Full Moon in Cancer: Deep Roots

Roots   Glendalough, Ireland

Full Moon in Cancer
January 15, 2014 11:52 pm EST
January 16, 2014 4:52 am GMT

... Before diving in to explore tomorrow night's rich Full Moon, let me acknowledge I misspoke in my last post in saying this would be a Capricorn Full Moon. It's not, it's in the cozy sign of hearth and home, Cancer. And yet, I wasn't wrong to focus on Cap energy for these last weeks––it's intense, right? It is for me, anyway.

In my time zone, tomorrow's Full Moon arrives at pumpkin time, when the fairytale sparkle disappears and we turn back into who we really are, soot and all. Which is just what this Full Moon is about, in a way––not the magical, ethereal, pie-in-the-sky, but the mundane, everyday reality.

Boooooring, you say? But think about it. It's only when the prince comes to find Cinderella where she really lives that the happy ending happens. This Full Moon is about that part. It's about seeing where we actually are in all its quirkiness and rough edges, and seeing the happy there.

The Full Moon is part of a Grand Cardinal Cross, which means stuff wants to happen. The Sun and Moon opposite (as always at the Full Moon). The Sun is widely conjunct Venus, with Pluto just outside range (but still a presence to be felt). The Moon is conjunct asteroid Lilith and widely conjunct Jupiter. The other sides of the Grand Cross are held by Mars, Vesta and Ceres in Libra, and Eris in Aries.

It's an interesting mix. Capricorn and Cancer are the signs of traditional, the way it's always been done. Venus in Capricorn amps up the traditional vibe, and Jupiter in Cancer makes it all bigger.

We could see this Full Moon as a call to return to traditional values, that (mythical) golden age: "In those days spirits were brave, the stakes were high, men were REAL men, women were REAL women, and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri were REAL small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri."

... except I couldn't resist putting that Doug Adams quote in, and that tells you there's something more going on with this Full Moon.

Because what are these "traditions" anyway? Aren't they constructions? Yes, it's true, culture itself is a construction but today we're far more influenced by advertising than human (and humane) concerns.

The presence of Pluto, Lilith and Eris challenge us to ask the deeper questions about what's real, and what's important.

The Moon is strong in her home sign of Cancer, brim full of traditional womanhood. And yet, Lilith stands with her, as close as close, challenging us to look beyond apple pie and gingham aprons to the real strength and power of women.

Venus and Mars move toward a perfect square, offering enough switches to confuse even the staunchest traditionalist: Venus in Capricorn, hard-nosed and pragmatic, in a sign thought of as masculine but actually feminine (it's in Earth). Mars in Libra, charming and diplomatic, in a sign leaning toward the feminine but actually masculine (it's in Air).

With all the asteroid asteroid goddesses in the mix, there are so many female role models, all we can do is throw up our hands and say, who are we, really? (And I mean all of we, not only the women we.)

That "who are we, really?" is the illumination of the Full Moon. As always, check your birth chart to see where the Full Moon's light will fall. But consider these questions and maybe take them into your dreaming with you tomorrow night:

Who am I when I'm at home? Who am I when I really need to get something done––when the rubber meets the road? Who am I deep down, when the glamour and the fancy goes away, when the party's over and it's just me with the toothbrush looking in the mirror?

That person, that you deep down, is the one who can bring you (and me and each of us) to the happy ending. Maybe by going out and getting it (Capricorn) or maybe by realizing we already have it at home (Cancer).

Or maybe (probably) a little of both. Wishing you moonlight on your face tomorrow night.
    

Waning Moon in Cancer: Comfort and Contempt

The Old Rectory, Westport, Ireland

Yesterday's Last Quarter Moon rode high in sunny skies all day for me, as I explored Achill Island in County Mayo. I couldn't help be aware of the turning corner, as we move closer to the New Moon in Libra.

Plenty of intense transits in the sky these days, and lots going on. Friends are reporting challenges, dark nights, fog and mist. Meanwhile, I am held in a halycon time of extra warmth, an unusual weather pattern for Ireland, days of sun, warm breezes, and white clouds, even as the bracken turns to cinnamon.

So I've been thinking about this idea that challenging transits come along to shake things up and force us out of our comfort zone. The Moon in Cancer, where she is today and was for yesterday's Last Quarter, loves her comforts and detests change. East or west, home's best, for her.

And that word "comfort" means strength, solace. Why on earth would we deliberately court weakness? Why upset ourselves?

Why, indeed?

I think it has to do with the old adage, familiarity breeds contempt. Now, that's not always true. Yet we do tend to take things for granted when they are familiar, comfortable.

If I have never before driven a car on the left side of the road, a car with the steering wheel and controls on the right, never used a GPS, never driven on narrow roads bordered by stone walls and 12-foot hedges––well, I can't just drive on autopilot to get from point A to point B, can I?

I guarantee, I cannot. I must, must pay attention to what's going on around me. At first, that attention is shot through with intense anxiety. Eventually, I find I can do it––and yet the sense of the new and unusual is still there. The world doesn't look the same. My relationship to it changes.

The word "shake" comes from the Old English, and meant then what it means now: rapid movement, agitation. But it also has roots in another word that means flight, flee, and depart. When we depart from familiar routines, our perceptions are shaken up. We see things differently.

I still think there's something wrong with the idea of getting 'outside our comfort zone' (and the Cancerian Moon would agree). The current fascination with adrenaline, for example: Danger as enlightenment ... a snare and a delusion, in my view. Just another way the sellers of "high" keep us hooked to consumption.

Instead, I'd like to advocate for a broadening of attention, a way to widening our field of vision and softening our gaze. "Attend" harks back, ultimately, to the word tendere, which means stretch ... to pay attention is to stretch toward something, to lean into it.

Yes, we're in a crucible of transformation. Yes, it is sometimes exquistely uncomfortable, even painful. Yes, the only way out is through.

And, and ...

farmhouse door, Co Mayo, Ireland

The world is filled with beauty and tenderness. Ordinary things––birds in a hedge, hot tea in a mug, turning a key in a lock––can open us to deep perceptions as surely as bungee jumping.

We're in the last quarter of the lunar cycle, when we choose what to let go of, and how to let it go. When we become acutely aware,  on this day when the Cancerian Moon conjunct Jupiter and trines Venus in Scorpio, of how much we love our familiar lives and how that's exactly the point.

So, plan for the extraordinary and do it ... take the trip you dreamed of, write the book, have the conversation ... and also know that if your life right now has no openings for anything other than the usual and familiar, you have everything you need to transform into the most beautiful phoenix anyway.

Love the familiar, look at it from a different angle, and all we need is there.
    

Balsamic Moon in Cancer: The Weight of the Heart

cozy at home with the Cancer Moon

Balsamic Moon in Cancer
September 1, 2013
8:29 am EDT / 1:29 pm GMD

Today we enter the final release before the coming New Moon in Virgo. This is the time in the lunar cycle to let go of what we no longer need, prune away what is unhealthy, compost what is finished. We're preparing new ground while clearing away the old.

The Cancerian Moon is strong in her home sign, wanting nothing more than to curl up at home with a good book and a strong cup of tea, having first checked that all her loved ones are safe at home as well.

