and every piece of the chart, the story continues.
There's the story that's always with you — the story of your birth chart. And there's also the story that's ever-changing — the story of what's happening for you now as the planets move and interact with your chart.
When you're ready, I recommend reading this to understand transits and then you can start applying the same storytelling skills here to the larger story of your chart as it moves through time.
The archetypes are always weaving. When you take into consideration the asteroids, there are over a million archetypes at play at all times. Start with the basics: the twelve "planets" here.
This wheel exists simply to help you get started. Its descriptions are inspired by my own experience working with the archetypes over many years, but there's more to all of this that isn't described here, and there are understandings for you to discover that maybe I have not. Nothing is hard and fast. Everything is moving, so don't get too bogged down in the specificity of definition. Instead, work with your intuition. Play with it. Listen to the story.