Full Moon in Capricorn

Capricorn Full Moon July 12, 2014

We have the energies of all the zodiac signs within us, and it is during the time of the Full Moon, when the Sun and Moon are at opposite points in the zodiac, that we have an opportunity to find balance between them. This month the Sun is in Cancer and the Moon is in the opposite sign of Capricorn. Cancer is a water sign that resonates with emotion. These emotions motivate Cancer to take actions that are filled with compassion and care. Because of Cancer’s association with nurturing it is often described as a feminine mother energy. Capricorn is an earth sign that brings a practical resolution to action in order to get tangible results. Emotional considerations are not important to Capricorn, who is more likely to value financial and material gain. Because of Capricorn’s association with corporate structures it is often described as a masculine sign of gain and acquisition.

Deborah Koff-Chapin

Soul Cards by Deborah Koff-Chapin

This soul image represents the Cancer/Capricorn duality. It is a challenging image in that it can be seen either as two halves breaking apart, or two halves coming together to form a whole.  We have indications of the separation between Cancer’s emotional needs and Capricorn’s material needs when we read the daily news. Two of the most obvious are elementary school safety vs profits for gun manufacturers and women’s health care vs corporate policy. But the tension is found everywhere, including the recent news that 10 agro-chemical companies own 73% of the commercial seed market and that Nestlé Corporation, the world’s largest purveyor of bottled water, is draining ground water from developing countries in order to bottle and sell it. This Capricorn acquisition of material resources shows how the very basics of life – food and water – are in danger of becoming commodities that only the rich can afford. It is easy to see how this polarization can feel like it is splitting us — personally and globally — into two very different factions.

But the two halves can also be seen as coming together into one integrated whole. If you look at the nose and mouth of the dual image it is easy to see the two sides moving closer together to form one very large smile. This integration is happening every day and it is important to see it and celebrate it. The simplest way to understand the balance between Cancer and Capricorn is to witness how women are becoming practical leaders as they work within traditional male enterprises such as corporations, military, and law. And men everywhere are expressing deep concern, compassion and caring for those who are in need in their family, community, and world. This iconic image from the 1995 Oklahoma City bombings clearly shows masculine concern, compassion, and caring.

 

For You: Close your eyes and take several deep breaths. Feel yourself become centered and calm. Let an image of a man who is caring and compassionate rise up within you. In what ways is he nurturing? How does he express his love? How does he give care to others? As you think Firemanabout his qualities, allow yourself to feel them in your heart. Let your own heart expand to hold these emotional Cancer energies, and in doing so, realize that these are qualities that you have within yourself. Next, let an image of a woman come up who is strong, practical and capable in a traditionally masculine arena. See her clearly in your mind’s eye. In what ways is she a leader? How does she take competent actions? What qualities does she have that enables her to take a strong stand in the world? Feel those qualities within your body. Let yourself become stronger as you realize that these are qualities you have within yourself. Feel this powerful mix of compassionate Cancer and practical Capricorn within you. Realize that these two energies are abundant in yourself, your community and the world. Keep open to the many opportunities for you to bring them into balance through the actions that you personally take and the actions that you appreciate in others. See the crack in world coming together to mend as we find balance within ourselves and in each other.

 

Full Moon in Cancer

Susan Seddon Boulet

Susan Seddon Boulet

The Moon is full on January 15, 2014 at 11:52 pm EST. The Moon is very very happy in the sign of Cancer. After a month of traveling through every sign in the zodiac it feels like she has come home to heart and hearth, the place that feels safe, secure, loving and kind. During this Moon she is reminding us that we need that safe loving place to retreat so that we can renew ourselves. It can get crazy out there navigating the world and it doesn’t take long to get overwhelmed by all that we deal with every day. It is easy to get irritable, angry and scared, especially when burdened by the extra concerns brought on by this very difficult winter.

This Full Moon is sending out a flow of love and kindness to bring a balm of peace to each person and to the world. Jupiter, sometimes called the Santa Claus of the solar system due to the generous abundance he spreads, is helping the Moon by increasing the love and light she is sending forth. They are a great pair, a yin and yang combination working together for the greatest good.

This morning right before dawn as I was watching the Moon and Jupiter set, I heard the words “All you need is love.” So simple, but so true. Many of the world’s problems could be solved using loving compassion. This Moon is encouraging us to renew our  capacity to love so that once we are full ourselves it can flow from us to others, like a cup running over.

