The Debilitated Moon

All debilitated planets require a careful and thorough analysis to assess their impact in a life. Not all debilitated planets are created equal -- some offer tremendous gifts and some offer only suffering. One has only to contemplate the fact that Raphael had four debilitated planets to understand that their implications can vary widely.

When analyzing a debilitated planet, it is very important to consider the strength and position of the dispositor, any compensatory strengths the debilitated planet possesses, any aspecting planets, and whether or not the planet has neecha bhanga or neecha bhanga raja yoga and if so, how many neecha bhangas operate, and the condition of the bhanga granting planet(s). In the case of the Moon, one must also consider whether the Moon is waxing or waning and whether it is bright or dark. Because the condition of the Moon is so crucial to the wellbeing of an individual generally, it requires a particularly careful analysis when it appears debilitated.

The Moon debilitates in Scorpio. One can ascribe a general flavor to Moon in Scorpio, but whether the qualities of that flavor will work well or poorly for an individual depends on all of the above factors as well as the house rulership and position of the Moon in a given rashi. Scorpio is the natural ruler of the eighth house and as such is associated with eighth house themes -- death, the occult, things which are hidden, scandal, sex, power, other people's money, deep grief, trauma, loss, inescapable difficulty, secrets and a certain capacity for vengeance. The scorpion is a creature that lives alone mostly in dark underground places, who surfaces at night. Scorpions are not particularly aggressive except when acquiring prey, when surprised (in which case they will deliver a nasty sting before running off,) and when having sex. Sometimes scorpions sting their mate to death during the sexual act. These qualities add the themes of ingestion of drugs and other poisons, loaded sexuality and a capacity for lashing out.
 
Scorpio is a fixed water sign. Water and fixity do not go well together except in the case of ice, which is very cold. Otherwise "fixed water" is stagnant water, producing rot, algae and mosquitoes. Water is the element most closely associated with emotion. Emotions must flow gracefully in order for a life to be successful. Both water and emotion produce rot when they stagnate, which in turn attracts the kinds of low level beings and energies that are drawn towards rot. The Moon debilitates in Scorpio because it rules the emotional mind.
 
All other factors being equal, the Moon in Scorpio will cause a person's emotions to become deep, dark, mysterious and very hard for a person to let go of or change. Also, because debilitated planets have a certain inherent vulnerability, in the Moon this translates into exceptional emotional sensitivity which then translates into grudge holding over pain. The classic debilitated Moon archetype is just that, a deeply sensitive person given to great emotional intensity which they attempt to hide or disguise who is often brooding over perceived hurts, the general sadness of the world, or dark sexual fantasies.

On the high side, this kind of emotional awareness can be transmuted into tremendous compassion for the suffering of other beings, a great forgiveness for self and others, an acute awareness of the feelings of other beings, a willingness to sacrifice the self for God or others - the bodhisattva mentality, and/or great artistic sensibility.
On the low side, the debilitated Moon can represent madness, sexual depravity, sexually transmitted diseases, murderous vengeance, prostitution, the Mafia and the like. Below are chart examples.