Tonight’s Full Moon in Cancer centers the Moon as the focal point of the chart. This is a strong Moon at home in her own sign and out of bounds as well. She focuses on home, family, food, safety, care even more than usual and can define and experience all of these in out-of-the-box ways.
Which is good, because this Full Moon is opposed by a Sun–Pluto conjunction in Capricorn. Cancer and Capricorn are both conservative signs, not necessarily politically, but in the sense of wanting to preserve traditions that have worked well for generations. These signs are wary of change. Both long for the tried and true.
Pluto shows up to test foundations. Their function is to apply some pressure and see if the traditional ways of Cancer and Capricorn stand up to the needs of our current time.
Where things buckle under pressure (and we are all acutely aware of things buckling), Pluto pushes for change. Fundamental, deep, structural change that can offer a more secure and stable foundation.
So here we are.
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We know this is a time of great change. As worldwide pressures affect our individual lives, we face a variety of things. We might value our homes and families more than ever. We might become aware of dysfunction at home that now demands adjustments. We might see where structures in our lives are breaking down, or realize just how lucky we are and how good we have it.
Most likely, we’re facing some of all of that, in various ways. With an out of bounds Moon in deeply emotional Cancer, we have a lot of feels about it.
We can look to the Moon, Mars, and the asteroid Eris for one challenging dynamic. The Moon and Mars, both out of bounds, express their unique energies more intensely than usual and without reference to anything else.
Mars trines Eris. The Moon squares Eris. The Moon and Mars are quincunx: They can’t connect, feeling they have nothing in common.
Here we feel the tension between wanting to stay home and be safe, and longing to get out into the world.
Home is where I hang my hat, goes one saying. Wherever I am, I’m home. I find home anywhere and everywhere. This is about our capacity to be comfortable wherever we are and also an attitude toward the world. The world as welcoming, as providing. The world as adventure, more compelling than stasis. This is Mars in Sagittarius.
Home is where the heart is, another saying, is pure Moon in Cancer. The longing for a deep, heartfelt connection to place, people, a way of life that are both anchor and support. A place we can count on. A place that’s always there. Stability. Security. Love.
Eris is a chaos goddess who highlights the instability and challenges in the world.
World events push millions from their homes and force millions more to shelter in place. Even when we ourselves are reasonably secure, we’re aware of large forces at play. We feel uncertain about the future in a way that’s both existential and pragmatic.
We also chafe at restrictions. Even as we know the risks of venturing out, being social, doing things, many of us are hitting our limits. We’ve got to get out. Go somewhere. Anywhere.
Or we dig in deeper. We connect to our inner cozy. Our most introverted side. We might wish for more options, but when it comes right down to it, we’re fine where we are.
Of course, we bounce back between the two: Moon in Cancer, happy to stay home and take good care. Mars in Sagittarius who has to move, cannot stand confinement.
This dynamic feeds right back into the transformational power of a Sun–Pluto conjunction in Capricorn.
Venus and Mercury, each on either side of Sun–Pluto, are retrograde. Venus is deep into her journey through the underworld. Mercury is beginning.
Having both retrograde can feel intense. Keep in mind these two can support each other. Each is in a Saturn-ruled sign (Saturn being the ruler of Capricorn and ancient ruler of Aquarius). In the realm of the mind (Mercury in Aquarius) and how we relate (Venus in Capricorn), we’re asked to focus on structure.
Retrogrades turn us inward. Certainly, each retrograde can present us with outer events. But the deeper goal is to direct our attention to how we respond, mentally, emotionally, and pragmatically, to what happens.
These experiences are about our internal structures in how we think and communicate, and in how we relate to other people and the world. Again, the questions focus on what’s working, what’s not, and what needs to be done.
While retrogrades do focus on our inner lives, Mercury and Venus also remind us that the world context is vital right now.
Venus moves to trine Uranus, the revolutionary agent of change. During this retrograde, as we realize change is needed, we move (perhaps) from resistance to acceptance.
Mercury moves to square Uranus and then conjunct Saturn. Yes, this is one more activation of the Saturn–Uranus square, the ongoing tension between change and tradition. Our mind (Mercury) dives deep into its own underlying structures to grapple with where we favor tradition and where we seek change.
We are in both at the same time. At home, diving into our own depths and attempting to grapple with what we find. In the world, faced with unanticipated and unwelcome changes that alter our most basic understandings of how life unfolds.
Some Full Moons in Cancer are wonderfully warm and supportive, times when we feel how sheltered we are, and lucky in our lives.
This one more complex.
Yes, we may and, honestly, should look to where we are fortunate, privileged, and secure. And also, we are brought face to face with the deep and ongoing challenges in the world and how they’re affecting our lives.
This may not feel comfortable. It is of great value. If we can manage to look at the state of the world and also our own situation and feelings, we have the chance for deep learning, important realizations.
We may learn what is essential for us to feel at home.
Title image adapted from Sarah Dorweiler
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At home by Windows
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Travel by Charlotte Noelle
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Tea by Jasmine Huang
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