The Moon is void of course all day today, and while I no longer emphasize the importance of void Moons as I used to, it's intriguing we have another sign suggesting we keep our heads down today.

Except, the world isn't exactly letting us, is it?

Americans especially, and the world at large, wait to see what the US government will do in Syria. In in surprise move overnight, Obama has put things "on hold" which seems like a good move astrologically. We're now holding our collective breath, hoping to step away from yet another brink.

Political astrology is not my expertise, but I'll note this Balsamic Moon is conjunct the US Mercury (in the Sibley chart) and inconjunct the US Moon at 24 Aquarius. May our nation weigh the consequences of its actions carefully for families everywhere in the world, taking counsel from the heart and releasing any need to "take a stand" only to "take a stand." Sometimes standing our ground is the right course; let's just please be really sure it is.

For us personally (and a Cancer Moon feels very personal), these are days to feel where we are now.

The Sun trines alchemical Pluto today, so it's quite possible we'll (finally) get clarity on what the next step is on our transformational path.

I think most of us have now accepted the inevitability of big change, and some have even embraced it––sometimes the trickiest thing is figuring out what to do next. We could get some light on that now.

But how do we feel about it? We're heading into a Virgo New Moon, the Sun already in Virgo, working with Pluto.

Today's Balsamic Moon probably isn't on board yet. There are emotions floating around: anxieties, regrets, nostalgia, even enjoyment of things as they are and love of what we already have in our lives. Aren't things better as they are? Why rock the boat?

Today's Moon is conjunct Pallas Athena, ready to take a cool, calm view. Eris, goddess of discord, squares the Moon from fiery Aries, while trining Vesta in Leo, the goddess ready to stand on her own and be who she is. This trio shows us how to be independent and step outside the box. Yet right now, they could feel pushy.

Here's the thing. The Moon in Cancer often prefers to stay put, hold on, dig in her heels. Emotions like to move. Emotions need to move. The challenge of this Balsamic time will be to stay with our feelings (when other forces urge practicality and action) while also allowing our feelings to move, to lead us into areas where reflection and processing and (yes) release are needed.

Allow time over the next few days to attend to emotions. Notice what triggers strong feeling. Follow the wave, noticing how things shift (and they will shift) as you pay attention while letting things move. Try to stay with what your body feels, instead of going right away to labels and reasons.

Doing this over the next days will bring comfort to the Cancerian Moon, which is good, because when Momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. More than that, though, following the waves of emotion will bring new information to the surface, shifting our understanding and alerting us to what we can let go of, to prepare for the new to come.
    

Our Place: The New Moon in Cancer

group hug!

New Moon in Cancer
July 8, 2013 3:14 am EDT

We're swimming in deep waters these days, wondering whether our water wings will keep us afloat.

As the New Moon draws near, it's time to take a breather, float a moment, and check in.

Mercury retrograde's weird challenges are showing up with a murky, where-did-that-come-from? quality. In the midst of strong emotions and mixed messages, remember that Mercury retro's main message is to sloooooow down.

When odd things come up, asking "Where did that come from?" is actually a good idea, especially when we focus less on the event and more on our reaction. Something unexpected happened ... where did my anger/ fear/ sadness/ irritation come from? (Probably not primarily from the unexpected something.)

As we roll into the Balsamic Moon, the waning Crescent, we have the chance to let go, let go, let go.

The Balsamic Moon sits close to the end of patient, careful, and sometimes stubborn Taurus. We can hold on to the past for dear life, or we can relinquish what's over and done, secure in the bone-deep knowing that change is inevitable and right.

Vesta, goddess of renewal, is poised at the very end of nurturing and tribal Cancer. A fierce protector of home and hearth, she also knows that cycles of time and chance keep spiraling. We can all be made new, again and again.

As we are about to be––made new, that is––with the New Moon in the Moon's home sign of Cancer.

The sign of Cancer is all about family love, in all its forms: the tender love of a mother nursing her baby, overprotective love that keeps the toddler away from mess and dirt, controlling love that wants to create safety where none can be guaranteed, sacrificial love that works two jobs and goes without so others can have, heart-burstingly-proud love that lets someone grow into new roles and ways of being even when it means they also grow farther away.

This is the place of nurturing, where families form and break, where tribes create unbreakable bonds.

We cannot be human and wholly alone. Even hermits in their caves relate to the world left behind. We grow up in tribes, big and small, groups that shape us, protect us, define us, and sometimes send us into exile. Who we perceive ourselves to be is created in the the context of the groups we inhabit.

Am I saying we are nothing more than our group memberships? Not at all. We have our own personalities, predispositions, histories, and experiences. But how we interpret who we are on the inside is shaped by how we are seen by others on the outside.

This is tough for us to see clearly. Like fish, we can't see the water we're swimming in. At this New Moon, we'll have the chance to see the water.

The New Moon in Cancer arrives with not one, but two Grand Trines in Water. The first is the Saturn–Neptune trine that's been around for a few weeks now, activated into "Grand" as different planets moved into early Cancer. At the New Moon, this first trine will be Saturn–Jupiter–Neptune.

finding family

Saturn and Jupiter are the "social planets," bridging from the inner personality to the outer world. Neptune is the dreamer, the mystic, the poet, and (of course) the ocean.

This first Grand Water Trine lets us know we're in waters that connect the social and the cosmic, the ability to dream and to make it real.

The second Grand Water Trine includes the New Moon itself plus Mercury, trining the North Node of the Moon in shadowy Scorpio, and also Chiron the wounded healer in visionary Pisces. This Grand Trine makes the social into something very, very personal. Here we have the two lights in the sky, plus the planet of mind and communication, flowing energy with a powerful healer and mentor, and the arrow pointing to our karmic path.

At this New Moon, we get a new view of our emotional, familial and tribal waters. At the same time, we're offered a path of healing that also creates meaning.

This is a New Moon for making wishes and setting intentions in the arenas of family, tribe, relationships, and how we experience and manage the complex emotional landscapes that accompany them.

Just in case we're missing the importance of relationship, Venus in passionate Leo holds a key position at the New Moon.

Venus sits at the apex of a yod (also known as a Finger of Fate) ready to balance pushy energies from transformative Pluto and Chiron the wounded healer. She's also receiving a flow of fiery trine energy from revolutionary Uranus. Last but not least, she's squaring the Nodes of the Moon.

So making the most of this New Moon is not all about endless sacrifice (a Cancerian specialty often accompanied by extra helpings of guilt). This New Moon is also and importantly about our own passionate and creative hearts.

friends forever

At this New Moon we might wish (for example) to find our tribe, the people who will support our creative gifts and the place where we can be who we truly, uniquely are.

We might set the intention to begin shining within the family we already have, to bring our creativity and passion into play in ways that strengthen and enliven the ones we love.

We might set intentions for healing old family and tribal wounds, and releasing old emotional patterns that get in the way.

We are social animals. All of our complexity––body, mind, soul, spirit––exists in relation to others. At this New Moon, we have a window in time through which we can see how we are held in relationships, and then act on what we learn. May our actions support all of us in loving ways.
    
