Full moon in Cancer Somascopes

As we’re nearing the end of the current Capricorn/Cancer lunar cycle, I thought I should update the blog roll with the recent horoscopes I wrote for the last full moon which culminated in the sign of Cancer on January 17th. It had been a long time since I’d written general horoscopes, and I decided to share some of the inspiration I’d been holding on to, but had not yet acted on, in last minute fashion. These were shared only on Instagram and most of them only made it to the temporal Stories. Fitting for a horoscope anyway. It’s late to post them here now, but the cycle still isn’t complete and I know some people might appreciate being able to reference back to the period of the first full moon of the year and what was arising in their body. For experimentation and thanks to my inspiration from Somatic Experiencing™️ and Chinese medicine, I playfully call these Somascopes (soma=body).

For anyone unfamiliar with how sun sign horoscopes work, they’re written assuming the sun is placed in the first house which is known as the place symbolizing the body, the appearance, and what Carl Jung called the persona. This isn’t the case for many, but they often still resonate. Nonetheless, it makes more sense for people to read their rising sign (the sign coming up on the earth’s horizon at birth) and even the moon sign for anyone born at night. The three can give a fuller picture or one that resonates more. Horoscope means hour marker, but Somascopes makes sense when we consider the body and health are emphasized by that first house position which is where the horoscope comes to be. Interestingly writing Somascopes felt like a fulfilling and fresh (for me) approach. They might be here to stay. :)

Aries:

If home is where the heart is, what is in your heart, Aries? The sun’s path through Capricorn has kept you plenty busy with work or bigger projects and the full moon invites you to check in with your inner child to see what might be missing from your experience lately. The moon’s opposition to Pluto could signal a need to play some accounting with your energy and to whom you’re spending it on. In other words, is there something in your living space that needs greater TLC? Have you been feeling under pressure to achieve a certain performance and in the process fallen distant from the coherency of family or home? Inspiration isn’t something you’re lacking, but the sustenance and peace that comes with a cozy home to feel attached to might be. Consider soothing your Liver (the home of the Hun/ethereal spirit) with a long exhaling “SHHHHH” sound, like gently soothing a baby. 

Taurus:

Talking things out might feel like a much needed resolution under this full moon in Cancer, though an opposition to Pluto suggests a difference in views can also be leading to some blocked communication. Exploring the not so familiar might feel like pressing your ear to the ground to discover the vibrations and roots of an underworld you can palpate and sense, but cannot see. The can be frightening or it can be invigorating.

You might feel some stagnation in the throat or have trouble staying grounded in the present where you can respond to who is right in front of you, as the contained person your sign is often famous for, rather than strategizing your rebuttal ten steps ahead. Try exhaling to make a long “Ssssss” sound to attune to the Po spirit (the virtuous corporeal spirit) housed in the Lungs and welcome courage with kindness into your chest. Alternatively, you might find some psychosomatic regulation by orienting to your immediate surroundings and tracing your hands along all the things, noticing the various textures and temperatures. When you were an infant your hands were like a thousand eyes and ears that explored and absorbed whatever was around you with wonder. What do you notice in your body if you approach all these familiar things from the fresh eyes within those tiny new hands? 

Gemini:

Priorities and access to resources are occupying the forefront of your mind-body’s awareness under this full moon in Cancer. Safety, nourishment, and secure attachment are the basic building blocks of any kind of happiness and well being. And yet, while the sun’s pass through Capricorn has highlighted the domain of partnership and what you share with others (or perhaps are loaned) the moon’s opposition to Pluto is a natural reminder that something’s can’t be borrowed and sometimes you’ll be in the position when other people can’t (or won’t) offer the support you need. Along with the moon, your ruling planet, Mercury is connected to the workings of your nervous system which could reveal some interesting information about your relationship to money, your perceptions of those who have it, and your embodied experience of what it means to actually be resourced. What parts of your body feel in need of more touch, more support, and more familiarity? And what areas feel connected, satiated, and abundantly reliable? Giving those parts more of your loving attention is a starting point for increasing your capacity to take advantage of the resources you have at your fingertips.

