Moon in Cancer

Sunday evening through Wednesday morning

Just after midnight Sunday, the Moon enters her home sign of Cancer, opening Monday as a day of hearth and home, warm feelings, and protection of family and tradition. Monday is also Valentine's Day, which some dismiss today as a marketing ploy, but whose roots go back to Victorian times, to Spenser, Shakespeare and Chaucer, and to ancient Greece and Rome.

ocean Valentine

Cancer is the cardinal Water sign, in which feelings lead the way. Valentines are designed to express our feelings, sometimes with humor and sometimes with tenderness, but clearly emotions are the focus.

Cancer is a deeply traditional sign, and the history of Valentine's Day reflects this. In ancient Greece, this time of year was associated with the marriage between Hera and Zeus. In medieval times, nesting birds were said to chose their mates on Valentine's, a day associated with courtly love and its traditions of honor and loyalty.

So, Valentine's Day was not a time of unbridled passion or secret liaisons, but a day to declare openly who we love, and to make that declaration into a contract. This kind of love, the Cancer Moon is very comfortable with.

Yet the course of true love never does run smooth, as Monday's transits suggest. The gentle Cancer Moon squares exuberant Jupiter in Aries, the classic contest between getting what I want now, and devoting myself to the one(s) I love.

Oppositions to planets in Capricorn bring out another aspect of the Cancer Moon. Pluto, the asteroid Vesta, and Venus are together in Capricorn. Both Cancer and Capricorn are committed to traditional values, but where Capricorn is ready to take on the world, Cancer prefers to stay at home.

One theme we may experience Monday, then, is where to find the balance between building a nest and learning to fly. Where is our comfort zone? How can we establish the secure base we need, so we can go out and climb mountains to reach our goals? Another aspect Monday can help us find a solution: Mercury in clear-thinking Aquarius flows energy in trine with Saturn in harmonious Libra.

Tuesday morning, the same question comes up in another form as the Cancer Moon squares Saturn in Libra. Will heart or head lead the way? Can our feelings and our thoughts find ways to support each other and work together?

Overnight Tuesday, the Moon reaches the last degrees of Cancer, connecting with both Neptune and Uranus. Once again, we have an invitation to incubate dreams of vision and intuition, as the Moon enters her time between times.

Very early Wednesday (4:14am EST), the Moon roars into passionate Leo, the sign of Friday's powerful Full Moon.

Moon in Gemini

Friday afternoon through Sunday night

T.G.I.F!

The Moon popped into Gemini at few hours ago, just as the work week ended in this time zone. If you suddenly felt lit up and connected, ready to socialize, chat, dance and flirt a little, it could be T.G.I.F., but don't rule out the effect of a Gemini Moon!

With the Moon flowing energy in sextile with Jupiter in Aries late tonight, you could find yourself partying later than you planned, or having a very active night of dreaming. With these two energizers combined, you'll want to temper your enthusiasm. This could also be a night for overcommunicating, especially about emotions.

Tomorrow (Saturday), the Moon creates flowing trines with Mercury in Capricorn and later with Saturn in Libra. This might be the weekend, but working on your communications, and strengthening your networks are strongly supported today. Maybe today's the day to set up that website you've been thinking about.

Sunday, the Moon creates more flowing trines, this time with Mars and the Sun in Aquarius. Again, Sunday is usually a day of rest, but this combination will energize your thinking and planning for the future. Gemini likes to keep things light, but will be happiest if these connections are acted on rather than ignored. Take time to network, if not with others, then by exploring new creative ideas for yourself.

The transiting Nodes of the Moon change signs today, shifting from traditional Capricorn and Cancer to questing Sagittarius and Gemini, another reason to explore new territory this weekend.

Late Sunday, the Moon reaches the last degrees of Gemini where she finds Neptune (with a flowing trine) and Uranus (with a challenging square) ... and yet Gemini the bridge builder can listen to both and find the common ground.

These connections with the outer intuitive planets form just as night falls, opening the door to a night of bright, intuitive dreams. The Moon steps into her home sign of Cancer at 12:48am Monday, and Cancer loves to dream, so set some intentions as you drift off to sleep and remember to place a pen and paper close at hand. Dream on!

Moon in Taurus

Wednesday morning through Friday afternoon

Ahhhhh ... the Moon in Taurus relaxes, enjoying the sensual delights of the manifest world. The Moon is exalted in Taurus, happy in this sign of warmth, comfort, patience, and peace. Our world is full of marvels!

wildflowers

This morning, the Moon flows energy in trine to the planets and points clustered in hard-driving Capricorn––the North Node, Venus, Pluto, and the asteroids Vesta and Juno––saying, I value your commitment and drive but there's no need to push so hard. Let's allow things to unfold in their own time.

Venus and Pluto reach their conjunction today, aligning our connections with others and our creativity with deep transformation. The Moon's participation wraps this intense combination in a groundedness that helps us stay centered.

Overnight, the Taurus Moon squares Mercury in Aquarius. The squares within the fixed signs can feel the most challenging, as neither side wants to give an inch. With these planets, we see two vital ways of knowing vying for attention.

Mercury in Aquarius is logos, the idea, the intellect, the principle, the word. The Moon in Taurus is the body, which though denigrated in Western philosophy, we now know to be the rich tapestry in which the experience of our lives is woven. How will we solve our own mind-body problem?

This Moon-Mercury square introduces Thursday's aspects, more squares to Aquarian planets. The Moon now squares Mars, and the Sun, raising more questions about how to balance pure thought and body knowing.

The Sun-Moon square marks the first quarter of this waxing lunar cycle, the time when our New Moon intentions are tested. Are we really committed to our goals? How can we get mind and body on board and working together?

Friday morning, the Moon reaches the last degrees of Taurus, squaring Neptune and sextiling Uranus. These are the big visionaries of the cosmos, offering messages in dreams and intuitive flashes. Again, the Taurus Moon keeps us in the present moment, in our bodies. We are living these lives, on this planet, at this time. Everything the cosmos might want to say, becomes manifest here.

The Moon will bounce into bright, gregarious Gemini at 5:20pm EST Friday. In the meantime, here's a gorgeous video that expresses one way Aquarian thought is made real here on Earth: