In Vedic astrology the Moon is the mind. Your Moon sign and nakshatra are the heart of the chart for most readers, because they describe how a person feels, rests, remembers and responds. A Moon that is weak, afflicted by Saturn, Rahu or Ketu, or running its dasha with difficulty is often said to show as restlessness, low mood, or a mind that does not settle. This page lists what tradition offers, in its usual order. It is not a treatment for any mental or physical condition.
Start with conduct and care
The Moon’s remedies are, above all, about regularity. They are the same suggestions a sensible friend might make, and they come first in the tradition too.
- Keep a steady daily rhythm. Waking, eating and sleeping at fixed times calms what the Moon rules. Many teachers consider this the most useful remedy of all.
- Look after your mother or the mother figures in your life. Time, a phone call, or a quiet gesture. Where she has passed on, remembrance on Mondays is the custom.
- Spend time near water and open sky. The Moon is linked with water, tides and the night sky, and an evening walk is a simple lunar habit.
- Protect your sleep. Early nights suit the Moon better than late ones. Screens in the last hour before bed work against it.
- Be gentle with your moods. Not every low day needs a remedy. Journalling, speaking to someone you trust and resting are all legitimate.
If low mood, anxiety or poor sleep lasts for more than a couple of weeks, please see a doctor. Astrology can sit alongside that care, and it must not stand in for it.
Mantra and devotion
The Moon belongs to Shiva’s tradition, because the crescent rests on his head, and the Navagraha verses call the Moon “the ornament on Shambhu’s crown”. So devotion to Shiva is a natural Moon practice, as is a verse to Chandra himself.
- Navagraha mantras: the second verse is to Chandra, and the Pida Hara set has its own verse for the Moon.
- Om Namah Shivaya and the Shiva Panchakshara Stotram: the five-syllable name of Shiva.
- Maha Mrityunjaya mantra: a Rigvedic verse to Shiva, often recited in Shiva worship.
- Rudrashtakam and Shivashtakam: longer hymns for Monday evenings.
Several people prefer to say a short mantra slowly on a mala. Choose one, say it at the same time each day, and keep to a number that does not become a burden. The beej mantras of the planets differ between traditions and are not published here yet.
Charity and the Monday fast, as tradition describes them
Monday (Somvar) belongs to the Moon and to Shiva.
- Charity on Monday. Lists differ. Rice, milk, curd, sugar, white cloth and silver are the items most often named. Giving a meal to someone hungry follows the same idea.
- The Monday fast. Read the Somvar vrat vidhi for how families keep it: a light day, a visit to a Shiva temple or a prayer at home, and a simple meal in the evening. Many take fruit and milk. If you are pregnant, unwell, elderly, diabetic or on medicines, ask your doctor first. A lighter meal and a prayer is an accepted alternative.
- A glass of water or milk for Shiva. A common Monday offering at the lingam.
Purnima, the full Moon, is the other lunar day, and the Purnima vrat vidhi covers its fast.
Read your own Moon before choosing a remedy
The Moon is strongest in Taurus and in its own sign Cancer, and it is weak in Scorpio. It is also strong when full and fainter when near the Sun. Before acting, look at your own Moon: the Moon in all twelve houses and the Moon in each sign guides describe each placement, the Moon Mahadasha guide covers the ten-year period, and the Moon sign calculator finds your sign and nakshatra. If Saturn aspects the Moon or sits with it, Moon and Saturn is worth reading too.
The gemstone, last
The stone of the Moon is the pearl (moti). It is a classical remedy in the tradition, and choosing a stone through house lordship is a later method that teachers do not all share. It comes last because the decision depends on the whole chart: the Moon’s sign, house, phase, aspects and the dasha running, and it is usually discussed only after a reading. Pearl is also a soft organic gem that wears and can be imitated, so a laboratory report matters if someone decides to buy.
The pearl guide covers who considers it, cultured and natural pearls and how it is traditionally worn, and the gemstones hub covers the other eight. We sell nothing but the reading, so nothing is on offer here. Many readers decide on routine and mantra alone, and the tradition is comfortable with that.
Frequently asked questions
↳ What is the best remedy for a weak Moon?
Tradition begins with a steady daily routine, good sleep and care of your mother, followed by devotion to Shiva and the Moon, Monday charity and the Monday fast. A pearl comes last and is optional. None of this is a medical treatment.
↳ Which mantra is used for the Moon?
Many people use the verse to Chandra in the Navagraha Stotra, or the Shiva mantras such as Om Namah Shivaya and the Maha Mrityunjaya mantra, because the Moon is linked with Shiva. Families choose differently, so follow what you were taught.
↳ Can remedies help with anxiety or low mood?
A calm routine and a mantra practice help many people feel steadier, but they are not a treatment. If worry, low mood or poor sleep lasts more than a couple of weeks, please see a doctor or a counsellor.
↳ Must I fast on Mondays?
No. The Monday fast is a traditional practice and not a duty, and it should not harm health. If you are pregnant, unwell, elderly or on medication, speak to your doctor and consider a lighter meal with a prayer instead.
↳ Is a pearl right for everyone with a weak Moon?
No. Astrologers consider the ascendant, the Moon's house and strength, and the running dasha, and some advise against a pearl in certain charts. It is an optional remedy that follows a full reading.