Sun Into Capricorn December 21/Winter Solstice
Cancer Full Moon December 22
On December 21, the day before the Cancer Full Moon, the Sun enters Capricorn & the winter solstice–the shortest day & longest night of the year, at least in the northern hemisphere—arrives.
As the Sun moves out of happy-go-lucky, adventurous, & optimistic Sagittarius and into more solemnly serious Saturn-ruled Capricorn, it’s time to recognize that hard work results in a strong sense of accomplishment & satisfaction as we move through life.
When we put our nose to the grindstone, we’re capable of achieving much & our resulting sense of accomplishment is what leads to us to feel like responsible adults.
Saturn, and by extension it’s sign Capricorn, represent the no-nonsense, physical, concrete empirical world where persistent perseverance and the will to rise to a challenge rely on our assurance that feeling successful in life is what counts most.And this is true, as long as we are clear on what defines “success” for each of us individually. This definition may change from our younger years to our middle ones, and again later in life, depending on our natal Saturn placement, the house(s) it rules (with Capricorn on the cusp), planets in Capricorn, and our response to transiting Saturn’s journey throughout our lifetime.
The Saturn/Capricorn archetype often manifests early in life, meaning we may carry a strong sense of seriousness & adulthood about us—even before we’ve lived long enough to truly achieve the title “adult.”
As we age, however, the wisdom of maturity allows us greater flexibility as we realize we need not emulate “adulthood” based on what we were taught, told, or forced to believe is its definition. Over time, we learn “that which will not bend with break…”
As we reach the northern hemisphere’s shortest day of least light at the winter solstice, the entrance of the Sun into more melancholy Capricorn reminds us there’s hard work ahead. And the definition of hard work may just turn out to be our ability to trust…
Trust that we’ll make it through to the other side, that winter truly will recede and make way for the approach of spring, & faith that we’ll once again feel the warmth of the Sun on our faces.
I Keep Fighting Voices In My Mind That Say I’m Not Enough
The ancients saddled Saturn with the moniker the “greater malefic,” which comes from a more fatalistic view of life in general. The bad reputation acquired by both Saturn and Capricorn through the ages is often based upon the association with authoritarian, restrictive, harsh, strict, stuck, suppressed, repressed, or depressive energy—in short, anything that causes us PAIN.
Modern astrologers—especially psychological & evolutionary ones–don’t accord Saturn such a fateful role. As the Lord of Karma, Saturn (and by association his sign Capricorn) teaches us how to grow up and survive while providing us with the kinds of experiences that lead to self-discovery.
“The frustrating experiences…connected with Saturn are obviously necessary as they are 
educational in a practical as well as a psychological sense,” writes Liz Greene in her book Saturn, A New Look at an Old Devil. “Whether we use esoteric or psychological terminology, the basic fact remains the same: human beings do not earn free will except through self-discovery, and they do not attempt self-discovery until things become so painful that they have no other choice…it’s not the enjoyment of pain that Saturn fosters, but rather the exhilaration of psychological freedom.”
educational in a practical as well as a psychological sense,” writes Liz Greene in her book Saturn, A New Look at an Old Devil. “Whether we use esoteric or psychological terminology, the basic fact remains the same: human beings do not earn free will except through self-discovery, and they do not attempt self-discovery until things become so painful that they have no other choice…it’s not the enjoyment of pain that Saturn fosters, but rather the exhilaration of psychological freedom.”Astrologer Steven Forrest echoes this sentiment when he talks about Saturn transits, saying they often deliver to us two choices: depression or exhaustion.
“Saturnian depression is often the kind that arises from very concrete outward situations that are ‘stuck,’ Forrest told me during an interview on the subject several years ago. “Depression is so ‘medicalized’ in the popular imagination now. It is important to remember that people get depressed for good, specific reasons: bad health, no money, overwhelming but meaningless responsibilities.
“Saturn requires hard work, and that is sometimes the cure,” he continued. “But it also requires that we mature–a situation that was formerly engaging to us might grow sort of stale. For example, when you are young, it is good to date. As you get older, you might need to move on into marriage. If you’ve gotten there inside yourself but you haven’t made the changes, you’ve flunked Saturn–and you will experience depression.”
Remind Me Once Again Just Who I Am
How often have we heard other people say to us at one time or another in life “you’re just like your mother,” or “you’re just like your father?”
