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 January will occur on the 10th at 20 degrees and 00 minutes in the sign of Cancer; in my Eastern Standard Time zone, it will happen at 2:21 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, fading, and preparing for a new cycle.
Each month has a certain type of Full Moon; January’s Moon is the Wolf Moon. In the northern hemisphere, this name reflects the time when winter begins. This Moon has other names: the Moon After Yule, Old Moon, Ice Moon, and Snow 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). The previous Blue Moon was March 31, 2018, and the next one will be October 31, 2020.
Full Moon in Cancer – Harvesting Emotions
This Full Moon will take place in the 3rd Decan (last 10 degrees) of Cancer, making it a Cancer/Pisces Full Moon by modern Decan. The planetary influences involve the Moon itself as the ruler for Cancer and Neptune as the ruler for Pisces. Thus, this Full Moon will be about how our inner emotions are connected to global consciousness. We need to look at our personal connection to the divine and try to understand our global interconnectedness.
This Full Moon energizes us to feel our emotions as fully and deeply as possible; we must find a way to express and understand our vulnerability. With the energy occurring so deep (20 degrees) into Cancer, we want to understand our family history and our origins, including the origins of our ancestors. This can be an ideal Full Moon to do some genealogy research or even a past life regression or two.
With this Full Moon at 20d00m the Sabian Symbol is 21 Cancer, “a prima donna singing”. Jones says, “This is a symbol of an inevitable culmination for individual opportunity, and of an enduring contribution of skill and talent to whatever may entertain the soul’s recurrent and constant rediscovery of itself.” The keyword is EXCELLENCE.
This Full Moon encourages you to share your deepest feelings with someone you trust while being willing to allow another to be vulnerable with you. Since the Full Moon is taking place in the sign of its rulership, you can expect it to be particularly powerful and intense.
The Full Moon in Your Chart
The Full Moon will occur in a specific location of your chart and in 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 (a point 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.
In my case, there are two significant impacts. One is consistent with all Full Moons because I was born during a Full Moon. So, I feel pretty much every Full Moon in some significant way. 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. Full Moon individuals are constantly trying to “fulfill their potential”.
With this Full Moon, I will experience it passing through my 9th House of Mastership. Interestingly, I have no points in this part of my chart because nothing is in the sign of Cancer for me. However, this Full Moon will occur at a degree that squares with my natal Moon in Libra and my natal Sun in Aries (21d and 23d respectively). There is a very likely possibility that this Full Moon will bring some potential disruption to my life purpose (12th House where my natal Moon resides) and my day-to-day work (6th House where my natal Sun resides).
This Full Moon will be much more intense than past ones and will demand profound emotional work for all of us. This can be a very good time to seek out therapy or counseling if there has been a persistent emotional issue that has needed your attention for some time. Depending on where the Full Moon falls in your chart, that area of life would be the one where you will want and need to talk about and share your feelings.
