Catharthis: Full Moon in Cancer & Grand Cardinal Cross Ignite Change

You Are Loved                                                                           Catherine Al-Meten Meyers

If life hasn't already been full of surprises and upsets enough, it's about to reach a cathartic turning point or two more. Both in our personal lives, and in our colletive identity, life has shifted sweeping the rug out from under all expectations and predictions. Take a deep breath, hold onto your hats, and get ready because the ride is far from over. But you are in a good place to get a front row seat to the action. What is going on right now in your own personal life, is mirroring on some level, the collective shifts. What is rising up within us is now calling us to the next leg of our journey. As some have said, this is what we've been prepared for. Ready or not, here it comes. A new yaear has begun, and on Thursday January 12, 2017 at 3:34 A.M. PST/6:34 A.M. EST, the Moon reaches her fullness in the third decan of Cancer at 22/27 degrees.. 

The Full Moon in the third decan of Cancer and the Grand Cardinal Cross forms a volatile and emotional crossroads point. With the Sun in Capricorn and Moon in Cancer in opposition to one another and Jupiter in Libra and Uranus in Aries in opposition, all in cardinal signs, this first full moon of 2017 (and last of the lunar year) trigger both personal and collective floods and eruptions that force issues out from hiding. As the Full Moon in Cancer, the Sun in Capricorn, Uranus in Aries, and Jupiter in Libra, the Cardinal Cross forms two oppositions and four squares. The Full Moon in Cancer triggers the Jupiter-Uranus opposition. Look for four key areas of your life where the Cardinal signs are transiting, and prepare yourself to deal with some major awakenings, releases, and sudden and shocking shifts.

Due to the nature of both fiery Uranus in Aries and buoyant, visionary Jupiter in Libra, this aspect releases some pretty far-reaching and rebellious types of energy, actions, and collective actions, movements, and energy. Uranus rules electricity, and Jupiter symbolizes abundance and beyond-the-bounds inspiration. This meeting and friction ignites us personally and collectively to head out on new pathways and take new directions in the call of personal freedom and liberty. Extremes of all kinds are triggered at this point, and have long-lasting effects where both shocking and surprising changes take place in some of the most unexpected ways.

Polarities are in the extreme at this point, and any compromise or backtracking with personal or collective actions, intentions, and decisions will have lasting and destructive ramifications. We want to stick to that which is calling us to grow and find the right path ahead,avoiding any destructive compromise or unwillingness to see how the die has been cast. We are faced in our personal and collective lives with the choices and responses that will determine how our future will unfold. Be sure you are doing what you are called to do, in the way you are called to do it, and for all the right reasons. Be sure you have disconnected from  any unwanted behaviors, patterns, baggage, or connections as you carry forth what is within you now-acknowledge or not.

Reflect on what you invested your time, energy, and resources on six months ago. Whatever you invested in at that time is now coming back to you with the rewards of that  investment. The Full Moon in the third decan of Cancer brings with it abundance and luxury. Full moons are fulfillment, and so we now reap what we sowed. Where we allowed what was within us to come emerge, will be rewarded now. The retrograde phase of Mercury ends as I am writing this column. Mercury in its retrograde cycle has reentered Sagittarius, and at the time of the Full Moon will be in the anaretic degree (29th/last degree) as it completes its transit of Sagittarius and prepares tor reenter Capricorn. A vital aspect, communications may be fiery, shocking, and critical at the time of the Full Moon as well. Any lull in January energy may be much less than it usually is. As the Moon waxes to fullness, we find ourselves restless and energized. 

The annual Saturnalia festival of ancient times, a time when Capricorn’s ruler Saturn was honored as the table was set and roles were reversed, with master serving slaves in a feast of appreciation and liberation from the normal rules and customs. Some believe this festival (usually celebrated in December) was the festival Christians chose to celebrate Christ’s nativity. This year, the ancient festival falls in the light of the Full Moon, and beckons us to celebrate our freedom and independence from tyranny, oppression as we break the shackles that bind us to that which threatens our freedom and creativity. Cardinal placements trigger change and open doorways to new ways of knowing, being, thinking, and behaving. This is a time to break out of any molds that are inhibiting who you are and preventing you from living authentically and freely.

