The Full Moon occurs at 17:48 (UT) on December 22, 2018 at 00°Cn49′.
With the Moon strong in her own sign, this lunation takes place at a magical time of year as it is shortly after the Winter Solstice in the northern hemisphere. The great wheel of the year turns. Winter begins.
With the opposing Sun in cold, austere Capricorn, the Moon seeks comfort and nourishment in Cancer. During winter, we stay close to home, huddling in our nest until warmer and lighter days arrive. Typically, as this is holiday season too, this is often a poignant time of remembrance. Cancer is associated with family, home, ancestors, history, memory. The out -of-sign squares from the Moon and Sun to both Mars and Chiron may mean we feel absences more sharply during this time. Difficulties we encounter during this period may have Cancerian themes such as parent-child dynamics in our family or relationships or issues connected to where we live. Work-life balance too could generate some heated feelings.
The squares to Mars and Chiron mean this chart has a T-square pattern which is known to increase tension. With emotions already heightened, we need to be on our guard for over-reactions, especially if we feel threatened. Mars in Pisces stirs the unconscious, but perception is muddied. We’re challenged by things that go bump in the night, the fear of an unseen enemy. Mostly these things live deep within but right now it can feel like sharks surfacing. The problem is that the square to Chiron may mean we feel weak and not strong enough to handle whatever arises.
We do however have a sextile to Uranus to help us. Sometimes life can surprise us! It’s important to note too that with the lights at zero degrees of their signs, there is a strong sense of the promise of things to come. Zero is written as an unending circle ‘0’ and within it we have all possibilities contained. We can either look at zero with slumped shoulders, wailing over ‘nothing’, or we can delight at a clean slate with all the potential ahead of us. Maybe part of the issue is that we’re feeling a little jaded after a year full of retrogrades! The squares to Mars and Chiron in Pisces may mean we’re just tired of fighting the tide. Uranus prompts us to regard our situation with more objectivity. Instead of dragging up the past or harking back to the way things were, we need to have our eyes front and centre. We can’t go back. We can only move forwards. There are different options available to us if we shake off the fear. Mars can then act in our best interests by taking orders directly from the soul whilst stimulating imaginative ideas. Chiron too reminds us that we’ve learned a lot from mistakes and we have special skills and experience we can fall back on.
The signs Cancer and Capricorn, illuminated by the lights during this Full Moon, speak of the private and public worlds. It’s about who we are when we close the front door at night compared to who we are when we leave the house in the morning to go to work. As the Moon is in nurturing Cancer, one of the best ways to use this lunation is to consider what we need on an inner level to increase our emotional maturity and security. Ensuring we have the right emotional support is the foundation stone for outer world success. Some of that support may come from others, the rest we need to provide for ourselves. Remember that the Moon is now the dispositor of the Cancer North Node, so stepping into our feelings and ensuring our emotional needs are met is an important part of our spiritual journey.
The Sabian symbol for the Full Moon is :-
On A Ship The Sailors Lower An Old Flag And Raise A New One
This is about changing the guard, raising a new standard. What we aspired to in the past isn’t relevant any more. Give yourself a hug and a pat on the back. You made it! The old fight is done, let it go! A new year is almost upon us. It’s time to raise a glass, toast the past and pledge allegiance to the unfolding future.
Yuletide blessings to you all!
Painting – ‘The Holy Family with Saint Jerome’ by Correggio
