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CANCER FULL MOON  - 22 December 2018

12/19/2018

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Picture
Exact at 5.48pm GMT, 12.48pm EST
 
This Full Moon falls less than 24 hours after the Winter Solstice, so this could be quite an intensely emotional time leading up to the Solstice! This is a time of turning within and facing the shadows; it is a time of silence and introspection, when we need to rest and lay in wait for the light to return. It is interesting that we also have Sagittarius season until the Solstice, which brings a tendency to over-extend ourselves and rush around, when really the most natural thing for us to be doing is resting, hibernating, slowing down and listening to our quiet inner voice. Traditionally, the Winter Solstice is considered to be the moment when the Moon gives birth to the Sun, which is such a beautiful thought! It is a time of hope and faith, when we welcome back the light and look backward over the year we have had and forward towards our vision of what is to come. This year, as it coincides with the Full Moon, it will very likely have some extra emotional weight to it. As the moon builds to its peak of fullness, so do our emotions. This is a very emotional time of year as it is, so it is important that we treat ourselves and others with compassion and kindness.
 
Astrologically, the Solstice represents the moment when the Sun move from Sagittarius into Capricorn, beginning a new cycle. The Solstice will occur at 22.23pm in England on 21 December. The Full Moon is occurring in the very first degree of Cancer, with the Sun directly opposite in the very first degree of Capricorn. This certainly feels like a time of transition; a turning point somehow.  A Cancer Full Moon is very poignant indeed when it falls at this time of year, as Cancer represents our inner and outer home, our sense of belonging, our childhood, family and roots. It could bring some very strong emotions up around our sense of belonging, and could highlight any emotional patterns that were formed in childhood and which no longer serve us but rather go against us. Cancer represents the inner child – the vulnerable part of us that may be hurt, damaged or wounded by whatever happened in our childhood. Sometimes we allow that hurt little child to run the show, acting in ways that we are not proud of! So often we find ourselves projecting needs that were not met in childhood onto those close to us, such as our partners and children, subconsciously expecting them to make up for whatever our parents failed to give us.
 
While Cancer represents our inner child and emotional patterns, Capricorn represents our inner parent and the conditioning that we received from our parents, school and society. In an ideal world we would have a good balance between our inner child and inner parent, whereby we are able to be a kind parent to our inner child and recognise when we are over-reacting or sabotaging our relationships with our old script or story. However, often we find ourselves “acting out” our unmet childhood needs and conditioning and responding in a needy, insecure and childish way (Cancer) or going the other way and completely suppressing or controlling our emotions (Capricorn) so that they end up coming out in distorted ways. Capricorn is the king is the stiff upper lip and no stranger to guilt, which can cause us to judge ourselves severely. The key is to look back over our life and try to understand where this guilt might be coming from. What subtle messages were we given that might have indoctrinated us with a pervading sense of having done something wrong?
 
A positive manifestation of Cancer is for us to learn to meet our own emotional needs instead of being the eternal child that expects others to take care of us and solve our problems. Once we learn to nurture ourselves then we are better able to nurture others’ needs. A positive manifestation of Capricorn is to learn emotional maturity, being adult enough to take responsibility for ourselves and our actions, create healthy boundaries and take on our own authority rather than allowing others to have authority over our path. These are lessons we could be confronted with during this Full Moon. We are encouraged to openly express our feelings and allow ourselves to be vulnerable, while at the same time being grown up about it and taking responsibility for our own emotional landscape and needs.
 
Chiron the Wounded Healer is forming a challenging square aspect to the Sun and Moon during this Full Moon.  Chiron will be exactly squaring the Sun on Wednesday 19 December, but the energy will linger for the Full Moon. This could very much highlight our old wounds and insecurities, and people’s words or actions may inadvertently hurt or trigger us as these old wounds could feel more like open sores during this time! This is especially so because Mars, the warrior planet, is moving towards a conjunction with Chiron (exact on 28 Dec), and both are in Pisces. This could cause people to act, react and possibly even attack quite strongly, forcefully and aggressively, from a wounded and potentially deluded place.  It is important to be gentle with ourselves this week, and to be aware of the fact that we could be more sensitive and vulnerable than at other times, which could cause us to over-react or be a bit too emotional or defensive. Compassion and forgiveness are what are called for, both for ourselves and others. Chiron in Pisces promotes unconditional love and empathy for all living beings, as we all have our cross to bear, albeit in different shapes, forms and sizes.
 
Uranus is forming a harmonious and helpful trine aspect to the Sun and Moon, and Uranus and the Sun will exactly trine one another on Thursday 20 December, but the energy will still be strong for the Full Moon. This could be very helpful in terms of breaking unhealthy or detrimental habits and patterns, and releasing us from the past so that we can move forward with a renewed sense of purpose. It is important to be open to whatever changes might come our way, and to keep an eye out for synchronicities and anything unusual that could be prodding us in a different direction to what we might be used to. This is an exciting and enlivening aspect that could help us to break out of the mould and recreate ourselves somehow. This could represent a much needed “reset button”, liberating us from the old story so that we can recreate a new one.
 
