Full Moon in Cancer: Life is a Banquet

The Full Moon in Cancer, arriving the day after Christmas, during a time when many holidays and cultural celebrations occur, reminds us that life is vibrant and rich.

This is the Moon in her own sign, the sign of mothers and children, of families chosen and inherited, of the traditions we were born into and ones we create.

The sign of Cancer is associated with children, the home, and with food–how we nurture and how we are nurtured. Yet the Moon in Cancer is not always giving. Not all mothers are good ones, and sometimes mothers and children find themselves in overwhelming situations in which only survival is possible, and sometimes not even that.

This Full Moon, though, shows us the warmest, most generous face of nurturing. Jupiter in Taurus sextiles the Moon. Jupiter is cozy and warm in Taurus, where the Moon is exalted. Since Jupiter is exalted in Cancer, where we find the Moon, these two form a mutually supportive connection with extra oomph.

The Sun in Capricorn forms the third part of this relationship. Opposing the Moon, as always happens when the Moon is full, the practical, get it done solidity of Capricorn gazes full on at emotional, nurturing, and sometimes hungry Cancer.

Jupiter trines the Sun as he sextiles the Moon, strengthening the Sun’s connection to the natural world, and to the slow, steady loyalty that is the Taurus signature.

Here we have the stability of tradition enriched by the generosity and expansive optimism of Jupiter.

If this were the entire chart, we’d be in for a lovely time. However, other important and ongoing patterns add spice to the mix. The Full Moon vibe could get out of control.

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First, this Moon is significantly out of bounds. If you’re not familiar with this term, it means the Moon is currently well outside the limits set by the Sun. This Moon is charting her own course and likely to be eccentric and unpredictable.

Since this is a Moon in Cancer, we might find ourselves experiencing wild mood swings, or odd food cravings, or a desire to nest–or alternatively, to fly away.

The impulse to fly away is supported by another pattern in this chart, namely, Mercury retrograde in Sagittarius very close to Mars as both square Neptune. On December 27 and 28, within the Full Moon phase, the Mars–Mercury conjunction and the squares of each with Neptune, will be exact. Which means they are very much felt during the Full Moon.

Sagittarius, ruled by Jupiter, is optimistic and expansive. It’s also a Fire sign, which means Mars wants to move, and move fast, while Mercury is fired up with ideas and things they have to say.

This is not the best combination with an emotional, out of bounds Moon. We could tend to get heated up without thinking things through. Over the next few days, we might find ourselves in contentious conversations or outright arguments. We may even start something ourselves.

If emotions run high and fiery words follow, do your best to take deep, slow breaths. I guess another caution with this combination is to do our best to avoid emotional eating–tough to do during the holidays, I know.

Adding Neptune to the pattern enhances the potential for high emotion and argument, but also offers remedies.

Neptune square Mars and Mercury means our executive functions can easily get fogged up. We can be so sure we’re right, and later discover we were badly mistaken. We can dive into rabbit holes and find ourselves way out in left field.

Yet Neptune doesn’t show up just to confuse and mystify. Neptune invites us into unbounded creative and spiritual exploration, and encourages us to dream. This dreaming is enhanced by a trine from Venus in Scorpio, who brings depth and intensity to our creative and spiritual pursuits.

My recommendation for engaging with Neptune well, is to allow time and space for open-ended experience. This could be exploring a creative medium you’re not expert in, or even familiar with. It might be diving back into spiritual practices you’ve let fall away, especially any involving visioning or dreamwork.

Neptune loves it when we connect with our unconscious selves, the dreamers within. Neptune is mutable, holding many interpretations in one image.

So over these next days, we can enjoy nurturing connections with those we care about. We can savor foods we love (while doing our best not to overindulge).

If we find ourselves fired up with anyone, for any reason, we can take a breath and remember Mars and Mercury, and the confusion Neptune can create.

Then we can turn to creative explorations, or spiritual practice, and channel fiery emotion into personal insight.

Do check the connections between the Full Moon chart and your birth chart. Where the connections are strongest, your experience will follow. This can help you plan ahead for avoiding conflict, or simply allow you to sit back and revel in the loveliest aspects of this Full Moon in Cancer with Jupiter’s support.