Cancer Full Moon 2023
The Cancer Full Moon, the first full moon of 2023, will be at its exact opposition on January 6th at around 1 PM EST. The Sun will be at 16° of Capricorn and the Moon at 16° of Cancer. Along with this, the Sun will be conjunct retrograde Mercury which will be sitting at 15° of Capricorn, and both the Sun and Moon hold significant aspects to retrograde Uranus which is at 15° of Taurus.
The Full Moon, on a collective level, can be a time of culmination as energies reach their peak and start to take form before the energy begins to fade down into the New Moon over the course of two weeks. On a more personal level, the Full Moon can be a time when the conscious mind (Sun) is able to illuminate and look into the subconscious mind (Moon) with much more clarity. With this Moon, this personal focus is much stronger than usual with the Moon in the sign of Cancer and these aspects to the more introspective (retrograde) planets of Mercury and Uranus.
In your own birth chart, you can look at what Houses the transiting Moon and Sun fall into to see what may be illuminated over the next few days. For some, observing the Moon’s influence from inside the House that the Moon is actually in can be easy, but for some, it can still be a bit confusing or difficult to navigate as it is still the subconscious space, there is still a bit of fog to all of it. For those of you that find it a bit more difficult to be introspective or to navigate the subconscious space, you can observe the Moon’s House from the position of the Sun in the opposing House. The energy of the retrograde Mercury can assist inward, personal observation and analysis alongside the illuminating quality of the Sun.
As an example of this, the transiting Moon is in my 11th House where, on a more personal level, aspects of legacy and a sense of purpose can take root. I was having difficulty understanding how this would situate itself with me, so I looked across the way at where the Sun is, in my 5th House, the house of chosen identity, creation, and performance. I could observe here subconscious worry, fear, or insecurity around the ideas regarding how my creative work or my public persona is perceived by the collective, what purpose my work serves to the collective, and how it will be remembered if at all.
The influence of Uranus in the setup of the Full Moon is really interesting as well as it acts like a springboard for deeply personal and deliberate change. Much like Mercury, when Uranus is retrograde, its collective influence gets turned inward and becomes a more individualistic influence. When direct, Uranus, associated with the innovative and rebellious Aquarius/11th House, tends to initiate pretty drastic changes for the collective that will lend to “legacy,” or changes that can’t be undone and simply need to be evolved into — evolution being an aspect of Pisces/Neptune that comes along after Aquarius/Uranus. For instance, Uranus has been in Taurus since 2018 and will be there until 2026. Taurus is the area that rules physical resources like money and food, as well as clothing, living environments, and even things like infrastructure and comforts associated with social hierarchies. Uranus has and will continue to initiate, on a collective level, great disturbances in these areas all with the potential to garner change and hopefully eventual positive evolution for the mass collective.
On a personal level, retrograde Uranus gives individuals the ability to voluntarily and very deliberately make changes in their lives that will allow them to innovate and evolve. Uranus can be a temperamental energy, so it’s best to be very clear and direct when working with its energy even when it seems to be catering toward you and your goals specifically. In this case, retrograde Uranus holds a Trine to the Sun and retrograde Mercury, which acts like a scope that would allow you to aim the energy at a clear target. That target would be the area that the Moon is in. The Moon holds a Sextile to retrograde Uranus which actually supports the influence or direction of energy between these two planets. So, quite literally, it’s a perfect little setup for making solid changes in your life with this Full Moon.
Here we have a fun little setup with the center section putting an awful lot of focus on Death, or more specifically, opportunities for Rebirth and the processes of deconstruction for the sake of finding your center or reclaiming a certain power that you may have lost sight of.
In the center of the center, there is Thanatos which is simply labeled “Death” in the card’s description. It refers to external death, the death we observe in other living creatures, or in the collapse of social, political, economic, or spiritual structures around us as a collective. It’s out of our control, it’s something we can’t fight, and for the most part, it is something we should embrace as a natural part of evolution and progression. In the book, this card is connected to another called The Underworld, which is a perfect depiction of the 8th House, or the depths of the subconscious mind, the home of the Shadow. Thanatos destroys structures and opens a doorway toward what was hidden away deep down under the foundations, where a lot of our own roots have become twisted and broken, smothering each other in an effort to dive even deeper in order to get away from all of the mess.
As always, the “death” of the 8th House is followed by the rebirth or redesign of the 9th House, which I was seeing represented in The Gem. However, rather than a full rebirth, this feels like something is just being brought to the surface. Some level of clarity is achieved and the Sun’s illumination on the space of the Moon revealed The Gem and allowed for it to be brought to the surface from The Underworld. The Gem is representative of wisdom, skills, or talents that are unique to you as an individual, something that stands out among others and sets you apart. It can be related to a higher calling or it could simply be something of a matter of passion and fulfillment. Either way, it is something that can easily be dismissed or thrown away because of how unique it is, how it may draw attention, or simply be too “weird” in comparison to what others around you have access to within themselves, hence why you may find it hidden away in the 8th House, the house of Shadows.
