The Moon is very much at home in Cancer, so this Full Moon could certainly help the emotions to flow freely! There is often a build-up of pressure leading up to a Full Moon, as whatever has been bubbling beneath the surface is brought up into our consciousness by the light of the Moon. This Full Moon is occurring at a particularly sensitive time of the year, between Christmas and New Year, when families are in close proximity and emotions tend to ride high anyway. This is especially so at the end of a year such as this one, when so much has happened and the future is so uncertain. Our emotions could demand release as we have no choice but to feel the feelings and allow our vulnerability to show rather than bottling it all up with silent stoicism and a “stiff upper lip”. This Moon could certainly highlight the difference between the patriarchal and the matriarchal approach, as Capricorn is the sign of the strict parent or father, while Cancer is the sign of the soft, nurturing caretaker or mother.
Cancer represents our family, roots, home, childhood and sense of emotional security, so the energy of this Moon highlights this area of our lives in no uncertain terms! The Moon in sensitive, emotional, nurturing Cancer is sitting directly opposite the Sun in cautious, controlled, responsible Capricorn, the sign that represents our parental and societal conditioning and programming. We are asked to find balance between the two signs rather than veering too far in one direction or the other. Do we tend to rely on others too much to help us feel emotionally secure, or do we suppress our feelings and act like we have everything under control so that we don’t seem irrational or needy? Do we have a healthy balance between our work life and family life? How have we been conditioned to act and react to life and what emotional patterns and responses did we pick up in childhood that are still playing out in our adult relationships? This is an ideal time of year and the perfect Moon to become more aware of these habits and tendencies, as they do tend to show themselves when families are together!
In an ideal world we are able to harness the positive traits of both Cancer and Capricorn by taking responsibility for ourselves and our emotions in a mature and adult way (Capricorn) while also feeling able to show our vulnerability and allow those close to us into our inner landscape (Cancer). It is so easy to put walls up and push loved ones away when we are struggling emotionally, but this can feel very challenging for the person on the receiving end, as it leaves them very much in the dark. The expression “We hurt the ones we love the most” feels very pertinent to the Cancer/Capricorn polarity. One of the big lessons of this axis is to realise that while we cannot control how other people act or react towards us, we do, however, have control over how we handle and process our own emotions in response to their behaviour. Another lesson is to recognise when to reach out for help and when it is more appropriate to take care of ourselves.
This Moon could really highlight the importance of the tribe and how important it is to keep an eye on each other during these uncertain and turbulent times. Cancer reminds us to nurture one another, while Capricorn encourages us to take responsibility for some kind or practice or discipline that is nourishing for ourselves. We may find ourselves contemplating where we belong and who is our tribe. Sometimes our tribe includes our birth family and sometimes it is our soul family that we have gathered along the way; the people who really understand us and vice versa.
Chiron the Wounded Healer is forming a challenging square aspect to the Sun and Moon, which has been strong since 25 December.This could trigger some powerful emotions and also bring up our conditioning and patterns so that we can see them more clearly and even heal them. Chiron is in Aries right now, a sign that is not exactly known for its gentle healing manner, as it prefers the more direct, honest and “tough love” approach! The potential for having old wounds and insecurities poked and prodded is rife during this Moon, but it could be so helpful as it gets the cards out onto the table and helps us to bring old resentment and grievances out into the open for healing. It is important to remember, of course, that Chiron also represents matters around health, which is of course triggering people in different ways right now, depending on our family conditioning and our attitude to health and death.
Uranus, the Great Awakener, Revolutionary and Harbinger of Change, is supporting the Sun and Moon, which could help us to bring in new habits and patterns, inviting us to step out of character and respond in a different way, rather than acting and reacting from our old conditioning. We may come up with new ways to respond to old problems, which could bring a much needed breath of fresh air to our family and relationship dynamics. So much is changing right now, so we are invited to be the change we seek. Uranus in Taurus has been bringing about a radical change in values which is so apparent at the end of this challenging year. We are invited to contemplate what really holds meaning in our lives which, when it comes down to it, is nothing to do with what we own and everything to do with family, friendship, a sense of emotional security and a feeling of belonging.
Venus, the ruler of Uranus in Taurus, is in a very prominent position for this Moon, as it is sitting right on top of the Sagittarius South Node. This could make us very aware of any old, unhealthy patterns and habits of relating, especially around communication. The Nodes are calling us to find ways of expressing our beliefs to one another in ways that are palatable, rather than trying to shove them down one another’s throats. While the Sagittarius South Node gives us our intuitive hunches and a strong sense of what is true and what is not, the Gemini North Node invites us to research and back up this inner knowing with facts and data. With Neptune square the Nodes getting stronger and stronger, it is more and more apparent that the truth is somehow veiled, shrouded and very illusive, which is causing great confusion, loss of meaning and disillusionment. As such, we are encouraged to accept that opinions are just that, opinions, and that nobody exactly knows what the truth is.
