Full Moon in Cancer 1*3*26
And just like that we are in a new year with a lunation on the horizon. On Saturday morning, the Sun at 13 degrees of Capricorn will shine on the Moon, sitting at 13 degrees of Cancer. This axis deals with the public you and the private you; the way you care for yourself so you can show up in the world as a fully resourced being and live your purpose. Cancer focuses on creating a space where you feel at home. It is, in fact, the sign of home, both physical domicile and roots, childhood, and foundation. Cancer energy, if not careful, can absorb emotional currents from others or the environment. And because it is the cardinal water sign, those emotions (water) become personalized (cardinal signs personalize their elements), meaning it's challenging to discern between emotions that are absorbed from others and those that are internally generated. Cancer energy requires a safe space to retreat to after engaging in the world in order to discern which feelings carry relevant information and which are just noisy distractions that latched on from "out there".
The Moon is very comfortable in Cancer, the sign over which it has rulership. That means emotions are more accessible. Under this Full Moon, which brings things to light, emotions that have been ignored or dismissed will rise up into awareness to be seen. This clarity can be unsettling if you are used to bypassing, dismissing, suppressing, or avoiding how you feel. This lunation will illuminate the "stories" you have attached to those emotions. Notice how integrated these stories have become into your self definition. Pay attention to how you speak to yourself and others under this Full Moon. Can you say how you feel without launching into justification or blame? How comfortable are you with honoring your emotional needs? Can you admit you have them? What does 'home' mean to you? What are the qualities that you need in order to feel safe in your space? How do you create that comfortable retreat for yourself? How do you tend to your wellbeing? Do you consistently invest in yourself? Cancer is the sign of mothering and nurturing. What blocks or resistances have you developed to nurturing yourself? Towards creating a sanctuary that allows you to replenish and resource yourself? What stories are at the root?
The other side of this axis is Capricorn, cardinal earth. In the ideal scenario, Capricorn is the fulfillment of purpose that is possible from the strong foundation of care you have established and maintained. Capricorn is the version of you that goes out into the world to fulfill its destiny. Nourished by the solid roots of home, Capricorn energy can go do the things, knowing there is a safe haven waiting at the end of the day, a place that offers rest and repletion. Capricorn is not just about reaching goals or experiencing success in school or work. It is about bringing your very best to the world, contributing to your community, and cultivating a reputation you are proud of. As we start this year, under this Full Moon, who is this best version? How do you want to be seen? What does success mean to you? What goals have you chosen? What resources do you need to pursue them?
The Moon in Cancer will let you know where your roots are deep and nourished and where you might need to bolster your capacity. Pay attention to how you feel when you imagine your plans. Do you notice a sense of expansiveness, especially in the heart area? Do you feel your energy collapse? Tense up? Notice how your body responds - is your breath shallow, your shoulders hiked up towards your ears, your jaw clenched? Do you begin to recall all the times things didn't turn out the way you hoped? What stories have you spun around those times? Can you reframe them? What about times when you did hit the home run? Can you acknowledge and celebrate your successes or do you downplay them, smothering them in a cloak of imposed humility that is self abandonment masquerading as virtue? How receptive are you to success?
If you are in the throes of heavy energy it can be challenging to shift. That is where your investment in a foundation of care pays off. You know how to use your breath to soften, to take gentle movements, to nourish yourself well, to allow yourself to settle. You know how to return to yourself. You know how to care for yourself in a way that reminds you of your considerable abilities. From that place, you have the capacity to show up first for yourself then for your dreams.
This year will bring many changes. All the outer planets are moving into their new signs in the first half of 2026 where they will stay for the duration of their orbits. No more retrograding back to tie up loose ends.
Saturn and Neptune are still wrapping up their time in Pisces, calling on us to finally release the victim/martyr persona. A key part of reviewing your stories is to identify this version of self and challenge its disempowered perspective. Saturn and Neptune will be meeting at the very first degree of the Zodiac in February. This is exceptionally rare - not Saturn and Neptune forming a conjunction, which happens every 36 years or so, but that they are meeting at 0 degrees of Aries. It is a true new beginning.
Uranus, planet of sudden disruption, will move into Gemini in April for its 7 year transit, affecting the way we communicate, among other things. Pluto in Aquarius continues to transform the structures that its time in Capricorn showed to be unsustainable. These are big cycles that are affecting all of us on a macro level. This is not to spark fear or diminish your agency. In fact, one of the themes of Pluto in Aquarius is realizing how much power we each have as individuals, especially when we begin to unhook from any disempowering beliefs we hold and begin to explore what is possible for ourselves as we show up in our unique way.
No one can create when feeling threatened. No one can show up as their highest version without safety. That is the essence of the root chakra. That is the first of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. That is the key theme of this Full Moon in Cancer. As the outer world shifts, it's critical to establish a safe and sacred space for to anchor yourself. That is where your agency is. The Full Moon in Cancer offers insights that will guide and assist you in doing so. When you make the choices to consistently prioritize your wellbeing, you demonstrate your value to yourself. You embody your worthiness. You stop outsourcing validation and trust your own power.
The Sun is flanked by Venus at 12 degrees of Capricorn and Mars at 14 degrees of Capricorn. This blending of the energies of purpose (Sun), connection/values (Venus) and action (Mars) all shining onto the soulful Moon are inviting us to realize (i.e., make real in our awareness) that presence is the precursor to rather than an outcome of achievement.
The calendar might have flipped, but the energy of most of January, at least from the astrology perspective, is directed internally. Before you step fully into this new year, make time to reflect on what really matters to you and how you can demonstrate those values and ideals first within yourself. Before showing up for others, commit to showing up for yourself consistently. The latter part of January and into February will be better suited to "doing". For now, we are all in the threshold of the changes to come. It's time to explore the inner world and settle into the energy you want to bring to your life. Form follows frequency. The more you embody the qualities of your highest and best self - kindness, appreciation, abundance, etc., - the more you see these qualities in your relationships and experiences in the world. Embodiment means practicing how it feels to be that chosen version of yourself.
Wishing you and your dear ones peace as we move through this threshold into this new year. Thank you for sharing your precious time with me.
"Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside dreams; who looks inside awakens." ~C.G. Jung
