4 Ways to Work With the Cancer Full Moon

Astrology for the Cancer Full Moon

On January 6th, the full moon in Cancer encourages us to embrace the mother archetype as we begin a new year. Allowing ourselves to feel the unconditional love of the mother will illuminate what is truly important and serve as a guiding force for creating new year’s resolutions. The full moon will reveal what we must nurture and release in order to create fulfillment in our lives. As we set intentions for this next chapter, Mercury retrograde in Capricorn invites us to slow down and go within to address our outlooks on success, public image, and career. It may be that releasing old familial and ancestral conditioning is the key to our liberation.

Cancer is associated with family, home, ancestry, upbringing, and more. It is also intimately connected to the mother archetype. The mother is a powerful guiding force as we take our first steps forward into the new year. However, this full moon reminds us that getting the ball rolling on our goals doesn’t always look like taking action. Sometimes, it looks like going within, healing, and letting go. Neptune forms a trine to the full moon in Cancer, encouraging us to tap into the realms of fantasy and dreams. On the night of the full moon, imagine what you want to create in the new year. Then, sit in meditation and visualize a mother archetype, the embodiment of unconditional love, acceptance, and care. As you keep your goal in mind, notice how you feel in her presence. As you receive her love, what insights are created about your goal? What do you need to release, nurture, and heal so you can be successful this year? What mindsets do you need to adopt around self-care and self-love? This is also a great time to call upon our ancestors, spirit guides, and loved ones beyond the veil to guide us.

Mercury retrograde in Capricorn forms an opposition to the full moon. Capricorn is connected to success, public image, career, structure, tradition, climbing the ladder, and more. Aside from the miscommunications, break downs, and mishaps that Mercury Rx is known for, there is so much wisdom to be gained here. This is an invitation to slow down and reflect on our mindsets around Capricorn themes. It’s also a great time to reassess our career trajectories and beliefs about success. Making the distinction between traditional outlooks and our authentic views is important during this time. If public image, reputation, or status weren’t important, what would you create? If you didn’t need to adhere to traditional outlooks, would this change your goals? Again, it can be helpful to connect with the mother archetype for guidance. Allowing ourselves to receive her unconditional acceptance will shine a light on where we are moving from fear instead of love. She can help to illuminate our hearts true desires versus conditioning.

Mercury retrograde in Capricorn also invites us to reflect on our relationships to inner authority. To assess our ability to trust it and communicate from this place. This is a great time to pay attention to figures of authority who rub us the wrong way, mirroring our own perceptions of power back to us. With Cancer at play, addressing familial or ancestral wounding around this (or conditioning around success) may be the key to freedom. Reflecting on family views around these topics can shed light on the choices we’ve made in our lives, highlighting where we need healing from the mother. Lastly, Uranus, planet of liberation, and the north node form a sextile to the full moon, opening a door for deep insights, awakenings, and shifts. The north node brings an element of fate, calling us to listen to intuitive nudges or invitations for change. This full moon is a call to get cozy within our homes, reflect, and release so we can be open to the change that is meant for us.

Blessed full moon!

Honoring this full moon may look like…

1. Doing ancestral healing

    This is a great time to sit in meditation and connect with your ancestors. You can also place pictures of ancestors on your altar. Ask them for guidance on healing and shedding light on new year’s resolutions. 

2. Connecting with the mother archetype

   Visualize the mother archetype and really connect with her presence. She is the embodiment of unconditional love. Allow her to illuminate what needs to be released, honored, and celebrated. 

3. Reevaluating success

   Think about your current outlooks, stories, and ideas about success. Are they in alignment with your core values and views? Consider journaling about this. 

4. Working with the water element

Cancer is the cardinal water sign ruled by the moon. This is a great time to make moon water, take a ritual bath, or decorate your altar with shells.