Full Moon at 29 Cancer

That every month the Full Moon happens in a sign opposite that the Sun is transiting…is an interesting thought. With the astronomical matter here being the Sun ‘revealing the full face of the Moon’ that would seem to be about ‘revealing’ all sorts of lunar matters.

Or maybe exposing them. And if they’re being exposed, that suggests they were hidden. Was that willful? Accidental? Out of denial?

Then again, considering how what we see of the Moon increased day by day during every month’s ‘waxing’ period between New and Full Moon, maybe the Full Moon is simply the full realization of something. Or something coming into ‘full being.’

This last is a bit closer to the astrological lore, but there doesn’t seem to be any reason not to at least consider some of the other implications.

Maybe it depends on the sign? Maybe so. That point seems particularly apt this month, what with the Sun being in Capricorn and the Moon in Cancer, coming to this Full Moon formation on January 19 at 9:22 in the evening.

(Yes, I mean as calculated for UT/+0)

Capricorn is all about ‘leadership.’ In a nation, that’s the government. In the government, that’s the head of state. In a corporation, that’s the CEO or president, in a society that’s the government and commerce, as the machinery, the ‘inner workings’ of a society’s economic system.

Against this we have Cancer. If Capricorn is the government, the oppositional sign (Cancer) is the people. The population. The citizenry. Against commerce – the gears and cogs of any economy -  Cancer would be the culture, the national lifestyle and community or family – the basic human units which together make up a society.

Both these signs are cardinal by mode – they do what they need to do and learn from results. But as they’re in different hemispheres, their motivational drive is somewhat different. Situated on the pro-active, assertive side of the horoscope wheel, Capricorn is about ‘making a world.’ Cancer, being on the receptive/reactive side of the natural zodiac wheel represents how people respond not just to current conditions, but to all the traditions and human knowledge which has come down through the generations, years or merely recent experience.

So that makes this….what, a feisty Full Moon? A face off between governments and populations? Maybe. A feisty-festive time? Maybe. Maybe also a ‘full steam ahead’ sort of time.

In fact, with this Full Moon happening at the last degree of either sign (29 Cancer, 29 Capricorn) feelings will not merely run high as they usually do around the time of a Full Moon (the Full Moon being the symbolic ‘high tide’ of monthly emotional issues or triggers)…but with an intensity not generally associated with other Full Moons.

Complicating the picture here is that the Moon rules Cancer. Astrologically, this gives us the picture of something totally ‘on it’s own,’ whether that makes it totally independent, the proverbial ‘loose cannon,’ or an idea, feeling or position which is either ‘isolated’ or ‘unconnected’ to anything else…in the society, in life, in reality – whatever.

But because the Moon rules Cancer, we are given yet another sign of ‘strength’ in a sense astrologers call “weighting.” Think of it as a “rating” scale for a placement or astrological situation.

1. This is a Full Moon. So score one for high emotions. 

2. This Full Moon is in a critical degree. So added another point for intensity in the emotion department.

3. This critical degree Full Moon is in Cancer, and Cancer is ruled by the Moon. So this is emotions ruling the emotionality of the moment, all in a sign which is about one's native mindset. Or about citizenship, customs, lifestyle or a national population. Cancer is emblematic of the family, a culture, our traditions,  habits, homes, real estate and receptivity.

And our ability to respond to situations.

And our sub-conscious - and all which lurks within.

 A Full Moon

photo credit: Andrew Choy

Meanwhile...to have such a Full Moon we have to have the Sun in direct opposition to said Moon. So that puts the Sun at 29 Capricorn, a degree which, while it displays Capricorn’s legendary ‘collected’ (some say ‘cool’ or even ‘distant’) even poised, perhaps serene...or even melancholy or withdrawn, separatist or 'the cut apart'... this is still a Sun in a critical degree. And in Capricorn, critical degree is fervency of determination, which can spell drive, can spell need, can spell conviction or can simply spell fervency - the wanting what you want because you want it to be true (for you or everyone, depending).

