the first full moon of 2018 happens on the first day of 2018 and the first day of the week (monday) to boot! the new year comes in with a bang- with the year’s most potent super full moon at 11’38 cancer which will be exact at 6:24pm PST. this full moon is the midpoint of the lunar cycle that began with the new moon in sagittarius conjunct the Galactic Center on december 17th 2017. it’s interesting to note that that new moon on the GC is being followed by a full moon that is within 3 degrees orb of the fixed star Sirius- both of which are super important esoteric and mystical placements in the sky. the GC is the womb of the Great Mother who birthed our galaxy as well as many others around us. Sirius is the Spiritual Sun of our sun- a very sacred star that many ancient cultures saw as the point of our spiritual and Cosmic Origins. after a super intense year (i honestly don’t know a single person who does not think 2017 was intense in some key area of life)- going out with Galactic Center activation and coming in with Sirius activation is pretty significant. i see both of these points/placements as translating a lot of Light. yet we must remember ‘the Brighter the Light the darker the shadow’- sometimes Great Beings and Higher Energies come in to show us very clearly where we are stuck in the shadows and disconnected from the Light.
this full moon is potent for several reasons. first of all it is in cancer- the sign of the rulership of the moon. this is going to be a highly emotional, intuitive, psychic and even spiritual lunation. the focus is on home, family, childhood and the past. it’s also on safety, security, nurturing and nourishment. our past informs our present and the trajectory of our future. until we really see our past for what it is and take full accountability for it so we can deal with the repercussions of it- we will not change our current trajectory. this is the case for collective past but also for our personal past. as a new year begins with a full moon in cancer- we are reminded that if we do not deal with the past it comes forward with us into new cycles and recapitulates itself over and over again. when we are truly ready to change- dealing with the past becomes the key to a transformed future.
the full moon makes some intense aspects and some quite harmonious ones- speaking to the dualistic energies present right as we start a brand new year. we will start with the intense aspects first ;) the full moon is opposite the sun and venus in capricorn- pitting home and family against career and life purpose. if it was just sun/venus opposite the moon we might be focusing on finding balance between inner needs and outer commitments and obligations. yet we also have the moon in cancer widely opposite saturn, mean black moon lilith and pluto in capricorn. with the Lord of Karma, the fierce Dark Feminine and the Lord of the Underworld all opposite the full moon we have some big energies unearthing upheaval, fears and deep unresolved karmic threads.
archetypally cancer is the sign of the Great Mother and capricorn is the sign of the Great Father. this duality can highlight any disparity, disconnection or imbalance we have between our own inner Mother and inner Father- but also in parent/child dynamics in our personal lives. on a larger scale this can illuminate imbalances or issues between matriarchal consciousness and patriarchal consciousness and power/control dynamics between the feminine and masculine (of which we have been seeing blow up in the last part of 2017 with lots of male public figures being called out for disrespect of women). with so much intensity in capricorn- saturn, lilith and pluto right now but also mars retrograde in summer 2018, pluto on his own south node in october 2018 and the karmic south node moving into capricorn in november 2018- the patriarchy, big business, government and structure/foundation of our lives is going through some massive purging this year. look to the capricorn part of your chart to see where you are going to be asked to undertake the Greatest Transformation you have known (in this lifetime or perhaps in many lifetimes?). this full moon starts to bring to Light just what needs to die, end, transform or shift in some radical way in the structures, foundations and old paradigms that keep playing out in your life (personally and collectively).
luckily this full moon also forms a Grand Water Trine with mars and jupiter in scorpio and neptune in pisces. a very tight trine between the moon and neptune makes this the most important aspect to the full moon- enhancing compassion, altruism, Unconditional Love and being of service. the lovely Grand Water Trine amplifies the intuitive, psychic and spiritual energy present and accessible- it’s up to use to be open to it and use it though. grand trines are amazing but the aspects linking them are so easy we often take them for granted. it’s squares, oppositions and quincunxes- the ‘harder’ aspects- that force us to grow and change. with a Grand Trine formation there’s no impetus to use the energy so we have to access our own inner impetus and desire to make use of the gifts present. luckily all that capricorn that is opposite the full moon forms a kite with the Grand Water Trine and becomes the activating point in the aspect configuration. the transformations and evolution that come by way of death, endings and loss are the very thing leading us to more spiritual awareness, compassion, Love and understanding. the water trine reminds us that if we are overly focused on power and control, on form/material things, what we own, what we possess, the outer appearance of things or what we hold onto out of safety and security (all represented by capricorn)- we will miss the magic hidden in plain sight. the water trine is a reminder of that magic- right there for us to access if we have eyes to see and ears to hear.