    

Toward the Full Moon: Grounding Our Power

strength!

First Quarter Moon in Cancer
April 18, 2013 8:31 am EDT
Gibbous Moon in Virgo
April 22, 2013 5:04 am EDT
Full Moon in Scorpio
April 25, 2013 3:57 pm EDT

The fiery energy of new beginnings continues as the driving force in the sky now. Sun, Mars, Eris, Uranus and Mercury all continue in Aries. We have seen the explosive, destructive aspects of Aries and so it's important to hold in thought and heart the cleansing, regenerating, pioneering aspects as well.

Wednesday, April 17, in the evening, the Sun and Mars reach their conjunction, one peak of this energy of new beginnings and life force. If you've not already seen signs of whatever you wished for at the New Moon, this may be a time when new green shoots emerge into the light. If you find yourself caught up in anger, irritation, or similar emotions, this could also be a peak time––taking steps to increase calm is a good idea.

Thursday morning, April 18, brings the First Quarter Moon. This is the challenge between Moon and Sun when we're asked, Really? Did you mean that stuff you said? Here's what it might look like, so be sure, now ...  The Sun in late Aries, the Moon in late Cancer, each strong in their signs, will be testing each other.

The Sun says, go, go now! Reach for it, that thing you want, explore, step out, live large! The Moon says, is it safe? How will this affect the children? What do the ancestors say? How does it feel?

The Sun is supported by Mars and Eris, tipping the scales on the side of leaping, net or no. The Moon in Cancer is strong too, though, and very protective. We'll feel the need to honor both sides.

Friday, April 20, we'll see a conjunction of Mercury and Uranus. This pairing electrifies speech the way Sun–Mars electrified action. We could find ourselves speaking out strongly––so if we're in situations where this could create more problems than it solves, planning ahead, working to maintain calm, and thinking before speaking could be vital.

Mercury and Uranus together also offers energy for intense, sudden, unexpected insights. If there's a problem you're working on, this could be the day for a radical solution to present itself. Intuitive flashes can be strong too; keep a notebook handy.

We'll continue to feel the fire, and we'll have increasing chances to channel this energy into stable, long-term growth. This new stability has already begun: Venus has already moved into Taurus, one of her home signs.

Where Aries is flash and quickness, Taurus is warm, steady glow. This is fixed Earth, the sign of the patient gardener, the energy with staying power, loyalty, and commitment. Venus entered Taurus in the early hours of Monday, April 15, beginning the shift.

When Venus is in Taurus, we long for relationships that offer support, compassion, security, and pleasure. We appreciate those we have, and we feel ready to offer compassion to others. Pallas Athena and the South Node of the Moon are already in Taurus. Venus' arrival begins to re-focus our attention from instant gratification to something that will last.

The Sun enters Taurus Friday evening, April 19. Mars joins the Taurus garden party early Saturday morning, April 20.

When the Gibbous Moon arrives on April 22, the emphasis on Earth is much stronger. This is the square-and-a-half between Sun and Moon that again tests our commitment to our New Moon plans ... but notice all the Earth in this chart.

Here we see Sun, Mars and Venus in Taurus, and the Moon in Virgo. The Gibbous Moon question is likely to be, can we be patient enough to see our plans through? Aries energy loves to start, and isn't always around for the finish. Taurus and Virgo point us toward patience and steady effort, which may feel like a welcome change or like a frustrating block.

Notice how I'm offering lots of either/or's? It's because there are some big shifts, as well as energy peaks, happening now, and how we feel them will depend on where we've been, and how we've handled the energy up til now.

If the Aries fireworks have felt wonderfully enlivening, the shift into Taurus could feel like someone's hit the brakes. If this Aries intensity has felt overwhelming, the arrival of Taurus will feel wonderful.

Wherever we've been (and it's likely been a mix of both, actually), a worthy goal is to harness Aries fire and flow the power into something slower, stronger, and long-lasting.

The Full Moon arrives on the 25th with the extra juice of a partial lunar eclipse. I'll write more on this powerful Moon later, but here's a peek at the chart.

For this next week or so, continue noticing how power feels to you––the power around you, the power flowing through you, the power directed at you, and the power you direct. Where is it electric, fiery, fast, and (sometimes) furious? Where is it slow, steady, grounded, and stable? When is one good? When is the other a better choice? Can you shift one kind of flow to another?

These are the kinds of power questions to explore now.
    

Full Moon in Cancer: There's No Place Like Home

home as refuge ...

Full Moon in Cancer
December 28, 2012

Before dawn on Friday, December 28 (EST), the Full Moon in Cancer arrives... which means we're heading into some nights of deep, meaningful dreaming.

Cancer is the Moon's home sign, filled with emotional connection, protectiveness, nurturing, and all traditional values of home and hearth. And since we're living in these amazing times, this Full Moon is also surrounded by transformative energy illuminating questions like: What is home? Where is home? Where do I feel at home?

I'm writing this in the middle of a blizzard that's brought this town and the surrounding counties to a halt. The university and city are closed, only emergency drivers are allowed on the road, and snow is still falling. I am at home, likely to be here through tomorrow at least, and thankful for electricity and internet.  Makes it interesting to be looking at this Full Moon chart.

Let's look at what this Full Moon brings ... At each Full Moon, the Moon and Sun are opposite, looking each other full in the face and paying close attention. This Full Moon happens at 7 Cancer for the Moon and 7 Capricorn for the Sun. Cardinal Water and cardinal Earth, these are two of the most traditional signs of the zodiac.

The Sun is conjunct Pluto, also in Capricorn, and sextile Saturn in Scorpio. Pluto and Saturn remain in mutual reception, residing for now in each other's houses, resonating more deeply than usual. These guys are on the same wavelength, which is one of deep, deep commitment to structure, physical manifestation, and the space-time matrix we inhabit––and also to complete and utter change.

Pluto and Saturn each form inconjuncts to Jupiter who remains retrograde in Gemini––I've written about this yod, this finger of fate, in earlier posts. The fundamental shifts we're experiencing now also call for shifts in our worldview, our philosophy of life.

The Full Moon is aligned with this yod of tectonic, evolutionary change. One of the paradoxes of our manifest world is highlighted for us at this Moon: That change itself is part of life. Our most cherished traditions must change to remain alive. Anything we try to fix in place, forever and ever, becomes dead.

The holders of tradition are strong at this Full Moon––the Moon and Saturn, Cancer and Capricorn––and the wisdom keepers themselves are saying, look, nothing stays the same.

This is not a comfortable place to be.

In some areas of life, we all look for the best kinds of changes. We want to be safer, more secure, more prosperous, happier. We want our children and families to have those things too. We long for a better world, a more peaceful and compassionate one. And yet ... we don't want to give up anything to get there, not really, and we all have something––an idea, a belief, a commitment, something––we do. not. want. to change.

This Full Moon might show us where change is happening anyway.