The Sabian symbol for Venus and the South Node is interesting and poignant, at 19° Sagittarius: “Pelicans menaced by the behaviour and refuse of men seek safer areas for bringing up their young”, which Dane Rudyar describes as “The need for people concerned with the future to discover a new way of living and more wholesome surroundings. The evident reason for using “pelicans” at this stage of the cyclic process is that tradition tells us that these birds are so concerned with their young that thy give their own blood and flesh to feed their progeny. Whether this is fact or symbol, the meaning of this picture refers to a situation that lately has acquired great urgency. Our technological society is polluting not only our global environment, but the mind and feeling-responses of new generations as well. The search for a new way of life is seen by many people to be imperative. In this symbol we are told that the race’s SURVIVAL has become a matter of extreme importance. Whole animal species may be destroyed by our civilisation; mankind itself is in danger. Going to distant planets is hardly the answer. A generation may have to sacrifice itself for the sake of its descendants”.
Neptune, the planet of sacrifice, is very much highlighted right now, with its growing square to the Nodes. The lower vibration of Neptune brings confusion, smoke screens, propaganda, illusions appearing real, delusion, deception, escapism, entertainment, drug and alcohol abuse, burying our heads in the sand, fogginess, fantasy, trance, “glamour”, enchantment, spells and magic. Indeed, there is the potential for some kind of “spell” being cast that puts one in a trance, both personally or collectively, through whatever means are available. Neptune is the master of illusion, potions and the subliminal message.
However, the higher vibration of Neptune encourages us to turn within for the answers we seek. In our seclusion we are invited to develop a more tangible connection to Spirit and the Divine so that we can cultivate a greater sense of faith, hope and trust in our own internal guidance system. We are encouraged to listen to the subtle cues and messages that our bodies give us when we are given information to process, and to pay attention to our dreams. We all intuitively know the truth; it’s just a case of developing greater trust in this inner knowing. We are invited to pray for those we love, for the world we live in and for the world our children will inherit. Neptune shows us the true meaning of unconditional love, devotion, acceptance, compassion, empathy, forgiveness and unity. Neptune sometimes asks us to sacrifice something on a personal level for the sake of an ideal and for the higher good of all. Sometimes this is a big sacrifice, while sometimes it is a minor inconvenience that still helps to make a difference in terms of the bigger picture. Some things are more important than our short term comfort and happiness..
In the meantime, Jupiter and Saturn are now officially in Aquarius, the sign that represents the people, brother/sisterhood, equality, freedom and helps us to liberate ourselves from societal and parental programming and conditioning. Instead of blindly accepting all we are told by those in authority, we are encouraged to question the status quo, think for ourselves and take responsibility for the kind of world we want to live in. This is a forward thinking, progressive sign that invites us to march to the beat of our own drum rather than following the herd. We may need to go through some kind of breakdown of our beliefs, as we are forced to question what we have hitherto accepted to be the “truth”, but this is a necessary process for growth. Sometimes breakdown is necessary in order to bring about breakthrough!
The Sabian symbol for the Full Moon feels appropriate in the light of this recent shift of energy, at 9° Cancer: ”A small, naked girl bends over a pond trying to catch a fish”, which Rudyar describes as ”The first naïve quest for knowledge and for an ever-elusive understanding of life. The “small, naked girl” symbolises the innocent and spontaneous mind, as yet unclothed in cultural patterns and unrestrained by don’t’s, trying to satisfy its curiosity about what seems mysterious and fleeting. In a sense the “pond” is the infant’s mind with a very limited scope of consciousness, yet eagerly reaching out to catch the swift and elusive first realisations of the meaning of life. We are confronted with the nascent curiosity about knowledge, a curiosity which makes the little mind reach out in spontaneity, rather than merely imitate the elders. Whenever a person is confronted with this symbol he or she should realise that there is much value indeed in simply reaching out with a pure and unconditioned mind to the most elementary experiences which natural life offers to us. The key here is PURITY IN UNDERSTANDING”.
This symbol brings a sense of attitudes changing and of us being asked to look at the current situation with fresh eyes and an open, curious, unbiased mind. This Moon certainly does feel powerful, emotional and profoundly healing! It will be especially potent for anyone with personal planets or angles around 8° of the Cardinal signs Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn There is no doubt that we are facing some challenges with Chiron square the Sun and Moon, although it is up to us how we respond to it all. Neptune square the Nodes is also bringing the potential for chaos and confusion, but it does offer us the opportunity to rise above it all, dream a new reality into being and remember to live in the here and now rather than living in the past or worrying about the future. The only thing we have absolute control over is how we respond and react in the present moment to whatever situation or person is put in front of us. We are encouraged to act with integrity, maturity, kindness, sensitivity and compassion in that moment, as we never know what the person in front of us is going through. In the words of Charles Kingsley: “Do as you would be done by”.
Much Love
Amy
xoxo
Picture: Make a Little Birds Nest in your Soul - Jennifer Ross