Refinery29
The Full Moon In Cancer Is Here To Help Us Say Goodbye To 2020
Beautiful pink and purple full moon rise at sunset on the Gold Coast Australia
2020 is finally coming to an end, and we’re experiencing the very last full moon of the year in tender, loving Cancer on December 29. Warning: we’re in for an emotional ride. Astrologer Lisa Stardust says this full moon will be a “huge release for us all,” and it’s exactly what we need to bid adieu to the 365 day-long emotional roller coaster we’ve been on this year.
Narayana Montúfar, senior astrologer for Astrology.com, points out that there have been four total luminaries in the sign of Cancer this year. “This sign’s energy is something we have been working with all along,” she says. “In short, this moon is the opportunity to give it closure so we can put it behind us for once and for all, as we head into a brand new 2021.”
Full moons are a time for endings, for saying goodbye, for things coming to a close. While most of us are probably ready to usher 2020 out the door, even the most welcome goodbyes can be tough on us — so take care of yourself as we close out the year. Stay in close touch with loved ones, ramp up the self-care, and remember to breathe.
The moon is actually Cancer’s ruler, Leslie Hale, psychic astrologer at Keen.com, points out. “Like the moon, our feelings can fluctuate during this time,” she says. For those born under the sign of Cancer, or who have a sun or moon in this sign, these emotions will be NBD; they’re used to feeling all of the feels. But the emotional roller coaster may be more difficult for those born under fire and air signs. “At times, Cancer can become too passionate, and the intensity can overwhelm us or we could become impatient with others,” Hale says. Mindfulness is key here. Try to take everything a little slower, notice when you’re getting overwhelmed, go easy on yourself if it happens, and work in plenty of time to relax.
One upside is that this Cancer full moon energy may not be as potent as the ones we’ve experienced in the past, according to Montúfar. She says that for the first time since 2017, every moon in Cancer has been, to some degree, affected by the intense presence of Saturn in Capricorn. (Not to get too bogged down in details but in case you were wondering: Capricorn is opposite to Cancer, so many of the lunations that happened in the sign of the Crab received a Saturn opposition.) “Now that Saturn has left this sign for Aquarius, we finally get to have a full moon in Cancer without the cold and limiting Saturnian presence,” she explains. This is good for us — we may get a chance to feel our emotions more fully and with more understanding.
There is, however, a tough aspect to this lunation, Montúfar cautions. “Both the sun and the moon will be forming a T-square with Chiron in Aries, the Wonder Healer,” she explains. “This configuration points to the need to act concerning a past wound that perhaps we are not fully able to heal, but that needs to be dealt with so we can ultimately move forward.” Stardust says that this T-square will “make us mend issues with others and let the past be in the past. We’re not taking the excess baggage with us into 2021,” she says. So expect to take one last look into the past between now and the new year.
We’ve all lost something in 2020: time, jobs, loved ones, friendships, not to mention our sense of normalcy. And if you haven’t taken the time to heal from those losses properly, then use the energy of this full moon to do so. If you’ve lost touch with the people you love due to the pandemic — if you’ve lost touch with yourself — the healing powers of this moon can be used to your advantage, and can help you make amends. While we can’t move forward if we’re looking back, we also can’t move forward if there’s unfinished business left behind.
We’re not finishing out the year too weepy and reflective, though. A promising transit between the moon and Uranus in Taurus brings on some incredibly upbeat vibes too. “This full moon connects with the rebellious planet Uranus, which is pushing us to move into the New Year with high hopes and individuality and the incentive to reach for our dreams,” explains Stardust.
“This will open us to the possibility of seeing things from a different perspective, one that perhaps was not available to us before,” Montúfar says. “During this time, our intuition will be working at full speed, allowing us to work through blockages that no longer seem to burden us as much.”
With this full moon helping us close out a tough year, there’s a promising future on the horizon — even the stars say so.
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?Saturn Is In Aquarius For The First Time In YearsThe Great Conjunction Is Almost Here, & It’s BigJupiter In Aquarius Is Great News For 2021