This edgy relationship we have to "home" is reflected in David Whyte's FB post from this morning. (I love synchronicity.):

Ground
is what lies beneath our feet. It is the place where we already stand; a state of recognition, the place or the circumstances to which we belong whether we wish to or not. It is what holds and supports us, but also what we do not want to be true; it is what challenges us, physically or psychologically, irrespective of our abstract needs. It is the living, underlying foundation that tells us where we are, what season it is and what is about to happen, To come to ground is to find a home in circumstances and to face the truth, no matter how difficult that truth may be; to come to ground is to begin to step into difficulty and through all difficulty…

From the Forthcoming Essay “Ground”
© David Whyte 

So, check where this Full Moon falls in your chart, which houses the Sun and Moon are in, and which planets in your chart are aspected. This will likely point to places in your life where basic assumptions, things assumed to be always true, and what you count on to stay the same, might be shifting.

The intent of this Full Moon is not to leave us homeless or ungrounded. Instead, it's meant to show us that this life is more ark than fortress, more journey than staying put. We carry "home" with us wherever we go. Change is growth is life.
     

Disseminating Moon: Gently

Peasant Woman Cooking by a Fire – Van Gogh

Disseminating Moon in Cancer
December 2, 2012

Today's Disseminating Moon rests in her home sign of Cancer, a wonderful day for hot chocolate, warm fires, good books, and hugs. That's my choice, anyway, because outside it's raw, chilly, grey and rainy––opposites that capture this Moon.

The waxing cycle we just completed (survived?), from the Scorpio New Moon to the Gemini Full Moon, both with eclipses, was something for the record books. Now we're past the Full, the dust is settling, and we're wondering what it was we were trying to do, just before it all got crazy.

At the Disseminating Moon, the Sun and Moon are sesquiquadrate, a square and a half, an edgy angle that has a bit of "WTF?" in it. Today's Disseminating Moon is gentler, with a quirky sense of humor: the Sun's in optimistic Sagittarius, leaving the high-energy trine with Uranus behind, and the Moon (as I mentioned) hiding in her Cancerian castle. They're not quite on the same wavelength, but can still talk.

The Moon today trines the North Node in Scorpio, who is conjunct Mercury in Scorpio, and sextiles the South Node––messages from the past, from home, from our inner knowing help inform our next steps on the life path. Or maybe we get some rest, if only for a day or so!

There's a new Grand Trine in Water today, anchored by that same Moon, including the North Node and Pallas Athena in dreamy Pisces. Again, we see messages that combine head and heart, the logical and the visionary, flowing into our next steps.

This idea of balancing head and heart comes up again, in a yod (finger of fate) which also includes the Moon and the South Node, pointing at Juno in Sagttarius. Yes, we're going forward, yes, we're excited about what's just over the horizon, and sure, we need advice from the past––our past, the deep past, the body. OK, we promise to listen this time.

There is some tension around getting things done vs. stopping to listen: As the Sun and Moon are sesquiquadrate, so Pluto and Mars in just-do-it Capricorn are sesquiquadrate the South Node. There are needs out there in the world that urgently call for action. What are we doing about it?

And yet it all comes back to that Moon in Cancer... sometimes we all need a little down time, a chance to take a breath, check our supplies, review the plan.

Today is that day.
    

Last Quarter Moon: When It's Darkest

Starry Night Over the Rhone –– Van Gogh

Last Quarter Moon in Cancer
October 8, 2012

So, let's acknowledge up front that things feel a bit bleak, now Saturn has followed Mercury into Scorpio.

They're trining Neptune and Chiron in watery Pisces. The Moon's in Cancer, at her most emotional, and Venus is in anxious Virgo.

I've already seen Facebook posts from usually cheery friends talking about climbing back into bed with hot cocoa and blankets, even though the sky is blue and clouds fluffy. This is internal weather we're talking about, and sometimes a lovely day just makes it worse.

We're in a Shadowy season, and this year's will be more intense than usual. Those of us interested in psychology reach for the James Hillman. Fantasy fans may find cheery tales just don't cut it right now. Happy endings? I double-dog-dare ya.

Sooooo ... what do we do with all this heaviness?

Satire is always good, while remembering the distinction between satire and mere sarcasm. Scorpio excels at both.

Creative work is an excellent choice. Saturn loves form. He's trining gifted Neptune, with communicative Mercury and mentoring Chiron in close attendance. This pattern pushes us to go beyond wallowing in drama du jour, and instead see what it's made of, what can be made of it, and––in the process––what we're made of.

Wallowing is a bit of an issue when the Moon's in Cancer, which is exactly the challenge presented by tomorrow's Last Quarter Moon. The Sun's at 15 Libra, the Moon at 15 Cancer, and the Water Trine is Grand, with Saturn, Mercury, Neptune and Chiron as described and Ceres (Demeter) holding the third corner in emotional Cancer.

At the Last Quarter, we turn toward the coming New Moon, and look at what we need to let go of ... but, oops, Cancer and Scorpio hate to let go of anything. Old patterns? Check. Hurts and losses? Check. Grudges and resentments? Check. We've got 'em, and they're all up for review. Sounds fun, huh?

This is where the good side of Saturn comes to the fore. (Yes, Saturn has a good side.) This is the serious guy, the one who wants to see hard work, responsibility, commitment and patience. Raising a sardonic eyebrow at all this emotional baggage, Saturn asks whether any of it really matters.

Which issues contribute to our lives going forward, and which are so much dead weight? Which ones are we ready to commit serious time and effort to understanding, and which can we just let go of, right now, this week? Suddenly we notice things on the list not worth worrying about ... sure, pitch those over the side ... buh bye!

The opportunity at this Last Quarter Moon is to commit to spending serious Saturnian time with the real issues in our lives and let the rest go. With Saturn in Scorpio, we're in for some heavy weather, and traveling light is an excellent choice.

It's time for realism. The old proverb "It's always darkest just before the dawn" is not helpful, and not true. It's darkest right in the middle of the night, and that's where we're headed.

Instead, I offer Emerson: "When it's dark enough, you can see the stars." This, I like. Darkness offers contrast, the velvety blackness that makes any spark stand out. I've been in caves deep beyond any ambient light. It's surprisingly comforting ... and wow, do candles look great!

At this Last Quarter Moon, we've got Uranus in fiery Aries lighting a huge candle. He's at the apex of a yod with Saturn and Mercury on one side and Venus on the other, sextiling each other. So, he's the answer, the way out, the light in dark places when all other lights go out.

Sagittarean Mars is trining Uranus, boosting Fire's energy exponentially, combining to offer a double-edged sword: Are we looking for piercing personal insight, or a torch to burn something down? Could work either way.

The Chicago Marathon is today, another setting in which blazing energy and long-term commitment combine to create success. I'm not a runner myself, but some of my nieces are running––I wish them well; may Aries and Uranus put wings on their feet, and Scorpio ensure their energy never gives out!

For the rest of us, let's pull those tired old issues out into the light, and toss the ones we don't need onto our personal bonfire of the vanities. We commit to a journey into the depths for important issues, but not for trivial matters that are just. so. over.
    

Balsamic Moon: Security and Sensitivity

Cancerian depths: sensitive, self-protective, inky

Balsamic Moon in Cancer: August 13, 2012

The Balsamic Moon, last aspect in this waning cycle, brings us back into the sign of July's New Moon, sensitive and nurturing Cancer. Arriving tomorrow (Monday) evening EDT, this pause in the lunar round asks, What do we need to let go of now?