it’s fascinating to note that all the personal planets (sun through mars) as well as jupiter link with neptune and pluto! the heights (neptune) and the depths (pluto), transcending this material world and descending into the Underworld- both are linking potently with the personal planets that govern our personal sense of self and jupiter the planet of luck and growth. neptune is raising us up to see the Bigger Picture and to see the perfection in the imperfection. pluto is taking us down into the shadow realms so we can see what is hidden and what needs to be faced and seen if we want true healing and wholeness. when we align neptune and pluto we have ascension and descension linked. we have heaven and the Underworld both accessible. jesus said heaven is here on earth- and we can say the same of the Underworld. they both are accessible and the choices we make in our lives determine which side of the coin we operate from. but lest you think heaven is preferred over the Underworld- they BOTH ARE IMPORTANT. they are two sides to the same coin and we need to have the strength and power to navigate both and not get polarized and/or judgmental about the other half of the whole. as jung said ‘enlightenment is not about imagining figures of Light, but of making the darkness conscious’. we need to be able to go into the Underworld to make the darkness conscious- otherwise our ‘enlightenment’ is coming from spiritual bypassing where we are using our spirituality to escape our pain.
some other important aspects to take note of- the approaching mars/jupiter conjunction (exact on january 6th) is within orb- typically a powerhouse of an aspect that can exacerbate power/control dynamics and egotism. yet they are both trine neptune and sextile pluto- helping us access the compassion of neptune and the depth and transformation of pluto. it is up to us to use these energies wisely! we also have mars and jupiter square the nodal axis. jupiter squared the nodes on new years eve (december 31st 2017)- which i wrote about in-depth in the weekly astrology forecast. this pivotal T square of jupiter with the nodes is so symbolic of what new years eve tends to represent for people. and opportunity to take stock of what we are ready to let go of/put to rest and the intentions (new years resolutions) we want to set and seed for the new year incoming. jupiter square the nodes really brings to Light the karmic path we keep on treading (represented by the south node) and the opportunity present to move into a new direction and grow into uncharted territory (represented by the north node). mars square the nodes on january 4th amplifies this pivotal turning point- much like a crossroads where we need to choose our direction. do we stay stuck in the past or do we move into the future? it will take effort to choose a new path- like creating new neural pathways in the brain. it’s not the default and it’s not the easy path. but true growth is never easy!
we also have ceres on the north node- the 2nd of 3 ceres/north node conjunctions that are bringing to Light where we need to grow in home/family situations, in relationship to our own passions and creativity, and in a much broader scale what is happening on Mother Earth. the mars/jupiter conjunction triggers her as well- shining a Light on the shadow and hidden dynamics playing out in personal/family situations as well as environmental ones.
and of course we cannot fail to mention that uranus is stationary and set to go direct in just under 12 hours after the full moon! uranus- the rebel, revolutionary and Great Awakener is at his most potent when he is stationary. his energies of upheaval and chaos are strong! but so, too, are his energies of liberation, freedom and illumination. with uranus you never know what you are going to get (he is not called the planet of unpredictability for no reason!). the key with uranus is to stay open to change and to be willing to become the agent of it. when we wield change wisely we become the rebels and revolutionaries that are here to help shift the world! uranus is in aries- the sign of mars- so the mars/jupiter conjunction is very much tied into this uranus station. may we all use this energy to ignited positive and deep, transformative change in our lives (rather than the opposite which could express in more insidious and toxic/shadowy ways). luckily mars/jupiter are sextile pluto- so if we are willing to get into the depths and face our shadows- we WILL make our way to rebirth and evolution.
