The phases of the moon are among the most fascinating astronomical behaviors we can observe with the naked eye and deeply rich sources of thought and interpretation in Astrology. Among the 9 phases – New, Waxing Crescent, 1st Quarter Half, Waxing Gibbous, Full, Waning Gibbous, Last Quarter Half, Waning Crescent, and Balsamic – the New and Full Moons capture most of the attention. This article will look at the current Full Moon and talk about the kind of “harvest” you should bring in emotionally during this full moon.
Full Moon – Reap What You Have Sown!
The Full Moon for December will occur on the 29th at 08 degrees and 53 minutes in the sign of Cancer; in my Eastern Standard Time zone, it will happen at 10:28 pm.
It takes 29.5 days from one Full Moon to the next, spending approximately 2 and ½ days in a sign. The day before and the day after comprise what would be the peak time of the Full Moon energy. The Full Moon is the time of “the harvest” when what began with the New Moon reaches full potential before waning and fading and preparing for a new cycle.
Each month has a certain type of Full Moon; December’s Moon is the Cold Moon. In the northern hemisphere, this name reflects the time when winter begins. This Moon has other names: the Moon before Yule and the Wolf Moon.
There are also several special types of Full Moons: the Blood Moon, which happens during a total lunar eclipse; a Supermoon, which happens when the Moon is full and closest to the Earth; and the Blue Moon (“once in a blue moon”), which is a second Full Moon in a calendar month (occurring once every 2 and ½ years).
Full Moon in Cancer – Harvesting Emotions
This Full Moon will take place in the 1st Decan (first 10 degrees) of Cancer, making it a Cancer/Cancer Full Moon. The planetary influence is the Moon itself, as the ruler of Cancer. Thus, this Full Moon will be about family, the past (ancestry), and our emotional well-being (Cancer), as well as our need to understand where we are strongest and most vulnerable emotionally (Moon). Who do you need to remember, care for, and be vulnerable with during this Full Moon?
Since the Moon is essentially “looking at itself” rather than another point (since it is in its own sign), this Full Moon will be deeply reflective. The intensity of this Full Moon on our emotional state cannot be overstated. Thanks to the decan placement, this Full Moon will be absolutely and completely Cancerian. Issues regarding family will be unparalleled.
With this Full Moon at 8d53m, the Sabian Symbol is 9 Cancer, “A tiny nude child reaching in the water for a fish”. Jones says, “This is a symbol of the eternal and unsullied freshness of soul as it enters every new experience with an unabated enthusiasm and thereby substantiates its divine estate and brings enduring significance to whatever it may touch.” (The Sabian Symbols, 248) The keyword is INCLINATION.
This Full Moon is also known as the Sea Mother’s Moon. According to Raven Kaldera, the Full Moon in Cancer is “most lunar of all the Moons. The energy shines through unfettered and luminous, and with all the attendant difficulties of an archetypal Moon” (Moon Phase Astrology, 200). All emotions will be amplified, whether you are feeling love, rage, desire, compassion, and so on. This Full Moon is “reflective of Mariamne, the Sea Mother who feeds all her young and all who fish her shores, but who must be placated by sailors lest she drowns them in her storms” (200).
The Numbers of This Full Moon
This Full Moon will occur on 12/29/2020, which totals 18, so the number for this date is 9. 9 is the number for compassion and wisdom, so this Full Moon encourages us to think about the needs of the greater community; very much, with this Full Moon, the needs of the many out way the needs of the few, or the one. Since the Moon is in Cancer, this compassion and wisdom must come through our family and our origins. We must understand we all part of one family worldwide.
The number of the day of the Full Moon is 29, and you should “gather unto yourself a flock of friends”. We should attune to our “wide perception that makes us citizens of the universe” (Modern Numerology, 41). Further, the number 29 totals 11, which is a master number, which reduces to 2; so, the day is also 11/2. We should have passion and energy to be a beacon in life (11), leading by example in our support for others (2).
The Full Moon in Your Chart
The Full Moon will occur in a specific location of your chart and in a special relationship with various points in your chart if you have points near the same degree in the same sign, at the opposing degree (180 degrees away from a point in your chart), three signs before or after the Full Moon degree and sign (90 degrees away), or four signs before or after the Full Moon degree and sign (120 degrees away).
Respectively these would be a conjunction (the Full Moon merging with a point in your chart), an opposition (the Full Moon seeking balance with a point in your chart), a square (the Full Moon challenging a point in your chart), and a trine (the Full Moon supporting a point in your chart). It is possible that the degree and sign of the Full Moon may not form any of these relationships and its effect, for this time, would be minimal or difficult to observe.
If you happen to be born during a Full Moon, then you will feel every Full Moon in some significant or acute way because it is consistent with your birth Moon phase. It is well worth your effort to find out the Moon phase at the time of your birth. If you learn your birth Moon phase, you will likely discover that the same phase each month has a strong impact on your emotional state.
With this Full Moon, I get the impact of its energy in my 9th House of Belief and Mastery (Moon placement on 12/29/2020) and my 3rd House of Communication and Understanding (Sun placement between 12/21 and 01/21), so this Full Moon will energize me to try to comprehend the emotional experiences as a child, young adult, and adult that have shaped my life up to this point. Since I have no points in either house I will be “made aware” of these areas of my life while this Full Moon is happening.
As this Full Moon approaches, think about what you want to “harvest” regarding your family, your past, and what you understand about your emotional state of being.