The night sky is already dark, the Moon almost invisible. We've been through the heady emotions of the Cancerian lunar cycle, reached the heights of the Full Moon in Aquarius, shared what we learned with the Disseminating Moon and now ... now we prepare the ground for the next turn of the wheel.

This Balsamic Moon is likely to feel deeply. Conjunct with Venus, in her own home sign, this Moon is deeply aware of relationships. Flowing trines with Neptune and Chiron heighten emotionality, deepening our connection with energies of both wounding and healing.

This is the mothering Moon, the Black Madonna, Kwan Yin, filled with compassion for those she loves. This Moon accepts the hurts of the tribe, showering grace and healing on all who ask.

This Moon can also feel everything she needs and doesn't have, insecure, holding on to old hurts, ready to manipulate those around her in an attempt to fill the emptiness. At this Balsamic time, we can pinpoint where we're hurting.

The push toward resolution is strong: This Balsamic Moon–Venus is part of a T-square with Pluto the alchemist and Uranus the revolutionary. No sitting still, wallowing in the past––it's time to transform, move into a new way of seeing, and especially of feeling.

The semisquare from the Sun in bright Leo adds a personal push. This Leonine Sun connects with the heart, urging us to say what we need to say, and shine our light with creativity and passion.

At the Balsamic Moon, the Sun forms sesquiquadrates (square and a half) to Pluto and Uranus, putting Leo's brilliance at the apex of a Finger of the World that says, Look! Listen! Pay Attention!

The Sun is also sextile Mars and Saturn together in Libra, a flowing but edgy connection. Mars and Saturn together can be angry, although less so in Libra, where Saturn is in exaltation and Mars is in detriment. At its best, this combination points us toward right action, the path that is responsible and fair.

Mercury, now direct in Leo, moves into a flowing trine with Uranus and semisextile with the Moon and Venus. This energy supports clear, direct thinking and communication––and can also shade into self-righteous anger, shock, and outrage.

So we find ourselves in a dark Moon phase filled with an intense combination of compassion, neediness, commitment to right action, grasping at what we desire, and ongoing pressure to change, change, change.

This is another of those choice points we seem to be stumbling over at every turn these days. We can wrap ourselves in old hurts and shake our fist at the sky, as magnificent and doomed as Lear. Or we can step into the cauldron, slake off the old, leaden shell, and rise like a phoenix at the Leo New Moon so soon to arrive.

It's hard to see in the dark, but I'm hoping for the phoenix.
    

New Moon in Cancer: Rolling in the Deep

yep

New Moon in Cancer: July 18-19, 2012

This New Moon arrives in my time zone just after midnight tonight, straddling a waning and waxing day as she straddles a waning and waxing cycle.

Born in the depths of Cancerian waters, this is no quiet wallflower waiting her turn to dance. This New Moon is a blues singer in the spotlight, ringed with smoky darkness. All eyes on her, she sings her heart out.

So, sure, Adele's Rolling in the Deep is overplayed and much parodied. But listen to that lyric again, with ears tuned to the Uranus–Pluto square triggered again by Mars in Libra. Listen with an awareness of Mercury retrograde in Leo, sextiling Libran Mars as together they form a Yod to Chiron.

This New Moon brings intense tenderness. We might feel lots of past hurt, present hurt, the hurt of the world, the hurt of the ages. Do we drown in it? Or find the fire hidden in the water, reaching for the fever pitch that brings us out the dark?

Cancer is emotional, guarded and a cardinal sign. The New Moon in Cancer is not about to sit still; she's taking action. The lady might sing the blues, but she's no one's fool. Blues music is about roots, loving and hurting, scars and moving on, about life.

Squaring Saturn, this New Moon knows about consequences––the ones that come from what we do, and the ones that come from what we fail to do.

Together, the New Moon and Saturn are sesquiquadrate Chiron, a Finger of the World; again, the wounded healer steps forward, inviting us to create beauty from the inevitable messes of this world.

Chiron squares the Jupiter–Ceres conjunction hanging out with the Moon's South Node and Venus, and together they form sesquiquadrates back to Saturn, another Finger of the World.

We're looped back to matters of the heart, and of the past, shown where we're wounded, and pushed to do something about it.

Where is it time to turn a corner in our emotional lives? Where are we stuck in old patterns––family patterns, ancestral ones, life patterns, relationships––that beg for transformation? Look to where this New Moon falls in your birth chart for clues.

The last New Moon in bright, agile Gemini showed us where to press the reset button in our thoughts. This Cancerian New Moon offers no quick fixes. This New Moon is about feelings, those dark waters we'd rather rise above.

Emotions don't go away when we ignore, resist, explain away, meditate through, repress, or intellectualize them. They go into the body––our body––and stay until they're acknowledged. Emotions want to be felt, and then ... move. Deep feelings don't like to be stuck any more than we do. It's about allowing, processing, letting go. Can we do it?

This New Moon forms creative quintiles with Mars, while Leonine Mercury quintiles Saturn. With these patterns, our emotions can move, take form, and find passionate expression. We can flow with this energy and turn sorrow into treasure gold.

Don't underestimate the things that I will do.
    

Summer Solstice: Diving into the Moon

Sailing into the Solstice

Summer Solstice: June 20, 2012

What a difference a day makes!

The astrological Solstice arrives this evening (EDT) as the Sun shifts into Cancer, sign of the Moon.

The Moon herself is already there, having moved back home not long after the Gemini New Moon.

With Mercury already in Cancer, and visionary Neptune trining the Sun, we dive from the bright, buzzy heights of Gemini into the cooler depths of Cancerian waters.

This hinge of the year is a good time for making New Moon wishes. Those wishes will be most powerful if aligned with the New Moon's special energies (see yesterday's post). Our wishes are most meaningful when aligned with our deepest feelings––this is where today's Cancerian mood comes in.

When forming a wish or intention, the content, the words, the phrasing need to feel right, resonating with something inside us that says "yes." Will-based affirmations can have their place, but there's evidence saying things we truly don't believe works against, rather than with, the changes we long for. (Kelly McGonigal, PhD, explores this and other willpower topics.)

A key to crafting strong intentions is to focus on what we believe and build from there––and what we believe is tied to what we feel. There are lots of conflicting messages around about feelings: We need to control them, release them, ignore them, embrace the "good" ones and get rid of the "bad" ones. Emotions are inconvenient, poorly timed, and awkward––can't we meditate through this?

Yet emotions are ever-present survival mechanisms filled with messages. Some of those messages are mixed, it's true, and modern culture provides little help in learning how to understand and work with these body-based messengers.

So, today I'd like to offer three resources on emotions I find valuable. I'd love to hear these three writers in a roundtable, sharing their skills and insights.

All three recognize our feelings as natural, essential, and valuable. All three offer approaches for staying with emotions––especially difficult ones––to learn what they need to tell us. All three return again and again to the body, that place of the Moon, well of deep memory, and source of meaning.

