By Amanda Painter

Today the Moon enters Cancer at 3:43 am EST (8:43:07 UTC) on its way to Friday’s Full Moon and penumbral lunar eclipse. I keep looking at this chart — with the Moon, seemingly by itself, facing off against a host of objects in Capricorn — and all these sea-related catchphrases keep popping into mind. I’ll get to those in a moment.

Light dancing on waves, waves dancing on shore; Higgins Beach, Maine. Photo by Amanda Painter.

For some orientation: the eclipse peaks on Jan. 10 at 2:10 pm EST (19:09:58 UTC). Eleven minutes later, the Sun-Moon opposition (Full Moon) peaks at 2:21 pm EST (19:21:10 UTC).

Astrologically, the Moon rules Cancer. It is strong there, and emphasizes this water sign’s tendency toward cycles, intuition and sensitivity. Astronomically, the Moon’s movements dictate the tides of our actual oceans.

Meanwhile, in Capricorn (sign of business, government, tradition, leadership) we have: the Sun (conscious self-expression), Mercury (intellect and communication), asteroid Ceres (food, nourishment), Saturn (structure, limits, authority), Pluto (compelled evolution, ‘what is below’), and centaur Chariklo (holding space for another).

Full Moons imply a meeting or confrontation. In the chart for this one, the Moon seemingly floats in the water all by itself, reflecting the light of the Sun, and opposing all those other objects that are aligned on the rocky shore. Among those objects: a Saturn-Pluto conjunction — exact just two days later, on Jan. 12 — that describes much of the upheaval and major change we’re witnessing around us.

Saturn and Pluto suggest significant weight and history to the choices we’re currently making — their roots and ramifications. Yet you might not be feeling it as weight.

You may actually be experiencing a sense of coming more fully into your life, an energizing or enlivening sense of movement that reflects your growth efforts in recent years. That might include some moments of uncertainty, or just as many questions as answers. Yet questions can be invigorating doorways to further curiosity.

As mentioned, I was looking at all of this in the chart and wondering how the ‘little ol’ Moon’ in such a sensitive sign could hold its own in the face of so much Capricorn. Then I remembered the inherent cyclical nature of the Moon and of Cancer — and the phrases started springing to mind.

First is Dory’s mantra from Finding Nemo: “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming…” I don’t recommend Dory’s recurring memory loss as a useful tool. But I do think that when we’re under a lot of pressure or facing the unknown, just putting one foot in front of the other can be incredibly helpful.

Not all steps can be big ones. Sometimes we have to walk (or swim) a little before a solution, or a new path, or the point of what we’re doing becomes clear. Even if you know exactly where you want to go and how to get there, it still comes down to continuing to swim (resting and eating as needed) to get there.

Capricornian, chart-like public sculpture and a 2015 Full Moon. Photo by Amanda Painter

Which brings me to a time-honored maxim for handling eclipses that’s been used many times on Planet Waves: “Look where you want to be.” It might not seem sea-related, but Eric and I first saw it on a surfer’s T-shirt about 10 years ago.

In surfing if you look down at your feet, or at the wave you’re on, or at all the distracting things around you, you’ll fall over. In life, if you do those things too much, it becomes a lot harder to get where you’d like to go.

With eclipses in particular, when we’re already riding a special kind of energy, looking where you want to be is key in using the astrology to position yourself well. It’s a way to focus your current actions on what you’d like to create, increase and cultivate in the next 6-12 months. You probably can’t get to the goal today; but you can set processes in motion that are specifically aimed in your preferred direction.

Finally, I thought of phrases that are more like cliché descriptions than advice, but offer useful imagery: sunlight dancing on the waves; waves dancing — rather than breaking — on the shore; playing in the waves; ebb and flow.

It occurred to me that one thing the Moon in Cancer has going for it, and which you can borrow, is the ability to cycle: through emotions, through giving and receiving, through absorbing and releasing, through covering and revealing. And then I noticed two asteroids conjunct the Moon: Arachne (entanglement, literal weaving) and Terpsichore (dance).

How do you feel about weaving your life going forward? What stories of your past are you untangling, and how do they inform your present and future choices? How would you like to dance through this moment of change, and how are you dancing with all the emotions that are coming up for you from day to day, or even moment to moment?

Keep swimming, dancing, weaving. Notice what you are leaving behind and why; allow yourself to grieve if you need to, and to celebrate if it’s time to. Then remember why you are opening up this space within yourself, within your home, within your relationships, within your environment: so you can see more clearly where you’d like to be, and can move there with more ease, grace and gratitude.

If you have a Capricorn Sun, rising sign or Moon and could use some insights about the challenges and opportunities life is sending your way, your relationships, career and more, pre-order the 2020 Capricorn Astrology Studio by Eric Francis Coppolino. Now available for instant access! Some of the most era-defining astrology has been centered on your sign in recent years, and that includes the biggest current astrological events. It also makes an amazing gift for your Cap loved ones.