Lunar Homecoming
Attuning to the cycles of nature and the Moon
Another full Moon upon us, Luna’s first crescendo of the Gregorian new year in her home sign of Cancer. To cultivate our resolutions and intentions, we must tend the garden of our bodies and minds and weed out what keeps us stuck. Attuning to Luna’s monthly cycle has supported my personal growth and helped me live with more intention. Each lunar phase holds a unique energetic expression.
The cycle begins with a new Moon. From our point of view, the Moon is completely covered in shadow leaving a dark sky. Energetically, new Moons are nutrient rich garden beds ready for seeds and intentions to be planted. Over the course of two weeks, give or take, Luna moves through her phases brightening each night from waxing crescent to first quarter to waxing gibbous until the midpoint of the cycle, the full Moon, when she is opposite the Sun reflecting her full radiance back to us. The full Moon phase lasts approximately two to three days with a peak moment. After reaching her culmination, Luna’s light dims as she completes the second half of her cycle moving from waning gibbous to last quarter to waning crescent to balsamic. Then the cycle begins again.
In traditional astrology, the Moon represents our emotional and physical body, the Goddess or the mother, intuition, and receiving. Under patriarchy we are a solar society. The Sun is our life force and represents the ego and mind. It shines 24 hours a day, seven days a week, never stopping. The way society is structured has most of us working eight hours a day, five days a week, or more. We receive little paid time off to enjoy our lives outside of work, and many in the service industry and gig economy receive no time off at all unless it’s unpaid. The pace of capitalism grinds continuously producing more and more profit for those at the top. This is not a sustainable way of living, and many of us experience burnout and exhaustion as a result.
Capitalism and patriarchy intentionally disconnect us from the natural world and the rhythms of the cosmos. Hundreds of years ago those who had reverence for these natural cycles, such as Indigenous peoples, were labeled as uncivilized and violently forced to assimilate. There were also the millions of people vilified as witches and sentenced to death.
Eco-feminist and climate activist Dr. Vandana Shiva said in an interview with Climate One, “Well, the Pope before him [Pope Alexander] wrote the bull to burn nine million people as witches just because they believed we are part of nature. And, you know, being part of nature was made illegal, you are engaged in witchcraft if you thought you’re a part of nature. You had to separate yourself. So, the burning of witches, colonialism all goes hand-in-hand.”
When we disentangle ourselves from the grind and hustle of work culture and find moments to unplug and be fully present with Mother Nature, we bear witness to her seasons and cycles. If the trees go dormant and the animals hibernate during the winter months, why don’t we? How would our lives and society transform if we ditched the eight or more hour workday and instead synched up with Mother Earth? I find keeping up with the Moon’s cycles and being present with nature throughout the seasons helps me create a little space between myself and the capitalist machine. Although I cannot fully remove myself from these harmful man-made systems, I can bring awareness to their unsustainability in the hopes others take notice of their individual and collective harms.
The Moon and living world teach us it’s natural for energy to wax and wane. No living being is meant to be productive every single day. Like nature in winter, we need extended periods of restoration, but capitalism wants us believing differently. Take note of how your energy fluctuates throughout the day or over the course of a week, month, or year. What patterns emerge? Tracking astrological transits has helped me make connections between my energy levels, emotions, and planetary cycles.
One major pattern I recently became aware of is my experience of significant depressive episodes during the last two Cancer seasons. My energy levels and motivation tanked, and I isolated myself from loved ones and the outside world. Cancer season marks the summer solstice, the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, and the start of summer. It made me more depressed that I felt so out of sorts during this time. However, once I got to know my natal chart it clicked! Cancer falls in my 12th house of bad spirit, mental illness, isolation, solitude, and imprisonment. When planets move through a Zodiac sign the house it accompanies is activated in our natal chart. Now that I have awareness of the difficulty that arises for me during Cancer transits, I can mentally prepare and have more grace for myself.
I’ll be preparing for the full Moon this Friday, January 6th at 5:07 PM CST. Take a look at your natal chart and see which house Cancer falls in (I recommend using whole sign houses – Astro.com is a free tool). This is the house activated during Friday’s full Moon. Cancer is the cardinal water sign and symbolized by the crab, a vulnerable creature with a protective outer shell. Ruled by the Moon, Cancer is as changeable as the tides. From Thursday morning to Saturday evening, the Moon will be in her watery home where she is most comfortable and resourced.
While the Moon is in her home sign she is also in direct opposition to the Sun and Mercury who is stationed retrograde in Capricorn until January 18th. Mercury retrograde makes mercurial things like thoughts, communication, and travel more cumbersome than usual. During the last Mercury retrograde period in September, I experienced significant delays during a trip to D.C. with a missed connecting flight and two planes with mechanical issues that had to be repaired before take-off. Fortunately, I was aware of the retrograde period and laughed off the comedy of errors happening to me rather than becoming aggravated.
Retrogrades are periods of looking backwards and reviewing things that may need to be reworked. Find the house aligned with Capricorn in your natal chart and think back to December 12th – December 28th. What were you initiating, building, or sustaining? Capricorn falls in my sixth house of physical illness and health, routines, and labor. This period is when I established my LLC and began designing a website for my professional astrology practice. Now I’m taking things slow, sitting with every aspect of my practice, and fine tuning before I launch at the end of the month. What aspects of life do you need to sit with and revisit?
With the Moon in opposition to the Sun and Mercury there is a give and take relationship. The Moon in Cancer encourages us to go within, tend to our emotional and physical needs, and trust our intuition. Mercury retrograde makes things confusing and unclear, but our intuition is always there guiding us on our path. When the mind fills with chatter and takes attention away from the present moment, what practices do you have to ground yourself in the here and now?
If you made it to the bottom of this, thank you. I’m so grateful you’re here. I encourage you to reply to this email or leave a comment about your connection to the Moon, how you engage with her cycle and phases, or how you hope to build a relationship with her moving forward. Until next time. Xoxo, Emily.