Love Is the Answer: December 2018's Full Moon in Cancer

December's Full Moon will take place on Saturday, December 22, at 12:48 PM EST at 00'49 degrees Cancer. It will be the last Full Moon of the year. Here's what to expect.

What is a Full Moon?

Throughout history, Full Moons were known to cause unexpected, climatic events and strange behavior. A Full Moon occurs when the Moon opposes the Sun, representing the peak or climax of the lunar cycle. Since the two luminaries are in opposition to one another, full moons are known to highlight any opposing forces or polarities in your life, such as the balance between self and other, the balance between the masculine and feminine, and the balance between work and home.

Full Moons in general are a good time to reflect on where you are in life and where you are headed. While the period between the New Moon and the Full Moon is a time for setting (and achieving) goals, the period between the Full Moon and the next New Moon is a time for letting go. It may help to make a list of things you want to release from your life at this time, especially relating to issues of work vs. home, career vs. family, and how we present ourselves in public vs. how we really feel. I also suggest looking at the houses where Cancer and Capricorn are present in your individual natal chart. This will give you a better idea of how the Full Moon will affect you personally.

I also suggest thinking back to any goals or intentions you may have set around the time of the December 7 New Moon for they should be coming to fruition around this time. If not, don't worry, as you have time to revise these goals before the January 5 Full Moon in Capricorn—which will also happen to be a partial solar eclipse!

Full Moon in Cancer

This Full Moon occurs just hours after the Winter Solstice, the darkest day of the year, when the Earth's North Pole has reached it's maximum tilt away from the Sun. The Winter Solstice has historically been a time for celebration: Germany's Yule, Rome's Saturnalia, today's Christmas, and the Jewish Hanukkah, as well as the secular New Year's Eve and New Year's Day happening shortly after.

With the Sun at 00'49 degrees Capricorn and the Moon at 00'49 degrees Cancer, this Full Moon represents the balance between career (Capricorn) and home/family (Cancer). With the Sun and the Moon at the very first degree (also known as a critical degree, representing a new beginning or fresh start) of these signs, this balance is particularly emphasized, which makes sense at a time when many people are taking time off work to spend time with family for the holiday season. In fact, the holiday season has always emphasized these polarities. Christmas for example is now known to be more of a consumerist holiday than a religious one; with all of these advertisements pressuring us to buy, buy, buy, buy the newest coolest things, conflicting with the "true meaning of Christmas," which is love, generosity, and time spent with family.

There could also be a crisis relating to how we want to present ourselves to the world verses how we really feel. While Capricorn represents the public image we craft for ourselves, Cancer is more about our subjective, interior lives, who we are at heart. We may feel driven to integrate the two.

The Moon in Cancer also represents the Mother archetype. It resonates with all things feminine and maternal, as opposed to the Sun in Capricorn which is more patriarchal. Expect a weakening of the patriarchy and a reawakening of feminine values. Women are realizing their power while men become more attuned to the feminine within.

It's also worth noting that while there's no aspect (currently, they are stationing at 26'52 degrees, much too far from the Sun and Moon), the North and South Node have also just recently entered the signs of Cancer and Capricorn. The North Node in the sign of the crab favors the lunar qualities of Cancer to the solar qualities of Capricorn. I strongly suggest reading this article to better understand how the Full Moon will affect you. Here's an excerpt from the article, which I also link here:

Cancer is the sign of the crab. A cardinal water sign, it is ruled by the Moon, which represents the mother. Cancer rules the 4th house or IC (Nadir), the lowest point of the chart, representing the private sphere. Cancer is all about the home, family, our roots, our traditions, our pasts, our deep-seated emotions. Just as the crab is protected by its shell, Cancer seeks to feel safe, secure and protected. The Sun enters Cancer on the Summer Solstice, the first day of summer, characterizing it as "warm," and caring, sensitive.

Capricorn, however, is the sign of the goat. A cardinal earth sign, it is ruled by the planet Saturn, which represents the father. Capricorn rules the 10th house or MC (Midheaven), the highest point of the chart, representing the public sphere. Capricorn is all about ambition, social status, our professional lives, order, structure, authority and hierarchy. Just as the goat climbs up the mountain, Capricorn seeks to climb up to the top of the social ladder. The Sun enters Capricorn on the Winter Solstice, the first day of winter, characterizing it as "cold," and unfeeling.

This transit is asking us to take a step back from our professional lives, to care for and nurture ourselves. We live in a capitalistic system that all too often values profits over people and all too often we conform to this paradigm. All too often, we sacrifice our health and happiness in order to make a living, but what's the point of making a living when we don't even want to live? This transit will teach us about what's truly important. Fame, wealth, and riches mean nothing in comparison to our homes, our families (whether biological or chosen) or those closest to us, our emotional security, what comforts us and what makes us feel safe.

Other Aspects

While the Sun and the Moon themselves make no aspects to other planets, the Full Moon is accompanied by many other significant aspects that will add to it's effects.

The North Node in Cancer and the South Node in Capricorn, for example, will be squaring Uranus, causing shocking and surprising karmic or fated events to occur around this time. There may be surprises relating to home or career, or else, we may feel driven to make significant changes to these areas of our lives.

Meanwhile, the planets Jupiter and Mercury (which recently went direct) will be conjunct by just one degree at 9 and 10 degrees Sagittarius respectively, representing the unification of different kind of opposites: the opposition between the "higher mind" (or spiritual/intuitive mind) represented by Jupiter (which is especially strong in it's home sign of Sagittarius) and the "lower mind" (or logical/rational mind) represented by Mercury. This will cause an increase in communication and an expansion of intellect. The right words will flow out naturally and amazing, even genius, ideas will just come to you. This is an especially favorable aspect for teachers, students, writers, journalists, novelists, professors, scientists, philosophers or spiritual truth seekers, and academics, intellectuals and researchers of any kind. Really, this transit will benefit anyone who is looking for answers. This aspect will yield spectacular insights, presenting you with a perfect solution to the seemingly impossible-to-solve problem you were having.

The strongest aspect, however, would have to be Neptune in Pisces trine Venus in Scorpio, which goes exact (at 13 degrees) just 24 hours before the Full Moon in Cancer. This transit favors romance, as well as art, or anything pertaining to beauty or aesthetics. As the "higher octave" of Venus, Neptune strengthens the planet's qualities of beauty, love and grace. This transit especially favors romance, art, love and beauty of a spiritual or metaphysical variety. It is the perfect time to connect deeply with a loved one or a significant other. Date nights are recommended. You could also meet your soulmate (or a new soulmate, if you prefer, a fated romance: personally I believe we have multiple soulmates rather than necessarily just one and not always of a romantic kind either, though yes this transit favors the romantic kind) or ideal partner during (or around) the time of the Full Moon. It's possible you could connect with a partner through dreams or telepathy (which is really just a heightened sense of empathy). You might also feel a heightened sense of compassion and charity for humanity as a whole. While the Moon is too far away to meet these planets for a grand trine, the Full Moon being in another water sign, and not just any water sign, but it's home sign of Cancer, just adds to the transit's strength, passion and beauty.

To Wrap Things Up

Whether it be friends, family, or lovers, overall this Full Moon favors time spent with the people we love most. The Full Moon in Cancer comes just in time to teach us the true meaning of the holiday season, which isn't about consumerism or fancy presents, but giving, sharing, and most of all, spending quality time with those we love most. Money, status, what people think of us—that doesn't matter. What matters is love; both love for others and love for ourselves.