Cancer Full Moon

The Moon is in Cancer today, moving toward an opposition with the Capricorn Sun at 11:53  p.m EST. While this lunation is traditionally an auspicious moment to plant seeds for future plans, there are other factors involved requiring us to cut loose from some past baggage before we can really forge ahead.

The Sun and Pluto are within one degree in goal-oriented Capricorn, a conjunction that spurs us on with personal willpower and intensity. Pluto is symbolic of our depths– our passion, fears, obsessions, and secrets. Often these things are hidden from ourselves, being too heavy to really deal with on a daily basis. So all of our compulsive habits, our addictions, and our insane nightmares often lie unconscious within us– we know they’re there, but we keep the door tightly closed.

But the Capricorn Sun is rigorous. The ethic of Capricorn is to stand in its own integrity, to be real and accept nothing less than dignity and respect. With the Sun shining this light on our shadow material, we can easily tap into our power, but we can also see into what is hurting or angry. Injustices that we’ve felt stung by, desires that we feel have been unfulfilled, and losses that we’ve tried to overcome all can come tumbling into the light of day, overwhelming us with emotion.

And that’s challenging to the sweet Cancer Moon. Cancer is associated with the crab, characterized by a self-protective and security-seeking nature. “Crabby” is not the same thing as “bitchy.” Cancer is the most sensitive sign of the zodiac– no other sign fears being hurt as much as this cardinal water sign. The security that is sought relates to emotional and intellectual safety, and Cancer wants this safety for itself and also wants to provide it to others. That’s why it is associated with the archetypal mother– there is a desire to nurture and keep protected that which is fragile or in need, to provide a foundation for something to grow in. Cancer doesn’t like to hurt others, but it is a defensive energy that can close down its shell if feeling threatened.

So we have this fearless Sun/Pluto combination opposing the Cancer Moon, opening up a real chance to release what is rotting and replant with something more wholesome. Even if this is as simple as a long-held grudge, or a mental habit of insecurity, there is an opportunity for us be real with ourselves. We can choose to accept that the fear or hurt existed, and that we are done with it. We can choose to replace those thoughts with good ones, more supportive and loving, and we can choose to find the strength to be more sensitive with what we go through during our lifetimes. The Cancer Full Moon is a moment to press the reset button on our emotional health.

This weekend someone said to me, “Just having the intention is enough.” It doesn’t take grand gestures or mental awakenings for this to happen. We can simply choose to feel better. There’s a great simplicity in that.