What do we need to bear fruit?
Capricorn Full Moon
Happy Capricorn Full Moon! Moon phases last approximately two and half days, so I’m not late but rather right on time. I’ve been struggling with the concept of linear time and the pressure of deadlines self-imposed or otherwise. More and more I’m accepting my neurodivergent mind, and linear time is not my friend. Executive dysfunction is a mountain I’m always climbing even with my creative practices. So, while I love to write and tell stories, sometimes sitting down to weave all the thoughts together feels like a chore. When this happens, I don’t force anything. I try my best to enjoy living my life and come back when the words flow.
I’m new to identifying as a creative and writer, yet I know them to be true. Recovering my creative process is a journey, and I turn to the lunar cycle over and over to make sense of it all. The Moon was the inspiration for this Substack. I have so many thoughts and ideas about astrology and life, and I needed somewhere to process and share, so here I am.
Six months of Flower Moon and six months of Mystic Magnolia Astrology. The beauty of being a creative and business owner is as I evolve so too do my astrology practice and writing. I’m learning to accept I don’t need to have everything figured out, and if an offering doesn’t feel right, I can let it go. For now, I’m accepting a commitment I made to myself to write every New and Full Moon. I also have grace for myself if the words don’t come. For over a week, I’ve been working on this Full Moon writing, and in true Capricorn fashion the words are taking their sweet Saturnian time.
The Moon is said to be in detriment in Capricorn, but after an illuminating conversation with a new friend and listening to the audiobook Postcolonial Astrology by Alice Sparkly Cat, I’m rethinking essential dignities. Alice Sparkly Cat says essential dignity (which planets rule which zodiac signs) is rooted in the Roman Empire’s meaning of rulership equating to domination, power over, and hierarchy. For example, the Moon rules Cancer, and Saturn rules Capricorn meaning the Moon and Saturn are the rulers of these zodiacal domains. How can we rethink essential dignity to stop the perpetuation of domination and power over? I prefer the concept of home. The Moon is at home in Cancer, and Saturn is at home in Capricorn. Home can be a place, feeling, person, or anything making one feel comforted, rooted, and safe.
So, when we say the Moon is in detriment in Capricorn, it simply means the Moon is not feeling at home. When we’re not feeling at home, we may feel uncomfortable and overwhelmed. We may feel like an outcast and that we don’t belong. We may feel nervous or scared. However, once we are in an environment long enough, we learn to adjust. Humans are adaptable and so is the Moon. She waxes and wanes and moves through the zodiac every 30 days. When we overcome the initial discomfort and fear of being away from home, we expand our horizons gaining new perspectives, experiences, and relationships.
The Moon is a great teacher in adaptability and acceptance of cycles. I mentioned linear time is not my friend because the more I learn about astrology, the more I see linear time as a tool of the oppressor. Linear time under capitalism does not allow for periods of grief and rest. I often think about the collective grief and loss due to COVID-19, and how “normalcy” was forced down our throats to keep the capitalist economy churning. There is so much unprocessed grief, and yet we are all expected to continue working as if nothing ever happened. It’s maddening. The lunar cycle clearly shows us the natural rhythms of life. New to full to dark. The Moon is always moving through cycles of birth, growth, decay, and death. The lunar cycle mirrors the life cycle of plants and rhythms of animals. We too are animals meant to live cyclically not linearly.
The practice of paying attention to the Moon, seeking her out in the night sky (please go look at the Moon tonight), and reflecting on our energy levels, needs, and feelings is one way of becoming aware of our natural rhythms and cycles. This is what Flower Moon is emerging as for me. A way to process and reflect upon the cycles I am moving through, and how they align with the cycles of the cosmos and nature. In doing so I hope to plant seeds for others to connect with their natural rhythms and cycles. The New and Full Moon can serve as two reflection points per month to reflect on our hopes, dreams, and struggles. They can also serve as check ins with our emotional, physical, and spiritual bodies.
I also associate ritual with the New and Full Moon, and if that’s a practice you feel called to, there are infinite options. I encourage doing what feels right for you. I am someone who finds inspiration in others, so when starting out I looked to Instagram and astrology podcasts. The practices I learned were a great jumping off point, and over time I’ve learned to shift and evolve these practices to what feels right for me. In Flower Moon, I’ll share my rituals, and overtime we’ll see how they evolve with me.
Lately I’ve been finding connection with the Moon through taking baths. So rather than set a formal altar for the Capricorn Full Moon, I’ll draw myself a bath, light a candle, and listen to an audiobook or podcast. Ritual can be anything, and for me, ritual is connection. Connection to our ancestors, the land, the planets, etc. Ritual has different meaning for different cultures and people. Do what feels right for you.
In addition to drawing a bath, I am checking in with myself. I have a robust journaling practice, and I write intentions on the New Moon. The Full Moon is when I check in with those intentions. I approach these check ins from a short term and long term perspective. The 30 day cycle and the yearlong cycle. The last New Moon occurred Saturday, June 17th in Gemini. Intentions I set involved community and connection. I also set boundaries with social media. Today I’ll check in with my boundaries and reflect upon my growing community. The 30 day lunar cycle is supportive of short term change and growth.
For longer term growth, I approach the New and Full Moons from a 12-13 month cycle. For this, I have to remember when the last New Moon in Capricorn was. Fortunately, my astrology software and lunar phase calendar make this easy. The New Moon initiating the cycle we’re in was December 23, 2022. The Full Moon today is the peak or midpoint of this cycle. Now it’s time to revisit my journal and find the intentions I set:
· Sustainable growth - growth with boundaries
· Making space for my physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing and self-care
· Saying no to things not in alignment with my heart
· Be THE Milwaukee astrologer
· Have a table at local farmers markets, street festivals, rummage sales, and more
· Loyal client base in Milwaukee and virtually
Looking back at these intentions, I laugh because number one was sustainable growth, yet I listed 20+ intentions. Good thing it was a Capricorn New Moon because for me, Capricorn is the most sustainable sign of the zodiac. Capricorn is who I look to when contemplating growth meant to stand the test of time. Cardinal earth and the home of Saturn, Capricorn is rooted in the tradition and wisdom of the past while building enduring structures for the future. Six months later, I can now see which of the 20+ intentions were meant to endure, and which were never meant to take root. The ones I shared above have rooted and are now blooming.
Demetra George compares the Full Moon to the flower of the plant life cycle. Flowers are luminous and visually stunning. However, to continue in the cycle, the flower must be pollinated. Without pollination, the flower cannot bear fruit. The Full Moon is about opening ourselves to receiving support and collaboration so our visions can bear fruit.
I’m certainly not THE Milwaukee astrologer yet, but this lofty goal still feels resonant. I have steadily built up an amazing client base, and to continue growing my practice I need the support of community. Lately I’ve felt called to vend at local markets because they are the best place to form connections over astrology and art. If it wasn’t for my creative, witchy friends, who have been vending for years, and their encouragement, I never would have thought it possible that I too could be a vendor. Local markets and my growing community in Milwaukee are my pollinators! Without them I’ll never bear the fruit of becoming THE Milwaukee astrologer. Who are your pollinators, and how do they support you in bearing fruit?
Wishing you a happy Capricorn Full Moon. May we all find deeper connection to natural rhythms and cycles.
Flower Moon is a semi-regular newsletter written by Emily Hall of Mystic Magnolia Astrology. Emily is a Taurus Sun, Gemini Moon & Leo Rising. Her ever-changing titles include astrologer, creative & writer, for now. Book an astrology reading here.