The Moon is the nearest to the earth of all the seven planets. She finishes her course through the whole twelve signs in 27 days 7 hours and 36 seconds. Her greatest north latitude is 5 degrees and about 17 minutes, her greatest south latitude 5 degrees and 12 minutes. When she rises well-placed in a horoscope, she signifies a person of soft and gentle manners, timid, imaginative, loving pleasure and ease, yet fond of moving from place to place, rather capricious, but of a poetic and romantic turn of mind. In person, those born under good aspects of the Moon are of middle height, with a round head and face, pale, soft skin, large light eyes, usually one a little larger than the other. The whole body inclined to be fleshy, the lips full, and the hair of a dull, light colour, but not at all inclined to gold. When the Moon is ill-aspected at birth the native is indolent, sometimes a drunkard and vagabond, generally a liar, and, as Lilly puts it, "a muddling creature." The Moon governs the left side and the bladder. She gives dropsy, all cold and rheumatic diseases, colds or hurts in the eyes, convulsive fits, hysteria, and feminine weaknesses. The plants she governs are all those which have soft, juicy leaves, such as the lettuce, the melon, the gourd, the poppy, mushroom, cabbage and colewort. Of trees, all those which have round, spreading leaves, such as the lime-tree and the sycamore. The beasts she rules are those which love the water, as the otter and the seal. She rules all sea fowl and also the goose, the duck and the night owl. Of fish, the oyster, the cockle and the lobster. Her colours are light greenish-blue mixed with white. Her metal is silver. Her stones, pearls, diamonds, opals, crystals and selenite. Her orb is 12 degrees before and after any aspect. Her day is Monday; the first hour and the eighth after sunrise are hers. Her number is 45. Her friends are Venus, Jupiter, the Sun, Saturn and Mercury. Her enemy among the planets is Mars. Her angel is Gabriel. [Illustration: _To face Chapter VI._] CHAPTER VI. CONCERNING THE TWELVE HOUSES OF HEAVEN AND THEIR POWERS The ancient astrologers divided the heavens into twelve houses. _The First House._--This is called the _Ascendant_, and the planet rising therein--whether well or ill-dignified--will materially affect the mind, bodily appearance and fate of the native through his whole existence. This house is masculine, and governs the head and face of man and, if the planet Mars be in this house at the time of birth, there will always be some blemish or mole in the face of the native; if a few out of the degrees have ascended the scar or blemish is, without fail, on the upper part of the head; if the middle part of the sign ascends the mark is in the middle of the face; if the latter part of the sign is ascending the mark is near the chin. This house represents the head, the tongue and the memory, and it governs in colours white.