It’s the last full moon of the year today and it falls in the sign of Cancer, a perfect place since Cancer is ruled by the moon. A full moon brings a harvest of what the new moon in Cancer brought you six months ago. Or in the case of this year, two new moons in Cancer on June 21 and July 20.
During the new moon, you plant the seeds of your idea, which is influenced by what house the new moon falls in your chart. My favorite site for casting a natal chart, a unique portrait of where the planets were on the day you were born, is Astrodienst. It’s a website out of Switzerland chock-full of free astrology tools and information. If you know the time you were born and where, you can use their free Chart drawing, Ascendant to cast your natal chart. Once you have your natal chart, you can plot your intentions and goals during the year, according to the moon cycles. Here’s a sample chart from Astrodienst, where you can see how the houses of a natal chart fall:
There are twelve houses in a chart, and each one is associated with a different quality. In the chart above, Cancer is in the ninth house, so a person with this particular horoscope would notice things dealing with travel, higher education, and belief systems being highlighted during the new moons of June 21 and July 20 and that is coming to a peak with tonight’s full moon. If you have your natal chart available, look at what house is in Cancer to see what issues are being highlighted by this new moon/full moon cycle.
first house—this house governs self, your physical appearance and mannerisms
second house—this house governs money and possessions
third house—this house governs communications and media
fourth house—this house governs family and home
fifth house—this house governs creativity and pleasure
sixth house—this house governs health and organization; how you approach a task
seventh house—this house governs partnerships and contracts
eighth house—this house governs shared property and money; also transformation and mysteries
ninth house—this house governs travel, philosophy, higher education, religion and other belief systems
tenth house—this house governs your career
eleventh house—this house governs your friendships and acquaintances, your community
twelfth house—this house governs the subconscious, karma, and soul
With this full moon, we’re now harvesting what we planted at the end of June and July. Think back to what was going on in your life during the new moons in Cancer on June 21 and July 20. That should give you an idea of what you’re coming to the end of now. The change can be dramatic or more subtle depending on where the full moon lights up your chart.
In this year of quarantine, I went to my cabin in Pennsylvania in June, knowing I did not want to be in New York City during a hot summer where I couldn’t go out. I carried just enough clothes for two weeks, my cats, computers for work and writing, and my Kindle for reading. With just those few possessions and comforts, I had one of the best summers of my life, surrounded by nature and feeling free. I realized I didn’t need much to be happy and satisfied; in fact, I was happier with less stuff cluttering up my time and mind.
Both of my journal entries from around the new moons on June 21 and July 20 focus on how I was feeling peaceful and content with less, and now with the full moon returning to Cancer, I’ve integrated that want and need into my life. I returned to the city in September and have been actively casting off things as I try and recreate the peace I felt during June and July.
In my chart, my twelfth house (the house of the subconscious, karma, and soul) is in Cancer, so that’s the area that’s being lit up during this full moon as the year draws to a close. In this last part of the quarantine year, I’ve been doing most of my work in my bedroom and found myself not liking what I was surrounded by in there. My place in Pennsylvania is right next to a creek, and for some reason, I always feel best and most relaxed around water. With the bedroom being so close to the subconscious—it is the place where you dream—I’ve found myself redecorating it during these last two weeks of the year. In—surprise—a water theme. Cancer is all about being near the water so it makes sense to me how I’m recreating my summer environment in my place of retreat. Full circle. What about you—which house is associated with Cancer in your chart? What life lesson have you integrated as 2020 comes to a close?
