Astro Tips: Full Moon in Cancer January 1, 2018

ASTRO TIPS by Linda Sprague

 New Year’s Day begins with a Full Moon in the sign of Cancer , balancing out the yearly movement of the Sun through Capricorn.  Saturn has domain over this time of the year. Saturn is the ruler of Capricorn with references to Father Time, aging and winter.  There is a cluster of planets in Capricorn—Sun, Venus, Pluto and Saturn (again the ruler of Capricorn). That’s a lot of cold air in the northern hemisphere.  Staying at home (the sign of Cancer) is a good way to balance the Capricorn coldness.

The Meaning of Cancer and Capricorn

The polarity of the signs Cancer and Capricorn brings up the conversation about what we need versus what we can do about it. We begin 2018 with this Full Moon in the sign of Cancer (what we need) opposing the Sun in Capricorn (the drive to set things in order). Both signs have to do with family and tradition. You might think of Cancer, with its association with the Moon, as representing the mother:  physical and emotional nurturing, honoring the feminine and the home, growth and summer, being dependent, being a child, being emotional and pre-verbal, and creativity. And you might think about Capricorn as the father: structure, pragmatism, learning to be responsible, honoring the masculine, striving to be logical, finding one’s place in the world, how to work with authority, learning how to be a grown-up, and how to age with dignity and maturity.

If you think about this polarity of Cancer/Capricorn, you can see that we are constantly flipping between being a kid and being an adult. We are “thinking” that we are rational and logical but actually the pre-verbal Cancerian baby part of us is also driving the bus.  This can be a confusing combo.  The trick is to be conscious of both parts of our psyche and our behavior.

Another opportunity to practice Mindfulness presents itself

Maybe this Full Moon at the beginning of 2018 will give us some insight into our own individual complexity.  Full moons offer insight into the unconscious and intuitive realm.  Do you try so hard to be a Capricorn grown-up that you forget about your inner child needing to laugh and play?  Are you so busy trying to be the perfect grown-up that you forget who you really are?  Ok, now fess up! Are you so needy that you resent all the grown-up responsibilities that rattle your little red wagon?  Knowing when we are behaving from an “unconscious toddler part” and when we are behaving from an “acquired rational grown-up place” is hard to discern.   Here is quote by Dipa Ma to help give us some perspective: “The whole path of mindfulness is this:  Whatever you are doing, be aware of it.”

May the Whole Wide World become Mindful!

What does a healthy human being look like anyway?  Good question to start off this New Year.  We look at political dialogue in Washington, DC and it is obvious that some people who think they are responsible, rational grown-ups are actually behaving like babies (irrational and unconscious).  I’m sure we see this confusion at the family dinner table as well!  Sometimes people do not realize that they are not being logical at all.  Again, the mindfulness approach is a huge component of maturity.  This Full Moon gives us some energy to be conscious of where we are in our soul maturity.

So much Capricorn.  So much to do!

We begin 2018 with a heavy emphasis in the sign of Capricorn. Today, The Sun, Venus and Pluto are sitting together in Capricorn and opposing the Moon in Cancer. The impulse to find structure and order in our lives is very strong right now.  Saturn, ruler of Capricorn, has just stepped into the sign of Capricorn. Saturn likes to visit Capricorn. Saturn is about structure, order, time, reality, and responsibility. Capricorn covers these same attributes. We can let the light of the full moon in Cancer show us how to emotionally approach our need for structure and order.  Hopefully we will be able to organize and build what we need and want to build.  If it feels overwhelming, remember to pace yourself.

Fly your Kite.

The astrological configuration of this full moon is in the shape of a kite. Get your kite off the ground and you can really fly.  Mars and Jupiter holding hands in the sign of Scorpio give us emotional, passionate energy to take charge of the kite and accomplish our goals.  The sign of Scorpio has a lot to do with secrets. Jupiter makes things bigger; so don’t be surprised to get in touch with some of your own hidden material, especially information about secrets surrounding intimacy, relationships, and money.

A Reminder

Finally, we are still under the influence of Mercury squaring Neptune. Don’t believe everything you see or hear on the news. Don’t believe everything you think in your own head!  Neptune is illusion.  Manipulation and brainwashing are under the headline of Neptune. If you are suspicious about something, dig a little deeper until you find the reality of the situation.  Fact checking is a good thing. Use the Mars/Jupiter detectives in Scorpio to help sort out the overload of babbling and information that streams into your energy field (that includes body, mind and soul!).

Happy New Year

Capricorn is the sign that helps us create structure in our lives and that leads to a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.  Let the Full Moon in Cancer on this New Year’s Day give you the integration you need for healthy goals and focused endeavors in 2018.