At the top of the center set, there is The Dead End. In spite of what the name may bring to mind, The Dead End is something that is meant to assist us, letting us know very clearly when something is no longer working, or a path we’re on is no longer beneficial or leading us to our highest potential. It can be a point of stress as our first instincts can be to fight against the resistance we feel and, of course, in some circumstances, it is something we should do, but The Dead End never goes away. It’s not something that can be torn down or broken through, it simply stands strong and says, “nope!”
With this in mind, The Dead End, along with Thanatos and The Gem, create a barrier between the two sets of tarot cards, all of which seem to reflect each other in an interesting way. Starting closer to the center, there is the reversed 2 of Cups and the 5 of Wands.
Between these two cards, what I see most is in reference to unstable or uneven relationships that create energetic, emotional, or mental disturbances. Frankly, the vibes are off. The reversed 2 of Cups shows a lack of understanding or an environment that isn’t supportive to you on an emotional level, or supportive of your personal pursuits and desires. The 5 of Wands is conflict, both verbal and energetic, external and internal, which creates personal instability and difficulty in progressing or even just focusing on your own matters.
This can present itself in a lot of different ways. The more blatant would be situations of abuse, while more subtle versions of this may show up in a toxic work environment. For some of you, this may not have to do with another person but rather your environment or other external influences like broader social issues or social media as a whole.
On all fronts, there’s some kind of chaotic, upset, external influence that is messing with the stability and integrity of your personal internal space.
Following that, there is this set with the Page of Wands and the 9 of Cups. This one is a bit more direct as it is simply showing the cross between dreaming and doing. The 9 of Cups, often referred to as the “wish granted” card, is all about emotional fulfillment and personal satisfaction. All of his cups are filled to the brim and the man in the image sits triumphantly in front of them, proud of his accomplishments. However, Cups are associated with elemental Water. Energetically speaking, Water gives way to visions, not solid manifestations all on its own. The Page of Wands, on the other hand, made up of Water and Fire (mostly Fire, of course), combines vision and action. He’s no longer just dreaming, he is doing. He is setting out to turn the 9 of Cups into a reality.
So, if we look at the 9 of Cups on the same level as the 5 of Wands, as something that needs to be left behind, then it’s simply referring to leaving behind the comfort we may find in doing nothing but dreaming, in convincing ourselves that we can’t achieve what we see.
In comparison to the vision of the 9 of Cups, the Page has nothing. He’s literally starting in a barren desert, with just one wand that is just beginning to sprout life at the very end of it. He’s got a long way to go before he can fully physically experience the 9 of Cups, but just by standing up and facing the challenge at hand, he’s already on his way.
Lastly, this set is probably the most significant as it would surely be a message for everyone. The Lovers with the reversed Devil is a potent combination as The Devil card itself is an inverse of The Lovers, featuring an ever so slightly corrupted Adam and Eve chained to the pillar under the Devil. As always, I never look at The Lovers as being anything at all to do with love or with more than one person. The Lovers represents personal alignment with each character featured representing a level of awareness — Adam is the conscious mind, Eve is the intuitive and receptive subconscious mind, and the Angel is the unconscious mind or the Higher Self. Adam looks to Eve, Eve looks to the Angel, and with this, they represent an individual in full alignment. But what about The Devil?
Adam and Eve are still present, but there is no Higher Self, there is no higher awareness present. In fact, “the Devil” isn’t present either. In this card, the image of the Devil is quite literally a scapegoat, something to blame when we do bad things or when bad things happen to us. The Devil can represent a lack of personal responsibility or a sense of being out of control in your own life. Either way, the chains around the necks of Adam and Eve, representing that involuntary link to the troubles of The Devil, are awfully loose, slacking down their chests as they seem to chat casually with each other, not paying any mind to the big scary beast right behind them.
When in reverse, The Devil can represent a breaking of the chains, a shift in the mindset that allows someone to recognize their control over a specific situation or their lives completely, and a starting point of taking responsibility for their experience and well-being. This is all well and good, but why the heck is it on the other side of The Dead End if it's so good? Well, it would seem the issue here is that Adam and Eve broke free, recognized their mistakes, and decided to change for the better, but… coming out of this experience, they’re not used to complete control or being able to make decisions without the influence, whether direct or indirect, from an outside source. They’re no longer chained, but they’re still stuck in that headspace, waiting for someone or something to tell them where to go.
The Lovers represent inward connection, self-guidance, and a certain level of trust and faith in one’s own intuition and know-how when it comes to navigating life for their own well-being and satisfaction. From the reversed Devil to The Lovers, for some this may require a leap of faith, very similar to the leap of faith the Page of Wands may need, and perhaps the reversed 2 of Cups as well, but a certain level of comfort and flow is promised on the other side of those leaps that will then make it clear to you that you’ve done the right thing, made the right choice, and are on your way to something much, much better.
If we look at these cards as a set, they tell a clear story of someone detaching from toxic people and outside influences, choosing to then focus on themselves and their own goals and aspirations, and in doing that, experience personal alignment and higher guidance. It’s a pretty full bowl, but remember, the Sun and retro-Mercury are there to help you observe the issues that may be highlighted by the Moon, and retro-Uranus is there to help initiate change in whatever way you want to make it.
That’s all I have for this one, thanks for reading!