The Moon’s come down from its fullest illumination in her home sign of Cancer, is a sudden shift from the nourishment she just received.  Finding herself in Leo, the home of the Sun, her first move is a Uranus square, foreshadowing the next two challenging moves. A surprise attack on the ego and overall safety awaits. 

The Moon finds herself enclosed by both malefics. The first comes from an opposition from the greater malefic, Saturn. Does the universe send you a firm no or not yet? What roadblock’s are you enduring? Self-doubt, fear, lack of will power? Where are you feeling the resistance? Perhaps you are even being overly critical with yourself.  Tension may be building around your own need for recognition in a situation. The actual urge just to stay home and stay put is real.

The following days, the Moon moves into Virgo and her next difficult aspect is a square from the lesser malefic, Mars. Mars is standing still in a stationed retrograde, preparing his march forward, this stillness doesn’t provide the Moon with much momentum to proceed as she’d like. Yet you better bet that important plans are being made. Again, it makes me think that any resolutions, goals made in the new year are having challenges taking root at this exact moment. Action will be best reserved once Mars is moving and moving well. 

This time after the Full Moon is a time for disemmination. A period where you are no longer building towards a goal, but one has been reached, or the point for adding on has expired. This is the period where we spread our wealth, our knowledge. With the latest Full Moon in Cancer, I wonder if this period is about finding the path to self-acceptance in an uncertain situation and inner security. How do we hold on to faith when we feel uncertain of even our own direction.The activation of the Moon to Uranus, Saturn, then Mars makes me feel like emotions will be scattered and varied. Finding personal security, confidence and motivation to move forward may be offset by wild swings in moods and self-doubt in the beginning of this week. 

Lunar salve can be found in the following days, as she makes peace with erratic Uranus, and revisits thoughts and actions with Mercury. 

The Sun has just moved into the third decan of Capricorn, with the Sun ruling this decan. Saturn and Mars both have rulership in Capricorn. With the Moon enclosed, by both  Saturn and Mars, in the Sun’s temple, perhaps the ideal image we are aiming for is not measuring up to the environment at the moment. What is obscured and blocked. Is a situation stalled? Is our own environment feeling threatened and insecure? Have we lost confidence and faith? Have we forgotten the divinity in it all? 

Mars does pull out of his retrograde on the 12th. Amen. The forward movement of this planet will take a moment, currently he is gathering himself and scooping up his power, an intensification of Mars and his will.   Real action seems to be at the end of the month around the 25th of January and by February 1st, when Mars is finally cruising. Mars moving direct doesn’t necessarily make it more benefic, but it can help accomplish tasks that you need to get done. 

Hypothetically, if Mars has been retrograde in your 4th house with topics regarding your literal home and you have been experiencing snags in a home renovation or home project. Mars now moving forward should bring movement and progress to the stalled project. Now the progress may not be beneficial depending on its aspects to other planets in your chart, but regardless it is no longer stagnant.

On the 13th, the Sun and Neptune see one another in a peaceful and encouraging aspect. This transit has the opportunity to re-inject the godhead into our lives. If we have lost sight of the bigger picture, the hint of the divine, the presence of heavenly hosts, maybe this where we reconnect. We move so fast, we easily distract. Put down the device, look up and into the eyes of humanity around you and remember we all are in this together. Perhaps the fear we induce within ourselves, is nothing more than shadows casted on the wall. In moments that seem to swallow us whole, we need to pull back and ask, “What is this all for? The resolutions we make with ourselves, or on behalf of others. Is this not for a more peaceful path forward?”.

In waning light, the Moon in Libra squares off with the Sun. The ruler of this Last Quarter Moon, Venus, squares off with Uranus the same day. What radical love will you show yourself, show others? How can you promote healing from within first to radiate outwards, in attempt to thread the needle that sews the seams of humanity tighter. This is what we disseminate to those around us, the deeper beautiful truths that aren’t always there at first glance, that lurk just under the shadowy fears we project. This is where peace is found.