Karmic Knots and February’s Cancer Full Moon
When: 13th of February 2:53am (NZ), 12:53am (Syd/Melb), 12:23am (Adelaide) + 12th of February 11:53pm (Brisbane), 11:23pm (Darwin), 9:53pm (WA/ Beijing), 7:23pm (India), 2:53pm (Milan), 1:53pm (London), 8:53am (NY), 6:53am (Boulder) + 5:53am (LA)
Note: I have recently moved from Tropical (aka. Western Astrology) which bases the signs of the Zodiac on the Equinoxes making it a solar calendar to Sidereal Astrology - which is the basis of Jyotish (Vedic Astrology). SideReal is the astronomically correct astrology as it bases the signs off where their constellations are in space. Just if you're wondering why others are talking about this being a Leo Full Moon and here I am saying it is in Cancer that's because it is astronomically at the end of the Cancer Constellation near Hydra. That said, both systems work and have an important place.
THE UNRAVELLING OF A KARMIC KNOT
The Full Moon at 29'53 of Cancer falls in the Lunar Mansion known as Ashlesha or ‘the clinging star’. This position is also known as Gandanta in Vedic Astrology, meaning it places us at the point where we have to deal with a deep karmic knot that lives within us. It is the place where the 'poisons' of the Cancer constellation sit (in fact this Moon will be aligned with the Hydra - which represents the insatiable quench of the ego), and where they need to be released. This particular knot is dealing with where you need to release karmic energy around your sense of identity, the way you cling to your preferences and try to preserve your 'self' by judging the world around you as 'good' or 'bad'. In particular this Moon is bringing to light the places where you bind yourself through codependence, and attachment to a world which is impermanent and will ultimately bring suffering. To quote the 3rd Chinese Patriarch of Zen
'The Great Way is easy for those with no preferences'.
That is all to say that this isn't an easy moon, it's filled with emotion, but in it's challenge is the opportunity to connect deeper with your true nature (which is beyond preference). Be careful to watch the ego, as it can play games where you believe you letting go of a preference or identity and in doing so you actually just create another one - much like the Hydra who grows 2 heads for every 1 that is cut off.
THE FLOODING OF EMOTION
As this Full Moon falls at the final degree of Cancer, it can bring with it a sense of being overwhelmed with emotion. Although the Moon is at home in Cancer, it isn’t exactly comfortable in this particular energy as it brings to the surface hard emotions like jealousy, possessiveness and even the desire for revenge. Externally this can manifest as news of flooding or natural disasters (which are unexpected thanks to Uranus' tension - which can bring volcanos + earthquakes - I’m watching Santorini as we speak but we might also want to watch Hydra given it’s constellation is at play). Know that the emotion that is coming up is related to the karmic knot that is slowly unravelling and this can be painful. As it does it brings up and out the emotion that has been repressed within - in order for more love, compassion, mercy etc to have the space to grow. This particular karmic knot is associated with the Kundalini, so you can find that as Shakti (inner energy) starts to rise it hits the karmic seeds of identification, attachment and preference that have been sitting around your base + sacral chakra. Physically pay attention to lower back pain and stuck energy around the hips (as these can be physical manifestations of the energy moving). This can be the perfect Moon to rest and be deeply compassionate for your body (instead of pushing through)…
THE END OF A CYCLE
Ashlesha Nakshtra is ruled by Mercury, and it represents the end of a cycle for the soul + it's evolution into a new way of seeing the world. It suggests that something is coming undone, an identity is being shed and in the process a new way of being is taking it's place. This particular Full Moon relates back to a cycle that started around the 16th-17th of August 2023 with the Cancer New Moon. If you can think back to this time in your life, there might be hints as to what was brewing, or even what was being triggered within you when it came to your personal power and deep seated preferences. As this Full Moon peaks it will have ripple effects through to August 2026 with the next Cancer New Moon (around the same degree). So note that although there can be unexpected energy around this Moon, it has a way of being integrated over the next 18 months.
SUBCONSCIOUS STIRRINGS
This Full Moon will fall in alignment with the Asteroid Goddess of the Sea, Amphitrite (who was Neptune's consort). She is the divine mother in her elemental form as the ocean. She represents our subconscious mind, and the beliefs have be 'shoved down' into our energy bodies (particularly the sacral chakra) that secretly determine our fate. Her children are the dolphins, seals as well as the sea monsters (like the Hydra). Just like the karmic seeds that stir within us, some are destructive and others not so much. She is also the goddess of the Golden Spindle which weaves our destinies. As such we are in a Full Moon dealing directly with karma, and showing us that our past actions (from past lives) stored in the super subconscious mind determines our future. (PS. This is only so long as we attach to our identity). This Moon can be an important reminder that we need external triggers and events to help us see these seeds, and water them in such a way that we have the opportunity to experience them - in the process learn to appreciate that this karma is in fact drawing us into deeper connection with the divine within.
PAY ATTENTION TO UNEXPECTED EVENTS
Uranus, the god of invention and awakening, sits in perfect tension with this Full Moon which can bring about unexpected events and even miracles (thanks to Magdalena nearby) which help you let go of a way of being that no longer serves you. It feels like this disruption is focused on places where you are insecurely attached and even giving your power away in the hopes of gaining more power (thanks to Medusa + Juno’s influence). Uranus brings about sudden change that can be hard to accept and understand, but once the dust settles there is an understanding that the shift was necessary + had to be unexpected in order for you to ultimately accept it. So stay flexible, and practice witnessing your emotions + seeing them as means to purify yourself. When things get a little sticky see if you can use your emotion to go deeper within, instead of using it to hurt or seek vengence on another…and create a whole new set of Karma.