Full Moon in Cancer December 2020
The first Full Moon for 2020 was an eclipse in Cancer, just before Uranus went direct and Saturn and Pluto had their first conjunction since 1982. Big energy, which continued throughout the year. 2020 is bookended with another Full Moon in Cancer, but this time around it is a softer energy—and don’t we all need that after the year we’ve had.
In terms of world events that I have experienced in my lifetime, this year has been the most tumultuous. I noticed the impact over the Christmas celebrations with family and friends when asked what I’ve been up to this year and my mind went blank: all I could think about were the hours at home trying to find something to motivate and entertain myself. Yet, when I dug below the surface, I remembered some really good things that happened this year.
It was a year in which I fully recognised that I had my ‘people’ around me. Family, home, foundations, traditions, protection and nurture are Cancerian themes, and they have been the undercurrent of the year. The other themes which I have banged on about over the past 12 months are relationships and our sense of self (balancing the we and the me), and the crumbling of the old ways.
As we move into a new calendar year, think about your experience of these themes. How did you learn from the events that happened? What personal growth have you gone through? In a year where you may not have ticked the boxes of external goals you can learn to value the importance of internal shifts—when things change inside of you, things change around you.
I see so many people online wanting to say good riddance to 2020, but we can’t fully move on until we have acknowledged what has passed and then use that in our plans for the future. As George Santayana said back in 1905, ‘Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.’ The Cancer Moon is the past, the Capricorn Sun is what we want to build in the future.
And so, onto this Cancer Full Moon.
The Moon rules the sign of Cancer. It also influences our emotional state. Just how the Moon waxes and wanes over the course of the month, our emotions ebb and flow as well. It has been an intense year and many times you may have had to push feelings down just to keep on moving. This Full Moon may bring up all that repressed emotion, especially as it is in square to Chiron (our wounds and healing).
It may also bring up feelings of relief that we made it. Be gentle with yourself. Lay low if you need to. Cry if you need to. Yell and scream at the Moon if you need to. Call or spend time with loved ones if you can. Release it all from your system. Let go. (See the Full Moon playlist and ritual below.)
Uranus is in a friendly aspect to this Full Moon, helping to accept the changes we need to make. There is still a bit of tension between Mars and Pluto—Pluto making sure that our actions are fueled by a higher purpose and not personal ego. And we are in the beginning of Jupiter and Saturn’s transit through Aquarius. Things are shifting to a new vibe, with new values and new ways of being.
I recommend holding off on setting New Year resolutions/intentions/goals until the New Moon in Capricorn on 13 January 2021. Full Moons are about releasing and New Moons are about setting new intentions, so it’s better if you wait a little bit as you’ll be able to use the Big Boss Capricorn energy which fully supports working toward a goal. I am running a workshop on goal setting with the Moon at Fed Square in January, so come along if you want to learn more. More details will be released soon.
This Full Moon, respect your emotions, celebrate and nurture the ones you love, enjoy the place you call home. Stay safe and I’ll see you next year.
The exact time of the Full Moon is:
AEDT: Wednesday 30 December @ 2.28pm
United Kingdom: Wednesday 30 December @ 3.28am
US Eastern: Tuesday 29 December @ 10.28pm
US Pacific: Tuesday 29 December @ 7.28pm
Find your timezone here.
Would you love an overview of your important themes for the next 12 months, with guidance on how to make the most of them? Book in for a personal Year Ahead astrology reading.
Align to Self Cosmic Mentoring is a 3-month indepth journey into your birth chart. It’s about connecting to yourself and stepping into your power. Currently 21% off until 31 January 2021 (no code needed).
A ritual for the Full Moon in Cancer
I have curated a playlist on Spotify to take you through the Cancer themes of nurture, home, foundations, family, ancestors and tradition. To get the greatest benefit out of it, I recommend that you dance to this. When we dance we move energy through our bodies and can shift things that we didn’t even know we needed to shift. In some cases, we may not even be aware of what we released but just feel generally ‘lighter’ afterwards.
Dancing under the energy of the Full Moon is extra-powerful as this is a natural time for us to release old patterns, beliefs, ideas, emotions that we no longer need. It helps create space within us to invite in something new.
How to do this ritual
Set-up: Find a space in your home where you won’t be disturbed for at least an hour. Make sure you have enough space to dance without bumping into furniture. Have a water bottle on hand so you can stay hydrated. Also have your journal or some paper to record any thoughts that may come up during the ritual.
Head to the Settings in Spotify and make sure you have turned off Autoplay so that once the playlist ends you are able to sit in silence. (If you are using the mobile app you will find Autoplay under Settings - Playback.) Also make sure that you have turned off any other shuffle or repeat settings—you want to listen to the playlist in the order that it has been curated.
Set up any speakers or headphones so that you have the best sound possible. (I like to listen through headphones so I can really block out other sounds and feel into the music.)
Create a mood: Light a candle or some incense, dim the lights.
Read the blog post about the themes of this Full Moon, then perhaps sit in contemplation or journal out some of the things that you personally wish to release and transform.
When you are ready, start the playlist. Move your body in a way that feels intuitive in each moment. No-one is watching so you can really let go of your inhibitions. When moving, I like to close my eyes or have a soft gaze so I stay more in my body. Just make sure you stay aware of where you are in the room so you don’t bang into any furniture and hurt yourself.
The playlist is designed to take you on a journey through the Cancer themes of nurture, home, foundations, family, ancestors and tradition. If thoughts, feelings or emotions come up for you keep moving them through your body. You might find that certain areas of your body, like your shoulders or hips, feel stiff at first and want to be moved in a certain way. This is your body releasing things that have become stuck.
The final track is a sound healing. Sit or lie down and allow the music to wash over you as your nervous system settles.
Once the music ends, you may find you want to lie in silence for awhile or journal about your experience. Just do whatever comes to you intuitively.
Drink plenty of water after the ritual. Having a shower afterwards or a soak in the bath with some epsom/himalayan sea salts can be really nice as well to help symbolically ‘wash away’ anything that you were releasing. Eating magnesium-rich foods (bananas, almonds, dark chocolate) can also help replenish your system.
You might feel like you have an ‘energetic hangover’ the next day or have emotions come up. Be gentle with yourself, rest when you can, drink lots of water.
***
I have been working with this style of ritual on the Full Moon for awhile now and have found it to be a great way to release and let go. I hope you find it as beneficial as I do.
With love
Tanya
xxx