The Cancer Moon reflects back to the Capricorn Sun its own light at this Cancer Full Moon, highlighting the parental axis and our early upbringing, both literally and psychologically. That means this Cancer Full Moon raises issues about our childhood and asks us to review whether or not we’ve matured into our own best loving parent.
The Moon rules Cancer, an archetype of nurturing, sensitivity, security, the past, habit, memory, family, and mother. Saturn rules Capricorn, and archetypally represents authority, hard work, responsibility, achievement, success, and father.Cancer associates with mothering, while Capricorn suggests the authority figure in any family, usually the father. Of course, this is not always so, and Capricorn energy can reflect back to the one who sets the rules, be that mom or dad, or anyone else during our youth.
In pondering the meaning of this Cancer Full Moon, the question arises: from whom did we learn how to be our own best adult or parent? And, are the terms “adult” & “parent” synonymous based on our early experiences?
Authority figures most often come in the guise of literal parents—be they biological or not—but can also be represented by teachers, clerics, judges, or other institutional organizations. The point is that it’s through these “role models” that we absorb our ideas & perceptions about, and opinions of, ourselves.
Now, these ideas—and the way we think about ourselves as a result—may be accurate or inaccurate, true or false. The problem is that we’re exposed to them from birth and through our early childhood developmental learning phases, and so are not capable of objective rational analysis, or looking at ourselves from the outside.
In short, how do we see ourselves–through someone else’s eyes, or through our own? If through someone else’s eyes, then who? Mommy? Daddy? Grandma or Grandpa? Your second-grade teacher, your priest, reverend, minister, rabbi, or imam?
This makes it all the more important that we utilize this Cancer Full Moon’s energy—along with the Capricorn/Cancer transiting karmic nodal axis for the next 16 months—to ascertain the accuracy of our self-perceptions, and to release those which prove false…
In doing so, we may begin to shed any “false” personas acquired through what we were taught, told, or forced to believe when young, and replace these with what we’ve discovered about ourselves on our journey toward true mature adulthood thus far in this lifetime.
Try A Little Tenderness…
As in the past few lunations, Uranus—still retrograde in Aries—squares the transiting Capricorn/Cancer karmic nodal axis. We know this is in large part an energy affecting the collective, and that Uranus represents change, especially social change.
A square is frictional energy, so something’s gotta give and we’ve had many examples of what that something has to be over the past few months or more. Uranus energy revolves around the need for evolutionary change, but the more we resist such change, the greater is the force of change that may suddenly shock or surprise.
And what’s ripe for change now?
The Capricorn South Node, which is a kind of “keep a stiff upper lip, man,” and the rigid upholding of tradition, regardless of whether that tradition has outlived its useful purpose or not, is faced down by Cancer’s more sensitive, nurturing and protective energy.
Authoritarian Capricorn—much more likely to tell you to pull yourself up by your bootstraps and make something out of yourself and stop your whining already—is being asked by Cancer to lighten up. Mom says you get more flies with honey than with vinegar, but Capricorn believes all you need do is work hard and you’ll reap your just rewards.
Now, neither of them is correct when taken to an extreme.
Extreme Capricorn can be found where there is no compromise, no bending, no negotiation, it’s dad’s way or the highway. And extreme Cancer coddles and overprotects to the point where a child will never learn to grow up and face the real world.
The nodal axis calls us to look for middle ground here, without going to either extreme. And Uranus square the Nodes tells us that whichever side we’ve gravitated toward that’s caused imbalance in our lives is where we need change, & perhaps drastically so…When the scales have been tilted too far to one side for too long—and this nodal axis says it’s been more heavily weighted toward the Capricorn South Node, since the South Node is always about past karma—then it’s time for a change our perspective. And it’s Capricorn’s polar opposite, Cancer, that we need to gravitate more toward.
And change can happen by recognizing that yes, all of us have to be responsible individuals, do our part, pull our weight and all of that, but that we can also have compassion for both ourselves and others as we go through life.
And I Believe, Oh I Believe…
This lunation brings into play a waxing Mercury/Jupiter in Sagittarius square to Neptune in Pisces. Mercury squares Neptune exact on December 24 and may contribute to some over the top good feelings during this holiday period.
However, Mercury’s influence here is brief because he moves so quickly through the zodiac, so it pays to be alert about what you hear or say now and to make sure you can verify any communication you receive or distribute.
