The Cancer Full Moon takes place a day or two before New Years Eve, depending on where you live. As we say a collective and much anticipated goodbye to 2020, the sky will be full of lunar light.
December 29 | 30, 2020 7:28pm West Coast, USA 10:28pm East Coast, USA 4:28am Rome, Italy (Dec 30) 8 degrees Cancer
The Full Moon Cycle
The Full Moon part of the lunar cycle is the fruition point. The Full Moon is about taking something to its peak. Everything after that is about wisdom and maturity, it has become complete and ready to disseminate its collected knowledge.
Using the metaphor of a rose, the Full Moon is when it has fully bloomed and cannot bloom any further. It has completed its growth cycle and bloomed into its full beauty.
After the Full Moon phase is the second half of a lunar cycle, the waning half. The decreasing of light. The rose no longer grows as she has completed the first half of her cycle.
She begins to shed her beautiful petals full of the wisdom gained in her growth cycle. Eventually she completes her cycle, returning to the ground and allowing the path for a new rose to bloom.
It’s amazing to think that we go through this cycle every month, sometimes without noticing it at all. Life does keep us busy and oftentimes we lose touch with the natural cycles of life around us.
When we start living in tune with the rhythm of the Moon, it awakens the deeper connection to cycles. And tuning in to cycles can help us better understand the flow of time in our lives.
Cycles have a Beginning, Peak, and End
One of my favorite things to talk about in Astrology is cycles. It’s typical in our fast-moving commercial and mainstream world to think linear rather than cyclical. If we live a linear life, we are focused on moving in one direction, forward.
What astrology says about life is that we actually live life in spiral cycles. Each planet has its own cycle in relation to its self in your chart, and to the other planets and points in your chart. Cycles co-exist at the same time synthesizing with each other, creating patterns and unique periods of time as each cycle moves in time at its own speed.
These cycles can be long, like a Saturn cycle of around 29 years. Or it can be a short cycle, like the Moon going through an entire phase in around a month (27 ½ days). A day is a cycle repeating approximately every 24 hours. We can all benefit from embracing a cyclic life of living.
Why? Because cycles by nature have a beginning, a peak, and an end. Cycles reflect real life more accurately than a line. Cycles are essential to understanding astrology, but also life itself. Like a rose, most things in life run through a cycle rather than a never ending line. Our human mortality is a cycle.
Using your job as an example. Do you expect to start at a beginner level, working your way up the ladder, and eventually retiring? Typically we would all say yes. Is this a straight line or a cycle? We could get philosophical here and find arguments for both a line and a cycle.
Cycles not Lines
Rather than argue whether your job trajectory is a line or a cycle, the question is how can consideration of the argument help you? Just considering a cycle vs a line can help someone start climbing out of a rut.
What if you approached your job as a cycle, with a beginning, a peak and an end. How does that feel for you? Does it make you anxious to think that your job can peak, decline and end? That’s natural if it does, as our security in life often depends on our job.
Some people start their own businesses. It’s unlikely a new business owner is planning the peak and end of their business, especially the end. But what if he or she did take that into consideration. One cycle ends and another cycle begins.
All of us can benefit from planning, thinking, or believing in cycles. The ending of a cycle does not have to be difficult, and the metaphorical death of that cycle may be most welcome. It can be that it’s time to move on to what’s next. Whether what’s next is the next level of growth, or a complete change to something different, cycles reflect growth and change.
Cycles can represent distinct periods of growth. The ending of a cycle can mean that you are ready for that big promotion, to have a child, start your own business, learn something, take on more responsibility, or less. It’s simply a way to look at change.
Like the image of a spiral staircase below, cycles build on each other, unlike a circle which goes round and round. Unlike a spiral staircase, you have many different cycles taking place at the same time. You have cycles within cycles. Like a month in a year, and a day in a month. Our lives have many overlapping cycles.
Each Cycle is Unique
As we see with the monthly Moon Phases, each month has a different flavor as it goes through each of the 12 zodiac signs each year. But the map of the sky also changes from year to year. This Full Moon in Cancer in 2020 is not the same as the Full Moon in Cancer in 2019, or the one coming next year in 2021.
Why? Because Saturn will have moved, Jupiter will be in another sign, and all the other planets will make a different configuration in the sky than other years.
Each cycle has its own unique circumstances and events. You can apply the idea of cycles to practically anything and have fun with it. You can break down big things, like a career, having a child, or going to college into cycles.
Have you been promoted in your job yet? If yes, that is a cycle. One job is ending while another is starting. You may be at the same company, but different job, different cycle. You may decide to completely change careers. The last career was a cycle, probably containing some cycles within it. You get the picture.