i typically use the star sparks meditations for the degrees of the lunation- and you will find ellias lonsdale’s meditation below (very potent and profound as always). for this lunation i also felt to check the sabian symbol for 12 cancer and it turns out to be mighty powerful as well. this degree is titled ‘a chinese woman nursing a baby whose aura reveals him to be the reincarnation of a Great Teacher’. dane rudhyar says of this degree that it is “the revelation of latent worth in an experience once it is seen in its deeper meaning”. that is apt for the cancer full moon near Sirius opposite all the powerful and intense capricorn planets and placements. are we willing to go deep- to see what is behind the surface and behind the more exoteric meaning of events as well as behind our own personas and egos? lynda hill says this degree is about ‘recognising this (Divine Child) in yourself and others…promoting or nursing the greatness in yourself and others’. we just had the winter solstice- 3 days of the sun standing still, followed by the rebirth of the Sun/Son. in this image we see Mother Mary and her child jesus. we also see Neith and Horus (horus was the son of neith in the oldest tellings of the myths before isis was given that role) and many other variations of the Mother figure impregnanted by the Holy Spirit with a Divine Child who she gives birth to after the sun rebirths itself mere days after the winter solstice. there is hidden magic in plain sight right now- for those with eyes to see. as dane rudhyar says about this degree- it is ‘the promise to all men (and women) that God(Goddess) may take brith within (all of our) souls.’ this degree is a reminder to find that Light within, nature and nourish it and bring it into full manifestation.
and lastly, ellias’ meditation for 12 cancer is also exceptionally potent (read below for full meditation). he speaks of someone who’s gift is of an Underworld nature- always going in and down to search for the root, the Source, the past that informs the present. he ‘does the dirty work’ much like the ancient Egyptian totem for the Great Mother- the vulture that eats and purifies what is dead and toxic. this meditation speaks to ‘reckoning with all that has been, in order to clear a space for all that will be’- which i talked about in regards to all the intense capricorn energy incoming in 2018. we MUST deal with the past- or the unacknowledged/unaccounted for past will be the reason our very destruction. when we do choose to go down and in- to face the shadows, to own our part in acting them out- we then access a ‘certain deep center of shared willingness to grapple with every lesson and no longer linger in those shadows’. this is not a time for spiritual bypassing- instead it is a time to go down and in. the only way out is through and the more of us willing to do the deep work asked of us (personally and collectively) the sooner the tipping point will come!
i know this lunation is coming across as intense- and honestly it is and there is no way to paint it otherwise. but you must remember that this lunation is in a Grand Water Trine with the Higher Heart (neptune), the warrior (mars) and the Greater Benefic (jupiter). the gifts and the goodness are there in plain sight. if we allow saturn and pluto to strip away and lay bare what is toxic, stagnant, stuck- the Higher Heart and Greater Benefic will reveal to us that which is so much more aligned and so very worth navigating this Underworld portal. a hint for your journey within: the Great Mother holds the key to it all.
blessings…
~divine harmony
STAR SPARKS by Ellias Lonsdale
Cancer 12 Carefully a surgeon begins the dissection of a corpse
His modus operandi is to come afterwards. He lives in the realm of reflexive consciousness, in the afterglow. When he can loop back under and get at what happened and why, he can go on from here. But he must track down the whys and the wherefores. He won’t know where he’s going until he is sure where he has been.
He also applies this operating principle to his whole world. He becomes a clarifier of obscurities, one who heals or destroys, makes possible or gets rid of what has become useless. And his function is virtually indispensable. For he does the dirty work. He can go under all phenomenal appearances and face starkly and lucidly whatever he finds, not sparing himself or others.
His is a narrow sphere. It is highly concentrated and specific. What it ultimately boils down to is reckoning with all that has been, in order to clear a space for all that will be. Yet the retrospective soul mood, the analytical bent can lead to absorption in the old stuff without much energy left over for giving of self to what is seeking to unfold in a brighter future.
Ruthless realism, pragmatic sobriety is a genuine and enduring contribution. It especially sharply cuts away at old tired projections and allows us all to move on. It is most skillful when the one wielding this scalpel understands the limits and the boundaries of what they can do and where it goes.
Really it’s just a matter of paying attention. Somebody has to scrutinize the civilized cultural patterns which have ensnared us all. By being so unsentimental and rigorous about these matters, we do come to a certain deep center of shared willingness to grapple with every lesson and no longer linger in those shadows.