December 22nd ~ 29th

O Sun, source of light, love and power in the universe; Whose radiance illuminates the whole Earth; illuminate also our hearts; That they, too, may do your work.

On Tuesday we have a Full Moon just one day after Christmas. Traditionally a very emotional Moon, the Christmassy Cancer Full Moon may help to shed some clarity on a situation in our lives. And this is despite the feeling that we can’t even see our hand in front of our face, nor see a way forward through the fog of our lives. The only way out of this dilemma is to simply be in the moment, accepting it for what it is. And then, like a lighthouse on a craggy shore, the Moon shines its light through the murky mists, trying to light our way. 

There is something so very sacred about this time of year. A season celebrated with festivals of light is a reminder for us all to turn our hearts and minds towards the light as well. Capricorn is a sign associated with a certain stoicism that arises out the stark frigidity of the Winter season, at this, the season of the Crone. In the dark of Winter it was customary to gather in warm family circles, symbolized each year by the Cancer Full Moon warming our hearths and homes as well as our hearts. This Christmas Moon rising just one day after Christmas Day dares to breathe life into seeds planted in the stark potential of the Winter Solstice on December 21st. 

On December 26th, the Full Moon at 4º Cancer 58’ culminates at 7:34 pm Eastern Time, 4:34 pm Pacific, and 12:34 am Greenwich Time on December 27th. Nostalgic, emotional and protective, the Cancer Full Moon is a time for reflection, looking back from where we’ve come, while also looking forward to where we hope to go in the future. The Sun is in the sign of Capricorn, a disciplined and organized sign, a time of year in which we aim to resolve the remnants of what once was, while sorting out a plan for the future. However, this year Mercury is retrograde for the Yuletide season.

The retrograde phase of Mercury is a time for inner reflection and introspection. We are needing to process the experiences of the previous year in order to make sense of them. This is how we learn. This is how we grow. Mercury retrogrades back to Sagittarius this weekend, a sign that has to do with a higher and more expansive perspective. A roaming spirit that is now turned within. 

Sometimes in order to find our way forward, we first have to find ourselves in the scheme of things. It could be that we simply cannot see what is next. During the latter half of the retrograde phase of Mercury, both Mercury and Mars in Sagittarius will be square to Neptune. When engulfed in the shadowy waters of Neptune, sometimes all we can do is be present with ourselves. The past is compelling and may call you at this time of year. But do not dwell on regrets, or what once was. The past is the past. Nor can we see the future when we are lost in a foggy Neptunian fugue. The future is what it is, and will come when it will. We cannot remain in the past, nor can we fully see the future. What we have left is the present moment. To just be.

Retrograde Mercury backs up into Sagittarius, the sign of travel, just in time for the holidays. This is where we are more likely to have to contend with travel issues. But when engulfed in the mists of a Neptunian fog, this is more than just lost luggage and travel detours. This is more of an existential confusion between wanting to go, while longing to stay. Plans are virtually impossible when we cannot see our hand in front of our face. 

It may feel like we are lost. Or that we are needing to go with the moment, not knowing what tomorrow will bring. Live each day as it comes. We are being asked to have faith that we will arrive where we need to be, even though there is no good reason for us to believe so. Immerse yourself in the moment. And even if you are not feeling the spiritual meaning of the season without, look for it within your own heart and mind, guided by the still small voice of hope and belief that there is going to be something more. 

Full Moons are times of culmination and completion. All the more so with the Full Moon in Cancer which allows us to more fully process and reflect on the year that was. Look at all that you have done and accomplished and seen and been through. Things are revealed, our heart center is exposed, and through this process we are preparing emotionally and psychologically for the new year to come. Full Moons can also be quite emotional. This is all the more so with the Full Moon in Cancer, where all of our feelings come to the surface. 

Jupiter will make its direct station at the end of the month, ending its retrograde phase. Every time Jupiter stations it makes a trine to the Sun instilling us with hope and the promise of better things to come. And with that promise will come the realization that a path is unfolding in front of us. 

And just as Mercury, all retrograde and immersed in the emotional waters of Neptune, is asking us all to have hope. So is the Full Moon, which is sextile Jupiter, which is slowing for its direct station on December 30th/31st, ending its 4 month long retrograde phase. The Full Moon is sextile Jupiter, as the Sun makes its bi-annual trine. Every time Jupiter stations, it does so with a trine to the Sun, instilling hope and the promise of better things to come. Not only are the Sun and Moon aspecting expansive Jupiter, but are also making a connection to stalwart and committed Saturn, which is positioning itself to make it so. And all we are being asked to do, is believe. 

For this week’s horoscopes, click below:

HOROSCOPES