As a degree which emphasizes ‘nature’ and thus certain sorts of ‘inevitability,’ this seems not a dogged, determined moment, but one which is perhaps more about the drive, the need, the conviction that you can cope or need to cope.

With the Sun conjunct Mars/Hel at 3 Aquarius there is a struggle in the works. Some are martyred, some are gritting their teeth and holding on, some are motivated by wanting to honor those who have paid some price they feel needs recognition.

Capricorn being ruled by Saturn, we then look to Saturn, seeing it poised at 17 Libra, a degree which is usually about a highly appealing sort of emotionalism which is built on deep seated rationale and seemingly irrefutable logic.

Usually, you say?

Uh, yes. Though we might think this would be a moment of earnest exhortation winning a difficult  day, that Saturn is opposite Eris (Aries) sort of blows that beautiful daydream right out of the water.

 Effect of a Butterfly

by Anastasiya Markovich

This isn’t a picture of disaster, though it is possible (as is always true at such indicated moments of high emotion) that there will be something which arouses an eruption of feelings. And let’s remember, this is the second month in a row where we have had a Full Moon at 29 degrees…much like the three months in a row (November, December, January) which had New Moons in signs at 13 degrees of succeeding signs.

That series ended in the January Solar Eclipse. This series – which is again going to be a three month series (hint, hint – through February ) is playing off the Lunar Eclipse of December 21st. (Note for exactness sake: for those in the mid-Pacific time zones it was still the 20th when the Lunar Eclipse occurred.)

Lunar Eclipses are emotional, the moment is emotional, and with the Moon in many senses ‘unconnected’ to all else, this could be a riotous moment.

Then again, it could be a moment in your life which in being a truly focused, feeling moment helps you see has happened, what’s going on, what now needs to be done. Just don’t plan on this being a day of pixie dust and flowers. Today (of all days!) Jupiter conjuncts Scheat – at 29 Pisces.

It’s another dollop of intensity, this time in a sign all about feeling our own feelings and the need to sort reality from fantasies, longing and yearning. That this happens as asteroid Atlantis goes retrograde at 2 Libra as we talked about in the Asteroid Factors blog a couple of days ago (on the 16th)....that suggests that this is a moment of 'letting go.'

As that happens, Jupiter/Scheat becomes the finding of knowledge amidst or against a ‘background’ of dissatisfaction (Scheat) which for some will be seeing how to fix what is wrong.

Then again, for some this will be finding out exactly how much IS wrong. Or expounding on how wrong someone or something truly is...whether for real or because we just are so convinced, and thus want everyone to believe as we do.

So this combination can be a classic moment when ill feelings erupt, especially if you're the type who simply loathes giving up whatever it is you have your heart or mind set on in the moment.

Then again, it can be much ado about nothing. Or learning better. Or knowing you're right and having everyone reject you and/or your ideas. Remember, this is a Full Moon - it's a very emotional moment.

But then, it is also just a moment!

For those who are willing not to 'define' themselves through insistence, by defiance or simply in response to someone else's opinion or taste, this can also be a moment when a true comprehension of how things work can dawn and crystallize. And as it does, you're likely to also perceive - with clarity of deep compassion - why you are who you are why others are who they are.

And through that you may well come to better understand your own humanity. And some very real, very valuable possibilities.

And yes, this can be all and simply about you. After all, the world is made up of several billion ‘you’s, each of which has a sense of life as something as vital and important as you do – right now, today, in this moment.

Astro-Factors (WE0122): Haumea, Mercury, Atlantis, Rhadamanthus, Niobe, Athena and Atropos

Europa and the Bull by Walentin Alexandrowitsch Serow (1910). Carried off by Zeus/Jupiter (knowledge) fair mortal Europa became the mother of Rhadamanthus, emblem of consequence and the realization that what is done is done.

Back when I worked in movies, as a key accountant I did a lot of payroll. (Make that a LOT of payroll!) The week ending date was always Saturday.

It’s an orientation which obviously has stayed with me, years and years after I left off going out on location to participate in Production Wars. (And anyone who knows movie production will laugh, but nod. Movie production is it’s own little feisty kind of war!)