Peter Levine's work fascinated me when I discovered his book Waking the Tiger years ago. His work with traumatized clients, and then research in animal behavior, suggested we often approach trauma 180 degrees wrong: Clamping down when we need to tremble, Shushing when we need to let someone cry, and sedating when the body needs to process.

Levine has developed his work into Somatic Experiencing, an approach to trauma based in awareness of the body––of what bodies typically do, and of what each of us individually experiences during trauma. His insights changed my understanding of my own responses in powerful ways.

Karla McLaren focuses on the messages of emotion, and everything we miss when we don't listen. She challenges the idea that we should stop being angry, sad, lonely or fearful, and the idea that we can stop simply by changing our thoughts.

McLaren presents compelling evidence that emotions are as vital as they are inevitable, and offers ways we can connect to the flow of emotion, understand its information, and channel that information into productive, life-enhancing behaviors.

Raphael Cushnir is my latest discovery. I'm reading his book The One Thing Holding You Back now, after listening to his interview with Tami Simon on Sounds True last week. Like Levine and McLaren, Cushnir invites us to connect with our emotions instead of ignoring or repressing them.

What I like about Cushnir's approach is the gentleness of his process, and the recognition of the many subtle ways we turn away from whatever is arising within us in the present moment. He talks about surfing emotions as a way to stay present without analysis or judgement, and I'm finding this enlightening if also unsettling.

On this day of the Solstice, as the Sun dances at the Moon's doorway, the Moon relaxes inside, and Neptune sends dreams through the windows, I invite you to explore these pathfinders in the emotional forest. Authentic, steady, compassionate connection with emotion leads to deep and powerful wishing.
    

Crescent Moon: Careful Nurturing

Crescent Moon: May 24, 2012

First, my apologies for getting behind with the posts. My return trip from Scotland was a bit harrowing and I've been in the grip of jet lag. Without further delay, let's get on with this amazing lunar cycle and see where we are:

The Gemini New Moon and accompanying eclipse dubbed "The Ring of Fire" initiated a cascade of new somethings that will be popping up for a long time to come.

Wherever this New Moon touched your chart, you may already have experienced synchronicity, surprise, communication, connection, youth, sudden shifts, newness––or not quite yet.

The thing about the New Moon is, it's dark. Masked by the Sun, we can't see the Moon at all for about three days. The night is dark as the earth, where seeds wait to germinate, dark as the womb in which new life stirs.

At the New Moon, we note where energy is flowing and allow our energies to flow with it, in the form of wishes and intentions. But until seeds begin emerging, we can't see what we might be growing. Yes, we wished for roses, but are those sunflowers growing there? Or stinging nettle?

The Crescent Moon arrived on Thursday evening (in the Eastern Tome Zone) with the Moon in her home sign of Cancer. Semisquare to the Sun in bright Gemini, the Cancer Moon felt protective of those newly emerging seedlings, knowing full well Gemini may have completely lost interest by now, drawn to the latest shiny thing. Or remembering the seedlings, Gemini would want to see, right now, how they were doing, examining them so exhaustively the attention alone could wilt them.

So, the Cancer Moon hid the seedlings a bit longer, nurturing them. It's a harsh world out there. The Crescent Moon placed the Moon at the apex of an unusual aspect pattern called the Finger of the World, which is a broad isoceles triangle of challenging aspects.

As the North Node (the point of unfolding fate) and Chiron (the wounded healer) squared each other, the Moon formed a sesquiquadrate (a square and a half) to each. This places the Moon in the hot seat, driven to solve the problem presented by the North Node–Chiron square. In a contest between fate and wounding, a Cancer Moon will choose to protect.

Even though the Crescent Moon usually offers the first glimpse of our emerging seedlings, I'm wondering if, for many of us, we're still feeling a bit in the dark about what this New Moon will actually bring into our lives.

Now, the Moon is in bright and sturdy Leo. Early this morning, the Moon and Sun formed a sextile, and we look to the playful Leo Moon to give our seedlings the support and care they need without too much swaddling. Now we look to see what's growing in our gardens, in the energy of Air and Fire.

Challenges are still out there, though. At the moment of the Sun–Moon sextile, the Moon was also in the hot seat of a yod, in which Chiron the wounded healer sextiled Pluto the transformer, who each are inconjunct the Moon.

But wait ... the Sun–Moon sextile itself forms the base of another yod with Pluto at its apex. And, if that weren't enough, the Moon is part of a Grand Trine in Fire with the North Node and Uranus.

It's time to check in: How committed are we to those New Moon wishes? We're on our way to the First Quarter Moon, the square that will put that question right in front of us. Our seedling wishes are already on the receiving end of powerful energies, so it's good to be sure this is really what we want.

The thing is, New Moon eclipses carry power. Events, patterns, stuff reach back and forward in ways difficult to discern. The aspects we see at the Crescent Moon and this morning's Sun–Moon sextile remind us that transformation is afoot. Continue to watch the parts of your chart touched by the New Moon, and take care of your wish garden.
   

Moon into Cancer: Healing Rest

Thursday evening through Sunday morning
Eastern Daylight Time

Thursday, March 29

4 Swords: Rest from Strife
©Stephanie Pui-Mun Law

Moon enters Cancer 7:07pm
Moon trine Neptune (Pisces) 11:05pm

Friday, March 30
Moon square Uranus (Aries) 4:38am
Moon sextile Mars (Virgo) 5:06am
Moon trine Chiron (Pisces) 9:38am
Moon inconjunct the North Node (Sagittarius) 11:14am
Moon opposite Pluto (Capricorn) 1:48pm
First Quarter Moon:
Moon square Sun (Aries) 3:41pm
Moon sextile Jupiter (Taurus) 8:42pm

Saturday, March 31
Mars (Virgo) inconjunct Uranus (Aries) 5:02am
Venus (Taurus) inconjunct Saturn (Libra) 2:23pm
Moon trine Mercury (Pisces) 6:13pm
Moon square Saturn (Libra) 11:33pm

Sunday, April 1
Moon sextile Venus (Taurus) 12:20am
(begin void of course)
Moon enters Leo 4:36am

The Moon enters her home sign of Cancer Thursday evening, and for those caught up in contentious conversations the last few days, the respite arrives none too soon. During this transit through Cancer, the Moon steps back from confrontation and change, seeking calm and healing. Even in the midst of big changes, quiet moments are possible––and needed.

safe at home

Thursday night offers a flowing trine between the Moon and Neptune, which could bring deep dreaming. You might also find yourself reaching for an old favorite film, or pulling out photo albums you haven't looked at in a while.

Friday morning, the Moon takes a stand against Uranus, refusing to move any faster than she chooses. She's in sync with careful Mars, still retrograde in Virgo. The Moon's also flowing with Chiron, then making an edgy aspect with the North Node and opposing Pluto.

With this combination, we might find ourselves feeling beleaguered and criticized, our feelings hurt because we meant well and were doing our best. Or we could choose to look carefully at our actions and then seek the healing we need, taking responsibility for meeting our own needs.

The First Quarter Moon also arrives Friday afternoon, followed by a supportive sextile with Jupiter, so choosing actions to reach long term goals will be the better choice.