Cancer:

Your body’s appetite is an abundant source of information to you under the full moon in Cancer. That’s not to be confused with what you’re randomly or routinely craving or even the value judgements you carry about “clean, healthy” foods and “unhealthy” foods. Sustenance and support of the body comes down to more than the right percentages and daily values on the labels of vitamin bottles and dietetic recommendations. You are a spiritual, emotional, and physical being and your diet should reflect a degree of nurturing each of those aspects that are all so inherent to you being here now.

The full moon’s opposition to Pluto underlines the theme of partnership and the subconscious material that's exchanged between you and others in the subtle (and sometimes glaringly obvious ways) flavors combine. Food and partnerships require depth, not just comfort; they must offer energy (different kinds for different times); and each can be gauged in how appropriate it is for you based on how well you’re able to *respond* to life as you walk through it. Your true appetite can take some patience and deep listening to coax out. What do you notice about your appetite if you ask your tongue to take a break and let your heart make more of the decisions about what goes on your plate? How might your needs and desires change if you allow your heart to cultivate the menu?

Leo:

Your dream body is as real as your fleshy, bony one. It’s in the dream body you’re likely to encounter opportunities for healing and integration of what has yet to become part of your coherent existence. This full moon is shining light on your stuck points as well as your path back to your most natural state. The state of being. There’s no differentiation between you, the stars, and the vastness of the dust sprinkled cosmos. You don’t have to look for the light that your sign is said to love standing in. You are also the light. Your body is light. It is all the things. If you busy yourself with more goals and achievements to check off your list in the pursuit of lucid dreaming or squandering your precious sleep time with burning the midnight oil, you’re likely amplifying what’s always happening in the wake world and increasing your chances for burn out. The dream space isn’t better. But if you can learn to soften back into the naturalness of relaxed confidence instead of exhausting yourself to a black out of consciousness or forcing something inauthentic to you, you’ll realize how very similar your dream body is to your daytime body. Practice repeating “I’m asleep and this is a dream” throughout your days at random and notice how you’ll eventually take it into the dream world where you can confront your fears and transform your experience of your great privilege of being alive.

Virgo:

How much face time have you been getting lately, dear Virgo? That’s not a question about praise and being seen (not exactly), but a pun on the App. Masks have become so commonplace and so much a part of our necessary clothing that the lines of vulnerability, real connection, and the frequency and exchange of eye contact have seemed to shift. It might have you feeling strange and under-resourced in your social life or you might simply feel more awkward in new social situations… isn’t socializing already thrilling enough for a shy Virgo?! Playtime, free expression, creativity, and intimacy are experiences you probably feel like you have to dig deeper for these days. It’s tough when we’ve been suspended in waiting to re-enter community without so much risk, and the full moon’s opposition to Pluto is an uncomfortable reminder of that. This lunation reveals how empowering and physically supportive a friendly face can be to you right now. If you’re noticing a feeling of self-consciousness and difficulty relaxing around others when you’d like to, try finding an unoccupied room or corner to shake out the butterflies and wiggle your limbs and body for a few minutes until your breathing feels easier to calm and your facial muscles (linked to the social aspects of the nervous system) feel softer and able to respond in the moment.

Libra:

Your home and family have been on the receiving end of much of your energy, devotion, and care over the last month and this full moon reflects the heart fullness which you’ve cultivated from that. The moon’s opposition with Pluto, however, points to the weight of certain burdens and baggage you’re carrying that your back would appreciate some rest and recovery from. Inspiration calls from many directions though a bigger theme is your calling waiting to be more fully realized. This full moon invites you to water your emotional body through the art of movement and letting yourself be seen a little more, the way a naked curving tree branch bares its leafless bark on a midwinter day. Plainly and without needing to explain the seasons to passerby. Move yourself to some nature sounds or find some time to be moved from deep within by beats that allow your body to move in ways that don’t make sense, but feels right. 