Mercury and Jupiter and joining forces in Sagittarius this week, exact on Fri 21 December, which could have both positive and challenging implications! On the one hand this could help us to see the big picture, trusting our hunches and intuition. This is quite a philosophical combination that could help us to be quite forward thinking and optimistic. However, it also has the potential for us to experience a bit of Sagittarian foot in mouth syndrome as we speak our truth, regardless of how hurtful it might be for other people to hear it. It is important to remember that the truth is relative, and that what is true for us may not be for another. It is also important to remember that this Moon, and this time of year, can make people especially sensitive and reactive, and may blurt things out that they don’t really mean.
 
Another thing to be aware of is that Neptune, the planet of illusion and delusion, is forming a challenging square aspect to this Mercury/Jupiter conjunction. As such, all may not be entirely as it seems and our powers of discrimination and discernment may be a bit skewed and unreliable. Religious and spiritual delusions are possible when Neptune and Jupiter are involved, so we must be careful in terms of what we accept as the “truth” from other people. We may be more susceptible than usual to indoctrination, as people could be very convincing, overzealous and dogmatic in putting forward their beliefs and version of the truth. We must try not to make any concrete decisions about anything we hear or think during this time, because deception, delusion, glamour, smoke screens and illusion are all possible and may cloud our perception of reality. Our imaginations could run wild in completely the wrong direction! Someone could try and convince us of something that is in fact not true at all! We could even find ourselves questioning our own sanity, as we are unsure of what is real or unreal, true or false. The Mercury Neptune square will be exact on 25 December, while the Neptune Jupiter square will be exact on 13 January.
 
Neptune is also forming a beautiful trine aspect with Venus during this Moon which will be very helpful indeed. Venus represents love, while Neptune represents unconditional love. This lovely, heart-opening combination can help us to recognise one another’s divine potential; to see past the masks and walls and relate to each other’s true spirit and essence. We may be better able than at other times to see past one another’s flaws and idiosyncrasies and accept each other exactly as we are, warts and all. We all have our wounds, insecurities and shadows, and this combo could help us to have more compassion and empathy for our loved ones and, indeed, humanity as a whole. We are all beautiful souls doing the best we can with whatever we have been given. And for some of us, what we have been given is more difficult to bear than others.
 
The Sabian symbol for this Moon, in the very first degree of Cancer, is: “On a ship the sailors lower an old flag and raise a new one.” Which Dane Rudyar describes as “A radical change of allegiance exteriorised in a symbolical act: a point of no return.” This brings the sense of a turning point; some kind of act of free will that changes things significantly. We could be giving up an old way of being, or shedding old habits, or ending something significant in our lives. It does seem, however, that there will be no going back.
 
It is important, during this Moon, to be aware of the potential for over-sensitivity and over-reaction. This is an emotional Moon at an emotional time of year that has the potential to bring up our sore spots and make us quite irrational! This is a good opportunity to recognise how some of our emotional patterns formed in childhood might still be running the show and to practice putting our inner parent to work. This Moon could bring up a lot around our sense of belonging, and make us all too aware of what we are missing, whether that be someone we have lost or the family we wish we had. It is so important to be gentle with ourselves and others during this time, as behind someone’s harsh words or overreactions could be a little child who feels terribly hurt, alone and misunderstood. All is not as it seems, and appearances can be deceiving. It would be good to take a leaf out of Cancer’s book and really nurture our inner child and those of others during this time when we are waiting for the light to return.
 
Much Love
 
Amy
xoxo
 
Picture: Sculpture : “Love” by Alexander Milov
 
My website: www.amybirdartandastrology.com
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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SAGITTARIUS NEW MOON - 7 December 2018

12/5/2018

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Picture
Exact at 7.20am GMT, 2.20am EDT
 
This is an enthusiastic Fire sign Moon with quite a lot of emotional Water energy, so it may be a bit more emotionally intense than your average Sagittarius New Moon. With the Sun and Moon and Jupiter all in Sagittarius, we are encouraged to shoot for the stars and to envision ways to expand our horizons and broaden our scope. Sagittarius is the eternal optimist who gives us the ability to see the bigger picture and not sweat the small stuff. Even the most difficult and painful of circumstances are seen as an opportunity to grow and understand ourselves better. The New Moon in Sagittarius encourages us to have a sense of humour about whatever we are experiencing and to look forward with hope, faith and trust in the benevolence of life. Whatever is happening for us around the time of the New Moon tends to blossom and grow over the course of the month ahead, finding full expression around the time of the Full Moon. As such, any heartfelt intentions that we set during this New Moon have a chance of manifesting later on. It is important, however, that they truly come from our heart and not our ego.
 
