Happy Cancer Full Moon! This is the time of the lunar calendar when the spotlight is on home, family, and emotional connection. Cancer is the sign of the mother. It’s nostalgia and the ache of memory and time. That said, the full moon is exact on December 22, 2018 at 12:48 pm EST, 0 degrees Cancer/Capricorn. That’s 9:48 am Los Angeles, 5:48 pm London, and 4:48 am on December 23 in Sydney.
Cancer is a sign that’s ruled by the Moon, a planet in astrology that describes how we nourish ourselves. It also describes need. And when there’s a full moon in Cancer, not only has the Moon returned home to the sign that it rules, but need and nourishment are suddenly a priority.
With Cancer, the cup can either be empty or full. We either feel the abundance of the things, people, and experiences that make us feel nourished or we feel the pang of what’s missing. We either feel the gentleness of love and care or the sadness of lost connection.
Full moons create urgency, they put things into focus. If you’re feeling Cancer as a lack, then how will you bring more of what you need into your life? How will you find heart? Compassion? Family? Connection? As the polarity of Capricorn, a sign that’s all rules and boundaries and ambition, Cancer reminds that, whatever we do in the world, it must fulfill us.
Keep this in mind as the North Node of the Moon will be in Cancer for the next year plus. Wherever the North Node is, it’s like due north for our souls. We have to head in that direction, which means that we have to head towards Cancer’s softness, it’s heart. We have to return home both literally and figuratively.
There’s a power to this full moon. Falling right on the solstice point, it speaks of new beginnings, a new season. In fact this full moon comes two weeks before a solar eclipse, so we know that this full moon is ushering in something very new as eclipses often do. Doors are opening and closing. We can’t forget that the Sun is in Capricorn now, which means that there’s a seriousness in the air. We have major decisions to make. Life is requiring more of us — yes, more heart, but also the structure and commitment to what’s going to support us.
The reason that there may be a bit more of an emotional ache to this Cancer Full Moon is that it squares Chiron, so we’re more aware of what’s missing than what we have. With Chiron in Pisces, the ache is spiritual and existential in nature. Mars isn’t too far away from Chiron as well. It’s not the mother we’re crying out for, it’s the Cosmic Mother. Will we be heard?
This full moon is a reminder not to feed ourselves with suffering. It’s a poison. It prevents us from flourishing. With the energy of Saturn in Capricorn, make a real decision to take inventory of what you’ve been feeding yourself with and if it’s not nourishing you, it has to go. It is, of course, your decision and no one else’s.
Lastly, some practical action items. The Sun and Saturn in Capricorn, after all, are quite practical. Over the coming week:
- Make sure you’re getting what you need.
- Make sure you’re prioritizing emotional connection, that you’re opening your heart, and allowing yourself to be vulnerable.
- Let go of anything that’s not nourishing you.
- Strengthen family ties, even if it’s with people who are like family.
- Be prepared to take real action in the new year to move towards what really feeds you and adds heart and soul to your life.
Between Mars’s arrival in Aries on December 31 and January’s eclipses, we’re on the threshold of change. Get ready.
Read More:
Chart of the Cancer Full Moon
On Chiron, Suffering, and Knots
Saturn in Capricorn: Accountability
Saturn in Capricorn: Sign by Sign
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