For You: Find a place in the outer world that feels like what you imagine home and hearth could be – comfortable, safe and secure. It can be your bed, a favorite chair, a cat on your lap, a cup of hot tea in your hands or a tree in the city park. Find the place where you can let go of your burdens, if even for just a while, and fully relax. Once you are in your hearth place, close your eyes and take deep and slow breaths. Scan your body for tension and imagine that someone is gently stroking you, like a mother soothing a restless child, removing tension and bringing ease.  Once your breath is slow and relaxed, use your imagination and look inside at your heart. Like this beautiful picture, imagine your heart is a cup filled with water that is illuminated by the light of the Moon. The water in your heart is pure love and is a balm to your soul. See it gently pouring out of your heart and moving through your entire body, until you feel filled with a peace that goes beyond understanding. Try to find this place of renewal every day so that you have enough loving compassion to share with those near and dear to you, with some left over for a few random acts of kindness.

Full Moon in Cancer

This Full Moon in Cancer, Dec. 28, 2012, stands in the sky opposite the Sun in Capricorn, and as in every Full Moon, we seek to find the balance between them. The Moon in Cancer, a water sign, wants to take care of people through a gentle and compassionate heart that nurtures and loves. Capricorn, an earth sign, also likes to care for others, but does so through building structures that provide safety. But this is no ordinary Sun in Capricorn. This Sun has Pluto, God of the Underworld, standing near by and acting as the Sun’s bodyguard. Pluto brings a ruthless desire for control, determination to hold onto the past, and a relentless and uncompromising power that could easily daunt our more gentle Moon.

But you can see from this picture that the Moon is perfectly capable of holding her own, even in what looks like very difficult circumstances. And so are we. We need to learn from this Moon and realize that there is no greater power than love, and that we have no reason to be intimidated and controlled by fear. It is easy to see in this opposition the discussion of gun control that has begun after Connecticut. The NRA is taking an uncompromising stand and even suggesting that teachers begin to arm themselves, while others seek to find balance between the right to bear arms and the right to keep our children and society safe within our arms. In this Full Moon the balance occurs when we realize that the same quality that Pluto brings – desire, determination and power- can also be used in strengthening our own sense of compassion, fairness, and good will. There is nothing weak about the feminine qualities of the Moon and Cancer. The determined, constant flow of water can cut through even the most forbidding and uncompromising structures. Just look at the Grand Canyon for the truth of that statement. It is in our small everyday actions that this world will be transformed.

Full Moon in Cancer on Monday

Susan Seddon Boulet

The Moon is full in the sign of Cancer. This is an especially powerful place for the Moon since the Moon is more at home in Cancer than she is in any other zodiac sign. The Moon is feminine and represents the feminine energy in each of us. She is the Great Mother, the Divine Feminine, your Soul, Anima, your own mother, and the nurturing mothering part of you. The Moon rules the oceans and when she is in Cancer her emotional capability is limitless like the ocean. The ebb and flow of the tides are connected to the Moon and symbolize our changing passions. When the Moon is in Cancer it is as if the ocean is at high tide and overflowing; there is a fullness of love, compassion, and caring. There is no barrier to giving and receiving love. She stands bold and beautiful during this Full Moon in opposition to the Sun in Capricorn, the patriarchal power of acquisition and control. She acknowledges Capricorn’s need for structure and boundaries by providing containers – a bowl and cup – practical tools to share her gifts to the world.

For You: Meditate on this beautiful image of the Divine Feminine. Imagine the Moon as this goddess, so full of compassion and love that her cup runneth over. She holds in her hands an offering to the world, knowing that what she offers is just one part of her vast gifts. She looks down on all her children and shines her light equally on them, no matter where they live in this vast world, or their race, sex, religion, politics, or social status. We are all one under the Moon. The same Moon that you see tonight is the same Moon that children are seeing in Africa, and that the warriors are seeing in Iraq. Now imagine that you are this lovely goddess and that in your hands you hold a cup that is running over into a bowl that is seated on your lap. See yourself looking at the vast world, all the people, animals, birds, trees, the air and water. Feel your love and light illuminate it all. Know that you have a gift to give, and that it is only one part of who you are. See yourself overflowing with grace. Take a deep breath and acknowledge the gift you have for the world. See it clearly. Make a conscious choice to reach out and share it with love.