Cycles can operate within cycles. And boy do they in Astrology.
Zoom Out and see the Interconnectedness of Life
If we are focusing on a specific point in time, we can easily see that linear point on a timeline. The date you started a job, had a child, went to college, got married or divorced. But what if we zoomed out and looked at life events from a broader perspective.
What if we could see your whole life, your past, present and future? To be clear, I can’t see the future, only where the planets will be and their energetic expressions at that time. Free will is safe and secure with me.
The whole point of this zooming out on life is to see the interconnectedness of everything we do in our life, and how it relates to growth and cycles. That we do have times of great success, and times of difficulty. That things do come to a peak in terms of growth and must decline at some point. Maybe even turn in to boredom in the process of a door closing allowing another door to open.
How can we appreciate the awesome times if we don’t understand the opposite times of difficulty, stress, boredom, or loss? We are not meant to live life only going in a straight line, to always feel content, or sad or happy, or mad. We are meant to live in cycles, like nature, like everything living that surrounds us.
Non-living things have cycles too
Right now I have the amazing opportunity to live around the corner from the Colosseum in Rome, Italy. It has been there for almost 2,000 years. One could say it is living a very long cycle. It is clearly in ruins, deteriorating, and needs government intervention to keep some walls from crumbling. It’s likely to outlive me.
Non-animate things like the Colosseum, our wardrobe, and our hair styles have cycles too. Think of those fashion trends that go out and come back in style.
Astrological Cycles
Astrology has many different cycles that help astrologers gain an understanding of personal development through a birth chart. Some of the most potent feedback your chart can give you is based on the planetary cycles in your life.
Ask any Astrologer about a Saturn Return and you will get an earful. In Astrology, we look at many cycles, both personal for one person’s chart, and also as cycles apply to the larger community. Like when Astrologers look at political trends going back centuries comparing data from one cycle to the next.
Embrace Change
When we embrace cycles, we embrace change. We give ourselves permission to expect that things will change. You ride the wheel of life rather than a one track line. Though most of us know that change is inevitable, sometimes we approach life like a line. Walking that line turns into a groove, and then a rut.
Have you ever walked yourself into a rut? I have, but when I reflect back, it helps me put together who I am and how I can grow from what I have already built in my life. How I clawed my way out of that rut and continued on to a new cycle is the difference between seeing growth and personal development, vs having regret and a sense of loss, usually in the sense of time.
Cycles are nature’s way of helping us develop and grow. The beginning, peak and end are all necessary in the growth process. We need not be perfect, we are allowed to test and try things, change our minds, make mistakes, experience failure, and learn how we pick ourselves up and keep going.
This linear approach to life can be our attempt to fit in with the expectations of our community, family, and friends, or self-imposed. Recognizing when you are walking yourself into a rut is an awakening. A calling to see life differently. To see that you can get out of the rut by recognizing you are actually in a cycle.
A cycle is different from a circle as each ring builds on the next, like a spiral. There are differences from one cycle to the next, like when you are promoted in your job to take on more responsibility. There is your history and experience that have given you new skills to apply during the next cycle. You grow and change, you are not at the same level you were during the last cycle of whatever part of life you are reflecting on.
If you feel like you are in a rut, recognize that it’s part of one or more of your cycles. That things will change. That there is nothing wrong with going through difficult downs of life because those are the things that thrust you into action to get out of the rut.
Or, you can continue on down that line and run that rut further into the ground. Clinging on to out worn ways of the past. Either way, change will come. This is where fate and free will meet. Things may happen to you outside of your control. Like Covid this year. But how you respond to it is your own free will.
Your attitude as well as your actions will determine how you respond to difficult times. Thinking in terms of cycles can help you frame a positive attitude, because you believe that change will come. You are not on a trajectory that has no hope of things getting better.
Rather, you are riding the wheel of life that goes up and down. Get on it and enjoy the ride!
When you ride the wheel of life, you know there will be ups and downs. When you move forward on a linear path, you expect to keep going. It’s harder to get back up when you unexpectedly get knocked off your path. When you embrace change, you acknowledge ups come with downs, and that you will come back on top again. You treasure the downs as lessons learned, which help you regroup, recharge your course and take action.
When you are riding the wheel, you know at some point decline is coming. You are more prepared, and some of you are downright proactive about it. Your downs are less chaotic because you know that with ups come downs, you do cycles, not lines.
Being a cycles enthusiast doesn’t automatically make your life easier. But I believe someone who embraces the symbology of cycles will find themselves more adaptable, flexible and better prepared for the inevitability of endings.
Give yourself permission to think about ending something, and what will come next? Let it get you excited about how amazing life is when we view it like an ongoing series of endings and beginnings.