Scorpio:

Matters of spirit and righteousness are acutely in your awareness today under the home-creating sign of Cancer, though your heart could feel more vulnerable within or around your own place of origins in this lunar cycle. Perhaps you’re aspiring to uphold different views and actions than your elders or siblings have. Maybe there’s some tender grief in acknowledging the world’s unrest and you’re wanting to create right some wrongs or put some ghosts to rest. Orienting to something or someplace further in the distance could provide the gentler shelter you’re craving and if you feel curious enough to dialogue with your body’s responses, but want some assistance getting there, try a long exhaling sound by placing your tongue behind closed teeth to create an “Ssssssssssssss” sound (Taoist monk Mantak Chia’s sound for the lung), like the sound of steam from a hot kettle without a whistle. When peace settles into your body, soften your focus and let it accumulate through your cells.

Sagittarius:

Inheritances can feel tricky, sticky, and wild sometimes. Whether you’re receiving tangible inheritances like money or possessions or you’re on the receiving end of a set of values, expectations and responsibilities (genetic/ancestral included), you might feel the need to release some weight and some fear off your back that’s connected to what you’ve inherited. Somatically and vocally, you can start by forming an “O” with your lips like you were about to blow on a hot spoon of soup. On a long exhale allow a “Wooooooo” to exit your lips and invite the safety of self-embrace, predictability, and security into the spaces between your lower vertebrae and sacrum (hip bones).

Capricorn: 

What (or for whom) are you getting down on your knees for lately, dear Capricorn? Saturn says your sign is connected to the forward propelling power of the knees, but are you managing to stay grounded in what (and who) is most important to you? This full moon in Cancer might symbolically show you a proposal of some kind as the subject of attachments and partnerships are activated for you. A commitment could be culminating and changing in some way and there’s nothing like the fullness of a Cancer moon to illuminate Mommy/Daddy “stuff”. That said, the full moon’s opposition to Pluto could also point to feeling stuck or frozen in the process of excavating information about yourself that you don’t yet know what to do with. If you are experiencing some “come here, go away” vibes in your partnerships (or within yourself), perhaps you can try dialoguing with that before trying to resolve and dissolve conflict. What would it be like to connect with some cold, hard stone and push into it as you call into your body some of the tension or conflict existing between you and a partner? Where does that travel in your body and how does it translate to the way you touch or want to be touched? 

Aquarius:

What more evidence do you need than what your body is showing you about your very real, human needs, dear Aquarius? Feeling confused about or disconnected from what’s revealing itself through you under this full moon is a sign to integrate something more heart-felt (or at least more somatically tangible) into your daily health practices. The full moon’s opposition to Pluto is reflecting some of the internal house-keeping your body wants to complete, though it might not be as apparent to you during work hours as it is in your dreams. As respectable and admirable as your ability to dissect and analyze data is, even top scientists and academics are scratching their heads about all the variables abound in an ongoing global pandemic. In other words, your body and its complex desires or complexed feelings are asking to be held. If noticing that feels like too big to bite into, try softening your jaw and curling your lips into an “O” while exhaling into a long “HOOOOO” as you rest your hands on your belly. Can you drop down from the heavens into the depths of your body intelligence and give yourself the chance to digest what’s processing? Small bites and chew thoroughly.

Pisces:

Are you finding a channel that offers a bit of laughter and play into your routine, Pisces? The full moon in Cancer is a reminder that your needs are as fluid as they are continuous so long as you’re a human being. How much of that being have you allowed yourself to embody, dear soul? You might have felt glaringly aware of the reality of your social circle or friend dynamics recently, and with the moon’s opposition to Pluto that might include feeling a deep hunger for more proximity or someone trustworthy to share some of your more raw moments with. Whether you had a long and abundant childhood or not, this full moon is like a heavenly nudge to explore your active imagination and bring it to life through role play, art, or intimacy. Turn on some instrumental music (sans lyrics) and float your way through something formless, fun, and unplanned or play dress up, or invite someone (even if through a call) to tea and share your favorite treats. Call on the powers of movement, threads, and leaves infused with water or discharge some tension through the support of storytelling. What do you notice as you wrap yourself in whimsy?