So that’s the “WE” thing – it stands for Week Ending.

That now explained, we get to the list of some pieces of celestial clockwork for WE0122 which aren’t going to get individual blogs. Some will be noted in blogs on different subjects on the days given, but I wanted to give these items their own little spotlight of definition.

Going into this, all times given are Universal Time (UT/+0) so adjust as needed to fit your local zone…!

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January 16 (7:12pm): Haumea goes retrograde at 18 Libra At 7:12 pm on January

January 17: Mercury exits its December retrograde shadow

January 19 (12:08pm): Atlantis goes retrograde at 2 Libra

January 20 (3:41am): Radamanthus goes retrograde at 20 Libra

January 21 (1:01pm): Niobe moves out of Libra and into Scorpio

January 21 (5:41pm): Athena leaves Pisces and enters Aries

January 22 (11:11pm): Atropos finishes transiting Scorpio and enters Sagittarius

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So this all starts with Haumea. The mythic Haumea is a Hawaiian goddess of creation, fertility and childbirth (or ‘giving birth to’ things, if you will). Mother of fiery, strict, and even somewhat vengeful goddess Pele, one of Haumea’s ‘tricks’ is that she shape-shifts, turning herself into something younger in order to ‘get with’ (take that any way you want…!) her own ‘creations.’

Apparently this habit of ‘manipulating’ that which you have created to suit your own ends is not popular: Haumea is eventually killed by a fellow god who won’t put up with her shenanigans.

The astronomical Haumea is a dwarf planet which orbits way, way out there in the Kuiper Belt…beyond Neptune, and beyond that ‘Neptune control zone’ in which orbits Pluto, Ixion, Huya and the non-Neptune-affected Chaos….which is a little lesson to us all, namely that fantasies, imagination, ideals and dreams are one thing. They’re Neptunian. Chaos – the unending void filled everlastingly with potential – is not a dream.

The mythological Haumea’s ‘shape-shifting’ habits are expressed celestially by how egg-shaped the 283.28 year-long orbit of this dwarf planet really is. At it’s farthest, it’s way out there at about 51.54 astronomical units (AU) from the Sun: beyond Neptune’s influence. But at it’s nearest, Haumea is at 34.721 AU…which is not all that far beyond Neptune’s 30.441 AU orbit.

What that means is that in the process of orbiting, Haumea sort of 'draws a circle around’ (encompasses) the orbits of a specific number of other celestial objects…such as Chaos (potential). Such as Ixion (entitlement). Such as emotionally transformative Pluto, moral center searching Deucalion, fair minded TNO Rhadamanthus, discordant Eris, vengeful Nessus and primal Typhon – just to pluck from a rather extensive list!

Astrologically, we can expect that these different Kuiper Belt objects give us pictures of Haumea’s ‘shape shifting’…which is more or less a picture of how we change, how our lives ‘get shaped’ by things with which we are confronted as we make our way through life.

And this is exactly the metaphysics of Kuiper Belt bodies. We don’t control them; the attributes ‘appear’ in our life at moments then ‘disappear’ back out into the realm of ‘yeah, we know they’re there, but …’ It’s the ‘out of sight, out of mind sort of thing.’ Except that out of mind doesn’t mean out of solar system or life!

From all of this we can deduce that Haumea (a point discovered in 2004 which needs far more study!) …we can deduce that Haumea is about creating something new in moments when so prompted by life. 

Those who have important chart positions between 13 and 23 Libra, Aries, Capricorn or Cancer (or 16 and 20 in either Pisces or Taurus) are going to feel Haumea’s shift to retrograde most acutely. That Saturn is at 17 Libra is a not-so-subtle hint that limitations and/or issues of responsibility are upon you! Haumea making this turn to retrograde (internal reflection) conjunct Drakonia is a comment on play, being played and ‘playing around.’ Time to put that aside, perhaps?

As Mercury then exits the shadow of its December retrograde come January 17th, expect news, important conversations or moments of situational stress, all courtesy of the Moon moving through oppositional Cancer.