Hopefully this little walk through the philosophical topic of cycles has you thinking about your life. About beginnings, peaks, and endings to what is happening, and has happened, with you.
What do Cycles have to do with the Cancer Full Moon?
I have gone down this winding discussion around cycles mainly because it’s the end of the year.
A year contains 12 month long cycles, 4 seasonal cycles, and 365 daily cycles. We could go on thinking of ways to break a period of time into cycles. Most of us would agree that the 1 year cycle concluding with the holidays is an important cyclical event for western developed countries.
This year for the first time, I tried to live more in line with the cycles of light and dark as it relates to waking and sleeping times. I never had the opportunity before to wake, sleep and work on my schedule as opposed to my employers.
I learned so much. I learned how I was more tired and cold when there was less daylight. And that my body was thankful that I adjusted my waking and sleep times to better synchronize with nature and the sunrise.
The monthly Moon phase cycle is just one of many we can use metaphorically to better understand our lives and our personal development. This is a Full Moon, yes. It is also the last Full Moon of 2020.
It is at this time of the year that many people do their cyclic annual New Year Resolutions. I personally do New Year Goals. Not just writing new goals, but a review of past years as well. One of the most therapeutic things you can experience is looking back to see how far you have come, how you have changed, and how your wants and needs have developed.
Sometimes a goal gets thrown out, after years of writing I want to do something but it doesn’t happen. Sometimes I finally see movement after a few years of trying to get something going in my life. The best way to put one a 1 year cycle into context is by comparing it to other years.
At this Full Moon, which is ringing in 2021, I challenge you to take some moments to look back on your life. To consider beginnings, peaks, and endings as cyclic blocks of time that can be built upon.
What cycles are you in the middle of right now? Did a cycle recently end, or is one beginning?
New Year Planning
An annual ritual that I have done for many years is to vision board what I want to manifest over the year. Before I find the picture and words to glue stick to my page, I start by reading my journal entries from past years, reviewing my previous years vision boards, and then I journal about the following:
What am I grateful for from the past year?
What did I learn and accomplish?
What am I happy to leave behind?
What do I want to accomplish in the next year?
Most people have a little extra time off around the holidays. If you can, take that time and journal on the above questions. If you Vision Board, your goals for the new year will help you get laser focused on how to visually build it. A Vision Board is a manifestation tool, and it’s really cool to look at all year for motivation.Â
Our world is ending a cycle, the 2020 cycle. Many institutions are wrapping up a financial year. Others are peaking, like a University that is halfway through the school year. Even the Corona Virus has a cycle. It can spiral into a new cycle, or better yet, spiral out of existence..
As you give thought to your personal cycles, I hope you feel enlightened about your personal journey through life. With these deep personal insights that come with putting a spotlight on yourself, come the ability to spark the creative juices to accomplish what you truly desire. Not just follow the line, but to take proactive steps in manifesting the life you want.
Now let’s take a look at the zodiac signs of this Cancer Full Moon.
Moon in Cancer
The Moon in Cancer is happy as she can be, she is home. Cancer is her sign. She is comfortable, warm, secure, well fed, and feels nurtured.
Many of us are still restricted in our movements around our community during this Full Moon. Cancer loves to be secure at home, so hopefully you can enjoy this Moon at home and nurture yourself and your loved ones.
This is a great time to cook up a comforting meal, have a hot chocolate next to the fire, and give big hugs to the people you are living with. Give virtual hugs to those you cannot be with physically. Family and tradition are super important to Cancer.
Sun in Capricorn
A Full Moon means the Sun is always in the opposite sign of the Moon. This month the Sun is in Capricorn shining his light on the Moon. This is the Cancer/Capricorn axis, asking us to recognize the differences and integrate them in our lives.
All of us have Cancer and Capricorn somewhere in our chart. The astrological houses will show you where this energy is operating in your chart and the life topics that become highlighted for you at the time of the Full Moon.
Capricorn is about structure and building things consistently, orderly, and with hard work. Cancer wants security, home, family and nurturing. Capricorn helps get there by ensuring you do the work and build that security step by step.
Wrapping it Up
As we close out the year with a Full Moon, we have a lot to look forward to. I believe we are all looking forward to restrictions being lifted, freedom of movement within our community, lost jobs getting back to work, and the ability to travel and enjoy tourism again.
As part of the cycle of ending a year, it’s a great time to reflect back on our lives as we get ready to plan for our new year.
I encourage you to think about cycles and how they operate in your life, and enrich your personal development.
I hope you take some time for yourself to journal on what you are grateful for, learned, and accomplished in 2020. What you are happy to leave behind. And what you want to manifest in the upcoming year.
Wishing you a safe and Happy New Year!