Saturday, Mars and Venus agree with the Moon: Too much pressure for change is not helpful! Mars asks Uranus to slow down, and Venus asks Saturn to take it easy, already. Meanwhile, the Moon flows with Mercury in visionary Pisces, as he moves slowly toward the end of his retrograde time.

Overnight, the Moon makes her own square to Saturn and then flows in sextile with Venus, offering restful sleep Saturday night. After about four hours void of course, the Moon steps front and center in dramatic Leo, bringing creative passion to Sunday.

While the Moon rests in Cancer, we look for ways to slow down, finding peace and healing.
    

Moon into Cancer: The Warmth of Home

Friday morning through Sunday evening
Eastern Standard Time

Friday, March 2

6 of Cups, ©Stephanie Pui-Mun Law

Moon enters Cancer 10:05am
Moon square Mercury (Aries) 10:33am
Moon trine Neptune (Pisces) 12:11pm
Moon square Uranus (Aries) 4:29pm
Moon trine Chiron (Pisces) 9:04pm

Saturday, March 3
Moon sextile Jupiter (Taurus) 12:27am
Mercury (Aries) semisextile Neptune (Pisces) 3:09am
Moon opposite Pluto (Capricorn) 3:46am
Moon inconjunct the North Node (Sagittarius) 4:41am
Moon trine Sun (Pisces) 11:58am
Moon sextile Mars (Virgo) 12:19pm
Sun (Pisces) opposite Mars (Virgo) 3:10pm

Sunday, March 4
Venus (Aries) opposite Saturn (Libra) 6:17am
Moon square Saturn (Libra) 4:21pm
Moon square Venus (Aries) 5:16pm
(begin void of course)
Moon enters Leo 6:18pm
Moon inconjunct Neptune (Pisces) 8:21pm
Moon trine Mercury (Aries) 11:57pm

The Moon is entering her home sign of Cancer as I sit here writing, so you'll find her relaxing in her own safe space by the time you read this. The Cancer Moon loves comfort food and cozy blankets, the warmth of home and tribe. I'm sure she loves chocolate.

... a good day to be home

Today she's holding the line against the headlong, fast-paced agenda Mercury and Uranus keep pushing, and flowing energy for dreams, intuition and deep healing with Neptune and Chiron. A day of strong emotions and empathy.

Saturday, the focus remains on home and tradition.

Mercury in fiery Aries has sharp words for nebulous Neptune, while the Sun in Neptune's sign of Pisces opposes Mars in detail-oriented Virgo: We sense the discomfort change can bring, especially when the changes are huge and not well defined.

Meanwhile, the Moon wants safety and security, placing value on tradition.

Sunday opens with the exact opposition between Venus in fiery Aries and Saturn retrograde in diplomatic Libra. The Cancer Moon squares Venus and Saturn, focusing our attention directly on this connection.

Where are we in our key relationships? The opposition between Aries and Libra is all about finding the balance between self and other. Do we focus too much on what we need, what we want? Or are we giving too much of ourselves away to please or appease others? Are we happy? Are we balanced? Where do our true responsibilities lie?

These are the issues in the forefront on Sunday. The Moon in Cancer ensures how we actually feel about all this will come up for review, not just what we think, or think we think, or tell ourselves.

Then the Moon enters passionate Leo, and we may suddenly feel ready to tell the world how we feel––so taking time for personal reflection before this happens could be an excellent choice!

While the Moon moves through Cancer, we connect with our feelings about home, about safety in times of change, and about how our relationships are faring. All good things to explore.
   

Moon into Cancer: Coming Home

Saturday morning through Monday morning
Eastern Standard Time

Three of Cups ©Stephanie Pui-Mun Law

Saturday, February 4
Moon enters Cancer 1:04am
Moon trine Neptune (Pisces) 1:06am
Moon square Uranus (Aries) 4:44am
Imbolc: Sun reaches 15 Aquarius 5:22am
Moon sextile Jupiter (Taurus) 6:54am
Moon trine Chiron (Pisces) 8:22am
Moon opposite Pluto (Capricorn) 5:07pm
Moon inconjunct the North Node (Sagittarius) 10:00pm

Sunday, February 5
Moon inconjunct Mercury (Aquarius) 4:17am
Moon inconjunct Sun (Aquarius) 7:12am
Moon sextile Mars (Virgo) 6:01pm

Monday, February 6
Moon trine Venus (Pisces) 4:29am
Moon square Saturn (Libra) 7:30am
(begin void of course)
Moon enters Leo 8:24am
Moon semisextile Neptune (Pisces) 8:35am
Moon trine Uranus (Aries) 12:01pm
Moon square Jupiter (Taurus) 2:23pm
Moon inconjunct Chiron (Pisces) 3:30pm
Moon inconjunct Pluto (Capricorn) 11:34pm

The Moon moved into Cancer very early this morning, shifting from the bright, airy connections of Gemini into the slower, deeper movements of her home Water sign. If you woke this morning from dreams of ancestors, nurturing, food, warmth, mother, then look to the Cancer Moon.

We also reached astrological Imbolc early this morning as the Sun reached 15 degrees of Aquarius. Today, as the year turns toward greater light, Aquarian insight is available to us along with Neptunian visions: The Moon's first contact was a flowing, Watery trine with Neptune newly arrived in her home sign of Pisces.

Yes, I wrote "her" for Neptune. The name is a male god, yet Neptune's energy has many feminine, yin qualities. In many cultures, ocean deities are female. The glamour, the lyricism, the dreaminess, the easy contact with emotions and the subconscious––these are yin and feminine, although of course men have and experience them too, just as women have the fierce drives of Aries.

Today's energies are strongly in this Watery, yin arena. The Moon stands in challenge to the quick-acting, direct Uranus, while flowing energy with Jupiter in slow, sensual Taurus as well as with healing Chiron. Opposing Pluto, we experience opportunities for transformation that, floating in this visionary space, might feel easy to sense but tricky to articulate.

newborn lamb

Imbolc is the time of the goddess Brighid, triple goddess of the hearth, of poetry, and of smithcraft, which the ancient Celts saw as transformation at work.

I invoke her today with Stephanie Pui-Mun Law's Three of Cups from the Shadowscapes Tarot, perfect for this day of the Moon, Neptune and Pluto.

At Imbolc, the ancient Celtic calendar shifts from the dark half of the dark half of the year (from Samhain to Imbolc), into the light half of the dark half of the year (until Betaine).

One reading of the ancient meaning of the word "Imbolc" is "in the belly" and we enter a time now when yang energy begins to stir, arising within the womb of winter stillness.

With the Gemini Moon, we gathered lots of new information. Now, we sit with it. We reflect. We feel. We allow. Tonight, the Moon makes an awkward aspect with the North Node, signalling that adjustments are needed in our path forward. Tomorrow, that same aspect with the Sun and Mercury tells us to slow down, notice where things are not comfortable, and adjust. A connection with Mars, retrograde in detail-oriented Virgo, gives us the precision of insight we need.

Early Monday morning, connections with Venus and Saturn offer creative energy just before the Moon steps into Leo's creative fire. As we enter the week ahead, we may find that our time in reflection and stillness gives birth to new passions, new play and new ideas.

