Full Moon in Capricorn

The Full Moon in Capricorn is here, pushing us out of our comfort zone. There is something bittersweet about this Full Moon. The tension between Saturn and Uranus sitting closely to the North Node combined with the rigidity between Mercury and Chiron is noticeable and uncomfortable to an extent, yet this full Moon in Capricorn provides us with a silver lining. What if you dared to dream bigger? 

When I pulled up the chart for this Full Moon, the first thing I thought is how much we humans tend to overcomplicate the simplicity that is found in life. We are so focused on performing a role, keeping up with the demands of this modern society of doing, achieving, chasing, being… We often forget how there is beauty in simplicity. 

On a deeper level, this Full Moon in Capricorn is inviting us to let go of the demands of this modern world and romanticise our lives more. To learn to fall in love with the process without focusing on the outcome. The Moon in Capricorn will be tightly conjoined with the Fixed Star Vega, found in the star cluster of Lyra in the Capricorn constellation. 

Ancient texts referred to this Fixed Star as ‘The Life of Heaven” and was considered a good omen, bringer of fortune and abundance.

img source Constellations of Words

As depicted in the picture above, the Fixed Star Vega belongs to the star cluster of Lyra, named after the Lyre of Orpheus.

This musical instrument, the Lyre of Orpheus, is a testimony to the love and longing felt by Orpheus for his wife Eurydice who died from the bite of a poisonous snake. Overcome by grief he started singing the lyrics of mourning songs to the music of his lyre, causing all who heard him to weep, including the gods.

Legend: Mercury found the body of a tortoise cast up by the Nile, and discovered that by striking the sinews after the flesh was consumed a musical note was obtained. He made a lyre of similar shape, having three strings, and gave it to Orpheus, the son of Calliope, who by its music enchanted the beasts, birds and rocks. After Orpheus was slain by the Thracian women, Jupiter placed the lyre in heaven at the request of Apollo and the Muses. This constellation was often called Vultur Cadens, or the Falling Grype by the ancients. [Robson, p.50.]

Influences: “According to Ptolemy Lyra (a musical instrument) is like Venus and Mercury. It is said to give an harmonious, poetical and developed nature, fond of music and apt in science and art, but inclined to theft. By the Kabalists it is associated with the Hebrew letter Daleth and the 4th Tarot Trump, The Emperor”. [Robson, p.51.]

When I think of this Full Moon in Capricorn, I feel the Universe is reminding us that, sometimes, we need to experience hardship to appreciate the beauty that surrounds us. In the same way Orpheus chose to use his lyre to reminisce his deceased wife, he chose to turn his pain into a beautiful memory. 

Capricorn being an Earth sign represents the essence of the divine feminine, yet it is ruled by cold and dry planet Saturn. A funny combination, don't you think? Capricorn embodies the true essence of nature as a cardinal sign, which are directly connected with the changing in the seasons (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn). Whenever I think of this sign, it reminds me to one of my favourite quotes by Lao Tzu ‘Nature does not hurry, yet everything’s accomplished’ – We sometimes rush into life, forgetting to appreciate the details and enjoy the moment. Everything will find its course at its due time. What is meant to be will be. 

When looking at some of the major aspects surrounding this Full Moon, there is the ongoing square between Saturn and Uranus as well as the applying square between Mercury currently combusted by the Sun prior to its rebirth (cazimi) on July 16th and Chiron in Aries. The Moon sits also very closely to the outer planet Pluto, known as the planet of transformation. 

When looking at the astrological chart, I cannot help it but think on this book I read long time ago named ‘The Mountain is you’ by Brianna Wiest. Sometimes the hardest challenge to overcome is our fears and limitations created by our own mind. While the Saturn and Uranus square is more of a long term transit applying to our generation, the Mercury and Chiron square feels very intense and personal. Are you in control of your thoughts, or are your thoughts controlling you? Breaking up with the old can be especially hard when we are not aware of our internal patterns. The Full Moon sitting closely next to Pluto asks for some restructure and new boundaries to be implemented. 

Falling in the XXIII Mansion, considered one of the inauspicious mansions, when the Moon transits this mansion it reminds us to be compassionate towards ourselves and others, as we are a reflection of what we see through our relationships, both in the positive traits and what triggers us. The fact this Full Moon in Capricorn fell in this mansion fascinated me, as the Major Arcana correspondence for Capricorn is The Devil and how I chose to represent this card as a mirror. The Devil in Tarot depicts the restrictions our soul experiences within our body, as we embark on this journey called life, and how in order to break free from those limitations, we have to wake up to our truth. 

Interestingly though, the planet Neptune is in a positive reception with both the Moon in Capricorn and the Sun in Cancer. Known as the planet of dreams, creativity and spirituality, there is more to this Full Moon than the challenging transits only. Sometimes we feel stagnant because we should be dreaming bigger. In which ways are you limiting yourself? When was the last time you revisited your goals and dreams? While our routines can help us to find some grounding, our dreams are like a plant that needs to be watered. What is one thing you want to accomplish before the year ends? What makes you feel alive? What is your main source of inspiration at the moment?

I hope you are using the energy of this Full Moon in Capricorn to slow down and practising mindfulness. Whether this is reading a book, writing or going for a long walk… stop the urgency of subscribing to the demands of this modern world and appreciate the moment. Forget about tomorrow's tasks. 

Full Moon blessings,

Maria