Jupiter’s square to Neptune, however, takes on greater import because after exacting on January 13, it will occur twice more in calendar year 2019—in July and September. While normally this can be an extremely altruistic combination, it cautions us to beware of over-idealism, especially in the realm of religion, spirituality, relationships, and finance.
Beware false gods & gurus on the spiritual side—the guru/disciple relationship often mirrors a parental one (God our father, anyone?), while this Cancer Full Moon & the Capricorn/Cancer transiting nodal axis call us to become more confident of our inherent capability to be our own best parent. Others may guide us, yes, but not ask us to be subordinate, especially when the goal is conscious self-fulfillment and freedom of expression.
Money and gambling become other themes to watch closely during this period, as we may all have to try hard not to fall for any get rich quick schemes! As always, whenever Neptune’s involved, it’s good to remember that all that glitters is not necessarily gold. If you can’t afford to lose it, don’t put it into play…The Moon sextiles & the Sun trines Uranus at this lunation, too, telling us that the opportunity certainly exists for us to take advantage of working on changing up any internal concepts that move us from self-judgment toward self-compassion.
Release self-conceptions that don’t prove nurturing—or worse yet promote only self-harm—at this Cancer Full Moon, and prepare to wrap up another year by understanding that no matter what happened in the past, we did the best we could with what we had to work with, i.e., limited resources, be they physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual, at the time.
If we work on this now, we may go forward into the new year cherishing all that we’ve learned from our past experiences and grateful that we’re developing into mature, learned, adults who can take loving and compassionate care of ourselves—mind, body, & soul–in healthy ways…
You Say I Am Strong When I Think I Am Weak
I chose this song You Say by Laura Daigle, a contemporary Christian singer, because its lyrics best exemplify how to create a positive internal point of view that differs from a current negative one.
She speaks here of God, but I believe god, goddess, creator, universe, source energy–call it what you like–is INSIDE of us. Rather than searching for an external father or parental figure, why not recognize that for every negative or pessimistic put down we can think of about ourselves, there’s always an alternative positive perspective with which we can replace it.
That’s Uranus square the Nodes at his best! Shift your reality, increase self-discovery, and get younger and more flexible as you age!
You Say
Laura Daigle
“I keep fighting voices in my mind that say I’m not enough
Every single lie that tells me I will never measure up
Am I more than just the sum of every high and every low?
Remind me once again just who I am because I need to know
You say I am loved when I can’t feel a thing
You say I am strong when I think I am weak
And You say I am held when I am falling short
And when I don’t belong, oh You say I am Yours
And I believe, oh I believe
What You say of me
I believe
The only thing that matters now is everything You think of me
In You I find my worth, in You I find my identity, o-ooh
You say I am loved when I can’t feel a thing
You say I am strong when I think I am weak
And You say I am held when I am falling short
And when I don’t belong, oh You say I am Yours
And I believe, oh I believe
What You say of me
Oh, I believe
Taking all I have and now I’m laying it at Your feet
You have every failure God, and You’ll have every victory, o-ooh
You say I am loved when I can’t feel a thing
You say I am strong when I think I am weak
You say I am held when I am falling short
When I don’t belong, oh You say I am Yours
And I believe, oh I believe
What You say of me
I believe
Oh I believe
Yes I believe
What You say of me
Oh I believe…”
Namaste…
Mercury’s our intellect—how we think and express ourselves, including our soul’s deeper wisdom. In deep, intense, volatile, passionate, secretive, taboo-oriented, & potentially obsessive Scorpio, our thoughts turn toward getting to the bottom of things–like what we truly value… 
In the currently fraught “hesaid, she said” political environment where we can’t help but witness gender & sexual battles both to the right and to the left of us, it’s especially important for us to try to find a healthy balance between the conscious and unconscious portions of our psyches.
Her grief, despair, and anger become palpable when separated from her beloved daughter and–unable to convince the gods to rescue & return Persephone–she starves the earth, and therefore mankind, by no longer allowing crops to grow.
This fixed grand square to the nodal axis all but ensures that any impetus for change will meet with resistance, which makes the fight even harder. We’re tasked now to look at where we desire change but because of ingrained beliefs entrenched in our psyches (i.e., as my mother used to say “any man is better than no man”), we are unable to make such change happen…
Quincunxes are known to be aspects that require adjustments. It’s possible to realize now—as the Libra New Moon calls us to balance our inner perceptions with our outer ones— that speaking about old wounds honors our ability to become whole. And in that way, we heal… 