While the Moon is in Cancer, we cultivate stillness, allowing time for feelings.
    

Full Moon in Cancer: Where We Started From

Full Moon in Cancer

detail: Two Rabbits, Pampas Grass, Full Moon

Eastern U.S. Time Zone

Monday, January 9
Moon opposite Sun (Capricorn) 2:30am
Moon sextile Mars (Virgo) 8:48am
Moon inconjunct Venus (Aquarius) 1:44pm
Mercury (Capricorn) sextile Chiron (Pisces) 4:12pm
Moon square Saturn (Libra) 9:25pm
Moon inconjunct Neptune (Aquarius) 10:03pm
(begin void of course) Moon enters Leo 11:35pm

As Sunday moves into Monday, we welcome the Full Moon in Cancer, illuminating how things are for us at home, with family, with tribe, with tradition, with Mother.

In the sign of cardinal Water, the Moon's home sign, emotions are strong. Feelings are illuminated, offering the chance to feel deeply, see clearly, commit to what we most value, and shift what needs to move so we can heal and grow. Mercury and Pluto are also in Capricorn, supporting thought, communication and transformation.

This Full Moon happens with the Moon at 18 Cancer and the Sun at 18 Capricorn, highlighting our connection with how-things-have-always-been-done.

In these times of great change, it sometimes feels as if there's nothing to hold on to––or nothing we should hold on it, that it's time for everything to go and all to be made new. Yet this is not the way of the our world. Everything arises from what came before.

In chaos theory, this is the sensitivity to initial conditions, the butterfly effect. In mathematics, the importance of initial states is part of Markov chains. Where we can go depends on where we've been.

In these models, though, there is no intentionality and no meaning. The butterfly neither intends or causes the tornado, and a walk through a Markov chain is random. The fact that such models can accurately mirror biological and social processes is unsettling. Are we living in a random universe?

This Full Moon offers the chance to look at where we've been through the lens of meaning. The archetypes of the Mother and Father, and the myths, symbols, and stories that surround them, are some of the most powerful we have. How do our cultures present Mother and Father? How have we experienced them in our lives? What does that mean for where we can go?

As always at the Full Moon, I'm offering a guided journey. This journey, recorded as an mp3 and supported by the sound of my drum, takes us into a meaningful dialogue with the energies surrounding this Full Moon, helping us prepare for the illumination to come.

At this Full Moon, we explore where we've come from. Our life journeys are tied to the family, tribe and traditions that nurtured us. Understanding those origins, in a deep and compassionate way, brings more freedom to build on what is strong and nurturing and to release what weakens. When we see more clearly where we stand today, we choose where to step next with greater awareness and love.
   

Moon into Cancer: Embracing Our Traditions

mother and child

Saturday afternoon through Monday night
Eastern Standard Time

Saturday, January 7
Moon enters Cancer 4:05pm
Moon sextile Jupiter (Taurus) 5:20pm
Moon square Uranus (Aries) 5:58pm
Moon trine Chiron (Pisces) 8:20pm

Sunday, January 8
Mercury enters Capricorn 1:33am
Moon opposite Pluto (Capricorn) 6:23am
Mercury (Capricorn) trine Jupiter (Taurus) 1:04pm
Moon inconjunct the North Node (Sagittarius) 3:38pm
Mercury (Capricorn) square Uranus (Aries) 5:58pm

Monday, January 9
Moon opposite Sun (Capricorn) 2:30am
Moon sextile Mars (Virgo) 8:48am
Moon inconjunct Venus (Aquarius) 1:44pm
Mercury (Capricorn) sextile Chiron (Pisces) 4:12pm
Moon square Saturn (Libra) 9:25pm
Moon inconjunct Neptune (Aquarius) 10:03pm
(begin void of course) Moon enters Leo 11:35pm

For much of today, we celebrate the bright communications of a Gemini Moon surrounded by Mercury aspects. 'Tis the season of epiphany, as Jessica Murray noted on FaceBook, and the Gemini Moon ready––be open! Meanwhile, I'm here blogging about the Moon's transition into Cancer later today:

After the heady connectedness of Gemini, going home to family (however you define it), to tribe, to traditions, is a way to center and ground ourselves. The Moon enters Cancer just after 4:00pm, where her first aspect is a flowing sextile with Jupiter in Taurus, followed by a square to revolutionary Uranus. Could the message be clearer? Slooooooow down, inhale, exhale, do something wonderfully sensuous for yourself and those you love.

Later this evening, a trine with Chiron the wounded healer might gently remind us of where we're hurting. Flow with the feelings, knowing this is a path to healing. Let Mother Ocean carry your tears away.

Mother Goddess of Çatalhöyük

Sunday, we enter tranformational territory on our way to the Full Moon. The day opens with an opposition between the Cancer Moon and Pluto in Capricorn. Cancer and Capricorn are the archetypal, traditional Mother and Father, the homeplace and the outer world of achievement and mastery. The Moon rules Cancer, she is powerfully at home here. Pluto is moving inexorably through Capricorn, methodically turning up every rock under which the heavy, hurtful excesses of the patriarchy are hidden.

Now comes the Moon, saying, come home, there is love here even for the worst of you, and it's time to stop hurting yourself and all these others I love. Yes, Pluto is challenging the Moon today, but Pluto is the alchemist and so his challenge is one of deep change. What do we need to love within ourselves and the world, so all can freely enter the cauldron of transformation?

The Moon's other aspect Sunday is an awkward inconjunct with the North Node. What must we acknowledge, accept, release or embrace about our past and our traditions, so we can move forward on our life path?

Sunday is grounded in the Cancer Moon, yet filled with Mercury the communicator as well: Mercury enters Capricorn not long after midnight. In this sign, Mercury puts on his commerce hat. The patron of merchants and thieves, Mercury is the consummate trader.

Today, Mercury trines benevolent, fortunate Jupiter and squares headlong Uranus, making this a day for careful planning. Prosperity follows solid, step-by-step work today, folding in any flashes of insight that arrive but also reading the fine print. Can we form alliances and make deals that honor feminine as well as masculine traditions?

Monday opens with the Full Moon. Arriving at 2:30am in the Eastern Time Zone, she will illuminate our dreams tonight. Setting intentions for dreams about tradition, family ties, ancestry, mothering––and also fathering, achievement and our goals in the world––is strongly supported Sunday night.

This is a practical, pragmatic Moon, flowing energy with Mars still in careful Virgo. This Moon feels awkward with the innovative creativity of Venus and the future-oriented visions of Neptune, both in Aquarius. She's even squaring off with traditional Saturn, perhaps holding on to what feels safe and secure, unsure about the changes on the horizon.

Meanwhile, Mercury flows with Chiron, supporting the healing energy flowing from the Full Cancer Moon. Think of this as our time in the cocoon, morphing into an amazingly beautiful butterfly. The square with Saturn is the Moon's last classical aspect, opening a two-hour void of course until we emerge in the new, brilliant hues of the Leo Moon.

During this Cancer Full Moon time, explore connections with family, mother, ancestors, traditions and tribe, knowing that these are the cauldron from which we've emerged, bearing gifts as well as scars, now ready to move into the world in a new way.