This Moon could help us to connect with our truth and to the highest part of our being, so it is important to trust our instincts and intuition. The truth is very important to Sagittarius and so we may find ourselves uncovering our truth and also expressing it to others. Sagittarius energy can be quite blunt, and the truth can sometimes be painful to hear, but it is far better to get things out into the open. As long as we do so from our heart then we know that we have done the right thing. The truth is relative, and so what is true for one person may not be for another, but that doesn’t make it any less valid. This could be a very good Moon for expressing things that have been on our minds and clearing the air. With Venus and Mercury both back in Scorpio we have the chance some profound psychological insight and the ability to really get to the nitty gritty in terms of our own emotional honesty. Mercury is stationary in Scorpio during this Moon, getting ready to turn direct again after his retrograde period, so there is a big emphasis on thoughts and communication that really penetrate to the heart of the matter. This is helped by a harmonious aspect from Chiron the Wounded Healer.  This is not a time for superficial chatter, indeed we could find ourselves having some very intimate and healing conversations that lay our souls bare!
 
Mars is currently in sensitive and compassionate Pisces, which is a strange sign for the warrior planet to be in! This combination could make us feel very tired indeed, as Mars represents our energy levels, conscious desires and capacity for action while Pisces represents the unconscious realms, dreams and the world of spirit. We may not feel as energetic as usual, feeling more tired and prone to feeling overwhelmed by the demands of our busy lives. Our dreams could also be very active. Neptune is also sitting right next to Mars in Pisces, which compounds this energy, so it is important not to rush ourselves and instead honour our need for quiet and rest. Direct action could be difficult during this time and we could literally find that we can’t be bothered, or that we somehow need to be inspired in order to do things. It’s probably best to just surrender and go with the flow of our own river rather than resisting the inevitable. We could also find ourselves feeling quite overwhelmed by anger that comes deep from our unconscious, and could give off angry signals that we are entirely unaware of. It’s important to get to the bottom of what is really, truly bothering us rather than taking it out on the wrong people.
 
This energy of Mars and Neptune is also forming a challenging square aspect to this New Moon. It would be good to harness the positive parts of this combination and use Mars in Pisces to assert ourselves with sensitivity, compassion and grace. We may be forced to find the courage to speak our truth from a loving place, but equally we could find ourselves being passive aggressive and indirect about our anger and resentments. Gentle assertion and fierce compassion is possible here, as is divinely guided action, but equally we could find ourselves giving mixed messages and not being open or direct about whatever is bothering us. It is important to make an effort to be straightforward and honest during this time, as Neptune/Pisces energy can sometimes pull the wool over our eyes and create smoke screens. We may find ourselves much more sensitive, impressionable and weary, and could even feel unclear about our identity and sense of purpose. This combination of planetary energy could be quite ego-dissolving, but equally could be very confusing and disillusioning. It is quite possible that we will want to escape somehow, whether it be through drink, drugs, sleep, television, computer games, etc. There are so many different ways to escape reality!
 
Uranus is still square the Node of the Moon, and this provides the energetic back-drop to our lives at the moment. It is starting to wane now, but nevertheless is still strong. We are being given a chance to liberate ourselves from our old patterns that come from our conditioning and experiences growing up; becoming more aware of these patterns of behaviour that are learned and simply don’t work for us anymore. They are not who we really are, but rather they are a protective shell that we have constructed along the way. It’s time to let the walls down now and discover who we really are. Even if who we really are is shocking to ourselves and others.
 
Uranus is also really waking us up to just how distorted this patriarchal system has become.  With the South Node, Pluto and Saturn all in Capricorn it will become more and more clear over the next 18 months just how flawed the patriarchal world is that we are living in and the imbalance between the masculine and feminine in our culture. We are being encouraged to let go of the Capricornian need for control, suppression, repression, domination, rigid boundaries, authority and blind conformity to the “rules” and to move towards Cancerian sensitivity, vulnerability, family values, softness and focus more on our sense of belonging and our “tribe”. Sometimes things have to get worse to get better, and the next couple of years could really break things apart as the imbalance feels so intolerable that things simply have to change. Interesting times ahead, methinks, both personal and collectively!
 
Some final thoughts on this Sagittarius Moon, as I am confused as to how this Mars/Neptune in Pisces square this New Moon might manifest. All is not necessarily clear, as is the nature of Pisces!. However, it is possible that we could be asked to take a leap of faith during this Moon. Mars allows us to access our courage and act on our desires, and in Pisces those desires could be coming from an unconscious place within us, or they could be coming from the divine. Sagittarius represents faith and trust that everything is happening for a reason.  As such, it is possible that we may be forced to be brave somehow and act from a position of faith and trust rather than the way being clear to us. Mars brings an impulsive quality to this Moon, however, which could also mean that we don’t look before we leap and could be quite angry or confrontational without realising it. It seems that we are being given an opportunity to say our piece, speak our truth and get things off our chest. It is, however, so very important that we do so from a place of compassion and love, and for the good of all. We need to watch out for our blind spots during this Moon!
 
Much Love
 
Amy
xoxo
 
Painting: Leap Of Faith by Lisa DuBois

 

 
 
 
 
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    Amy Bird

    I love writing about the Moon and the effect it has on us all, both collectively and personally. We all look at the same Moon and feel her energy, albeit in different ways. It reminds us that we are not alone and there is something very comforting about that!

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