Welcome to the first full moon post for 2022, which occurs in the sign of Cancer on the 18th of Jan at 10.48 am. This year along with my social media posts, I am releasing full moon workbooks. These are available as a free download via https://linktr.ee/AspectAstrology. They offer an overview of the current full moon, specific questions for reflection around the energy of this full moon, some information about working with the moon in astrology AND a fairly comprehensive overview of what it means if you have your natal moon in the sign of Cancer. So check it out and let me know your feedback.
I have spent some time over the last few weeks while on break reflecting on the year and looking forward to the year ahead.
As I looked back, I was reminded of what I wrote about the Cancer full moon last year, as we were leaving 2020. At that stage, I talked about the significance of Cancer ruling the home and how so many of us were confined to the home throughout that year. It seems not much changed, and once again, many of us were thrust into isolation and often dealing with our immediate family a lot more closely than we would have liked.
I feel it is appropriate to reflect on what has changed around and within our families and homes during this Cancer full moon, both themes ruled by the sign of Cancer.
For many of us, our 'home' the place we once retreated to, has changed significantly, possibly permanently due to the pandemic. During a full moon, the moon and sun are in opposition. The sun of course, is currently in the sign of Capricorn, which rules our outer lives, our vocations, careers, work.
We used to keep our work and home life relatively separate until the last few years. Now workplace responsibility is competing with the needs of our families within our homes and encroaching on our place of sanctuary. The distinct lines between work and home are now forever blurred. On the one hand, we may have more flexibility to juggle the two, but during this Cancer full moon, one of the major themes to explore is' where and how do you seek your sanctuary? Where can you retreat to to recharge your batteries, wind down from the pressures and responsibilities of work and fully attend to yourself and your family?
This full moon offers us a chance to let go of some of the stresses around work and home life balance or, in many cases, imbalance. If 2021 was particularly stressful within your home, take this opportunity to release any negative energy hangovers of the past year.
Ritualistic smudging with Sage, deep and intentional spring clean, even a moving around of furniture or a slight re decoration maybe enough to change and shift the energy of your home and sanctuary. Consciously thinking about what you would like to let go of regarding your home environment and energy and making practical plans to do so is a wonderful way to work with the energy of this full moon.
If you recognise you need a specific place and space to retreat to: is there anywhere in the house that can be used as a unique and sacred space? It does not need to be an entire room. It could be a section of a room, with a chair, access to music, where everyone knows to leave you alone when you go there. You are recharging.
Cancer energy is all about nurturing. Nurturing ourselves is so important if we continue to nurture
others. It is certainly something many of us don't do well, putting others and family ahead of ourselves. I made the change last year, and it took some very conscious effort to put self-love first. I can't say I have always done it, but I have made a huge jump and the entire family is better off for it….just ask my daughter!
When we don't look after ourselves, we can build resentment and stress toward those we would prefer to be looking after and out for with love and compassion.
Write down that which you would like to let go of and either burn it or, as I prefer, when dealing with a water moon, such as Cancer, find a body of water in which you can submerge the paper and watch the ink disappear.
Use this full moon energy to release any resentment or toxicity around how you meet the demands of others who depend upon you.
Families have all experienced different levels of trauma. We have been kept apart from our loved ones, we have had to grieve the passing of loved ones whilst watching a funeral on zoom and in many cases, we have not been able to spend time to farewell those who are leaving us.
This full moon is making a significant aspect to Pluto, God of the underworld, offering us an opportunity to delve beneath our own and collective trauma and let whatever comes up be dealt with.
In some cases, we have discovered that we have contrary beliefs around the pandemic and its politics, which can also cause trauma in a family.
The pain many have, as a result, needs to be healed. The period around the full moon offers us the potential to deal with and heal this energetic hurt.
Use this full moon to symbolically process and lay to rest any grief that still needs to be expressed.
Use it to forgive those who may have hurt you in their opposing beliefs, but most of all use this full moon to process your own trauma and nurture yourself.
With Pluto in opposition to the moon and conjunct the sun, we may feel this full moon very intensely, bringing up issues we have not yet dealt with.
With it may come contrary feelings around our family and our work responsibility, around power-play dynamics with people who may want to yield authority over us.
On the 18th Uranus turns direct, travelling in a forward motion for the first time in five months. We
should be able to tap into broader insights and ideas. We will be able to express ourselves more uniquely, tap into our quirks and feel more comfortable in our uniqueness. This is the kind of energy that can make us feel as though we need change, that we want to rebel and express our individual perspectives. This will be heightened also as the sun then shifts into Aquarius on the 20th. Look out for my separate post on that one.
In the meantime, hope you have a brilliant month, we have some exciting things coming up over the next month, including a pod cast and of course don,t forget to download the Full moon in Cancer workbook to help you navigate this potent and important full moon