On Monday at 6:47pm Eastern Time, the Moon, who is celestial mother to us all, will stand in opposition to the Sun.
Whenever a Full moon occurs, a flood of energy comes to a head in the skies. The themes, lessons, and emotional timbre reaches a climax. At the same time, a great tension arises between our needs and our wants, our desires and our circumstances, our conscious and our unconscious.
Because the full Moon starts the waning season, her placement will indicate things in our lives that we more often than not need to release. As she wanes and separate from those places, so too should we wane and separate from the things in our lives that do not serve us.
In the new moon post for this Capricorn season, I wrote about grounded change, exerting effort to make the changes in your life that can carry you for the rest of your life.
I spoke of the crucible that is the Capricornian lunar month, as we are all refined in the fires of duty and labor, facing the challenges that come alongside building something that is meant to last.
Along your way to making long-lasting, life-giving change in your life, I am sure that you found habits and behaviors that you were very attached to and did not want to let go of. And yet, while you found a great deal of enjoyment and comfort in them…
…but that you also know deep down are not in alignment with your purpose. They will not bring ultimately bring you what you want from your life. They do not serve you.
We all have habits, behaviors, people, etc. that we use for emotional nourishment and fulfilment. They make us feel safe, okay, loved, and taken care of. There is nothing inherently wrong with the things that we use to make ourselves feel taking care of.
In astrology, this principle of emotional nourishment and the things and people in our life that provide it to us are signified by the Moon. The Moon reflects the nurturing maternal principle. As the celestial mother of the cosmos, she desires to take care of our needs, make us feel safe and loved, and nourish us however possible.
You see the maternal principle -the instinct to nurture and be nurtured – show up very strongly in the sign of Cancer, where the Moon has her rulership. Indeed, people with a heavily Cancerian influence are very attuned to people’s needs and desires, and particularly sensitive to the emotional well-being of those around them.
But sometimes the things that we use for emotional safety and nourishment actually keep us from living out our purpose, fulfilling our mission, and completing the work that we came here for. Ultimately, they inhibit your total flourishing, because you become so preoccupied with feeling safe and getting whatever you want that you can’t actually do the things that will make you truly happy.
In the end, we can become attached and addicted, and we live a miserable life that superficially should be enjoyable.
What is it that will make you truly happy? Go back to the New Moon in Capricorn post – remember your commitments. Remember your duty. Remember what you know you need to do, not just for yourself, but for everyone around you.
So as the Moon reaches her apex in opposition and discord with the Sun, we reach a complete antithesis between our emotional needs and safety blankets on the one hand…
…and our duty, responsibility, and obligation to the community around us on the other.
Venus continues her retrograde circuit in Capricorn and forms an opposition to the Full Moon. This points again to addiction to physical things with the earthy quality of Capricorn. The retrogradation points toward relapse.
Jupiter forms an extremely auspicious superior trine from Pisces, his place of rulership. If you commit to letting go of and releasing these things, you will find teachers and allies supporting you and lifting you up in your decision.
Green Calcite is a specific for addiction withdrawal symptoms. Leapordskin Jasper works on addictions to more yang addictions caffeine and alcohol, and amethyst on more more yin, numbing substances.
Magical rituals in the evening hour of the Moon on Monday the 17th will be very potent, as they will be extremely close to the exact moment of its opposition. Engaging in rituals of letting go and release would be auspicious.
Let go of those safety blankets that you know you have outgrown. Don’t walk around with crutches after your body has healed. Don’t succumb to the numbness of a sterilized, pain-free existence.
If you do, you will find more joy and happiness on the other side than you can ever get by remaining in your comfort zone.