The Moon is described to be the mother and the feminine principle that pacifies and feeds the world with her cooling sweet light. In the Ashtangahridayasamhita it is said that 'taking at night moonbeams as food is akin to drinking sugared buffalo’s milk (that is) cooled by the moon and stars.'
The Moon's exaltation is in the 3rd degree of Taurus rashi which is known to be that of Krittika nakshatra in the 2nd pada (Capricorn navamsa). Krittika is ruled by Agni (the deity of fire) and he's also known to have a voracious appetite to keep himself burning. The Moon is also known as Soma; the juice that is accepted by Gods in ritual fire sacrifices which is where he nourishes and satisfies the appetite of Agni. Soma is related to Parvati and Agni is related to Shiva and the exaltation of the Moon in such a dangerous and masculine nakshatra is actually the union of Shiva-Shakti, where Shakti takes refuge in the unperturbed and stable side of Shiva as he is resting on his mount Nandi, the Bull.
The Moon is also known as sphatik (clear quartz) which is the closest crystal to a diamond (Venus) in alchemy. As sphatik, we learn of the Moon's nature as the space where ideas, time, and concepts exist before being materialized in the gross form which is why this planet is essential to the working of occult practices. It is said that the Shreem beeja of the Moon provides the basis for the complete crystallization of Venus. Think of flowers only blooming when the stems are submerged in water or the formation of the embryo taking place only when the waters of the womb nourish them. In life, the entire game is between Atman's (individual soul) pull towards either Shiva (Prakasha/self-illumination) or Maya Shakti (Vimarsha/intelligent reflection of Shiva), and in occult or your spiritual practice, one achieves non-duality or one-ness with the divine when they go beyond the division of the transcendental and immanent. Krittika nakshatra is the unification of the feminine and masculine principles for only within the darkness and cold, the importance of heat and light is recognized.
Krittika has Dahana Shakti (the power to burn or cut away from the corporeal form). There are three elements to this:
Kama-Dahana is associated with Shiva for He burns away Kamadeva for awakening desire within Him for Shakti by piercing Shiva in His meditative state with his flowery arrows of love. Shakti is the feminine principle that was dormant within Shiva and awakening Her destroyed the very need for desire or yearning because, with one look at each other, they were united and knew of themselves as one.
In the 108 names of Chandra, it has been given two names specifically that stand out: Jitendriya (the one who is satisfied and has his senses conquered) and Niraharaye (The one who doesn't eat). Agni's power to burn shows its desire for nourishment and Moon being that principle that nourishes and wins over the desires, fulfills this need. Soma is also directly opposite to Agni (receptive principle) for He himself doesn't need nourishment but is satisfied by giving and providing the space for giving. The Moon is extremely important at one's birth, not because it is the nourisher or the one that gives but because it is the one that wants to simply be (janma). The Moon as Shakti wants to play and be and discover herself through play which is why She is nourished by taking multiple births and when engaged with Her own play, fully, She starts to believe in it. An imbalance of this is an excess of Soma but no Agni to consume it (and vice-versa) which creates dread, dissatisfaction, and purposelessness.
Since Krittika's Shakti burns away the corporeal it is the liberator of the Moon and it justifies the exaltation part because the Moon becomes still within this nakshatra (quite literally, the Moon slows down when passing the Taurus zodiac) and this stillness invokes a self-awareness of the Moon's illusory nature which is why this nakshatra is difficult for marital unions for it does not need to find wholeness outside of itself and is quite content being alone.
Understanding that the Moon needs to be wanted in order to function gives a clue on how we can work on our individual needs and desires in order to fructify the gifts of the Moon. Thank you for reading this! I've also discussed the Moon and a lot of its elements on my Patreon if you'd like to read more on this topic: Moon in tantric astrology and Moon Mahadasha.
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