That Mercury is in a sign ruled by that same Saturn involved in the whole Haumea shift suggests that the days between January 14 and 18 (mostly towards the 18th) are a whole process of taking on that which needs to be dealt with. Mercury being in Capricorn also means this is not a time to temporize – those who do will find themselves confronted by difficulties down the line.

Come the 19th, Atlantis goes retrograde at 2 Libra. Atlantis is a main belt asteroid which is about letting go of what we are so sure is what we want so that we can find what we actually need – and through that actually come to be happier, more secure and more content than we ever could have imagined. That Atlantis’ orbit crosses that of assertive Mars tells us just how hard this is for us to do. And this is a cycle – we go through this process about every 3.3 years.

Boy, it’s hard being human, isn’t it?

That Atlantis is going retrograde in connection with the largest black hole currently known to science (the enormous M87 at 1 Libra) AND that primal, instinctively desirous Typhon is sitting at 1 Libra… this is a whole challenge. Black holes are ‘alternate realities.’ So is this something you ‘could see working?’ or is this some dream? Or are you trying to hold onto some reality which isn’t really as good as you think it is? Are you just holding onto something because you know what it is?

Because Libra is ruled by Venus and Venus is currently at 12 Sagittarius conjunct Chaldea (and Antares at 10 Sag) there’s a distinct chance that someone – maybe you – are insisting that something HAS to be some certain way or the world is going to end literally or figuratively.

Is it? That’s a central question. Considering the 19th is also the date of a Full Moon (which we will talk about then) it’s definitely a moment when convictions and desires run high.

Does that make them right? No, not necessarily. And yes, that would be a good part of the ‘sorting out’ challenge here.

Continuing on with this Libra question of who we are in this world determines how the world treats us, TNO Rhadamanthus goes retrograde on January 20th.

Another Kuiper Belt denizen, Rhadamanthus is one of those Greek characters with one immortal parent (Zeus/Jupiter) and one earthy mortal parent – a handy way of referencing someone who stands at the line between the Reality of Now and something else.

In Rhadamanthus’ case, that ‘something else’ is judgment – which given the Venus in Sagittarius modifier/rulership of Libra brings in a definite vibe of ‘what is right’ which may or may not be the same thing as ‘what is moral.’

With Rhadamanthus at 20 Libra, we know the question is ‘does that work? Will others accept it and respond well to it?’ which has all sorts of venues and ramifications, to be sure!

But the magic point is that Rhadamanthus – in particular – is the figure which meets us at death and who conveys us to the moment of judgment. Given that myth is not necessarily ‘action specific,’ the idea of “death” here is for most is metaphorical; the reference is to something already done which cannot now be changed. It’s ‘over.’ The decision has been made, the contract signed, the money spent – something.

Rhadamanthus going retrograde is thus – like all retrogrades, a moment where we internalize the cost or results of something we have done. That this ‘turn’ of events happens at 20 Libra means we are not in control of what happens now – it comes to us from external sources…more on which will be posted come the 20th.

Niobe moving out of Libra into Scorpio as Athena moves into Aries on the 21st makes this all a little more complicated as we are confronted with the realities of

where our needs meet those of others. Much to our surprise, things exist we have never thought of and even more shocking, other people have concerns which test our ability to recognize the difference between necessity, desire and personal comfort.

Will we give up self-focus in favor of a focusing on what can benefit us in the long run by taking a bigger point of view than that we are used to into account?

That’s the question asked as Atropos moves out of Scorpio into Sagittarius. The question here is not what others will respond to, but what is actually functional.

The ‘theory of the thing’ which we have been so involved in over whatever period of time…that gives way to a recognition that there is more we can make of ourselves.

And that all we have to do is learn how to do it…or how to get ourselves to do it.

Sense a little Jupiter in the mix? You should, as this is a big transition day for Jupiter, which Atropos is serving as a marker for, saying now something gets ‘cut off.’

Hopefully, like a plant, this is just a little pruning, which leads to greater growth and much personal flowering…you know, down the road.