the full moon at the very first degree of cancer is exact on saturday december 22nd 2018 at 9:48am PST- with the winter solstice/yule exact less than 24 hours before (for those in the southern hemisphere this was the start to summer and the solar gate of litha). this full moon is the midpoint of the current lunar cycle we are in that began with the new moon in sagittarius on december 6th. that new moon was important as it was square mars and neptune and was triggering the approaching jupiter/neptune square. this idealistic, creative and expansive transit can also be illusory, delusional and deceptive if we are not willing to do the real work of showing up, facing reality and taking the necessary steps to realize our dreams. this is an energy permeating the entire lunation and will be with us for much of 2019- so tuning into where the lessons and reality checks are playing out is key (check your weekly, lunar and soon to be posted 2019 yearly horoscopes for more info!).
this full moon at the alpha degree- the 1st degree of the cardinal signs aries/cancer/libra/capricorn- speaks to significant new beginnings being seeded. but a full moon is about fruition, completion and climaxes. add to this the fact that we just had the north node move into the 29th degree of cancer and we see another image of beginnings and endings happening simultaneously. this often happens- haven’t you noticed that in your life? one major doors closes while at the very same time another significant one is opening. and to have this all happen at the end of the year and we have quite the ending to a potent year that for many of my friends, my clients and definitely for myself was quite karmic and intense (in both positive and shadowy ways)/
this solstice full moon brings us to a standstill (solstice literally means ‘sun stands still’). if you tracked the sun’s movement at the solstices you would see the sun stop moving any further south in the winter or any further north in the summer and for 3 days the sun appears to stand still. this is the sacred pause- asking us all to take a moment to stand still and reflect on all that has transpired in the previous 1/2 of the year since summer solstice or the previous year since the last winter solstice. winter solstice is the time that the sun rebirths itself- which a lot of mystical traditions celebrate as the son of God/Goddess being born at this time (not just jesus but horus, dionysus and many others).
***for a deep dive into the magic of winter solstice be sure to sign up for my Galactic Benefactor membership here- https://divineharmony.com/become-a-member/ to receive the solar gate call for yule. you can also sign up for these calls individually by clicking here- https://divineharmony.com/the-8-solar-gates/
this full moon in watery cancer is bringing emotional realities into awareness. if we have been stuffing our emotions, denying them, ignoring them or escaping them- the opposition to saturn and square to chiron can bring them up and out BIG TIME. this is during the time of holidays where a lot of people tend to be with their families. the emotions present can have roots in childhood or ancestral karmic patterns- and our willingness to BE with what arises is key if we truly want healing and shift. luckily the full moon is sextile uranus- showing us that freedom and liberation are possible WHEN WE ARE WILLING TO GET IN TOUCH WITH OUR EMOTIONS!!!
in the full moon chart we have an almost exact chiron/north node trine- something we have been building to all month long (exact 12/23). chiron is the Wounded Healer and the north node is about destiny and evolution. we have fated/destined opportunities for healing right now- BIG TIME. but again we have to be willing to FEEL what we have stuffed or denied for the healing to take place. happy go lucky feelings are typically not the issue. i am speaking to feelings like grief, sadness, loss, pain- the ones we drown in a bottle of wine or by doing drugs, deny by looking for the next relationship before the previous one has been fully grieved, or spiritually bypass by turning to anesthetized spirituality to numb us out (what pain? i have transcended my pain).
this is not a time to rise above but is instead a time to move through. you cannot transcend what you have not fully descended into- this is the wisdom of shadow work and emotional work. if you look around the world today we see so many things we can use to escape through- work, sex, relationship, love, drugs, alcohol, the internet, social media, exercise, eating disorders, spirituality, narcissism and more. we can use ANYTHING to escape our pain- but just like a drug trip reality always comes back to be faced and unless we are willing to live our entire life running away from our past and chasing fantasies- ultimately at some point if we really want to heal we have to slow down, stop running, stop chasing and BE WITH WHAT ARISES. the astrology right now is perfect for doing just that.
