Greetings!

Today, we have the full moon, with the moon in Capricorn and the sun, Venus, and Mercury all conjunct in the opposite sign, Cancer. One of the things that makes this interesting is that this full moon is happening about the time of the solstice, so we find the upcoming season comes in with a bang. If you think of the full moon as a teeter-totter, then the scale weighs towards Cancer rather than Capricorn, and the reason this is important is that it tells us the dominant theme of this full moon is Cancer. Cancer corresponds to the home, immediate family, close loved ones, tradition, people you have known for a long time, and religion. Mars in Taurus is forming a gently flowing sextile to all of this Cancer activity, too, adding a little fire and punch to the equation. Mars is also forming a trine to the Capricorn moon, meaning that how you handle this moment will determine the strength of your foundation going forward regarding health, money, and all things found in the physical world. So, what does all of this mean?

In short, now and during the sun’s transit through Cancer, it is wise to focus on all of those Cancer traits mentioned in the previous paragraph. Most of those traits are self-explanatory, but I would like to address one because I see a lack of it all over the place on social media and in society in general: religion. What is your religion, and how do you practice it? If your first thought is a knee-jerk reaction of revulsion to the idea of religion, then I encourage you to heal that toxic side of you because it is weighing you down. Humanity has a strong desire and connection to rituals, whether they are of a spiritual nature or mundane type, so to intentionally cut yourself off is self-defeating and self-sabotaging.

Having said that, I completely understand why one would have a negative opinion about religion. The critical thinking point to note here is that there are more religions than just the dominant Abrahamic ones (Judaism, Christianity, and all its branches and Islam), so if you’re basing your disgust on one of those, then you’re taking the lazy and easy way out, choosing to be stunted in your spiritual growth because it actually takes work to heal your wounds. There are other populous religions out there, such as Hinduism and Buddhism, and I mention these to illustrate the point that you cannot, nor should you, base your view of religion on one toxic family of them.

But again, having said all of that, another point to consider is your understanding of religion. If you think religion is stuff churches with pederast priests and brainwashed attendees, then think again. I prefer the definition of religion I learned from Spiritualism many years ago: “Living in accord with natural and universal laws.” This opens the door to the most potent form of religion-the one you create for yourself. How do you experience the divine? What time do you set aside daily or weekly to commune with the divine? What practices do you engage in that bring you closer to the divine? How do you invite the divine into your life regularly? All of these and related questions are the ones to ask yourself now. Having a religion, even if it is one only you engage in, is very important to the human experience, so you’re only hurting yourself if you don’t have religion. But I’m not the one to tell you what religion to choose. If you don’t like any of them, then make up your own. After all, all religions are made up, and most of them by dead people, so your take on it will be more modern and relevant anyway.

Besides religion, this is the time to focus on your family and close loved ones. Like religion, many people have wounds and baggage related to the word and concept of family, but once again, you’re only hurting yourself if this is the case. Why? An idea that has become popular over the last thirty years is that of having a chosen family rather than a blood family. Do you notice the common theme between religion and family? The common theme is vulnerability. Where, how, and with who do you make yourself vulnerable? Again, if you don’t do this, you’re only hurting yourself, which means you’ll spend more time in physical form and in future lifetimes, all by your choice.

The Capricorn moon tells us this is a time of emotional maturing, specifically regarding these themes. In other words, it’s time to grow up. Yes, I say this to you, but I also tell you to remind myself that I should do this, too, in my own way because I would rather evolve than keep doing the same thing over and over again. As a matter of fact, I have already started doing this in my spiritual and magical practices, and it’s difficult, but in the long run, it will be worth it. Saturn’s long transit through Pisces has been hammering home the idea of spiritual and emotional maturity for a while now, and this solstice reminds us that the clock is ticking. Yes, to the cynical out there, there will be a test on this, but I won’t be the one giving it- it will be your own soul, either later in this life or after this life while you’re in Spirit.

I realize a lot of this sounds epic, but remember that this is the time of solstice. It is all about extremes, whether extreme heat in the northern hemisphere or extreme cold in the southern. Finding the internal balance between extremes is key to psychological and spiritual healing at the moment, but this won’t occur if you don’t put in the effort to get started in that direction. Nothing happens in a vacuum.

The good news to go along with all of this is that Mercury and Venus are both known as the inner planets in astrology because they exist between Earth and the sun, so a lot of what we’re discussing is under your control and has to do with your internal perspectives and behaviors. Venus is in a good, strong, positive place in Cancer, so you may be feeling the love right now, and Mercury in Cancer tells us now is the time to be compassionate, not only with others but with yourself. Your words matter, not just to others but also to yourself. Have you changed a life for the positive with a kind word? Have you changed a life for the negative with a harsh word? We all have, but right now, it is wise to be mindful of the power of words and the wisdom that goes with knowing when to speak, when not to speak, and how to speak when you do. Through contemplating these things you will grow spiritually and emotionally, and this positivity will spread to your close loved ones, which can ripple out and help all of us as we travel together on this floating rock in space.

Namaste,