New Moon/Solar Eclipse

Cancer by Eric Williams

July 1, 2011 at 4:54 am EDT. At every New Moon, the Sun and Moon are in the same sign. This month it is Cancer. New Moons are great times to begin something new, and since it is in Cancer, the sign of the home, it is a great time to do something new with your home. Notice how the symbol for Cancer is the crab, who carries its home with it wherever it goes. This New Moon is a fantastic day to move into a new home, since you start your new nest surrounded with Cancer’s love, comfort, and nurturing energy. But if you’re not moving into a new home today, you can buy something new for the home, or clean your house, or bring in flowers. It’s a wonderful day to remember how lucky you are to have a home, especially during these challenging times when tornadoes, flood, and fire are leaving many people without the comfort of a place to live. The symbol for Cancer looks like two arms circling and protecting. Do something today that makes you feel warm inside, and gives you a feeling of protection and safety. You can lay in the arms of your beloved, or hold your child to your breast. All of these things are part of the energy of Cancer. Or maybe, like the crab, you are carrying your home on your back, carrying a suitcase and cellphone as you explore the world. Just remember that home is where the heart is, and you can find love wherever you are. And since this New Moon is a partial solar eclipse, the energies are even strengthened and deepened.

Don’t worry if you don’t see this partial solar eclipse. No one else will either! It will only be visible if you are in an extremely remote part of the world, an uninhabited region on the coast of Antarctica, where the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet. Still, the symbolism is significant, and the energy will still be available if you take the time to meditate or tune in.  A solar eclipse happens only at the New Moon and occurs because the Moon moves between the Sun and Earth, blocking the light of the Sun. This is an image of a partial eclipse taken in January 2011.

This solar syzygy, is a perfect union between the Moon, your Soul, the Sun, your Spirit, and the Earth, your body. It is a good reminder to live this  life (Earth) in alignment with your greater purpose (Sun) and in connection with your intuition and deeper knowledge (Moon).

Full Moon in Cancer

Wednesday, January 19th.  It is during the time of the Full Moon, when the Sun and Moon are at opposite points in the zodiac, that we have an opportunity to find balance between them. This month the Sun is in Capricorn and the Moon is in the opposite sign of Cancer.

Mara Berendt Friedman

This beautiful image called “Rooted in Reverence, Seated in Spirit” represents what I feel this Full Moon is all about. Cancer, a water sign, is the zodiac sign most aligned to the Moon, and in astrological terms, the Moon is said to “rule” the sign of Cancer. Both Moon and Cancer represent love, caring, nurturing, gentleness, and protection. Under this Cancer Moon our hearts can hold extra amounts of love and compassion, so much that we can feel our hearts breaking, exploding with deep care. Cancer acts as a container and holds within it our sense of family and home. We want the best for our families, friends, and communities. And it is with the people closest to us that we are able to relax, drop our guard, and allow ourselves to express our true feeling.

I think I resonate so fully with this image because it reminds me of the wounding and healing that our nation is going through right now after the tragedy in Tucson. The image brings together the loving feeling of Cancer with the hard reality of Capricorn. The mountains in the background remind me of the southwest desert, and the woman in the image is grounded, rooted deeply to the earth. Capricorn is an earth sign, practical, full of deep commitment. Tucson, like many of the communities where we all live and work, has long been building families, jobs, and political networks. Our communities come from years of hard work and responsibility, key words to describe the determined energy of Capricorn.

When something as terrible as this shooting occurs, it feels like our community is ripped apart, undone, destroyed. The emotional pain is great and our temptation is to run and hide, like a crab, and bury ourselves under the sand. But the practical, resilient strength of Capricorn is there to catch us, and brings real tangible support to the emotions of Cancer. By dropping our roots even deeper into our communities, by working even harder to support the things we care about, we can provide a foundation that is so strong that our hearts feels safe. And all those deep and confusing emotions become fused in love and become transformed, and like the Phoenix bird, lift up and spread our hopes and blessing on the world.

To do: This Full Moon is exact at 4:21 pm EST on Wednesday, January 19th. From Tuesday to Thursday, and beyond, sit in silence and visualize this image. See yourself as this woman, in the desert in Tucson. Feel yourself grounded to the earth. Feel the pain of your community, the pain of your nation. Allow your heart to open. Feel the safety of your emotions. Extend your chest out, and imagine that from your heart a transformational energy takes flight that carries your love forth to heal our nation. Imagine your energy dropping like gentle rain across our land, to nourish the earth that will soon give birth to new seeds of hope.