in the full moon chart we have a mercury/jupiter conjunction (which was exact on 12/21) conjunct the royal fixed star antares. this is one of the 4 watchers of the directions- and this royal fixed star confers success but it could be attained in an obsessive way. we need to keep in mind mercury is in the midst of triggering the approaching jupiter/neptune square (exact for the first time 1/13/19 but lasts for much of 2019)- so we need to balance dreams/visions with practical application and assessment of reality. jupiter square neptune is dreamy and mystical but can also be completely out to lunch. watch out for delusion, denial, avoidance of reality, deception, illusion and spiritual bypassing. with antares involved we really need to be aware of what we set into motion in our lives in terms of success or in the passionate pursuit of our beliefs. making sure we do what needs to be done to earn it- rather than do backhanded things to attain it- is key! we also want to steer clear of self righteousness and hubris. mercury is also conjunct persephone which can bring up feelings of loss and separation- either playing out in our present day lives or bringing up something from the distant past that has not been digested (like something from our childhood). the key is to use the jupiter/neptune energy to become more sensitive and aware of our emotions- rather than using them both to escape, check out or be in denial.
we have mars approaching chiron in the full moon chart- the exact conjunction will be on 12/28- and mars links with asteroids astraea and demeter bringing the focus into home/familly dynamics. astraea stays till the bitter end and often does not know when to let go. with mars and chiron in pisces we can have some big lessons around boundaries, feeling our feelings (particularly grief and pain) fully and not using people/substances/things to check out. luckily chiron is conjunct hygeia and trine the north node in emotional cancer! hygeia helps us find what we need for healing- be it a practitioner, a medicine, a therapy or a book that helps us healing physically and/or emotionally. this is also an exceptional time to activate our Inner Healer- as we all have the capacity to heal ourselves somewhere deep within.
this truly is a potent lunation for feeling and healing! and right smack in the middle of the holidays- as well as being part of the winter solstice chart- this is going to be part of the end of the year as well as the coming first 1/8 of the new solar year (from yule to imbolc in february). so give yourself time to be with what arises. connect in with your own feminine- whether you are a man or a woman. nurture yourself, care for yourself, feel all the feels and honor your emotions. if you are a woman- honor your feminine being. if you are a man- Source your own feminine from within rather than seeking to get it from without. emotional catharsis and emotional integration is yours if you are willing to be with what arises.
i leave you with ellias lonsdale’s star sparks meditation for the 1st degree of cancer- the summer solstice degree and the full moon degree at this winter solstice! ellias says that this degree is “a return to what is natural, a restoring of (an) ancient timeless way.” do you remember when you were a young child? how fluid and free you were with your emotions? when you were sad you cried- when you were happy you radiated. that natural state is not something to be belittled- it is not childish- it is pure. we would all do well to get in touch with the child within in this last lunation of 2018. that little one who had unresolved emotions that need honoring from when we were young- as well as that innocent magical one who has a purity that heals and awakens. find your inner child and see the inner child in others. when you heal the wounded child and reconnect with the purity and innocence of your inner little one- healing and magic can happen in the most unexpected ways!
blessings…
~dh
STAR SPARKS
ellias lonsdale
Cancer 1 A potter at work
There is a formative pattern which expresses itself when we can let it through with sensitivity and conscious attunement. It has a voice, a call, a characteristic feel. And when you get in the groove of letting the whole stream into this part, the tension dissolves and spirit reverberates everywhere.
It’s a craft, a practice, a discipline. And this requires careful cultivation. You need great readiness, a practical skill to set the tone for spirit to do it’s great work here. And all the steps and stages, all the learning and growth are already part of the guided pattern, instrumentally choreographed by those who know.
Yet once you’re there, it’s so simple, so basic, so commonsensical. You lend yourself to the movement, to the music, to the pulse-beat. Your fingers know. Your whole body bears the resonance.
So this wants to become a return to what is natural, a restoring of ancient timeless way. It seeks to manifest a remembrance and a rededication. And when these things are forthcoming, they will seem intrinsic, implicit, nothing to think about.
Deep inside the pattern there is dispassion, a viewpoint far removed from the action carried over from before. There is this cosmic beholding power, this witnessing intelligence.
Yet the whole movement here is to become as common and accessible as can be. The guided instrumentation is to join forces with the whole of humanity. Then what wants to come through will be basic, popular, obvious, clear, the next place to go.