Whether those shackles are in letting go of thoughts, beliefs, patterns of behavior, toxic relationships and living conditions, or conditions that make living peacefully and in harmony impossible, we will be pushed over the edge by the energy building up now. The Grand Cardinal Cross triggered by the Full Moon in Cancer, fuels our deepest desires for real security, the kind that is rooted in our living our own Truth, not submitting to the false and poisonous dictates of others. This is an life-changing time for us, and we will feel it on some very profound and deep level. One of the ways to see what is shaking out in your own life is to look at what houses/areas of your own life are being affected primarily.

On Tuesday as the Sun in Capricorn  forms the square to Uranus in Aries, we find it difficult if not impossible to guess what’s coming next. Expecting the unexpected is the rule as this transit begins the energizing of the Cardinal Cross. Time to take a wait and see attitude about any major changes or choices that you may have been considering. This does not mean to stop clearing and disentangling from toxic and outworn modes of belief and behavior, but it does signal the need to take some time to reflect, observe, and watch how what you’ve already put into place begins unfolding, in sometimes some pretty amazing and surprising ways.

On Wednesday as the Cardinal Cross continues forming, the Sun in Capricorn squares Jupiter in Libra. This energy may have us feeling restless, unsettled, and anxious. A good time to channel any unstable energy into creative, purposeful, and grounding activities. A very beautiful aspect that coincides with this Full Moon in Cancer is the conjunction of Venus and Neptune in Pisces. The Full Moon in Cancer trines  Venus, Neptune, and Chiron casting a mystical, creative, and healing energy over us. We may be going through a lot of shifting, changing, and transforming, but we are beginning to feel and connect to the beauty of this change in our lives.

The more we recognize the pain, lessons, and challenges of the past have elements for helping us remember how we have leaned to heal, the more we will feel ready and capable for whatever challenges our new pathways and choices hold. For in the forward momentum and movement into becoming more fully who we are, we also remember who we have always been at the heart of our being and essence. Connecting and seeking guidance from the Divine helps us navigate the waters we are sailing. This is a time when psyches are open, vulnerable, and more easily swayed. While what is shiny may be attractive, we need to use our powers of discernment to not pay too high a cost for what is illusory, vague, or fleeting. Ground yourself to what truly speaks from your soul of your own journey, and welcome those as partners and allies who can walk that road with you, not drag you off into dark and tragic places where there is no hope but continually circling the same old loop.

Later when the Sun forms a semi-square to Neptune in Pisces, we may feel we have lost track or slipped back away from the path that seemed so clear in the light of the Full Moon in Cancer. This is only an temporary illusion, a block woven from our own exhaustion, fears, and the normal tendencies we all have when we’re starting off on a new journey. The desire is to run back to the safe places, to return to a time that is no more. What we need to do now is to face the unknown with courage and with determination. And take a rest stop for a day or two to recover from the major shifts that have just taken hold. As we near the end of the lunar year (The New Lunar Year begins January 27-28), this is a time when reflection, rest, and repairing of nets needs to be done so we are ready to begin the new cycle in greater clarity.

The Year of the Fire Rooster is about to begin. The Fire Rooster Year will follow on the Year of the Monkey, a year that has us all scratching our heads and asking, “What just happened?” It was a year full of surprises, upsets, and challenges to whatever we thought was supposed to happen. Surprise after surprise, both good and not so good, marked the Year of the Monkey. Now we head into a different type of energy altogether. The Year of the Rooster will bring new challenges, and will require us to use our wits and figure out practical solutions to challenges that arise. The new year begins on the second New Moon after the Winter Solstice. Predicted to be a powerful new year, with no middle of the road when it comes to making changes and moving forward. This is a year when impressions will count more than usual. We want to look our best, make good impressions, and put our best foot forward. Show the world what you are through respecting yourself and taking pride in the appearance of your home, your work, yourself. Make your intentions clear (that requires being clear yourself with yourself). Use what is tried and true, and avoid too much risk. Stick with what you know works for you, and focus on honoring loyalty, hard work, family, commitments, and always looking and doing your best. You honor others when you care enough about yourself to present your best.

As you celebrate the Full Moon and prepare for the New Lunar Year, clean up your act. Clear away clutter, clean the house, car, office, and get yourself some new clothes, a hair cut, and give some special attention and gifts to those you love, in appreciation for the gifts they have shared with you. Happy New Year and celebrate the shifts the Full Moon in Cancer bring to light.